Lesson 8: Pronouns — Nominative
Sindarin subject pronouns: independent forms for emphasis and suffix forms attached to verbs; all 6 persons with attested examples.
How Sindarin Handles Subject Pronouns
In English, subject pronouns are required: you cannot simply say "Watches" for "He watches" — the pronoun "he" must be present. Sindarin works differently. Like Latin, Spanish, or Welsh, Sindarin encodes the subject in the verb ending itself. The verb form tiron already means "I watch" — the -on ending carries the first-person singular information, so no separate "I" pronoun is needed unless you want to add emphasis.
This means Sindarin has two parallel systems for expressing the subject:
- Suffix system: Subject information is built into the verb ending. This is the default, normal mode.
- Independent pronoun system: Separate words for "I," "you," "he," etc. These are used for contrast or emphasis only — like saying "I am the one watching, not him."
This is exactly how Welsh (Tolkien's primary model) handles pronouns: the verb conjugates for person, and independent pronouns add emphasis.
Subject Pronoun Suffixes
The suffixes attach directly to the verb stem. The paradigm below uses tir- (to watch) as the model verb, showing how each suffix produces a full verbal form.
The exact suffixes depend on whether the verb stem ends in a vowel or consonant, but for primary verbs (consonant-final stems like tir-, ped-, mat-, sog-), the suffixes are:
| Person | Suffix | Verb form (tir-) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -(o)n | tiron | I watch |
| 2nd singular (familiar) | -(o)g | tirog | Thou watchest |
| 2nd singular (formal) | -(o)dh | tirodh | You watch (polite) |
| 3rd singular | unmarked or -(o)r | tir / tiror | He/she/it watches |
| 1st plural inclusive | -(o)m | tirom | We watch (including you) |
| 1st plural exclusive | -(o)nc | tironc | We watch (not you) |
| 2nd plural | -(o)dh | tirodh | You (pl.) watch |
| 3rd plural | -(o)r | tiror | They watch |
Notes on the paradigm:
- The -(o)- in parentheses is a "buffer vowel" that appears when the stem ends in a consonant cluster. For simple stems like tir-, the o appears: tir- + -on → tiron.
- The 3sg (third person singular) is often expressed by the bare verb form with no suffix: tir = "he/she watches." When the -or suffix is added, it often marks a clearer third-person reference.
- The 1pl inclusive (tirom) means "we, including the person we are speaking to." The exclusive (tironc) means "we, not including you."
- The 2sg formal (tirodh) and 2pl (tirodh) share the same suffix in many paradigm reconstructions, with context disambiguating.
Source note: This paradigm is based primarily on the work of Helge Fauskanger and Roman Rausch, drawing on Tolkien's Noldorin verbal paradigms published in Parma Eldalamberon 13 and related linguistic notes. It is widely accepted in the Neo-Sindarin community but not every form is directly attested; those that are directly attested (or very closely attested) are noted below.
Independent Subject Pronouns
These are used only when emphasis or contrast is needed. They stand alone before or after the verb.
| Person | Independent pronoun | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | im | "I myself, I (emphatic)." Attested: Im Narvi hain echant = "I Narvi made them" (Moria gate inscription) |
| 2nd singular (familiar) | le | Also the object pronoun "thee/you." Context disambiguates. |
| 2nd singular (formal) | le | Same form as familiar in Sindarin; register is conveyed by context and relationship |
| 3rd singular masc. | e | "He." Attested in linguistic notes. |
| 3rd singular fem. | esse / e | "She." Less clearly attested; esse appears in some notes. |
| 1st plural | mín | "We (emphatic)." From root MI- + plural. |
| 2nd plural | le (pl. with context) / gîr | The plural of le is uncertain; some scholars reconstruct gîr. |
| 3rd plural | hain | "Them (emphatic subject)." Attested: hain in Im Narvi hain echant. |
The Gateway Attestation: Im Narvi Hain Echant
This sentence, inscribed on the Doors of Durin in Moria, is one of the most linguistically rich short phrases in all of attested Sindarin:
Im Narvi hain echant: Celebrimbor o Eregion teithant i thiw hin
Word-by-word analysis:
| Word | Grammatical role | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Im | 1sg independent subject pronoun (emphatic) | "I myself" |
| Narvi | Proper noun, subject (in apposition with im) | Narvi (the Dwarvish craftsman) |
| hain | 3pl direct object pronoun | "them" (the doors) |
| echant | Verb, 3sg or 1sg past of echad- "to make, fashion" | "made, fashioned" |
| Celebrimbor | Proper noun, subject of second clause | Celebrimbor |
| o | Preposition | "of, from" |
| Eregion | Proper noun | Eregion (Hollin) |
| teithant | Verb, past of teitho- "to draw, inscribe" | "drew, inscribed" |
| i | Definite article | "the" |
| thiw | Noun, plural of têw (letter, sign) | "the letters, signs" |
| hin | Demonstrative adjective | "these" |
Translation: "I, Narvi, made them [the doors]: Celebrimbor of Eregion drew these signs."
This single sentence gives us:
- im as the emphatic 1sg pronoun ✓
- hain as the 3pl object pronoun ✓
- echant as a past tense form ✓
- o as the preposition "of/from" ✓
- teithant as another past tense form ✓
- i as the definite article ✓
- thiw as a plural form (têw → tîw or thiw) ✓
- hin as a demonstrative ✓
This is an extraordinarily information-dense inscription for a learner.
Second Person: Familiar vs. Formal
Many European languages distinguish between a familiar "thou/tu/du" (used with close friends, family, children, and in prayer) and a formal "you/vous/Sie" (used with strangers, superiors, in formal contexts). Tolkien built this distinction into his Elvish languages.
In Sindarin:
- The familiar form uses the suffix -og (verb) and the pronoun le
- The formal form uses the suffix -odh (verb) and the same pronoun le
The word le therefore serves as both familiar and formal second-person pronoun, with the verb suffix carrying the distinction in conjugated forms, and context/relationship doing the rest.
When does Tolkien use familiar le? The most famous example is Hannon le (I thank thee/you) — Frodo to Galadriel. This might seem surprising — Frodo using familiar "thee" to an ancient Elven queen — but Tolkien's Elves used the familiar register toward those they held in genuine affection and respect, not as an insult. The intimate "thee" was a mark of reverence and closeness, not condescension. This parallels the English use of "thee/thou" in Quaker speech (addressing God and beloved friends), in poetry, and in prayer.
Key point: le in hannon le is intimate-respectful, not casual-rude. Understanding this changes the emotional register of the entire phrase.
When to Use Independent vs. Suffix Forms
| Situation | Which form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Normal statement, no contrast needed | Suffix only | Tiron = "I watch" |
| Contrast: "I (not he) watch" | Independent + suffix | Im tiron, ú e = "I watch, not he" |
| Self-introduction | Independent | Im Aragorn = "I am Aragorn" |
| After na- "to be" | Independent | Im nâ aran = "I am a king" |
| Strong emphasis | Independent | Im pêd! = "I (myself) speak!" |
| Normal 3rd person | Bare verb | Tir = "he/she watches" |
| Contrast: "he (not I) watches" | Independent + verb | E tiror, ú im = "He watches, not I" |
| Addressing "you" in a sentence | Suffix | Tirog = "thou watchest" |
| Emphasising "you" | Le independent | Le, ú im, tirog = "You, not I, watch" |
Verbal Paradigm: Complete Table for tir- (to watch)
This is the full present tense paradigm showing both how to express each person:
| Person | Meaning | Verb-only form | With independent pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | I watch | tiron | im tiron (emphatic) |
| 2sg (fam.) | thou watchest | tirog | le tirog (emphatic) |
| 2sg (formal) | you watch | tirodh | le tirodh |
| 3sg | he/she watches | tir | e tir / esse tir |
| 1pl incl. | we watch (all) | tirom | mín tirom |
| 1pl excl. | we watch (not you) | tironc | mín tironc |
| 2pl | you (pl.) watch | tirodh | gîr tirodh (ᴺS.) |
| 3pl | they watch | tiror | hain tiror |
Additional Attested or Near-Attested Pronoun Forms
| Pronoun | Meaning | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| im | I (emphatic subject) | Directly attested (Im Narvi..., im in Tolkien's pronoun lists) |
| le | thee/you | Directly attested (hannon le, le abdollen, le linnathon) |
| hain | them (object) | Directly attested (Im Narvi hain echant) |
| e | he | Attested in linguistic notes (PE17 and related) |
| mín | we (emphatic) | Attested in pronoun notes |
| gîr | you (pl.) | ᴺS. — reconstructed from related forms |
| esse | she | Uncertain; appears in some notes; other scholars use e for both genders |
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb lin- (to sing) for all six persons in the present tense. Follow the same pattern as tir-.
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | linon | I sing |
| 2sg (fam.) | linog | Thou singest |
| 2sg (formal) | linodh | You sing |
| 3sg | lin | He/she sings |
| 1pl incl. | linom | We sing |
| 1pl excl. | linonc | We sing (excl.) |
| 3pl | linor | They sing |
Exercise 2: Translate these sentences, choosing independent or suffix pronoun as appropriate:
- "I speak." (normal statement)
- "I speak, not you." (contrast — emphatic)
- "We eat lembas." (normal statement, inclusive)
- "We eat, not they." (contrast — emphatic)
- "Thou art the king." (identity statement — use im/nâ construction)
Answers:
- Pedon (suffix alone)
- Im pedon, ú le (independent + suffix; ú = not)
- Matham lembas (suffix alone)
- Mín matham, ú hain (independent + suffix)
- Le nâ aran (independent le for emphasis: "Thou art the king")
Summary
| Feature | Sindarin pattern |
|---|---|
| Subject info | Carried in verb ending (suffix) |
| Independent pronouns | Emphatic/contrastive use only |
| Key 1sg | Suffix -on; independent im (attested) |
| Key 2sg | Suffix -og/-odh; pronoun le (attested) |
| Key 3pl | Suffix -or; pronoun hain (attested) |
| Famous attestation | Im Narvi hain echant — 1sg subject + 3pl object |
| Familiar vs. formal | -og/-odh suffix distinction; same pronoun le |
In Lesson 9, we cover the object and dative pronouns — what happens when "I" becomes "me," "you" becomes "thee," and how Sindarin handles indirect objects with the preposition an (to, for).