-d

suffix. you

2nd du. pron. suff. #you (two). Q. -star.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dh

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd du. pron. suff. #you (two). Q. -star.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dh

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd sg. pron. suff. #you. Q. -tar.See paradigm PE17:132.

-dhir

suffix. you

{ð} 2nd pl. pron. suff. #you. Q. -ltar.See paradigm PE17:132.

de

pronoun. you

dhe

pronoun. thee/you

{ð}2nd sg. polite pron.(to) thee/you. Pure S. form replaced by the Q. borrowing le in the S. used by the Noldor or mixed peoples. de/dhe remained in use in Doriath and in the Havens. >> dhe

galog

suffix. you grow

v. & pron. suff. #you grow.

le

pronoun. thee/you

2nd sg. polite pron.(to) thee/you. A Q. borrowing in the S. used by the Noldor or mixed peoples, replacing the pure S. form de, dhe [= ðe] which remained in use in Doriath and in the Havens. Fanuilos le linnathon lit. 'Fanuilos to thee will I chant'.

le

pronoun. thee, you (polite)

ai

interjection. hail; ha, there you are, hail, there you are; [ᴱN.] cry of pain or woe, [G.] oh!

ech

pronoun. ?you, yourself (singular)

linnathol?

will you sing (please)?

cin

pronoun. you (sg. fam.)

en

adverb. then, [G.] that past, that by you, that already mentioned (by you)

-ldë

you

-ldë (1) pronominal suffix "you", 2nd person pl. (VT49:51; carildë *"you do", VT49:16). This ending Tolkien revised from -llë in earlier sources (VT49:48, cf. PE17:69).

-llo

you

[-llo (2) "you", dual; abandoned pronominal ending. Also written -illo. (VT49:49)]

-llë

you

-llë (2) abandoned pronominal ending "you", 2nd person pl. (VT49:48); Tolkien later revised this ending to -ldë.

-ndë

you

[#-ndë (2) pronominal suffix for dual "you", as in carindë *"you (two) do". Tolkien changed the ending to -stë (VT49:33)]

-ntyë

you

[-ntyë "you", abandonded pronominal ending for 2nd person pl. familiar (VT49:49)]

-stë

you

-stë "you", 2nd person dual pronominal ending (VT49:51, 53), e.g. caristë "the two of you do" (VT49:16). Tolkien first wrote carindë, but changed the ending (VT49:33). The ending -stë is derived from earlier -dde (VT49:46, 51). An archaic ending of similar form could also be the third person dual, "the two of them" (but see -ttë #1).

-tyë

you

-t (3) reduced pronominal affix of the 2. person, "you" (sg.), the long form being -tyë (both endings are listed in VT49:48). See heca regarding the example hecat (WJ:364). However, in a later source, Tolkien denies that -tyë has any short form (VT49:51, 57). The status of the ending -t is therefore doubtful.

alyë

you

alyë imperative particle with ending -lyë "you"; see a #3.

ilcë

you

ilcë ("k") (2) *"you", emphatic pronoun of the 2nd person pl. familiar, apparently a form abandoned by Tolkien. An alternative form incë was also listed; a query appears between the forms (VT49:48).

incë

you

incë ("k") *"you", emphatic pronoun for 2nd person pl. familiar, apparently a form abandoned by Tolkien. It is listed as an alternative to ilcë in the source, a query appearing between the forms (VT49:48, 49). The word could also be read as intë (VT49:49)

le

you

le, pronominal element "you", (originally) the "reverential 2nd person sing" (RGEO:73, VT49:56). However, singular le was apparently altered to lye (q.v.), and le took on a plural significance (le for pl. "you" is apparently derived from de, the ancient 2nd person pl. stem, VT49:50-51). Stressed lé (VT49:51), dual let "the two of you" (ibid.). At certain points in Tolkiens conception, le was still sg. "thou" rather than pl. "you". It is attested as an ending in the imperative form antalë "give thou" (VT43:17); see anta-. The form ólë in VT43:29 apparently means *"with thee"; according to Tolkiens later system, it would rather mean "with you" (pl.) Compare aselyë "with thee" (sg.) in a later source (see as).

-ilco

you (two)

[-ilco ("k") *"you (two)", abandoned pronominal ending for the familiar 2nd person dual; in later sources the relevant ending is rather -stë (VT49:48). The ending -ilco was apparently changed from -ilto (VT49:49). Compare -illo.]

-illo

you (two)

[-illo "you (two)", abandoned promoninal ending for the polite 2nd person dual; in later sources the relevant ending is rather -stë (VT49:48). This -illo was changed from -llo. Compare -ilco.]

-lyë

you, thou

-l or -lyë (VT49:48, 51), pronominal endings for 2nd person sg. polite/formal "you, thou": caril or carilyë *"you do" (VT49:16), hamil "you judge" (VT42:33), anel "you were" (see ná #1); see -lyë for further examples. These endings may also be added to pronouns (etel/etelyë or mil, milyë; see et, mi). In one source, -l is rather used as a reduced affix denoting plural "you"; see heca! (WJ:364)

-lyë

thou, you

-lyë pronominal ending "thou, you" (VT49:48), 2nd person sg. formal/polite: hiruvalyë "thou shalt find" (Nam, RGEO:67), carilyë *"you do" (VT49:16). Long form of -l, q.v. The ending also occurs in alyë, the imperative particle a with a pronominal suffix (VT43:17); see a #3. The intimate/familiar ending corresponding to polite/formal -lyë is -tyë, q.v

-tyë

you, thou

-tyë pronominal ending "you, thou" (VT49:48, 51), 2nd person familiar/intimate: carityë *"you do" (VT49:16; the corresponding formal/polite ending is -l, -lyë, cf. PE17:135 where Tolkien states that hiruvalyë "thou shalt find" from Namárië would be hiruvatyë if the polite pronoun were replaced by the familiar one). Compare the independent pronoun tye. In VT49:51, Tolkien denies that the ending -tyë has any short form (see, however, -t # 3). Cf. natyë "you are"; see ná #1. Compare tye, -tya.

allë

beside you

allë prep. with pron. suffix *"beside you" (formal) (VT49:25); see ara

ardë

beside you

ardë prep. with pron. suffix *"beside you" (pl), changed from astë (VT49:25). See ara.

astyë

beside you

astyë prep. with pron. suffix *"beside you" (informal) (VT49:25); see ara

astë

beside you

astë prep. with pron. suffix (1) "beside you", in this sense changed to ardë; (2) "beside them", in this sense changed to artë (VT49:25). See ara.

lye

thou/thee, you

lye pron. "thou/thee, you", 2nd person sg. formal/polite (corresponding to familiar/intimate tye, q.v.) (VT49:36) It seems the original stem-form was le (VT49:50), distinct from de as a plural "you", but when initial d became l and the forms threatened to fall together, le was apparently altered to lye by analogy with the ending -lyë and the emphatic pronoun elyë. Stressed lyé (VT49:51). For lye as object, cf. nai Eru lye mánata "God bless you" (VT49:39). Allative lyenna "to you, upon you" (VT49:40-41). Compare the reflexive pronoun imlë "yourself, thyself", q.v. (it did not have to be *imlyë, for the corresponding pl. pronoun indë "yourselves" is distinct anyhow).

merin sa haryalyë alassë nó vanyalyë ambarello

I hope that you have happiness before you pass from the world

This sentence appeared in a letter from Tolkien to a girl (woman?) named Dorothy. This sentence was first described publicly by Michael Dawson in 1999 on the Tolkien mailing list. The date of the original letter is unknown, since it was only described indirectly in another letter from Dorothy to Dawson’s (deceased) mother, dated 1968 (see Tolklang/34.99), but it seems likely that it was written after The Lord of the Rings was published. In the literature, this phrase is usually referred to as the “Merin Sentence”.

The sentence was first analyzed by Helge Fauskanger (Tolklang/35.02) and Ales Bican posted a short description of the sentence on the Elfling website. Based on its use of vanya-, Helge Fauskanger suggested the sentence was probably written before the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, since in that essay the base verb form auta- (WJ/366, Tolklang/35.02). When first published, there was some question on the validity of the sentence, but later independent confirmation of the existence of the Quenya word nó “before” supports its authenticity (as discussed by Bill Welden, VT49/32 note #12).

In the original description of the phrase, the first word is given as meriu, but there is a general concensus is that this is probably a misreading of merin “I hope”, the aorist 1st-singular form of the verb mer- “to hope”. The second word sa “that” is used here as a relative pronoun. The third word haryalye “you have” is the aorist 2nd-singular-polite form of the verb harya- “to have”.

The fourth word is alassë “happiness” followed by nó “before”. The sixth word vanyalye “you pass” is the aorist 2nd-singular-polite form of the verb vanya- which appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/WAN); in late writings this verb is usually given as auta- “to pass away”. The last word Ambarello “from the world” is the ablative form of the noun Ambar “World”.

nalyë

you are

nalyë, vb. "you are", "thou art"; see ná #1

natyë

you are

natyë vb. "you are", "thou art"; see ná #1

tye

you, thou, thee

tye pron. "you, thou, thee", 2nd person intimate/familar (LR:61, 70, Arct, VT49:36, 55), corresponding to formal/polite lye. According to VT49:51, tye was used as an endearment especially between lovers, and (grand)parents and children also used it to address one another ("to use the adult lye was more stern"). Tyenya "my tye", used = "dear kinsman" (VT49:51). The pronoun tye is derived from kie, sc. an original stem ki with an added -e(VT49:50). Stressed tyé; dual tyet "the two of you" (VT49:51 another note reproduced on the same page however states that tye has no dual form, and VT49:52 likewise states that the 2nd person familiar "never deleloped" dual or plural forms). Compare the reflexive pronoun intyë "yourself". Possibly related to the pronominal stem KE (2nd person sg.), if tye represents earlier *kye.

-ldë

suffix. you (plural)

elyë

pronoun. you (emphatic polite)

le

pronoun. you (plural)

lye

pronoun. you (polite)

nai eru tye mánata

God bless you

namárië

interjection. farewell, (lit.) be well, let it be well (to you)

tye

pronoun. you (familiar), thee

(ai)que kestanellen, (ai) tullenye

if you had asked me, I should have come

-(i)llo

suffix. you (dual)

-ccë Archaic

suffix. you (dual)

-ilco

suffix. you (dual)

-l

suffix. you (polite)

-l(yë)

suffix. you (polite)

-llë

suffix. you (plural)

-llë

suffix. you (dual polite)

-ncë Archaic

suffix. you (plural familiar)

-ntyë

suffix. you (plural familiar)

-stë

suffix. you (dual)

< -zde < -dde

-t

suffix. you (familiar)

-tyë

suffix. you (familiar)

-xë Archaic

suffix. you (dual)

[?it/itē] kestallen, tuluvanye

if you ask me, I shall come

aite[?] kestallen

now, suppose, you ask me

aite[?] kestuvallen, tuluvanye

now supposing you asked me, a thing unlikely {or ridiculous} to suppose...

asanye

verb. I will (do so) -- as you ask/order

au kestanellen!

if only you had asked me!

au túlielde (las)!

if only you had come (were here)

carilye tar

you do, sir

en

adverb. then soon, then soon, [ᴹQ.] in that (future) case; there, yonder; look yon(der); far away; that, [ᴱQ.] that by you; thereupon

hí

adverb. here, here [ᴹQ.] (for both you and me), now

A word for “here” in notes from the late 1960s, derived from primitive ✶khĭn- (VT49/34). It seems to be part of an attempt to explain S. hí “now”.

Conceptual Development: Demonstrative, Relative, and Correlative Stems (DRC) from 1948 had a root √KHI that was a “demonstrative of 1st pers (b)”, that is “here by us” (PE23/96). It had a derived form ᴹQ. hi that could be used both spatially (“here by us”) and temporally (“now”). Primitive ✶khi was mentioned again in Eldarin Pronouns, Demonstratives, and Correlatives from the early 1950s, but the page where it appeared was deleted (PE23/131 note #31).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would assume Q. hí had a meaning similar to its 1948 sense “here by us”, as opposed to the more general word sissë for “here”. On the basis of this hí, I would also used the 1948 elaborations of ᴹQ. hi such as ᴹQ. hina “this (by us)” or ᴹQ. hillo “hence (from us)”.

ilcë

pronoun. you (emphatic plural familiar)

imbë met

between you and me

la navin caritalyas mára

I do not advise you to do so, (lit.) I don’t judge your doing (it) good

lá carita i hamil mára alasaila ná

not to do (in this case) what you judge good (would be) unwise

mára tyen

good to you, you like

mára tyen

good to you = like

nai elen siluva lyenna

*may a star shine upon you

nai elyë hiruva. namárië!

be-it-that even you will find [it]. farewell!

The 17th and final phrase in the prose Namárië, which is essentially the same as its poetic version, differing only in its more literal translation. This is nothing particularly notable about its word order.

namárië! nai hiruvalyë valimar

farewell! be-it-that you will find Valimar

The 16th phrase in the prose Namárië, which is essentially the same as its poetic version, differing only in its more literal translation. This is nothing particularly notable about its word order.

quenten tulil márië nin

I said: you come happily (for me)

vá matuvatyë mastanya

you are not to eat my bread, you shan’t eat my bread

vá meninyë ó le

I won’t come with you

yello camnelyes

from whom you received him

yenna leltanelyes

to whom you sent him

nailyë

interjection. go ahead, you are welcome to proceed

A neologism for “go ahead, you are welcome to proceed” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-05-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS) as a combination of nai “may it be that” and lye “you (polite)”. Familiar and plural variants naityë and naildë also exist.

Ma istanyel?

t# `B81D5Ì$jÀ interrogative. Do I know you?

Translates officially as: Do I know (formal) you?

eldë

pronoun. you (plural emphatic)

iquista

noun. request; if you please, please

ki

pronoun. *you

A pronominal prefix, most likely the second person pronoun “you”, appearing in the verb kitabdahê “[you] touch me” in the sentence bâ kitabdahê (SD/250). See the entry on pronominal-prefixes for more discussion.

de

pronoun. you

mênu

pronoun. you (acc. pl.)

khazâd ai-mênu

the Dwarves are upon you!

de

pronoun. you (pl.)

ikke

pronoun. you (familiar emphatic)

inde

pronoun. you (polite emphatic)

ki

noun. you (imperious/familiar)

le

pronoun. you (sg.)

elwe

pronoun. inclusive, we = you and I/me

enki

pronoun. that by you over there (addressing or writing to someone at a distance)

idde

pronoun. you (polite emphatic)

ke

pronoun. you (imperious/familiar)

lḗ tuli, tuli lḗ, āle tuli!

come (you)!, now you, come!

the

pronoun. you (imperious/familiar)

ti

pronoun. *that by you