Besides Old Nubian, Koine Greek was widely used, especially in religious contexts, while Coptic mainly predominates in funerary inscriptions.

[3] The consecration documents found with the remains of archbishop Timotheos suggest, however, that Greek and Coptic continued to be used into the late 14th century, by which time Arabic was also in widespread use.

The script in which nearly all Old Nubian texts have been written is a slanted uncial variant of the Coptic alphabet, originating from the White Monastery in Sohag.

[8] The precise function of this morpheme has been a matter of controversy, with some scholars proposing it as nominative case or subjective marker.

The Old Nubian verbal system is by far the most complex part of its grammar, allowing for valency, tense, mood, aspect, person and pluractionality to be expressed on it through a variety of suffixes.

[13] The major categories, listing from the root of the verb to the right, are as follows: This can be indicated by a series of subject clitics, which are obligatory only in certain grammatical contexts.

ⲕⲧ̅ⲕⲁkit-kastone-ACCⲅⲉⲗⲅⲉⲗⲟ̅ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛⲛⲟⲛgelgel-os-ou-an-nonroll-PFV-PST1-3PL-TOPⲓ̈ⲏ̅ⲥⲟⲩⲥⲓiēsousiJesusⲙⲁⳡⲁⲛmañaneye.DUⲧⲣⲓⲕⲁ·tri-kaboth-ACCⲇⲟⲗⲗⲉdollehighⲡⲟⲗⲅⲁⲣⲁpolgar-araise.CAUS-PRED[ⲡⲉⲥⲥⲛⲁ·]pes-s-n-aspeak-PST2-2/3/SG-PREDⲡⲁⲡⲟpap-ofather-VOCⲥ̅ⲕⲉⲗⲙ̅ⲙⲉiskel-im-m-ethank-AFF-PRS-1SG.PREDⲉⲕ̅[ⲕⲁ]eik-kayou-ACCⲕⲧ̅ⲕⲁ ⲅⲉⲗⲅⲉⲗⲟ̅ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛⲛⲟⲛ ⲓ̈ⲏ̅ⲥⲟⲩⲥⲓ ⲙⲁⳡⲁⲛ ⲧⲣⲓⲕⲁ· ⲇⲟⲗⲗⲉ ⲡⲟⲗⲅⲁⲣⲁ [ⲡⲉⲥⲥⲛⲁ·] ⲡⲁⲡⲟ ⲥ̅ⲕⲉⲗⲙ̅ⲙⲉ ⲉⲕ̅[ⲕⲁ]kit-ka gelgel-os-ou-an-non iēsousi mañan tri-ka dolle polgar-a pes-s-n-a pap-o iskel-im-m-e eik-kastone-ACC roll-PFV-PST1-3PL-TOP Jesus eye.DU both-ACC high raise.CAUS-PRED speak-PST2-2/3/SG-PRED father-VOC thank-AFF-PRS-1SG.PRED you-ACC"And when they rolled away the rock, Jesus raised his eyes high and said: Father, I thank you."