ܥܕܠܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic edit

Semi-learned borrowing from Aramaic, from עַד (ˁaḏ, “until; by”) + לָא (lā, “not”); compare similar expression in Hebrew עוֹד לֹא (ód ló, “not yet”).

ܥܲܕܠܵܐ • (ˁadlā)

preceding a verb in the indefinite past tense already, before now, before then
ܕܡܝܼܪ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܕܠܵܐ ܥܲܕܠܵܐ ܬܘܼܢܝܼܬܵܐ ܝܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܛܸܒܹ̈ܐ ܐܸܠܝܼ.
dmīr wā lī d-lā ˁadlā tūnītā ìwā ṭibbē ilī.
I was surprised that she hadn’t already told me the news.

ܪܵܒܵܐ ܡ̣ܢ ܕܝܼܠܹܗ ܐ݇ܡܝܼܪܵܐ، ܥܲܕܠܵܐ ܝܕܝܼܥܵܐ ܝܘܸܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ.
rābā min d-īlēh mīrā, ˁadlā dīˁā ìwen wā.
Much of what he said I knew already.

ܡܒܵܬ݇ܪ ܥܸܣܪܝܼ ܕܲܩܝܼܩܵܐ ܗ̇ܝ ܥܲܕܠܵܐ ܫܘܼܠܸܡܬܵܐ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ܟܠܹܗ ܦܘܼܠܚܵܢܵܐ.
mbār ˁisrī daqīqā aya ˁadlā šūlimtā ìlāh kullēh pulḥānā.
After twenty minutes she already finished all the work.
preceding a verb in the non-past already, so soon
ܥܲܕܠܵܐ ܒܛܵܠܵܐ ܝܘܸܬ؟ ― ˁadlā bṭālā ìwet? ― Are you quitting already?

ܒܵܣ ܕܲܩܝܼܩܵܐ, ܐܵܢܵܐ ܥܲܕܠܵܐ ܐܵܬܹܝܢ. ― bās daqīqāˀ, ānā ˁadlā ātēn. ― Just a moment, I'll be right there. (literally, “Just a minute, I'm already coming.”)

This is considered a semi-formal term. In most dialects of colloquial Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, speakers simply express the sense of “already” using the indefinite past tense, but maybe use ܥܲܕܠܵܐ (ˁadlā) to emphasize the earliness of an event or state, or that the action has been completed.