يا
Arabic edit
Pronunciation edit
Particle edit
يَا • (yā)
- O; hey; you; vocative particle preceding a noun used in direct address, only rarely omitted in such contexts
- يَا كَرِيمُ... ― yā karīmu... ― (Hey) Kareem, ...
- يَا حِمارُ! ― yā ḥimāru! ― You idiot!
- 1971, “زَهْرَةُ المَدَائِن (zahratu l-madāʔin)”, in Said Akl (lyrics), The Rahbani Brothers (music), القُدْسْ فِي البَال (al-quds fī l-bāl), performed by Fairuz:
- يَا قُدْسُ يَا قُدْسُ يَا قُدْسُ يَا مَدِينَةَ الصَّلَاة أُصَلِّي
- yā qudsu yā qudsu yā qudsu yā madīnata ṣ-ṣalāh ʾuṣallī
- O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, O city of prayer... I pray
Usage notes edit
- If the noun following يَا describes a certain person and is singular, sound feminine plural or broken plural, it governs the nominative case in the construct state. If it describes a certain person and is sound dual or sound masculine plural, it governs the nominative case in the indefinite state.
- يَا مُحَمَّدُ! ― yā muḥammadu! ― O Muhammad!
- يَا طَبِيبُ دَاوِنِي! ― yā ṭabību dāwinī! ― O doctor, treat me! (addressing a certain doctor)
- يَا مُوَظِّفُونَ! ― yā muwaẓẓifūna! ― O employees!
- يَا نَاسُ! ― yā nāsu! ― O people!
- If the noun following يَا is meant in general and isn't meant to adress a certain person, it governs the accusative case in the indefinite state.
- يَا طَبِيبًا دَاوِنِي! ― yā ṭabīban dāwinī! ― O any doctor, treat me! (calling for a doctor)
- يَا فَاهِمًا اِلدَّرْسَ اِشْرَحْهُ لَنَا! ― yā fāhiman id-darsa išraḥhu lanā! ― O anyone who understands the lesson, explain it to us!
- If the noun following يَا is in a genitive construction, it governs the accusative case in the construct state.
- يَا مُدَرِّسَ ٱلْفَصْلِ نَظِّمْ فَصْلَكَ! ― yā mudarrisa l-faṣli naẓẓim faṣlaka! ― O teacher of the class, organise your class!
- يَا مُوَظِّفِي هٰذِهِ ٱلشَّرِكَةِ ― yā muwaẓẓifī hāḏihi š-šarikati ― O employees of this company!
- يَا أَبَانَا! ― yā ʔabānā! ― O our father!
- يَا حَبِيبِي! ― yā ḥabībī! ― O my dear!
- If we want to use the noun following يَا in the definite state, we must use another particle أَيُّهَا (ʔayyuhā) (masculine) or أَيَّتُهَا (ʔayyatuhā) (feminine) together with يَا.
- يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلطَّبِيبُ دَاوِنِي! ― yā ʔayyuhā ṭ-ṭabību dāwinī! ― O you doctor, treat me!
- يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ! ― yā ʔayyuhā n-nāsu! ― O you people.
- In Qur'anic and to some degree Classical orthography, يَا (yā) was written يَٰـ and joined to the following word. Compare the following verse (Surat al-Baqara 55, translation Muhammad Asad).
- (original orthography) وَإِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤۡمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرى ٱللَّهَ جَهۡرَةࣰ فَأَخَذَتۡكُمُ ٱلصَّـٰعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمۡ تَنظُرُونَ
- (modernized orthography) وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى ٱللّٰه جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ ٱلصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
- And [remember] when you said, "O Moses indeed we shall not believe thee unto we see God face to face!" - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook you before your very eyes.
Derived terms edit
- يااللّٰه (ya-llāh)
Descendants edit
- → Armenian: յա (ya)
- → Hebrew: יא (ya)
- → Hindi: या (yā)
- → Ottoman Turkish: یا (ya)
- Turkish: ya
- → Persian: یا (yâ)
See also edit
- near vocative particles: أَ (ʔa), أَيْ (ʔay)
- far vocative particles: أَيَا (ʔayā), آ (ʔā), هَيَا (hayā)
See also edit
- أَيُّهَا (ʔayyuhā), أَيَّتُهَا (ʔayyatuhā)
- نَكِرَة مَقْصُودَة (nakira(t) maqṣūda)
- نَكِرَة غَيْرُ مَقْصُودَةٍ (nakira(t) ḡayru maqṣūdatin)
- مُنَادًى (munādan)
- تَرْخِيم (tarḵīm)
- لُغَةُ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُ (luḡatu man yantaẓiru)
- لُغَةُ مَنْ لَا يَنْتَظِرُ (luḡatu man lā yantaẓiru)
References edit
- Fischer, Wolfdietrich (2006) Grammatik des Klassischen Arabisch (in German), 4th edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →ISBN, § 157
Egyptian Arabic edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Particle edit
يا • (ya)
- vocative particle
- طمني يا دكتور، ايه حالة ابننا دلوقت؟
- ṭamminni ya doktor, ē ḥālet ibnena dilwaʾt?
- Assure me O doctor, what's the health status of our son now?
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Conjunction edit
يا • (ya)
Gujarati edit
Etymology 1 edit
Borrowed from Classical Persian یا (yā).
Conjunction edit
يا • (yā) (Standard Gujarati યા) (Lisan ud-Dawat)
Etymology 2 edit
Borrowed from Arabic يَا (yā).
Interjection edit
يا • (yā) (Standard Gujarati યા) (Lisan ud-Dawat)
- O!
Gulf Arabic edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Particle edit
يا • (ya)
- vocative particle
- يا غريب كون اديب
- yā ḡərīb kūn ədīb
- O stranger be respectful
Etymology 2 edit
Borrowed from Persian یا (yâ, “or”).
Conjunction edit
يا • (ya)
North Levantine Arabic edit
Etymology 1 edit
Particle edit
يا • (yā)
- vocative particle
Etymology 2 edit
Particle edit
يا • (yā-)
- accusative particle, used with pronominal suffixes to express English object pronouns, like me, him, etc.
- شو بدك ياني قول؟
- šū baddak yāni ʔūl?
- What do you want me to say?
- رح فرجيك ياهن.
- raḥ farjīk yāhun.
- I'll show them to you.
- ما فيني اشرحلك ياه.
- mā fīni ʔišraḥ-lak yā.
- I can't explain it to you.
Usage notes edit
- Used with false verbs (example 1) and in double accusative constructions (example 2). Optionally used after verbs that are already suffixed with an indirect-object pronoun (example 3).
South Levantine Arabic edit
Etymology 1 edit
Pronunciation edit
Particle edit
يا • (ya)
- vocative particle
Etymology 2 edit
Borrowed from Persian یا (yâ, “or”).
Pronunciation edit
Conjunction edit
يا • (ya)
Etymology 3 edit
Particle edit
يّا • (yyā-)
- Alternative spelling of ايا (iyya-), especially after a vowel