ܐܝܬ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Etymology

From Aramaic אִית (ʾîṯ); cognate with Hebrew יֵשׁ (yésh), Akkadian 𒌇 (išûm), Ugaritic 𐎛𐎘 (ỉṯ, “presence, existence”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard) IPA^(key): , [ʔiθː]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): , [ʔiːθ.]
• (Urmia) IPA^(key): , [ʔiːt.]

Adverb

ܐܝܼܬ • (īt)

1. there is/are

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܘܲܪܕܵܐ ܓܲܘ ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ. ― īṯ wardā gaw ganṯā. ― There is a rose in the garden.

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܪܵܒܵܐ ܐ݇ܢܵܫܹ̈ܐ ܒܫܘܼܩܵܐ. ― īṯ wā rābā nāšē b-šūqā. ― There were many people at the market.

2. to have, own, possess [with ܠ- (l-)]

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ ܟܲܠܒ݂ܵܐ. ― īṯ lī kalḇā. ― I have a dog (literally, “There is to me a dog.”)

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܕ݇ܟ̰ܵܐ ܙܘܼܙܹ̈ܐ. ― īṯ wā lī ḥačā zūzē. ― I had some money. (literally, “There was to me some money.”)

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ ܚܕ݂ܵܐ ܚܵܬ݂ܵܐ ― īṯ lī ḥḏā ḥāṯā ― I have one sister.

   1. to be (years) old [+ ܠ- (l-) (age)]

      ܟܡܵܐ ܫܸ̈ܢܹܐ ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܘܼܟ݂ ܐܲܢ݇ܬ؟ ― kmā šinnē īṯ lūḵ at? ― How old are you? (literally, “How many years are there to you?”)

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܹܗ ܬܸܫܥܝܼܢ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ ܐܝܼܡܲܢ ܕܡܝܼܬ݂ ܠܹܗ. ― īṯ wā lēh tišˁīn šinnē īman d-mīṯ lēh. ― He was ninety years old when he died. (literally, “There was to him ninety years when he died.”)

   2. Used to indicate a certain amount of time has passed since a certain event; it has been… since… [+ usually with the past participle]

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ ܬܪܹܝܢ ܝܲܘ̈ܡܹܐ ܦܠܝܼܚܬܵܐ ― īṯ lī trēn yawmē plīḥtā ― It has been two days since I [first] worked.

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܹܗ ܫܲܒܬ݂ܵܐ ܦܠܝܼܛܵܐ ― īṯ wā lēh šabṯā plīṭā ― It had been a week since he had first left.

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܲܢ ܫܲܢ݇ܬܵܐ ܐ݇ܙ̈ܝܼܠܹܐ ܬܸܡܵܠܝ ― īṯ lan šattā zīlē timmāl ― Yesterday it has been a year since we went.

      ܨܲܦܪܵܐ ܒܸܕ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܝܲܪܚܵܐ ― ṣaprā bid hāwē lī yarḥā ― Tomorrow it will be [for us] a month since (a particular event).

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܵܗ̇ ܬܲܪܬܹܝܢ ܫܸ̈ܢܹܐ ܗܘܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ― īṯ lāh tartēn šinnē hwīṯā ― It has been two years since it happened.

3. to have (a characteristic or internal or inherent feature) [with ܒ- (b-)]

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܝܼ ܚܲܡܚܲܡܬܵܐ ― īṯ wā bī ḥamḥamtā ― I had a fever. (literally, “There was in me a fever.”)

   ܒܲܝܬܝܼ ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܹܗ ܬܪܹܝܢ ܡܲܦܩܹ̈ܐ ― baytī īṯ bēh trēn mapqē ― My house has two exits.

   ܥܲܩܠܵܬ݂ܝܼ̈ ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܗܹܝܢ ܟܹܐܒ݂ܵܐ ― ˁaqlāṯī īṯ bhēn kēḇā ― My legs have pain.

   1. to be able to [with ܒ- (b-)]

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܝܼ ܙܵܡܪܹܢ. ― īṯ bī zāmrēn. ― I can sing (literally, “There is in me to sing.”)

      ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܘܼܟ݂ ܙܵܡܪܹܬ. ― īṯ wā būḵ zāmrēt. ― You could sing (literally, “There was in you to sing.”)

4. (with ܥܲܠ (ˁal)) to be incumbent on, obligatory, expected from, have a duty to do

   ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܥܲܠܵܟ݂ܝ ܕܡܙܲܡܢܲܬܝ ܠܵܗ̇ ܘܐ݇ܚܪܹܢܵܐ ܠܲܝܬ ܕܥܵܒ݂ܕ݂ܲܬܝ ― īṯ ˁallāḵ dmzamnat lāh w-ḥrēnā layt dˁāḇḏat ― There is a duty on you to invite her, and nothing else for you to do.

Usage notes

• (to have, to be possible): While ܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯ) is an adverb, it is used in much the same way as a present-tense verb. Its corresponding past tense is expressed by ܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯ) + ܗ݇ܘܵܐ/ܗ݇ܘܵܘ (wā) and its future tense is expressed by ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ (bit hāwē)/ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܝܵܐ (bit hāwyā)/ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܝܼ (bit hāwī); followed by its suffixes agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number.

  ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ. ― īṯ lī ḥabūšā. ― I have an apple.

  ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ. ― īṯ wā lī ḥabūšā. ― I had an apple.

  ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ. ― bit hāwē lī ḥabūšā. ― I will have an apple.

  ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܝܼ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ ܘܦܘܼܪܬܩܵܠܵܐ. ― bit hāwī lī ḥabūšā w-purtqālā. ― I will have an apple and an orange.

• “I have” in English may be translated with either ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ (īṯ lī) or ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܝܼ (īṯ bī) depending on context. For “I have” in the sense of owning an item or other possession, physical or not, metaphorical or true, the form ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ (īṯ lī, literally “There is to me”) is used. In all other contexts of “I have,” the form ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܝܼ (īṯ bī, literally “There is in me”) is used. In some contexts, it is possible to use both forms with difference in meaning, for example: ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ ܣܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ― īṯ lī saḇrā ― I possess hope., ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܝܼ ܣܲܒ݂ܪܵܐ ― īṯ bī saḇrā ― There is hope in me.

Inflection

Inflections of ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠ- (īṯ l-) and ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒ- (īṯ b-)
Base Forms ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠ-			ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠ- (īṯ l-)	Variant Forms ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒ-			ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒ- (īṯ b-)
Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural	Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural
	m	f			m	f
1st person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܝܼ (īṯ lī)		ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܲܢ (īṯ lan)	1st person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܝܼ (īṯ bī)		ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܲܢ (īṯ ban)
2nd person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܘܼܟ݂ (īṯ lūḵ)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܵܟ݂ܝ (īṯ lāḵ)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (īṯ lāwḵōn)	2nd person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܘܼܟ݂ (īṯ būḵ)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܵܟ݂ܝ (īṯ bāḵ)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (īṯ bāwḵōn)
3rd person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܹܗ (īṯ lēh)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܵܗ̇ (īṯ lāh)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܗܘܿܢ (īṯ lhōn)	3rd person	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܹܗ (īṯ bēh)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܵܗ̇ (īṯ bāh)	ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܒܗܘܿܢ (īṯ bhōn)

Antonyms

• ܠܲܝܬ (layt)

Derived terms

• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ (īṯūṯā, “essence; existence”)
• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܘܼܬ݂ܵܢܵܝܵܐ (īṯūṯānāyā, “essential; existing”)
• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܝܵܐ (īṯyā, “being, existing”)
• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܝܵܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯyāˀīṯ, “essentially”)
• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܝܵܝܵܐ (īṯyāyā, “essential, integral”)
• ܐܝܼܬ݂ܵܝܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ (īṯāyūṯā, “essence, being”)

 

Classical Syriac

Etymology

Compare Aramaic אִית (ʾîṯ), Hebrew יֵשׁ (yēš).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Edessan, Eastern Syriac, Western Syriac) IPA^(key): , [ˈʔiθ]

Verb

ܐܝܬ • (ʾīṯ) (peal construction (irregular))

1. there is/are
2. to be, exist
3. (with ܠ- (lə-)) to have
4. (with ܠ- (lə-) or ܕ- (də-)) to be possible, allowable; must
5. (with ܠܘܬ (ləwāṯ)) to be with; have; be found; be found guilty
6. (with ܥܠ (ʿal)) to be incumbent on, obligatory, expected from

Usage notes

This word does not inflect like a regular verb. It mostly occurs as an uninflected particle, though it can take type-II suffixes (as certain prepositions or plural nouns), agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number. Its past tense is expressed by a following ܗܘܐ ([hə]wā), inflected in the third person and agreeing with the subject in gender and number.

Antonyms

• ܠܝܬ (layt)

Derived terms

• ܐܝܬܘܬܐ (ʾīṯūṯā, “essence; existence”)
• ܐܝܬܘܬܢܝܐ (ʾīṯūṯānāyā, “essential; existing”)
• ܐܝܬܝܐ (ʾīṯyā, “being, existing”)
• ܐܝܬܝܐܝܬ (ʾīṯyāʾīṯ, “essentially”)
• ܐܝܬܝܘܬܐ (ʾīṯāyūṯā, “essence, being”)
• ܐܝܬܝܝܐ (ʾīṯyāyā, “essential, integral”)

 

References

• “ˀyt”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2021-07-17
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 8a-b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 14b-15a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 39a