See also: ܒ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

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Etymology

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From Aramaic בְּ־ (bə-), ultimately Proto-Semitic *bV- (with, in, at, among) with likely interrelation with Proto-Semitic *bayt- (site, location; nest, house); compare Arabic بِ- (bi-) and Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

Pronunciation 1

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  • (Standard, preceding a consonant and a vowel) IPA(key): [b-], [bə-]
  • (Standard, preceding two consonants) IPA(key): [bɪ-]
  • (Standard, preceding /b/ or /p/ with a vowel after) IPA(key): [ʔɪb-]

Preposition

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ܒ- (b-)

  1. various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, about, as, against, during
    ܝܼܘܲܚ ܒܫܘܼܩܵܐīwaḥ b-šuqāWe are at the market.
    ܡܡܘܼܠܸܠ ܠܗܘܿܢ ܠܸܚܕ݂ܵܕ݂ܹܐ ܒܨܲܦܪܵܐ.
    mullil lhon liḥḏāḏē b-ṣaprā
    They spoke in the morning.
  2. per, by, through, throughout
    Synonyms: ܩܵܐ (), ܠܟܠ ܚܲܕ݇ (lkul ḥa)
    ܒܬܲܪܬܹܝܢ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐb-tartēn šinnēevery two years
    ܒܚܲܕ݇ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ, ܒܬܪܹܝܢ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ
    b-ḥa parṣopā, b-trēn parṣopē
    per person, per two people
    ܟܝܼܠܘܿܡܝܼܛܪܹ̈ܐ ܒܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐkīlomīṭrē b-šāˁṯākilometers per hour
  3. on (a medium of communication)
    Synonym: ܥܲܠ (ˁal)
    ܚܸܙܝܵܐ ܠܲܢ ܒ-ܦܪܵܣܚܸܙܘܵܐ.ḥizyā lan b-prāsḥizwā.We saw it on TV.
    ܫܡܝܼܥ ܠܲܢ ܥܲܠܘܿܗ̇ ܒ-ܦܪܵܣܩܵܠܵܐ.
    šmīˁ lan ˁallōh b-prāsqālā.
    We heard about it on the radio.
    ܟܠܹܗ ܝܲܘܡܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܡܡܲܠܠܝܼ ܒ-ܚܘܼܛܵܡܲܠܵܠܵܐ!
    kullēh yawmā kē mmallī b-ḥūṭāmallālā!
    All day they talk on the phone!
  4. marking the definite direct object; the person or thing affected by an action
    Synonym: ܠ- (l-)
  5. according to
  6. expressing composition, substance
    Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)
    ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ ܡܠܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܒܗܲܒܵܒ݂ܹ̈ܐganṯā mlīṯā b-habbāḇēA garden full of flowers.
  7. (instrumentally) with
    Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)
    ܡܠܝܼ ܠܵܗ̇ ܒܡܲܝ̈ܵܐmlī lāh b-mayyāFill it with water.
    ܦܪܝܼܡ ܠܝܼ ܒܸܣܪܵܐ ܒܣܲܟܝܼܢܵܐ.
    prim lī bisrā b-sakkīnā.
    I cut the meat with a knife.
    ܨܪܝܼܚ ܠܹܗ ܒܩܵܠܵܐ ܪܵܡܵܐ.ṣriḥ lēh b-qālā rāmā.He shouted with a loud voice.
  8. Used with an adjective to indicate the superlative.
    ܡܒܘܼܪܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ ܝܘܲܬܝ ܒܢܸܫܹ̈ܐ
    mburaḵtā ìwat b-niššē
    Blessed are you among women.
    (literally, “You are the most blessed of women.”)
    ܝܼܠܹܗ ܐܲܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐ ܒܓܲܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐīlēh arrīḵā b-gaḇrēHe is the tallest of the men.
  9. denotes requital, giving or doing in return; for
    Synonym: ܩܵܐ ()
    ܙܒ݂ܝܼܢܹܗ ܠܝܼ ܒܬܠܵܬ݂ܵܐ ܐܲܠܦܹ̈ܐ ܕܹܝܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ.
    zḇīnēh lī b-tlāṯā alpē dēnārē
    I bought it for three thousand denarii.
  10. forming dates using the months
    ܫܒ݂ܲܥܣܲܪ ܒܫܒ݂ܵܛšḇaˤsar b-šḇāṭThe seventeenth of February
    ܬܡܵܢܝܵܐ ܒܐܝܼܠܘܿܠtmānyā b-īlōlThe eighth of September
    ܪܹܝܫ ܫܹܢ݇ܬܵܐ ܐܵܫܘܿܪܵܝܬܵܐ ܝܠܹܗ ܚܲܕ݇ ܒܢܝܼܣܵܢ.
    rēš šēttā āšorāytā ìlēh ḥa b-nīsān
    Assyrian New Year is on the first of April.
Usage notes
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  • Unlike English in, ܒ- (b-) cannot easily mean into; rather, ܠ- (l-, to) is generally used for that sense.
  • Like English in, ܒ- (b-) is a fairly weak word; when the sense is that of being in a place, the word ܓܵܘ (gāw, within, inside) may be used as a stronger variant.
  • Unlike English in, (-b) is strictly a preposition, and always takes an object; ܠܓܵܘܵܐ (l-gāwā, in, inside) is used without an object.
Inflection
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Inflection of ܒ-
Base Form ܒ- (b-) Base Form ܒܝܼ- (bī-)
Personal-pronoun including forms Personal-pronoun including forms
singular plural singular plural
m f m f
1st person ܒܝܼ () ܒܲܢ (ban) 1st person ܒܝܼܝܼ (bīyī) ܒܝܼܲܢ (bīyan)
2nd person ܒܘܼܟ݂ (būḵ) ܒܵܟ݂ܝ (bāḵ) ܒܲܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bawḵōn) 2nd person ܒܝܼܘܼܟ݂ (bīyūḵ) ܒܝܼܵܟ݂ܝ (bīyāḵ) ܒܝܼܲܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bīyawḵōn)
3rd person ܒܹܗ (bēh) ܒܵܗ̇ (bāh) ܒܗܘܿܢ (bhōn) 3rd person ܒܝܼܹܗ (bīyēh) ܒܝܼܵܗ̇ (bīyāh) ܒܝܼܗܘܿܢ (bīhōn)

Pronunciation 2

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  • (Standard) IPA(key): [bɪ-]
  • (Standard, preceding an initial unpronounced /ʔ/ or /j/) IPA(key): [biː]

Particle

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ܒܸ- or ܒܹ- or ܒܝܼ (bi- or bē- or )

  1. In G stem verbs attached to the verbal noun to form the gerund to form progressive verbs
    ܝܼܠܹܗ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐīlēh biqrāyāHe is reading
    ܝܼܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐīwā biqrāyāHe was reading
    ܒܸܕ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ
    bid hāwē biqrāyā
    He will be reading; He is probably reading.
Usage notes
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  • In most verbs, the vowel is zlāmā pšīqā (as in ܒܸܦܬܵܚܵܐ (biptāḥā))
  • ܒܸ- (bi-) undergoes changes if the verb starts with the following:
    • In verbs starting with ālap, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܹܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (ḵālā))
    • In verbs starting with yōḏ, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܝܼܬܵܒ݂ܵܐ (tāḇā))
    • Sometimes the verb stem undergoes metathesis (as in ܒܸܠܝܵܦܵܐ (bilyāpā))

Classical Syriac

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Etymology

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Compare Arabic بِ- (bi-), Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [b(ə)-] (preceding a consonant and vowel)
  • IPA(key): [ba-] (preceding a two-consonant cluster)

Preposition

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ܒ- (bə-, ba-)

  1. various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, according to, for, because, about, as, against, during
  2. (instrumentally) with
  3. (with an adjective, forming a superlative) -est, most
  4. (with a substantive, forming an adverb) -ly

Inflection

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Takes type-I suffixes.

Inflection of ܒ-
person singular plural
m f m f
1st person ܒܝ ܒܢ
2nd person ܒܟ ܒܟܝ ܒܟܘܢ ܒܟܝܢ
3rd person ܒܗ ܒܗ ܒܗܘܢ ܒܗܝܢ

See also

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References

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  • b_”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2020-01-04
  • Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 23a
  • Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 33b–34a
  • 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 114a