bí

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bi"

Contents

IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /bʲiː/

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Irish bí, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to grow, become, come into being, appear”).

The present indicative independent affirmative analytic form is from Old Irish at·tá, from Proto-Celtic *ad-tāyeti (compare Welsh taw (“there is”)), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“stand”).

VerbEdit

bí (present analytic tá, future analytic beidh, verbal noun bheith)

1. (intransitive) be

Usage notesEdit

• Only used with adjective or prepositional phrases as the predicate, never with noun phrases, for which the copular particle is is used instead.

ConjugationEdit

Conjugation of bí

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present independent affirmative	táim; tá mé	tá tú; táir†; taoi†	tá sé, sí	táimid; tá muid	tá sibh; táthaoi	tá siad; táid; tádar	atá; atáim (1st sg.); atáir, ataoi (2nd sg.); atáimid (1st pl.); atáthaoi (2nd pl.); atáid (3rd pl.); atáthar (autonomous)	táthar
	present dependent	fuilim; fuil mé	fuil tú; fuilir†	fuil sé, sí	fuilimid; fuil muid	fuil sibh	fuil siad; fuilid	a bhfuil*	fuiltear
	present negative‡	nílim; níl mé	níl tú; nílir†	níl sé, sí	nílimid; níl muid	níl sibh	níl siad; nílid	nach bhfuil	níltear
	present habitual	bím	bíonn tú; bír†	bíonn sé, sí; bí sé, sí	bímid; bíonn muid	bíonn sibh	bíonn siad; bíd†	a bhíonn; a bhíonns†; a bhíos† / a mbíonn*; a mbíonns*†; a mbíos*†	bítear
	past habitual	bhínn	bhíteá	bhíodh sé, sí	bhímis; bhíodh muid	bhíodh sibh	bhídís; bhíodh siad	a bhíodh / a mbíodh*	bhítí
	past independent	bhí mé; bhíos	bhí tú; bhís	bhí sé, sí	bhíomar; bhí muid	bhí sibh; bhíobhair	bhí siad; bhíodar	a bhí	bhíothas
	past dependent	raibh mé; rabhas	raibh tú; rabhais	raibh sé, sí	rabhamar; raibh muid	raibh sibh; rabhabhair	raibh siad; rabhadar	a raibh*	rabhthas
	future	beidh mé; bead	beidh tú; beir†	beidh sé, sí	beimid; beidh muid	beidh sibh	beidh siad; beid†	a bheidh; a bheas† / a mbeidh; a mbeas†	beifear
conditional		bheinn / mbeinn‡‡	bheifeá / mbeifeᇇ	bheadh sé, sí / mbeadh sé, s퇇	bheimis; bheadh muid / mbeimis‡‡; mbeadh muid‡‡	bheadh sibh / mbeadh sibh‡‡	bheidís; bheadh siad / mbeidís‡‡; mbeadh siad‡‡	a bheadh / a mbeadh*	bheifí / mbeif퇇
subjunctive	present	go raibh mé; go rabhad†	go raibh tú; go rabhair†	go raibh sé, sí	go rabhaimid; go raibh muid	go raibh sibh	go raibh siad; go rabhaid†	—	go rabhthar
	past	dá mbeinn	dá mbeifeá	dá mbeadh sé, sí	dá mbeimis; beadh muid	dá mbeadh sibh	dá mbeidís; beadh siad	—	dá mbeifí
imperative		bím	bí	bíodh sé, sí	bímis	bígí; bídh†	bídís	—	bítear
verbal noun		bheith

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡ Quasi-independent; formed from a contraction of ní and the relevant form of fhuil
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Derived termsEdit

• bí ann (“exist”, verb, literally “be there”)

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Irish bí (“pitch”).

NounEdit

bí f (genitive singular bí)

1. pitch, resin

DeclensionEdit

Declension of bí

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative bí Vocative a bhí Genitive bí Dative bí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an bhí Genitive na bí Dative leis an mbí don bhí

Etymology 3Edit

Inflected forms.

AdjectiveEdit

bí

1. (literary) genitive singular masculine of beo (“living”)

NounEdit

bí m sg

1. (literary) genitive singular of beo (“living being”)

MutationEdit

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bí	bhí	mbí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further readingEdit

• "bí" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “attá” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “1 bí” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• Entries containing “bí” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “bí” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

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MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

bí (Zhuyin ㄅㄧˊ)

1. Pinyin transcription of 荸
2. Pinyin transcription of 襣
3. Pinyin transcription of 魮
4. Pinyin transcription of 鼻

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NavajoEdit

PronounEdit

bí

1. third person singular and dual pronoun: he, she, it; they two
2. third person singular and dual possessive pronoun: his, hers, its; theirs (for two people)
   • 1995, Goossen, Irvy, Diné Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo, Salina Bookshelf, →ISBN, page 73:

     Łį́į́łgaii éí shicheii bí.

     The white horse is my grandfather's.

Derived termsEdit

• daabí

See alsoEdit

Navajo personal pronouns

	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	shí	nihí	danihí
2nd person	ni	nihí	danihí
3rd person	bí	bí	daabí
4th person (3a)	hó	hó	daahó

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Old IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /bʲiː/

Etymology 1Edit

Inflected forms of at·tá, derived from Proto-Celtic *buyo-, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-.

Alternative formsEdit

• bii

VerbEdit

·bí

1. second-person singular consuetudinal present indicative conjunct of at·tá
2. third-person singular consuetudinal present indicative conjunct of at·tá

bí

1. second-person singular imperative of at·tá

DescendantsEdit

The following forms are descended from the imperative:

• Irish: bí
• Manx: bee
• Scottish Gaelic: bi

Etymology 2Edit

Inflected form of benaid.

VerbEdit

bí (absolute), ·bí (conjunct)

1. third-person singular preterite absolute and conjunct of benaid

Etymology 3Edit

See the etymology of the main entry.

AdjectiveEdit

bí

1. inflection of béo:
   1. vocative and genitive singular masculine
   2. accusative and dative singular feminine
   3. genitive singular neuter
   4. nominative plural masculine

MutationEdit

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
bí	bí pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/	mbí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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VietnameseEdit

PronunciationEdit

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ɓi˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ɓɪj˨˩˦]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ɓɪj˦˥]

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Vietic *k-biːrʔ ~ *k-piːrʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cpiir (“pumpkin”); cognate with Muong pỉl, proto-Monic *cmpiir (modern Mon သ္ပဳ (həpɔe, “pumpkin”)).

NounEdit

(classifier cây, trái, quả) bí (𦷬)

1. pumpkin
2. other plants in the Cucurbitaceae family

Etymology 2Edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from 祕.

AdjectiveEdit

bí

1. (only in compounds) mysterious, secret, unknown

Derived termsEdit

Derived terms

• bí ẩn
• bí hiểm

• bí mật

• thần bí

VerbEdit

bí

1. (informal or slang) to not know

   Cái đó thì bí.

   I don't know about that.