be
EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English been (“to be”). The various forms have three separate origins, which were mixed together at various times in the history of English.
- The forms beginning with b- come from Old English bēon (“to be, become”), from Proto-Germanic *beuną (“to be, exist, come to be, become”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt (“to grow, become, come into being, appear”), from the root *bʰuH-. In particular:
- Now-dialectal use of been as an infinitive of be is from Middle English been (“to be”).
- Now-obsolete use of been as a plural present tense (meaning "are") is from Middle English been, be (present plural of been (“to be”), with the -n leveled in from the past and subjunctive; compare competing forms aren/are).
- Use of been as a past participle is from Middle English been, ybeen, from Old English ġebēon.
- The forms beginning with w- come from the aforementioned Old English bēon, which shared its past tense with the verb wesan, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to reside”).
- The remaining forms are also from Old English wesan (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *wesaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti, from the root *h₁es-.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /biː/
Audio (RP; “to be”) (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /bi/
Audio (GA) (file) - Rhymes: -iː
- Homophones: b, bee, Bea
VerbEdit
be (highly irregular)
- (intransitive, now literary) To exist; to have real existence, to be alive.
- 1526, Bible, tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 2:
- Rachel wepynge ffor her chyldren, and wolde nott be comforted because they were not.
- c. 1600, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act 3, Scene 1:
- To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?
- 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- […] it were great sottishnesse, and apparent false-hood, to say, that that is which is not yet in being, or that already hath ceased from being.
- 1643, Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, II.2:
- There is surely a peece of Divinity in us, something that was before the Elements, and owes no homage unto the Sun.
- 1893, Andrew Martin Fairbairn, Christ in the Centuries, and Other Sermons[1], volume 12, second edition, E.P. Dutton & Company, page 116:
- And after this death there is to be no resurrection. The old man of sin has ceased to be; once crucified, he lives no more. The death is utter; the end complete.
- 1969 December 7, Monty Python, “Full Frontal Nudity, Dead Parrot sketch”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese):
- This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies!
- 2004, Richard Schickel, "Not Just an African Story", Time, 13 December:
- The genial hotel manager of the past is no more. Now owner of a trucking concern and living in Belgium, Rusesabagina says the horrors he witnessed in Rwanda "made me a different man."
- 1526, Bible, tr. William Tyndale, Matthew 2:
- (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist.
- 1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice:
- Some men there are loue not a gaping Pigge: / Some that are mad, if they behold a Cat: / And others, when the bag-pipe sings i’th nose, / Cannot containe their Vrine for affection.
- 1817, Jane Austen, Persuasion:
- "There is a sort of domestic enjoyment to be known even in a crowd, and this you had."
- 2011, Mark Sweney, The Guardian, 6 July:
- "There has been lots of commentary on who is staying and who is staying out and this weekend will be the real test," said one senior media buying agency executive who has pulled the advertising for one major client.
- There is just one woman in town who can help us. (or, dialectally:) It is just one woman in town who can help us.
- 1598, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice:
- (intransitive) To occupy a place.
- The cup is on the table.
- (intransitive) To occur, to take place.
- When will the meeting be?
- (intransitive, in perfect tenses, without predicate) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar.
- The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.
- I have been to Spain many times.
- Moscow, huh? I've never been, but it sounds fascinating.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.
- Knowledge is bliss.
- Hi, I’m Jim.
- (transitive, copulative, mathematics) Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.
- 3 times 5 is fifteen.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject is an instance of the predicate nominal.
- A dog is an animal. Dogs are animals.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.
- François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by an adjective.
- The sky is blue.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
- The sky is a deep blue today.
- (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice.
- The dog was saved by the boy.
- (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses.
- The woman is walking.
- I shall be writing to you soon.
- We liked to chat while we were eating.
- (auxiliary) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs; this was more common in archaic use, especially with verbs indicating motion. "He is finished", and "He is gone" are common, but "He is come" is archaic.
- 1606, Macbeth by William Shakespeare:
- They are not yet come back. (instead of the modern They have not yet come back.)
- 1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Blessed Damozel, ll.67-68
- ‘I wish that he were come to me, / For he will come,’ she said.
- Matthew 28:6 (various translations, from the King James Version of 1611 to Revised Version of 1881):
- He is not here; for he is risen […].
- 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems XXV, l.13:
- The King with half the East at heel is marched from lands of morning;
- 1606, Macbeth by William Shakespeare:
- (formal, transitive, auxiliary) Used to express future action as well as what is due to, intended to, or should happen.
- They are to be married next month.
- They are to stay here until I return.
- They are not to be blamed.
- How are they to get out of this mess?
- I am to leave tomorrow.
- I would drive you, were I to obtain a car.
- (transitive, copulative) Used to link a subject to a measurement.
- This building is three hundred years old.
- I am 75 kilograms.
- He’s about 6 feet tall.
- (transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years.
- I’m 20. (= I am 20 years old.)
- (with a dummy subject it) Used to indicate the time of day.
- It is almost eight. (= It is almost eight o’clock.)
- It’s 8:30 [read eight-thirty] in Tokyo.
- What time is it there? It’s night.
- (With since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.
- It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to My grandmother died three years ago, but emphasizes the intervening period)
- It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him.
- (rare and regional, chiefly in the past tense) Used to link two noun clauses, the first of which is a day of the week, recurring date, month, or other specific time (on which the event of the main clause took place), and the second of which is a period of time indicating how long ago that day was. [from 15th c.]
- I saw her Monday was a week: I saw her a week ago last Monday (a week before last Monday).
- On the morning of Sunday was fortnight before Christmas: on the morning of the Sunday that was two weeks before the Sunday prior to Christmas.
- 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, Letter 229:
- Miss Lardner (whom you have seen at her cousin Biddulph's) saw you at St James's church on Sunday was fortnight.
- 1770, Ireland, Historical Memoirs of the Irish Rebellion, in the year 1641 ... In a letter to Walter Harris, Esq; [By John Curry.] The fourth edition, with corrections throughout the whole, and large additions, by the author, page 186:
- And so, without as much as to return home to furnish myself for such a journey, volens, nolens, they prevailed, or rather forced me to come to Dublin to confer with those colonels, and that was the last August was twelvemonth.
- 1803, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Journals of the House of Commons, page 249:
- That they were present at the Election in August was Twelvemonth, at which there was the strictest Scrutiny that ever they saw in their Lives, by all the Four Candidates.
- 1815, Walter Scott, Guy Mannering, I.5:
- Allow me to recommend some of the kipper—It was John Hay that catched it Saturday was three weeks.
- 1859, George Eliot, Adam Bede:
- “Did there come no young woman here—very young and pretty—Friday was a fortnight, to see Dinah Morris?”
- 1895, Miss M. E. Rope of Suffolk, quoted by Joseph Wright, in The English Dialect Dictionary, page 202:
- 'Twas there to-morrow is a week.
- 1915, John Millington Synge, The Playboy of the Western World, I:
- I killed my poor father, Tuesday was a week, for doing the like of that.
- 1920 (published), St. George Kieran Hyland, A Century of Persecution Under Tudor and Stuart Sovereigns from Contemporary Records, London, Paul, page 402, quoting an earlier document, Loosley volume 5, no. 28, "List of Prisoners: In Sir W. More's handwriting": :
- Theobald Green gent dead in the Marshalsea in August was twelvemonth
- John Grey gent delivered out of the Marshalsea about August last by Mr. Secretary and remains in St. Mary Overies.
- John Jacob gent delivered out of the Marsh. the XVII of May was twelvemonth and sent to Bridewell by order of the Council.
- (often impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.
- It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid.
- Why is it so dark in here?
- (dynamic / lexical "be", especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way.
- 2006 October 9, Kristin Newman (writer), Barney Stinson (character), How I Met Your Mother, season 2, episode 1:
- "When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead."
- "What do we do?" "We be ourselves."
- Why is he being nice to me?
- 2006 October 9, Kristin Newman (writer), Barney Stinson (character), How I Met Your Mother, season 2, episode 1:
- (African-American Vernacular, Caribbean, auxiliary, not conjugated) To tend to do, often do; marks the habitual aspect.
- 1996, David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk, screenplay of The Nutty Professor
- Women be shoppin’! You cannot stop a woman from shoppin’!
- 2020, Moneybagg Yo, Thug Cry
- Niggas be tellin' these bitches 'bout business
- 1996, David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk, screenplay of The Nutty Professor
Usage notesEdit
- When used copulatively with a pronoun, traditional grammar puts the pronoun in the subjective case (I, he, she, we, they) rather than the objective case (me, him, her, us, them), regardless of which side of the copula it is placed. For example, “I was the masked man” and “The masked man was I” would both be considered correct, while “The masked man was me” and “Me was the masked man” would both be incorrect. However, most colloquial speech treats the verb be as transitive, in which case the pronoun is used in the objective case if it occurs after the copula: “I was the masked man” but “The masked man was me”. This paradigm applies even if the copula is linking two pronouns; thus “I am her” and “She is me", and “Am I me?” (versus the traditional “I am she”, “She is I”, “Am I I?”). However, the use of whom with a copula, as in “Whom are you?”, is considered a hypercorrection.
- With the exception of senses 12, 13, and 22, this is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs
ConjugationEdit
Modern conjugations | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | to be | |||||
present participle/gerund | being | |||||
past participle | been | |||||
indicative | subjunctive | imperative | ||||
singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | |
present | I am (’m) | we are (’re) | I be | we be | let me be | let us be, let’s be |
you are (’re) | you are (’re) | you be | you be | be | be | |
he/she/it is (’s) | they are (’re) | he/she/it be | they be | let him/her/it be | let them be | |
preterite | I was* | we were** | I were | we were** | ||
you were** | you were** | you were** | you were** | |||
he/she/it was* | they were** | he/she/it were | they were** |
*Some non-standard dialects use were in these instances.
**Some non-standard dialects use was in these instances.
Archaic conjugations | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | to be | |||||
present participle/gerund | being | |||||
past participle | been | |||||
indicative | subjunctive | imperative | ||||
singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | |
present | I am (’m) | we are (’re) | I be | we be | — | let’s be |
thou art (’rt) | ye are (’re) | thou be/beest | ye be | be (thou)*** | be (ye)*** | |
he/she/it is (’s)/beeth/bes | they are (’re), they be |
he/she/it be | they be | — | — | |
preterite | I was* | we were** | I were | we were** | ||
thou wert/wast | ye were** | thou were/wert | ye were** | |||
he/she/it was* | they were** | he/she/it were | they were** |
*Some non-standard dialects will have were in these instances.
**Some non-standard dialects will have was in these instances.
***Subject pronoun is optional.
- The verb be is the most irregular non-defective verb in Standard English. Unlike other verbs, which distinguish at most five forms (as in do–does–doing–did–done), be distinguishes many more:
- Be itself is the plain form, used as the infinitive, as the imperative, and as the present subjunctive (though many speakers do not distinguish the present indicative and present subjunctive, using the indicative forms for both).
- I want to be a father someday. (infinitive)
- If that be true... (present subjunctive; is is common in this position)
- Allow the truth to be heard! (infinitive)
- Please be here by eight o’clock. (imperative)
- The librarian asked that the rare books not be touched. (present subjunctive; speakers that do not distinguish the subjunctive and indicative would use an auxiliary verb construction here)
- Be is also used as the present tense indicative form in the alternate, dynamic / lexical conjugation of be:
- What do we do? We be ourselves. (first-person plural present indicative, lexical be)
- but: Who are we? We are human beings. (first-person plural present indicative, copula be)
- Be is also used as the present tense indicative form in the alternate, dynamic / lexical conjugation of be:
- It is also an archaic alternative form of the indicative, especially in the plural[2]:
- The powers that be, are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1, Tyndale Bible, 1526)
- We are true men; we are no spies: We be twelve brethren... (Genesis 42:31-2, King James Version, 1611)
- I think it be thine indeed, for thou liest in it. (Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, circa 1600)
- Am, are, and is are the forms of the present indicative. Am is the first-person singular (used with I); is is the third-person singular (used with he, she, it and other subjects that would be used with does rather than do); and are is both the second-person singular and the plural (used with we, you, they, and any other plural subjects).
- Am I in the right place? (first-person singular present indicative)
- You are even taller than your brother! (second-person singular present indicative)
- Where is the library? (third-person singular present indicative)
- These are the biggest shoes we have. (plural present indicative)
- Was and were are the forms of the past indicative and past subjunctive (like did). In the past indicative, was is the first– and third-person singular (used with I, as well as with he, she, it and other subjects that would be used with does rather than do), and were is both the second-person singular and the plural (used with we, you, they, and any other plural subjects). In the traditional past subjunctive, were is used with all subjects, though many speakers do not actually distinguish the past subjunctive from the past indicative, and therefore use was with first– and third-person singular subjects even in cases where other speakers would use were.
- I was out of town. (first-person singular past indicative)
- You were the first person here. (second-person singular past indicative)
- The room was dirty. (third-person singular past indicative)
- We were angry at each other. (plural past indicative)
- I wish I were more sure. (first-person singular past subjunctive; was is also common, though considered less correct by some)
- If she were here, she would know what to do. (third-person singular past subjunctive; was is also common, though considered less correct by some)
- Being is the gerund and present participle, used in noun-like constructions, in the progressive aspect, and after various verbs (like doing). (It’s also used as an actual noun; for those senses, see the entry for being itself.)
- I don’t like being here. (gerund)
- All of a sudden, he’s being nice to everyone. (present participle in the progressive aspect)
- It won’t stop being a problem until someone does something about it. (present participle in the progressive aspect)
- Been is the past participle, used in the perfect aspect. In Middle English, it was also the infinitive.
- It’s been that way for a week and a half.
- Be itself is the plain form, used as the infinitive, as the imperative, and as the present subjunctive (though many speakers do not distinguish the present indicative and present subjunctive, using the indicative forms for both).
- In archaic or obsolete forms of English, with the pronoun thou, the verb be has a few additional forms:
- When the pronoun thou was in regular use, the forms art, wast, and wert were the corresponding present indicative, past indicative, and past subjunctive, respectively.
- As thou became less common and more highly marked, a special present-subjunctive form beest developed (replacing the regular present subjunctive form be, still used with all other subjects). Additionally, the form wert, previously a past subjunctive form, came to be used as a past indicative as well.
- The forms am, is, and are can contract with preceding subjects: I’m (“I am”), ’s (“is”), ’re (“are”). The form are most commonly contracts with personal pronouns (we’re (“we are”), you’re (“you are”), they’re (“they are”)), but contractions with other subjects is possible; the form is contracts quite freely with a variety of subjects. These contracted forms, however, are possible only when there is an explicit, non-preposed complement, and they cannot be stressed; therefore, contraction does not occur in sentences such as the following:
- Who’s here? —I am.
- I wonder what it is.
- I don’t want to be involved. —But you are involved, regardless.
- Several of the finite forms of be have special negative forms, containing the suffix -n’t, that can be used instead of adding the adverb not. Specifically, the forms is, are, was, and were have the negative forms isn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, and weren’t. The form be itself does not, even in finite uses, with “not be” being used in the present subjunctive and “do not be” or “don’t be” (or, in dated use, “be not”) being used in the imperative. The form am has the negative forms aren’t, amn’t, and arguably ain’t, but all of these are in restricted use; see their entries for details.
- Outside of Standard English, there is some variation in usage of some forms; some dialects, for example, use is or ’s throughout the present indicative (supplanting, in whole or in part, am and are), and/or was throughout the past indicative and past subjunctive (supplanting were).
QuotationsEdit
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:be.
Alternative formsEdit
- bee (obsolete)
SynonymsEdit
- (to exist): See also Thesaurus:exist
- (used to form passive): get
TranslationsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “be” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “be” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- "be" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
Etymology 2Edit
A variant of by which goes back to Middle English be (variant of Middle English bi).
PronunciationEdit
PrepositionEdit
be
- (dialectal, possibly dated) Alternative form of by. Also found in compounds, especially oaths, e.g. begorra.
- 1851, Oliver Ormerod, Felley fro Rachde:
- O ful tru un pertikler akeawnt o... th' greyt Eggshibishun. Be o felley fro Rachde.
- 1860, Henry Baird, The Song of Solomon in the Devonshire Dialect, i 8:
- Go thy way vorth be tha vootsteps uv tha vlock.
- 1870, Joseph Philip Robson, Evangeline: The Spirit of Progress, 332:
- Aw teuk me seat be day an' neet.
- 1870, Roger Piketah, Forness Folk 44:
- Fetchin' it yan... be a round about rooad.
- 1878, John Castillo, Poems in the North Yorkshire Dialect, 35:
- Like a leeaf be firm decree / Mun fade an' fall.
- 1885, Alfred Lord Tennyson, To-morrow:
- ‘I'll meet you agin to-morra,’ says he, ‘be the chapel-door.’
- 1851, Oliver Ormerod, Felley fro Rachde:
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “BE” in Joseph Wright, editor, The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume I (A–C), London: Published by Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1898, →OCLC.
AnagramsEdit
AlbanianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Albanian *bẹðə < *baidā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoydʰ-eh₂ < *bʰeydʰ- (“to persuade”).[1] Compare Old English bād (“pledge, expectation”), Proto-Slavic *bě̄dà, Ancient Greek πείθω (peíthō), Latin foedus.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be f (indefinite plural be, definite singular beja, definite plural betë)
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
BalineseEdit
NounEdit
be
BasqueEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be inan
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
DeclensionEdit
indefinite | singular | plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
absolutive | be | bea | beak | |
ergative | bek | beak | beek | |
dative | beri | beari | beei | |
genitive | beren | bearen | been | |
comitative | berekin | bearekin | beekin | |
causative | berengatik | bearengatik | beengatik | |
benefactive | berentzat | bearentzat | beentzat | |
instrumental | bez | beaz | beez | |
inessive | betan | bean | beetan | |
locative | betako | beko | beetako | |
allative | betara | bera | beetara | |
terminative | betaraino | beraino | beetaraino | |
directive | betarantz | berantz | beetarantz | |
destinative | betarako | berako | beetarako | |
ablative | betatik | betik | beetatik | |
partitive | berik | ― | ― | |
prolative | betzat | ― | ― |
See alsoEdit
- (Latin-script letter names) a, be, ze, de, e, efe, ge, hatxe, i, jota, ka, ele, eme, ene, eñe, o, pe, ku, erre, ese, te, u, uve, uve bikoitz, ixa, i greko, zeta
BlagarEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
CatalanEdit
Etymology 1Edit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be f (plural bes)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
Usage notesEdit
In some dialects of Catalan, the sounds associated with the letter b and the letter v are the same: [b ~ β]. In order to differentiate be and ve in those dialects, the letters are often called be alta (“high B”) and ve baixa (“low V”).
Derived termsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
Onomatopoeic from the sound of a lamb.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be m (plural bens)
- sheep, ram, ewe, lamb; an individual of the species Ovis aries.
DorasqueEdit
NounEdit
be
- (Changuena, Chumulu, Gualaca) night
ReferencesEdit
- Alphonse Louis Pinart, Vocabulario Castellano-dorasque, Dialectos Chumulu, Gualaca Y Changuina (1890)
FaroeseEdit
NounEdit
be n (genitive singular bes, plural be)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
DeclensionEdit
Declension of be | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
n4 | singular | plural | ||
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | be | beið | be | beini |
accusative | be | beið | be | beini |
dative | be, bei | benum | beum | beunum |
genitive | bes | besins | bea | beanna |
See alsoEdit
- (Latin-script letter names) bókstavur; a / fyrra a, á, be, de, edd, e, eff, ge, há, i / fyrra i, í / fyrra í, jodd, ká, ell, emm, enn, o, ó, pe, err, ess, te, u, ú, ve, seinna i, seinna í, seinna a, ø
Guerrero AmuzgoEdit
AdjectiveEdit
be
HungarianEdit
PronunciationEdit
AdverbEdit
be (comparative beljebb, superlative legbeljebb)
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit
IauEdit
NounEdit
be
Further readingEdit
Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages
IdoEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be (plural be-i)
- The name of the Latin script letter B/b.
See alsoEdit
- (Latin script letter names) litero; a, be, ce, che, de, e, fe, ge, he, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, pe, que, re, se, she, te, u, ve, we, xe, ye, ze (Category: io:Latin letter names)
ItalianEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be f (invariable)
- (regional) Obsolete form of bi
ReferencesEdit
- be in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
JapaneseEdit
RomanizationEdit
be
KarajáEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
- David Lee Fortune, Gramática Karajá: um Estudo Preliminar em Forma Transformacional
LatinEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
bē f (indeclinable)
- The name of the letter B.
Coordinate termsEdit
- (Latin-script letter names) littera; ā, bē, cē, dē, ē, ef, gē, hā / *acca, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta
ReferencesEdit
- Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32: "Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū—each, again, with a long vowel sound."
LithuanianEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrepositionEdit
be (with genitive)
AntonymsEdit
MalagasyEdit
AdjectiveEdit
be
Middle EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Old English bēon.
VerbEdit
be
- Alternative form of been
Etymology 2Edit
From Old English bēo.
NounEdit
be
- Alternative form of bee
Etymology 3Edit
From Old English bēo, bēom, first-person singular of bēon, from Proto-Germanic *biumi, first-person singular of *beuną,
VerbEdit
be
Usage notesEdit
- Less common than am.
Etymology 4Edit
From Old English bēo, singular subjunctive of bēon.
VerbEdit
be
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 5Edit
From Old English bēo, 2nd-person singular imperative of bēon, from Proto-Germanic *beu, 2nd-person singular imperative of *beuną.
VerbEdit
be
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 6Edit
Old English bēoþ (with the -þ replaced with an -n levelled in from the past and subjunctive, then lost), present plural of bēon (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *biunþi, third-person present plural of *beuną (“to be, become”).
Alternative formsEdit
VerbEdit
be
Usage notesEdit
The usual plural form of been is aren in the North, been in the Midlands, and beth in the South; sind also existed, especially early on, but was not the predominant form in any area.
DescendantsEdit
MòchenoEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle High German wec, from Old High German weg, from Proto-West Germanic *weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz (“way, path”). Cognate with German Weg, English way.
NounEdit
be m
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “be” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Norwegian BokmålEdit
EtymologyEdit
VerbEdit
be (imperative be, present tense ber, passive bes, simple past ba or bad, past participle bedt, present participle beende)
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
Norwegian NynorskEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Norse biðja. Akin to English bid.
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
be (present tense ber, past tense bad, supine bede or bedd or bedt, past participle beden or bedd, present participle bedande, imperative be)
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
OccitanEdit
NounEdit
be f (plural bes)
- bee (the letter b)
Old EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Germanic *bi.
PronunciationEdit
PrepositionEdit
be
Old IrishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- (2nd sg. pres. subj.): ba
VerbEdit
be
- second-person singular present subjunctive of is
- first-person singular future of is
- second-person singular future of is
Old PrussianEdit
ConjunctionEdit
be
PrepositionEdit
be
PhaluraEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Sanskrit वयम् (vayam, “we”).
PronunciationEdit
PronounEdit
be (personal, Perso-Arabic spelling بےۡ)
- we (1pl nom)
ReferencesEdit
- Liljegren, Henrik; Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[3], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
- Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) , “(11302)”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
PolishEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be n (indeclinable)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
AdjectiveEdit
be (indeclinable, comparative bardziej be, superlative najbardziej be)
InterjectionEdit
be
- (onomatopoeia) A sound of a sheep
Further readingEdit
- be in Polish dictionaries at PWN
RomanianEdit
EtymologyEdit
InterjectionEdit
be
- baa (sound made by sheep or goats)
SaviEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronounEdit
be
- we; first-person plural personal pronoun
ReferencesEdit
- Nina Knobloch (2020) A grammar sketch of Sauji: An Indo-Aryan language of Afghanistan[4], Stockholm University
ScotsEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English been, from Old English bēon. The various forms have different further etymologies:
- The b- forms derive from Proto-Germanic *beuną.
- All other forms derive from Proto-Germanic *wesaną
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
be
- to be
ConjugationEdit
infinitive | tae be | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
present participle | bein | |||||||||||||||||
past participle | been | |||||||||||||||||
person | singular | plural | ||||||||||||||||
A | thoo1 | he/she/it | we | ye | they | |||||||||||||
regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | |
present | am | amna | art | artna | is | isna | are | arena | are | arena | are | arena | ||||||
past | wis | wis, wir2 | ||||||||||||||||
1Archaic. | ||||||||||||||||||
2Used only with plural pronouns. |
infinitive | tae be | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
present participle | bein | |||||||||||||||||
past participle | been | |||||||||||||||||
person | singular | plural | ||||||||||||||||
A | ee | hei/shi/it | oo | yow yins | they | |||||||||||||
regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | regular | emphatic | negative | |
present | im | em, um | imni | ir | er, ur | irni | is | es | isni | ir | er, ur | irni | is | es | isni | ir | er, ur | irni |
past | wuz | wuz, wur | wuz | wur |
Etymology 2Edit
See the etymology of the main entry.
PronunciationEdit
ConjunctionEdit
be
- Alternative form of by
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “be, v..” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
- ^ “by, prep., adv., conj..” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
SeriliEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
SloveneEdit
EtymologyEdit
Probably from the German name of the letter B (pronounced [beː]).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
bẹ̑ m inan
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
InflectionEdit
Masculine inan., soft o-stem | |||
---|---|---|---|
nom. sing. | bé | ||
gen. sing. | bêja | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative | bé | bêja | bêji |
accusative | bé | bêja | bêje |
genitive | bêja | bêjev | bêjev |
dative | bêju | bêjema | bêjem |
locative | bêju | bêjih | bêjih |
instrumental | bêjem | bêjema | bêji |
SynonymsEdit
SothoEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.
AdjectiveEdit
be
SpanishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
NounEdit
be f (plural bes)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
- Synonyms: be larga, be alta, be grande, be de burro
- Coordinate terms: uve, ve corta, ve baja, ve chica, ve de vaca
Etymology 2Edit
Echoic.
NounEdit
be m (plural bes)
- baa (bleating of a sheep)
Further readingEdit
- “be” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
SwedishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- bedja (dated)
EtymologyEdit
From older bedja, from Old Swedish biþia, from Old Norse biðja, from Proto-Germanic *bidjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ-. Cognate with Danish bede, Icelandic biðja, English bid, Dutch bidden, German bitten.
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
be (present ber, preterite bad, supine bett, imperative be)
- to ask for, request someone else to do something
- to pray
- to beg, to plead with someone for help or for a favor
ConjugationEdit
Active | Passive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Infinitive | be | bes | ||
Supine | bett | betts | ||
Imperative | be | — | ||
Present | Past | Present | Past | |
Indicative | ber | bad | bes | bads |
Indicative plural1 | be | bådo | bes | bådos |
Subjunctive2 | be | både | bes | bådes |
Participles | ||||
Present participle | beende | |||
Past participle | bedd | |||
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. |
Active | Passive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Infinitive | bedja | bedjas | ||
Supine | bett | betts | ||
Imperative | bed | — | ||
Present | Past | Present | Past | |
Indicative | beder | bad | beds, bedes, bedjes | bads |
Indicative plural1 | bedja | bådo | bedjas | bådos |
Subjunctive2 | bede | både | bedes | bådes |
Participles | ||||
Present participle | bedjande | |||
Past participle | bedd | |||
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. |
Related termsEdit
TaraoEdit
Alternative formsEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
- 2002, Chungkham Yashwanta Singh, Tarao Grammar
TurkishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
NounEdit
be
- The name of the Latin-script letter B.
See alsoEdit
- (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze
Etymology 2Edit
NounEdit
be
- Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ب
Etymology 3Edit
InterjectionEdit
be
- (very informal) hey there, hey! you! (implying disapproval of the addressee’s actions)
- strengthening of the preceding sentence
- Bu yük çok ağır be! ― My, this load is very heavy
TzotzilEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
- Laughlin, Robert M. (1975) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of San Lorenzo Zinacantán. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
VietnameseEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
NounEdit
be
Etymology 2Edit
AdjectiveEdit
be
- beige
- chiếc áo mưa màu be — a beige raincoat
Etymology 3Edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
VerbEdit
be
- To build a mud embankment with one's hands.
- To prop up the lip of a sack while topping off the sack, to ensure a more generous quantity.
- lấy tay be miệng đấu khi đong đỗ — to surround the top of a measure with one's hands while measuring beans
- Đong bình thường, không được be đâu đấy. — Measure it out normally; don't prop up the lip of the sack.
Etymology 4Edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
VerbEdit
be
- To hug a boundary or riverbank.
- Thuyền be theo bờ sông.
- The boat hugged the riverbank.
Etymology 5Edit
InterjectionEdit
- (onomatopoeia) bleat; baa
Related termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
"be" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)
West MakianEdit
NounEdit
be
ReferencesEdit
- C. L. Voorhoeve, The Makian Languages and Their Neighbours (1982)
ZiaEdit
NounEdit
be
ZouEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
bè
ReferencesEdit
- Yashawanta Singh; Lukram Himmat (2013) Zou Phonology[5], Canchipur: Manipur University, page 2
ZuluEdit
EtymologyEdit
From -ba (“to be”).
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
-be
- (auxiliary) forms continuous tenses [+participial]
- Ngesonto elilandelayo ngizobe ngisebenza kakhulu.
- Next week I will be working a lot.
- Ngesonto elilandelayo ngizobe ngisebenza kakhulu.
InflectionEdit
This entry needs an inflection-table template.
Usage notesEdit
In past tenses, this auxiliary is usually contracted.
Ngibe ngihamba → Bengihamba "I was walking." (recent past)
Ngabe ngihamba → Ngangihamba "I was walking." (remote past)
ReferencesEdit
C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972) , “-ɓe”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ɓe”