bejn
Maltese
editRoot |
---|
b-j-n |
2 terms |
Alternative forms
edit- bejniet (rare as such, but see usage notes)
Etymology
editPronunciation
editPreposition
editbejn
- between
- 1970, Anton Buttigieg, “Lis-Sena l-Ġdida 1964”, in Fl-Arena:
- X’sejra ġġibilna ġewwa l-fardal tiegħek.
ja Sena Ġdida?
Ah! biegħed minna
il-għelt, il-ġlied,
id-demm bejn l-aħwa;
rażżan ir-regħba u l-ġibdiet tal-ħakma,
rattab l-irjus u l-qlub,
ġibilna s-sabar ta’ xulxin, l-imħabba,
ġibilna l-għaqda,
ġibilna s-sliem,
ġibilna l-ħelsien!- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Usage notes
edit- When there is a second object (between X and Y), the preposition can be repeated optionally. This usage is preferred when one of the objects is a personal pronoun/suffix; otherwise it is fairly rare:
- bejn ommi u (bejn) missieri ― between my mother and my father
- bejnhom u (bejn) marti ― between them and my wife
- bejni u bejn marti / bejn marti u jien ― between my wife and me
- The suffixed forms (except in the first and second person singular) have two variants: one from the stem bejn- and one from the stem bejniet-. The predominant usage is that the simple form is used when there is a second object (as bejnhom above), while the extended form is used when there is but one object, namely a plural or collective: il-problemi bejniethom (“the problems between them, their internal problems”).
Inflection
editInflected forms of bejn | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal-pronoun- including forms |
singular | plural | |||
m | f | ||||
1st person | bejni | bejnna | |||
2nd person | bejnek | bejnkom | |||
3rd person | bejnu | bejnha | bejnhom |
Inflected forms of bejn | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal-pronoun- including forms |
singular | plural | |||
m | f | ||||
1st person | bejnieti | bejnietna | |||
2nd person | bejnietek | bejnietkom | |||
3rd person | bejnietu | bejnietha | bejniethom |