jien
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Japanese
[edit]Romanization
[edit]jien
Maltese
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Arabic أَنَا (ʔanā) with expressive lengthening of the first syllable (*ʾānā) as generally in Maghrebi dialects; compare Tunisian Arabic آنا (ʔāna), Moroccan Arabic آنا (ʔāna). Eventually from Proto-Semitic *ʔanāku. Prefixed j- occurs more often in Maltese (compare jew); in this case perhaps generalised from a position after the personal suffixes -i, -ni, as in dari jien(a) (“my own house”). This construction is not very common anymore in Maltese, but it is throughout Arabic.
Pronunciation
[edit]Pronoun
[edit]jien
- I (first-person singular subject pronoun)
Usage notes
[edit]- In a standalone context absent of a conjugated verb, this takes on the present tense first person singular meaning of "to be".
Inflection
[edit]| Inflected forms of jien | |
|---|---|
| positive | jiena, jien |
| negative | ma jiniex, miniex |
| possessive pronoun | tiegħi |
| basic suffix | -i, -ja |
| direct object suffix | -ni |
| indirect object suffix | -li |