זייער

Yiddish

Pronunciation

• (YIVO, Northern Yiddish) IPA^(key): /ˈzɛɪ̯ər/
• (Southern Yiddish) IPA^(key): /ˈzaɪ̯ər/

Etymology 1

From Middle High German sēr, from Old High German sēr (“sored, injured”), from Proto-West Germanic *sair.

Adverb

זייער • (zeyer)

1. very

Usage notes

In Standard Yiddish, זייער (zeyer) goes before the indefinite article but after the definite article.

• דער זייער גרויסער מאַן

  der zeyer groyser man

  the very big man

• זייער אַ גרויסער מאַן

  zeyer a groyser man

  a very big man

Etymology 2

Derived from זיי (zey, “they”) by analogy with אונדזער (undzer, “our”) and אײַער (ayer, “your”), perhaps also with earlier genitive forms in -er. Displaced in the plural sense איר (ir, now only “her”), from Middle High German ir (“her, their”).

Determiner

זייער • (zeyer)

1. their (third person plural possessive pronoun, all genders)

Declension

Declension of זייער

prepositive
case	masculine	neuter	feminine	plural
nominative	זייער zeyer			זייערע zeyere
accusative
dative
postpositive or nominalized
case	masculine	neuter	feminine	plural
nominative	זייערער zeyerer	זייערס zeyers	זייערע zeyere	זייערע zeyere
accusative	זייערן zeyern
dative		זייערן zeyern	זייערער zeyerer

See also

Yiddish possessive pronouns

	first person	second person	third person
			m	f	n
singular	מײַן (mayn)	דײַן (dayn)	זײַן (zayn)	איר (ir)	זײַן (zayn)
plural	אונדזער (undzer)	אײַער (ayer)	זייער (zeyer)
interrogative	וועמענס (vemens)

See also the personal pronouns.