כבר

Aramaic

Adverb

כְּבַר • (kəḇar)

1. already, long since
2. perhaps

Verb

כְּבַר • (kəḇar)

1. to be much/many

Verb

כַּבֵּר • (kabbēr)

1. to increase, multiply, make much/many

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Hebrew

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /kvaʁ/

Adverb

כְּבָר • (k'vár)

1. Already: before now, or before then.

   ‏היא כבר גמרה!‎‎ ― hí k'vár gam'rá! ― She's already finished!

   ‏עד שחשבתי על זה, זה כבר לא היה רלוונטי.‎‎ ― ád shekhashávti ál ze, ze k'vár ló hayá relevánti. ― By the time I thought of it, it was already irrelevant.

   ‏כבר אז ידעו.‎‎ ― k'vár áz yad'ú. ― They knew even then.

2. Already: very soon.

   ‏רק רגע, אני כבר בא.‎‎ ― rák réga, aní k'vár bá. ― (literally) Just a moment, I'm already coming. — (idiomatically) Just a moment, I'll be right there/right back.

3. Already: as early as.

   ‏יחליטו כבר בדצמבר.‎‎ ― yakhlítu k'vár b'detsémber. ― They'll already decide in December.

Usage notes

• The core meaning of the adverb כבר is “already”, and like English already, it serves to emphasize the earliness of an event or state; however, it is used in many circumstances where English-speakers would not use already.

Antonyms

• (already, before now, before then): עדיין \ עֲדַיִן‎ (adáyin, “still”), עוֹד (לֹא)‎ (ód (ló), “(not) yet”)

Etymology 2

Proper noun

כְּבָר • (k'vár)

1. A particular river in Mesopotamia.
   • Ezekiel 1:3, with translation of the King James Version:

     הָיֹה הָיָה דְבַר־יהוה אֶל־יְחֶזְקֵאל בֶּן־בּוּזִי הַכֹּהֵן בְּאֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָר‎

     kayó hayá d'var-YHVH el-y'chezkél ben-buzí hakohén b'érets kasdím al-n'har-k'vár

     The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar

Further reading

• Chebar River on Wikipedia.Wikipedia