ܒ-

See also: ܒ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Picture dictionary

ܒ-

ܠܥܸܠ ܡ̣ܢ

ܠܬܸܚܬ ܡ̣ܢ

ܓܲܘ

ܩܵܕ݇ܡ

ܒܵܬ݂ܲܪ

ܥܲܠ

ܓܹܢ݇ܒ/

ܠܟܸܣ

ܬ݇ܚܘܿܬ݂

ܒܹܝܢ

Prepositions of location

Etymology

From Aramaic בְּ־ (bə-), ultimately Proto-Semitic *bV- (“with, in, at, among”) with likely interrelation with Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“site, location; nest, house”); compare Arabic بِ- (bi-) and Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): [b-], [bə-] (preceding a consonant and a vowel)
• IPA^(key): [bɪ-] (preceding two consonants)
• IPA^(key): [ʔɪb-] (preceding /b/ or /p/ with a vowel after)

Preposition

ܒ- • (b-)

1. various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, about, as, against, during

   ܝܼܘܲܚ ܒܫܘܼܩܵܐ ― īwaḥ b-šuqā ― We are at the market.

   ܗܘܼܡܙܸܡ ܠܗܘܿܢ ܠܸܚܕܵܕܹܐ ܒܨܲܦܪܵܐ. ― humzim lhon liḥdādē b-ṣaprā ― They spoke in the morning.

2. per, by, through, throughout

   Synonyms: ܩܵܐ (qā), ܠܟܠ ܚܲܕ݇ (lkul ḥa)

   ܒܬܲܪܬܹܝܢ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ ― b- tartēn šinnē ― every two years

   ܒܚܲܕ݇ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ, ܒܬܪܹܝܢ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ ― b-ḥa parṣopā, b-trēn parṣopē ― per person, per two people

   ܟܝܼܠܘܿܡܝܼܛܪܹ̈ܐ ܒܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐ ― kīlomīṭrē b-šāˁṯā ― kilometers per hour

3. Marking the definite direct object; the person or thing affected by an action

   Synonym: ܠ- (l-)

4. according to
5. Expressing composition, substance

   Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)

   ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ ܡܠܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܒܗܲܒܵܒ݂ܹ̈ܐ ― A garden full of flowers.

6. (instrumentally) with

   Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)

   ܡܠܝܼ ܠܵܗ̇ ܒܡܲܝ̈ܵܐ ― mlī lāh b-mayyā ― Fill it with water.

   ܦܪܝܼܡ ܠܝܼ ܒܸܣܪܵܐ ܒܣܟܝܼܢܬܵܐ. ― prim lī bisrā b-skintā. ― I cut the meat with a knife.

   ܨܪܝܼܚ ܠܹܗ ܒܩܵܠܵܐ ܪܵܡܵܐ. ― ṣriḥ lēh b-qālā rāmā. ― He shouted with a loud voice.

7. Used with an adjective to indicate the superlative.

   ܡܒܘܼܪܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ ܝܘܲܬܝ ܒܢܸܫܹ̈ܐ ― mburaḵtā ìwat b-niššē ― Blessed are you among women. (literally, “You are the most blessed of women.”)

   ܝܼܠܹܗ ܐܲܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐ ܒܓܲܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ ― īlēh arrīḵā b-gaḇrē ― He is the tallest of the men.

8. denotes requital, giving or doing in return; for

   Synonym: ܩܵܐ (qā)

   ܙܒ݂ܝܼܢܹܗ ܠܝܼ ܒܬܠܵܬܵܐ ܐܲܠܦܹ̈ܐ ܕܝܼܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ. ― zḇīnēh lī b-tlātā alpē dīnārē ― I bought it for three thousand denarii.

9. forming dates using the months

   ܫܒ݂ܲܥܣܲܪ ܒܫܒ݂ܵܛ ― šḇaʿsar b-šḇāṭ ― The seventeenth of February

   ܬܡܵܢܝܵܐ ܒܐܝܼܠܘܿܠ ― tmānyā b-īlol ― The eighth of September

   ܪܹܝܫ ܫܹܢ݇ܬܵܐ ܕܐܵܫܘܿܪ̈ܵܝܹܐ ܝܼܠܹܗ ܚܲܕ݇ ܒܢܝܼܣܵܢ. ― rēš šētā d-āšorāyē īlēh ḥa b-nīsān ― Assyrian New Year is on the first of April.

Usage notes

• Unlike English in, ܒ- (b-) cannot easily mean into; rather, ܠ- (l-, “to”) is generally used for that sense.
• Like English in, ܒ- (b-) is a fairly weak word; when the sense is that of being in a place, the word ܓܵܘ (gāw, “within, inside”) may be used as a stronger variant.
• Unlike English in, -ܒ (-b) is strictly a preposition, and always takes an object; ܠܓܵܘܵܐ (l-gāwā, “in, inside”) is used without an object.

Inflection

Inflections of ܒ- (b-) and ܒܝܼ (bī)
Base Forms ܒ-			ܒ- (b-)	Variant Forms ܒܝܼ			ܒܝܼ (bī)
Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural	Personal-pronoun including forms	singular		plural
	m	f			m	f
1st person	ܒܝܼ (bī)		ܒܲܢ (ban)	1st person	ܒܝܼܝܼ (bīyī)		ܒܝܼܲܢ (bīyan)
2nd person	ܒܘܼܟ݂ (būḵ)	ܒܵܟ݂ܝ (bāḵ)	ܒܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bāwḵōn)	2nd person	ܒܝܼܘܼܟ݂ (bīyūḵ)	ܒܝܼܵܟ݂ܝ (bīyāḵ)	ܒܝܼܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (bīyāwḵōn)
3rd person	ܒܹܗ (bēh)	ܒܵܗ̇ (bāh)	ܒܗܘܿܢ (bhōn)	3rd person	ܒܝܼܹܗ (bīyēh)	ܒܝܼܵܗ̇ (bīyāh)	ܒܝܼܗܘܿܢ (bīhōn)

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): [bɪ-]
• IPA^(key): [biː] (preceding an initial unpronounced /ʔ/ or /j/)

Particle

ܒܸ- or ܒܹ- or ܒܝܼ • (bi- or bē- or bī)

1. attached to the gerund to form the present participle and progressive verbs

   ܝܼܠܹܗ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― īlēh biqrāyā ― He is reading

   ܝܼܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― īwā biqrāyā ― He was reading

   ܒܸܕ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― bid hāwē biqrāyā ― He will be reading; He is probably reading.

Usage notes

• ܒܸ- (bi-) undergoes changes if the verb starts with the following:
  • In most pāˁēl verbs, the vowel is zlāmā pšīqā (as in ܒܸܦܬܵܚܵܐ (biptāḥā))
  • In pāˁēl verbs starting with ālap, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܹܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (bēḵālā))
  • In pāˁēl verbs starting with yod, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܝܼܬܵܒ݂ܵܐ (bītāḇā))
    • Sometimes the verb stem undergoes metathesis (as in ܒܸܠܝܵܦܵܐ (bilyāpā))
  • In every other verb stem, there is either a schwa or no vowel, and some dialects drop it altogether. (as in ܒܗܲܡܙܘܼܡܹܐ)

Classical Syriac

Etymology

Compare Arabic بِ- (bi-), Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [b(ə)-] (preceding a consonant and vowel)
• IPA^(key): [ba-] (preceding a two-consonant cluster)

Preposition

ܒ- • (bə-, ba-)

1. various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, according to, for, because, about, as, against, during
2. (instrumentally) with
3. (with an adjective, forming a superlative) -est, most
4. (with a substantive, forming an adverb) -ly

Inflection

Takes type-I suffixes.

    declension of ܒ-

1st c. sg. (me)	ܒܝ
2nd m. sg. (you)	ܒܟ
2nd f. sg. (you)	ܒܟܝ
3rd m. sg. (him)	ܒܗ
3rd f. sg. (her)	ܒܗ
1st c. pl. (us)	ܒܢ
2nd m. pl. (you)	ܒܟܘܢ
2nd f. pl. (you)	ܒܟܝܢ
3rd m. pl. (them)	ܒܗܘܢ
3rd f. pl. (them)	ܒܗܝܢ

See also

• ܒ (b)

References

• “b_”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2020-01-04
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 23a
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 33b-34a
• Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana, Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 114a