ܒ-

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Picture dictionary
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): , (preceding a consonant and a vowel)
• IPA^(key): (preceding two consonants)
• IPA^(key): (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

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key):
• IPA^(key): (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): (preceding a consonant and vowel)
• IPA^(key): (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.

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