ܗܘܐ

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Etymology 1

From Aramaic הֲוָא (hăwā), from Proto-Semitic *haway- (“to be, to become”); related to Hebrew הָיָה (hayá), Arabic هَوَى (hawā, “to be wide, to die, to fall, to pounce over prey, to blow”), Akkadian 𒋾 (/⁠ewû⁠/, “to turn, to become”).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key):

Verb

ܗܵܘܹܐ • (hāwē) (present participle ܗܘܵܝܵܐ (hwāyā), past participle ܗܸܘܝܵܐ (hiwyā))

1. to be, exist: often connects a noun to a prepositional phrase or adjective describing it
   • Genesis 1:3:

     ܘܐ݇ܡܝܼܪܹܗ ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ: «ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܲܗܪܵܐ، ܘܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܹܗ ܒܲܗܪܵܐ».

     w-mīrēh allāhā: “hāwē bahrā, w-wē lēh bahrā”.

     And God said: “Let there be light. And there was light.”

   ܒܲܝܬܵܐ ܣܡܘܿܩܵܐ ܝܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― baytā smōqā ìwā ― the house was red

   ܪܲܕܵܝܬܵܐ ܚܕܲܬܵܐ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ― raddāytā ḥdattā ìlāh ― the car is new

   ܐܸܕܝܘܿܡ ܝܼܘܲܚ ܘܨܲܦܪܵܐ ܠܵܐ ܝܘܲܚ! ― Today we exist and tomorrow we don’t exist!

2. to happen, take place, occur

   Synonyms: ܡܩܲܘܸܡ (mqawwim), ܒܵܪܹܐ (bārē)

   ܐܵܗܵܐ ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܲܐܟ݂ܵܐ ܩܘܼܕܡܹܐ ― āhā bit hāwē laˀḵā qudmē ― This will happen here tomorrow

   ܐܵܗܵܐ ܗܲܡܵܫܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܗܵܘܹܐ ― āhā hammāšā kē hāwē ― This always happens

   ܗܸܫ ܗ݇ܘܵܝܵܐ ܝܠܹܗ ― hiš wāyā ìlēh ― It is still going on

3. to become, come to

   ܚܙܝܼ ܕܵܐܟ݂ܝܼ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ܗ݇ܘܝܼܬܵܐ ܐܲܝܟܲܢܵܝܘܼܬܵܐ!

   ḥzī dāḵī ìlāh wītā aykannāyūtā!

   Look how the situtation has become!

   ܟܹܐ ܣܵܢܹܝܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܐܵܗܵܐ ܡܹܐܟ݂ܘܼܠܬܵܐ، ܒܵܣ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܕܡܲܚܸܒܸܢ ܠܵܗ̇.

   kē sānēn wā l-āhā mēḵultā, bās wē lī d-maḥḥibin lāh.

   I used to hate this food, but I've come to like it

   Synonym: ܦܵܝܹܫ (pāyēš)

4. to be born

   Synonym: ܦܵܝܹܫ ܝܠܝܼܕܵܐ (pāyēš līdā)

5. with ܠ- (l-) to have; see usage notes below

   ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܝܲܬܝܼܪ ܥܸܣܪܵܐ ܕܝܼܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ ― bit hāwē lī yatīr ˁisrā dīnārē ― I will have ten more denarii

   ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܝܲܬܝܼܪ ܥܸܣܪܵܐ ܕܝܼܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ ― bit hāwē wā lī yatīr ˁisrā dīnārē ― I would have ten more denarii

   ܐܸܢ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܓܘܼܠܦܵܢܹ̈ܐ، ܒܸܬ ܦܵܪܚܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ. ― in hāwē wā lī gulpānē, bit pārḥēn wā. ― If I had wings, I would fly.

6. with ܠܹܗ ܠ- (lēh l-) to acquire, obtain

   Synonym: ܐܵܬ݂ܹܐ ܠܹܗ ܠ- (āṯē lēh l-)

   1. to have a child born to oneself
7. with ܒ- (b-) to be able to ; see usage notes below

   with ܒ- (b-) and ܥܲܠ (ˁal) to be able to best, contest, take on

   ܠܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܝܼ ܥܲܠܹܗ ― lā kē hāwē bī ˁallēh ― I will not be able to take him on (literally, “There will not be in me against him”).

8. (with ܠܹܗ ܒ- (lēh b-)) To be able to; see usage notes below

   ܠܵܐ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܹܗ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܝܼ ܕܐܵܙܹܠ݇ܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܫܘܼܩܵܐ ܡ̣ܢ ܕܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ̄ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܫܘܼܓ݂ܠܵܐ ܠܸܥܒ݂ܵܕ݂ܵܐ ― lā wē lēh wā bī d-āzēn wā lšūqā min d-īṯ h̄wā lī šuḡlā liˁḇāḏā ― I was unable to go to the store because I had work to do.

   ܒܸܕ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܹܗ ܒܘܿܟ݂ ܕܐܵܡܪܸܬ ܠܹܗ؟ ― bid hāwē lēh bōḵ d-āmrit lēh? ― Will you be able to tell him?

Usage notes

• (to be, to be born): Some dialects split this verb in two, pronouncing the He (/h/) when used in the meaning of to be born but otherwise not.
• (to be able to & to have): This term fills in the tenses where the adverb ܐܝܼܬ (īt) cannot to express possession. Therefore not used in the present and past tenses.
• (to be able to): This form with ܠܹܗ (lēh) indicates ability to do something in a particular or definite moment, while the form without ܠܹܗ (lēh) indicates the ability to do something in general.

Conjugation

Etymology 2

Derived from Aramaic הֲוָא (hăwā, literally “he/it was”); related to the above and one of the only traces left of the imperfect tense in the language.

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key):

Particle

ܗ݇ܘܵܐ • (wā)

1. a verbal prefix placed after the definite or indefinite present
   1. (auxiliary, used with the continuous present tense) Used to express imperfect continuous past tense

      ܒܸܟܬܵܒ݂ܵܐ ܝܘܸܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― biktāḇā ìwen wā ― I was writing

   2. (auxiliary, used with ܟܹܐ (kē)) Used to express imperfect simple past tense

      ܟܹܐ ܟܵܬܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― kē kātḇēn wā ― I used to write

   3. (auxiliary, used with the simple past tense) Used to express anterior past tense

      ܟܬܝܼܒ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ― ktīḇ wā lī ― I had wrote

   4. (auxiliary, used with ܒܸܬ (bit)) Used to express conditional mood

      ܒܸܬ ܟܵܬܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― bit kātḇēn wā ― I would write

      ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܝܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܟܬܝܼܒ݂ܵܐ ― bit hāwēn wā ktīḇā ― I would have written

Usage notes

• This is the singular form; the plural form is ܗ݇ܘܵܘ (wā) but not used by all dialects.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Arabic هَوَاء (hawāʔ).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key):

Noun

ܗܵܘܵܐ • (hāwā) m (uncountable)

1. air

   Synonym: ܐܵܐܲܪ (āˀar)

2. weather

   Synonym: ܡܘܼܙܵܓ݂ܵܐ (muzzāḡā)

Inflection

Derived terms

• ܗܵܘܵܝܵܐ (hāwāyā, “aerial”)

Turoyo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hawo/

Pronoun

ܗܰܘܐ • (hawo) m (feminine ܗܰܝܐ (hayo), plural ܗܰܢܷܟ (hanëk))

1. that

   Synonym: (enclitic form) ـܰܘܐ (awo)

Related terms

• ܗܰܢܳܐ (hano, “this”)