ܗܘܐ

Inherited 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”).

• (Standard) IPA^(key):

ܗܵܘܹܐ • (hāwē)

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

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

     w-mīr lēh 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

   idyōm īwaḥ w-ṣaprā lā ìwaḥ

   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

   Synonym: ܦܵܐܹܫ (pāˀēš)

   ܚܙܝܼ ܕܵܐܟ݂ܝܼ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ܗܘܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܐܲܝܟܲܢܵܝܘܼܬ݂ܵܐ!

   ḥzī dāḵī ìlāh hwīṯā aykannāyūṯā!

   Look how the situation has become!

   ܟܹܐ ܣܵܢܹܝܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܗܵܕ݂ܹܐ ܡܹܐܟ݂ܘܼܠܬܵܐ، ܐܸܠܵܐ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܕܡܲܚܒܸܢ ܠܵܗ̇.

   kē sānēn wā l-hāḏē mēḵultā, illā wē lī d-maḥbin lāh.

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

4. to be born

   Synonyms: ܦܵܐܹܫ ܝܠܝܼܕ݂ܵܐ (pāˀēš līḏā), ܒܵܪܹܐ (bārē)

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

   ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܝܲܬܝܼܪ ܥܸܣܪܵܐ ܕܹܝܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ

   bit hāwē lī yatīr ˁisrā dēnārē

   I will have ten more denarii.

   ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܝܲܬܝܼܪ ܥܸܣܪܵܐ ܕܹܝܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ

   bit hāwē wā lī yatīr ˁisrā dēnārē

   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-)

7. to have a child born to oneself
8. with ܒ- (b-) to be able to ; see usage notes below
9. with ܒ- (b-) and ܥܲܠ (ˁal) to be able to best, contest, take on

   ܠܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܝܼ ܥܲܠܘܼܗܝ

   lā kē hāwē bī ˁalūh

   I will not be able to take him on.

   (literally, “There will not be in me against him.”)

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

    ܠܵܐ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܹܗ ܒܝܼ ܕܐܵܙܹܠ݇ܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܫܘܼܩܵܐ ܡ̣ܢ ܕܐܝܼܬ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܫܘܼܓ݂ܠܵܐ ܠܸܥܒ݂ܵܕ݂ܵܐ

    lā wē wā lēh bī d-āzēn wā lšūqā min d-īṯ wā lī šuḡlā liˁḇāḏā

    I was unable to go to the store because I had work to do.

    ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܹܗ ܒܘܼܟ݂ ܕܐܵܡܪܹܬ ܠܹܗ؟

    bit hāwē lēh bōḵ d-āmrēt lēh?

    Will you be able to tell him?

11. to give birth

    ܒܲܟ݂ܬ ܚܵܠܝܼ ܗܘܹܐ ܠܵܗ̇ ܒܐܸܒܪܵܗ̇ ܬܸܡܵܠܝ

    baḵt ḥālī hwē lāh bibrāh timmāl

    My maternal uncle’s wife gave birth to her son yesterday.

• This word is sometimes written as “ܗ̇ܘܐ” in unvocalized texts in order to distinguish itself from “ܗ݇ܘܵܐ (wā)”.
• (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 ܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯ) 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.

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.

• (Standard) IPA^(key):

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

      ܒܸܟܬ݂ܵܒ݂ܵܐ ܝܘܸܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― bikṯāḇā ìwen wā ― I was writing.

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

      ܟܹܐ ܟܵܬ݂ܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― kē kāṯḇēn wā ― I used to write.

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

      ܟܬ݂ܝܼܒ݂ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ― kṯīḇ wā lī ― I had written.

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

      ܒܸܬ ܟܵܬ݂ܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ― bit kāṯḇēn wā ― I would write.

      ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܝܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܟܬ݂ܝܼܒ݂ܵܐ

      bit hāwēn wā kṯīḇā

      I would have written.

• This word is often written as “ܗ̤ܘܐ” in unvocalized texts in order to distinguish itself from “ܗܵܘܹܐ (hāwē)”.
• This is the singular form; the plural form is ܗ݇ܘܵܘ (wā) but not used by all dialects.

Borrowed from Arabic هَوَاء (hawāʔ).

• (Standard) IPA^(key):

ܗܵܘܵܐ • (hāwā) m (uncountable)

1. air

   Synonym: ܐܵܐܲܪ (āˀar)

2. weather

   Synonym: ܡܘܼܙܵܓ݂ܵܐ (muzzāḡā)

• ܗܵܘܵܝܵܐ (hāwāyā, “aerial”)

• IPA^(key): /hawo/

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

1. that

   Synonym: (enclitic form) ـܰܘܐ (awo)

• ܗܰܢܳܐ (hano, “this”)