ܗܘܐ

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! ― 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 situtation has become!

   ܟܹܐ ܣܵܢܹܝܢ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܗܵܕ݂ܹܐ ܡܹܐܟ݂ܘܼܠܬܵܐ، ܒܵܣ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܕܡܲܚܒܸܢ ܠܵܗ̇. ― kē sānēn wā l-hāḏē mēḵultā, bās wē lī d-maḥbin lāh. ― I used to hate this food, but I've come to like it

4. to be born

   Synonym: ܦܵܝܹܫ ܝܠܝܼܕܵܐ (pāyēš līdā)

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-)

   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 ܥܲܠܘܼܗܝ ― lā kē hāwē bī ˁalūh ― 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 ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܫܘܼܓ݂ܠܵܐ ܠܸܥܒ݂ܵܕ݂ܵܐ ― lā wē lēh wā 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 būḵ d-āmrēt lēh? ― Will you be able to tell him?

• 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 wrote

   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”)