ܠ-

Ultimately merged from Proto-Semitic *lV- (“for, to”) + *ʔila (“towards, nigh”); cognate with Hebrew ל־ (lə-), אֶל (el), Arabic لِـ (li-), إِلَى (ʔilā) and Akkadian 𒀀𒈾 (ana).

• IPA^(key):
• IPA^(key): (at starting speech)

ܠ- • (l-)

1. to, towards; indicating a destination or end-point
   1. Indicating the destination of movement

      ܒܫܵܒ݂ܘܿܥܵܐ ܕܥܒ݂ܝܼܪܹܗ ܐ݇ܙܝܼܠ ܠܝܼ ܠܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ.

      b-šāḇōˁā d-ˁḇīrēh zīl lī l-nīnwē.

      Last week I went to Nineveh.

      ܫܵܥܲܬ݂ ܟܡܵܐ ܒܸܬ ܡܵܛܹܝܚ ܠܡܕ݂ܝܼܢ݇ܬܵܐ؟

      šāˁaṯ kmā bit māṭēḥ l-mḏīttā?

      What time will we get to the city?

2. to, for; corresponding to an English indirect object or a Latin dative
   1. Indicating the recipient of a transfer

      ܩܸܡ ܝܵܗ݇ܒ݂ܹܠ ܠܵܗ̇ ܕܵܫܢܵܐ. ― qim yāḇēl lāh dāšnā. ― He gave her a gift.

   2. Indicating the addressee of an utterance

      ܩܸܡ ܐܵܡܪܝܼ ܠܲܢ ܡܵܐ ܗ݇ܘܹܐ ܠܹܗ.

      qim āmrī lan mā wē lēh.

      They told us what happened.

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

      Synonyms: ܒ- (b-), ܝܵܬ݂ (yāṯ)

      ܡܵܐ ܝܬܘܿܢ ܒܸܥܒ݂ܵܕܵܐ ܠܬܲܪܥܵܐ؟

      mā ìtōn biˁḇādā l-tarˁā?

      What are you doing to the door?

      ܡܲܪܝܲܡ ܐ݇ܟ݂ܝܼܠ ܠܵܗ̇ ܠܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ ― maryam ḵīl lāh l-ḥabbūšā ― Maryam ate an apple.

3. of; indicating a possessor
   1. Used with ܐܝܼܬ݂ (īṯ) or (for non-possession) ܠܲܝܬ (layt)

      ܐܵܣܝܵܐ ܐܝܼܬ݂ ܠܹܗ ܥܲܝ̈ܢܹܐ ܙܪ̈ܘܿܩܹܐ.

      āsyā īṯ lēh ˁaynē zrōqē.

      The doctor has blue eyes

      (literally, “The doctor there is to him blue eyes.”)

      ܠܲܝܬ ܠܘܼܟ݂ ܟܸܣܦܵܐ؟

      layt lōḵ kispā?

      Don’t you have money?

      (literally, “Is there not money to you?”)

   2. Used with a form of ܗܵܘܹܐ (hāwē)

      ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܠܝܼ ܒܲܝܬܵܐ ܪܲܒܵܐ.

      bit hāwē lī baytā rabbā.

      I will have a big house

      (literally, “There will be to me a big house.”)

4. Used with the absolute singular state of the past participle to indicate the preterite past tense

   ܫܡܝܼܥ ܠܝܼ ܩܵܠܵܐ

   šmīˁ lī qālā

   I heard a voice.

   (literally, “Heard to me a voice.”)

   ܐ݇ܟ݂ܝܼܠ ܠܵܗ̇ ܚܲܒܘܼܫܵܐ

   ḵīl lāh ḥabūšā

   She ate an apple.

   (literally, “Ate to her an apple.”)

5. (with ܒܹܝܢ (bēn, “between”)) and, to

   Synonym: ܘ- (w-)

   ܒܲܝܬܝܼ ܒܹܝܢ ܬܸܠܵܐ ܠܝܲܡܬ݂ܵܐ

   baytī bēn tillā l-yamṯā

   My house is between the hill and the lake.

   ܝܬ݂ܝܼܒ݂ܬܵܐ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ܒܹܝܢ ܐܸܡܵܗ̇ ܠܚܵܠܬܵܗ̇

   ṯīḇtā ìlāh bēn immāh l-ḥāltāh

   She’s sitting between her mother and her aunt.

• In Assyrian Neo-Aramaic ܠ (“l-”) essentially has two different sets of inflected forms: its own original forms, which are used in indicating indirect objects and most circumstances, as well as the forms originally belonging to ܐܸܠ (il), which are used with indicating direct objects, and words of motion, words of connection, words of relation, and so on.

ܠܸ- or ܠܹ- or ܠ- or ܠܝܼ- • (li- or lē- or l- or lī-)

1. to; added to gerunds to form the first part of a to-infinitive

   ܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ (pṯāḥā, “opening”) → ܠܸܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ (lipṯāḥā, “to close”)

   ܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (ḵālā, “eating”) → ܠܹܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (lēḵālā, “to eat”)

   ܡܡܲܠܘܿܠܹܐ (mmalōlē, “speaking”) → ܠܡܡܲܠܘܿܠܹܐ (l-mmallōlē, “to speak”)

• ܠܸ- (li-) undergoes changes if the verb starts with the following:
  • In most pāˁēl verbs, the vowel is zlāmā pšīqā (as in ܠܸܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ (lipṯāḥā))
  • In pāˁēl verbs starting with ālap, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܠܹܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (lēḵālā))
  • In pāˁēl verbs starting with yōḏ, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܠܝܼܬܵܒ݂ܵܐ (lītāḇā))
    • Sometimes the verb stem undergoes metathesis (as in ܠܸܠܝܵܦܵܐ (lilyāpā))
  • In every other verb stem, there is either a schwa or no vowel.