Language/Assyrian-neo-aramaic/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Assyrian Neo-Aramaic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the verb "be" and how it is used in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to use "be" in different contexts. Don't forget to use Find native speakers and ask them any questions you might have!

Introduction

The verb "be" is one of the most important verbs in any language, and the same applies to Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. In English, the verb "be" has three forms: - am (for the first person singular), - is (for the third person singular), - are (for the second person singular and all plural persons).

In Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, the verb "be" is also used in different forms depending on the subject of the sentence. In this lesson, we will focus on these different forms and how they are used in different contexts.

Present Tense

In the present tense, the forms of the verb "be" in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic are:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic	Pronunciation	English
qāmen	/qaːmɛn/	am
tā	/taː/	is
hānon	/ħaːnon/	are

Examples

To illustrate how the present tense of the verb "be" is used, let's look at a few examples:

Example 1

• Person 1: ܩܐܡܢ ܗܘܐ? (qāmen hawwā?)
• Person 2: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܐܝܬܝܗ (qāmena ʔeiti)
• Person 1: ܐܢܐ ܩܐܡܢ (anā qāmen)
• Person 2: ܐܢܐ ܩܐܡܢܗ (anā qāmenh)

Translation:

• Person 1: Am I?
• Person 2: You're am
• Person 1: I am
• Person 2: You are

Example 2

• Person 1: ܬܐ ܐܝܬܝܗ? (tā ʔeiti?)
• Person 2: ܐܢܐ ܬܐ (anā tā)
• Person 1: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܗܘܐ? (qāmena hawwā?)
• Person 2: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܐܝܬܝܗ (qāmena ʔeiti)

Translation:

• Person 1: Are you?
• Person 2: Yes, I am
• Person 1: You're are?
• Person 2: You are

Past Tense

In the past tense, the forms of the verb "be" in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic are:

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic	Pronunciation	English
kōn	/koːn/	was (1st, 3rd person singular)
kentēn	/kɛntɛːn/	were (2nd and plural persons)

Examples

Let's look at some examples of how the past tense of the verb "be" is used:

Example 1

• Person 1: ܐܢܐ ܩܐܡܢ (anā qāmen)
• Person 2: ܟܘܢ ܐܝܬܝܗ (kōn ʔeiti)

Translation:

• Person 1: I am
• Person 2: I was

Example 2

• Person 1: ܠܘܬ ܕܝܢ ܟܘܢ ܗܘܢ (luwot dīn kōn hawn)
• Person 2: ܠܘܬ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܗ (luwot tshəvuħtəh)

Translation:

• Person 1: We were there yesterday
• Person 2: It was beautiful

Future Tense

In the future tense, the verb "be" is expressed using the particle "hā".

Examples

Let's look at a few examples of how the future tense of the verb "be" is used:

Example 1

• Person 1: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܒܝܬ ܐܢܐ? (qāmena bīt anā?)
• Person 2: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܗܘܐ (qāmena hawwā)

Translation:

• Person 1: Will you be at home?
• Person 2: Yes, I will be.

Example 2

• Person 1: ܩܐܡܢܐ ܕܝܢܬܐ ܡܝܬܐ ܐܝܬܝܗ (qāmena dīnta mēta ʔeiti?)
• Person 2: ܩܐܡܢܐ hā ܬܢܝܢ (qāmena hā tənyēn)

Translation:

• Person 1: Will you be with me tomorrow?
• Person 2: Yes, I will be with you.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned about how the verb "be" is used in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic in the present, past, and future tenses. We hope you have found this lesson informative and useful in improving your Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Grammar. If you want to improve your language skills further, don’t hesitate to use Polyglot Club and find native speakers to practice with. 😊

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