ܠܝܬ
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Etymology
From Aramaic לֵית (lêṯ), a contraction equivalent to ܠܵܐ (lā, “not”) + ܐܝܼܬ (īt, “there is/are”).
Pronunciation
- (standard) IPA(key): [layt.]
- (Urmian) IPA(key): [lit.]
- (Nineveh Plains) IPA(key): [leːθ.]
Adverb
ܠܲܝܬ • (layt)
- there is/are
- ܠܲܝܬ ܘܲܪܕܵܐ ܓܵܘ ܓܲܢܬܵܐ. ― layt wardā gāw gantā. ― There is not a rose in the garden.
- ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܪܵܒܵܐ ܐ݇ܢܵܫܹ̈ܐ ܠܫܘܼܩܵܐ. ― layt wā rābā nāšē l-šuqā. ― There was not many people at the market.
- to have [+ ܠ- (object)]
- ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ ܟܲܠܒ݂ܵܐ. ― layt lī kalḇā. ― I do not have a dog (literally, “There is not to me a dog.”)
- ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܝܼ ܚܲܕ݇ܟ̰ܵܐ ܙܘܼܙܹ̈ܐ. ― layt wā lī ḥačā zuzē. ― I did not have some money. (literally, “There was not to me some money.”)
- to be (years) old [+ ܠ- (l-) (age)]
- ܠܲܝܬ ܠܹܗ ܬܡܵܢܲܥܸܣܪܹܐ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ. ― layt lēh tmānaʿisrē šinnē. ― He is not eighteen years old. (literally, “There isn't to him eighteen years.”)
- ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܠܹܗ ܬܸܫܥܝܼ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ ܐܝܼܡܲܢ ܡܝܼܬ ܠܹܗ. ― layt wā lēh tišʿī šinnē īman mīt lēh. ― He wasn't ninety years old when he died. (literally, “There wasn't to him ninety years when he died.”)
- to be possible [+ ܒ- (object)]
- ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ ܙܵܡܪܹܢ. ― layt bī zāmrēn. ― I cannot sing (literally, “There isn't in me to sing.”)
- ܠܲܝܬ ܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܝܼܘܼܟ݂ ܙܵܡܪܹܬ. ― layt wā bīyuḵ zāmrēt. ― You couldn't sing (literally, “There wasn't in you to sing.”)
- to not be bothered [+ ܓܵܘ (gāw)]]
- ܠܲܝܬ ܓܵܘܝܼ ܟܵܬܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ̇ܝ ܐܸܓܲܪܬܵܐ. ― layt gāwī kātḇēn ayā iggartā. ― I can't be bothered to write this letter. (literally, “There isn't inside me to write this letter.”)
- to not care, to not mind [+ ܠ- (l-) + attached pronoun + ܓܵܘ (gāw) + attached pronoun]]
- ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ ܓܵܘܹܗ ― layt lī gāwēh ― I do not care about him.
Usage notes
This word does not inflect like a regular verb. It mostly occurs as an uninflected particle, though it can take suffixes agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number. Its past tense is expressed by ܠܲܝܬ (layt) + ܗ݇ܘܵܐ (wā)/ܗ݇ܘܵܘ (wā) and its future tense is expressed by ܗܵܘܹܐ (hāwē, “ܠܹܐ ܒܸܬ ܗܵܘܹܐ”).
Inflection
| Base Form | ܠܲܝܬ (layt) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal-pronoun including forms | singular | plural | |
| m | f | ||
| 1st person | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܝܼ (layt lī) | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܲܢ (layt lan) | |
| 2nd person | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܘܼܟ݂ (layt luḵ) | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܟ݂ܝ (layt lāḵ) | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (layt lāwḵon) |
| 3rd person | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܹܗ (layt lēh) | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܵܗ̇ (layt lāh) | ܠܲܝܬ ܠܗܘܿܢ (layt lhon) |
| Base Form | ܠܲܝܬ (layt) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal-pronoun including forms | singular | plural | |
| m | f | ||
| 1st person | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼ (layt bī) | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܲܢ (layt bīyan) | |
| 2nd person | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܘܼܟ݂ (layt bīyuḵ) | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܵܟ݂ܝ (layt bīyāḵ) | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (layt bīyāwḵon) |
| 3rd person | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܹܗ (layt bīyēh) | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܵܗ̇ (layt bīyāh) | ܠܲܝܬ ܒܝܼܗܘܿܢ (layt bīhon) |
Antonyms
- ܐܝܼܬ (īt)
Derived terms
- ܠܲܝܬܵܝܵܐ (laytāyā, “non-existent”)
- ܠܲܝܬܵܝܘܼܬܵܐ (laytāyutā, “non-existence”)
- ܡܠܲܝܬܝܵܢܵܐ (mlaytyānā, “annihilating”)
- ܡܠܲܝܬܝܵܢܘܼܬܵܐ (mlaytyānutā, “annihilation”)
Classical Syriac
Etymology
A contraction of ܠܐ (lā, “not”) + ܐܝܬ (ʾīṯ, “there is/are”); compare Aramaic לֵית (lêṯ).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Edessan) IPA(key): [ˈlajt]
- (Eastern Syriac) IPA(key): [ˈlajt]
- (Western Syriac) IPA(key): [ˈlɑjt]
Verb
ܠܝܬ • (layt) (peal construction (irregular))
- there is/are no/not
- to be not
- (with ܠ- (lə-)) to have no/not
- (with ܠ- (lə-) or ܕ- (də-)) to be not possible, not allowable; must not
Usage notes
This word does not inflect like a regular verb. It mostly occurs as an uninflected particle, though it can take type-II suffixes (as certain prepositions or plural nouns), agreeing with the subject in person, gender, and number. Its past tense is expressed by a following ܗܘܐ ([hə]wā), inflected in the third person and agreeing with the subject in gender and number.
Antonyms
- ܐܝܬ (ʾīṯ)
Derived terms
- ܠܝܬܝܐ (laytāyā, “non-existent”)
- ܠܝܬܝܘܬܐ (laytāyūṯā, “non-existence”)
- ܡܠܝܬܝܢܐ (məlaytəyānā, “annihilating”)
- ܡܠܝܬܝܢܘܬܐ (məlaytəyānūṯā, “annihilation”)
References
- “lyt”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2021-07-17
- Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 172b
- Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 241b-242a
- Sokoloff, Michael (2009) A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum, Winona Lake, Indiana; Piscataway, New Jersey: Eisenbrauns; Gorgias Press, page 689b