# ܒ-
## Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Picture dictionary :
ܒ-
ܠܥܸܠ ܡ̣ܢ
ܠܬܸܚܬ ܡ̣ܢ
ܓܲܘ
ܩܵܕ݇ܡ
ܒܵܬ݂ܲܪ
ܥܲܠ
ܓܹܢ݇ܒ/
ܠܟܸܣ
ܬ݇ܚܘܿܬ݂
ܒܹܝܢ :

### Etymology

From Aramaic בְּ־ (bə-), ultimately Proto-Semitic *bV- (“with, in, at, among”) with likely interrelation with Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“site, location; nest, house”); compare Arabic بِ- (bi-) and Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

### Pronunciation 1

* (Standard, preceding a consonant and a vowel) IPA: [b-], [bə-]
* (Standard, preceding two consonants) IPA: [bɪ-]
* (Standard, preceding /b/ or /p/ with a vowel after) IPA: [ʔɪb-]

#### Preposition

ܒ- • (b-)
* various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, about, as, against, during
    ܝܼܘܲܚ ܒܫܘܼܩܵܐ ― īwaḥ b-šuqā ― We are at the market.
    ܡܡܘܼܠܸܠ ܠܗܘܿܢ ܠܸܚܕ݂ܵܕ݂ܹܐ ܒܨܲܦܪܵܐ.mullil lhon liḥḏāḏē b-ṣaprāThey spoke in the morning.
* per, by, through, throughout
    Synonyms: ܩܵܐ (qā), ܠܟܠ ܚܲܕ݇ (lkul ḥa)
    ܒܬܲܪܬܹܝܢ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ ― b-tartēn šinnē ― every two years
    ܒܚܲܕ݇ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ, ܒܬܪܹܝܢ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐb-ḥa parṣopā, b-trēn parṣopēper person, per two people
    ܟܝܼܠܘܿܡܝܼܛܪܹ̈ܐ ܒܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐ ― kīlomīṭrē b-šāˁṯā ― kilometers per hour
* on (a medium of communication)
    Synonym: ܥܲܠ (ˁal)
    ܚܸܙܝܵܐ ܠܲܢ ܒ-ܦܪܵܣܚܸܙܘܵܐ. ― ḥizyā lan b-prāsḥizwā. ― We saw it on TV.
    ܫܡܝܼܥ ܠܲܢ ܥܲܠܘܿܗ̇ ܒ-ܦܪܵܣܩܵܠܵܐ.šmīˁ lan ˁallōh b-prāsqālā.We heard about it on the radio.
    ܟܠܹܗ ܝܲܘܡܵܐ ܟܹܐ ܡܡܲܠܠܝܼ ܒ-ܚܘܼܛܵܡܲܠܵܠܵܐ!kullēh yawmā kē mmallī b-ḥūṭāmallālā!All day they talk on the phone!
* marking the definite direct object; the person or thing affected by an action
    Synonym: ܠ- (l-)
* according to
* expressing composition, substance
    Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)
    ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ ܡܠܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܒܗܲܒܵܒ݂ܹ̈ܐ ― ganṯā mlīṯā b-habbāḇē ― A garden full of flowers.
* (instrumentally) with
    Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)
    ܡܠܝܼ ܠܵܗ̇ ܒܡܲܝ̈ܵܐ ― mlī lāh b-mayyā ― Fill it with water.
    ܦܪܝܼܡ ܠܝܼ ܒܸܣܪܵܐ ܒܣܲܟܝܼܢܵܐ.prim lī bisrā b-sakkīnā.I cut the meat with a knife.
    ܨܪܝܼܚ ܠܹܗ ܒܩܵܠܵܐ ܪܵܡܵܐ. ― ṣriḥ lēh b-qālā rāmā. ― He shouted with a loud voice.
* Used with an adjective to indicate the superlative.
    ܡܒܘܼܪܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ ܝܘܲܬܝ ܒܢܸܫܹ̈ܐmburaḵtā ìwat b-niššēBlessed are you among women.(literally, “You are the most blessed of women.”)
    ܝܼܠܹܗ ܐܲܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐ ܒܓܲܒ݂ܪܹ̈ܐ ― īlēh arrīḵā b-gaḇrē ― He is the tallest of the men.
* denotes requital, giving or doing in return; for
    Synonym: ܩܵܐ (qā)
    ܙܒ݂ܝܼܢܹܗ ܠܝܼ ܒܬܠܵܬ݂ܵܐ ܐܲܠܦܹ̈ܐ ܕܹܝܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ.zḇīnēh lī b-tlāṯā alpē dēnārēI bought it for three thousand denarii.
* forming dates using the months
    ܫܒ݂ܲܥܣܲܪ ܒܫܒ݂ܵܛ ― šḇaˤsar b-šḇāṭ ― The seventeenth of February
    ܬܡܵܢܝܵܐ ܒܐܝܼܠܘܿܠ ― tmānyā b-īlōl ― The eighth of September
    ܪܹܝܫ ܫܹܢ݇ܬܵܐ ܐܵܫܘܿܪܵܝܬܵܐ ܝܠܹܗ ܚܲܕ݇ ܒܢܝܼܣܵܢ.rēš šēttā āšorāytā ìlēh ḥa b-nīsānAssyrian New Year is on the first of April.

##### Usage notes

* Unlike English in, ܒ- (b-) cannot easily mean into; rather, ܠ- (l-, “to”) is generally used for that sense.
* Like English in, ܒ- (b-) is a fairly weak word; when the sense is that of being in a place, the word ܓܵܘ (gāw, “within, inside”) may be used as a stronger variant.
* Unlike English in, -ܒ (-b) is strictly a preposition, and always takes an object; ܠܓܵܘܵܐ (l-gāwā, “in, inside”) is used without an object.

##### Inflection
### Pronunciation 2

* (Standard) IPA: [bɪ-]
* (Standard, preceding an initial unpronounced /ʔ/ or /j/) IPA: [biː]

#### Particle

ܒܸ- or ܒܹ- or ܒܝܼ • (bi- or bē- or bī)
* In G stem verbs attached to the verbal noun to form the gerund to form progressive verbs
    ܝܼܠܹܗ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― īlēh biqrāyā ― He is reading
    ܝܼܗ݇ܘܵܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― īwā biqrāyā ― He was reading
    ܒܸܕ ܗܵܘܹܐ ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐbid hāwē biqrāyāHe will be reading; He is probably reading.

##### Usage notes

* In most verbs, the vowel is zlāmā pšīqā (as in ܒܸܦܬܵܚܵܐ (biptāḥā))
* ܒܸ- (bi-) undergoes changes if the verb starts with the following:
** In verbs starting with ālap, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܹܐ݇ܟ݂ܵܠܵܐ (bēḵālā))
** In verbs starting with yōḏ, the vowel is zlāmā qišyā (as in ܒܝܼܬܵܒ݂ܵܐ (bītāḇā))
** Sometimes the verb stem undergoes metathesis (as in ܒܸܠܝܵܦܵܐ (bilyāpā))

## Classical Syriac
### Etymology

Compare Arabic بِ- (bi-), Hebrew בְּ־ (bə-).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [b(ə)-] (preceding a consonant and vowel)
* IPA: [ba-] (preceding a two-consonant cluster)

### Preposition

ܒ- • (bə-, ba-)
* various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, according to, for, because, about, as, against, during
* (instrumentally) with
* (with an adjective, forming a superlative) -est, most
* (with a substantive, forming an adverb) -ly

#### Inflection

Takes type-I suffixes.

#### See also

* ܒ (b)

### References

* “b_”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2020-01-04
* Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français ∙ Syriac–English Dictionary ∙ قاموس سرياني-عربي, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, page 23a
* Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 33b–34a
* 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 114a