ܠܝܬ

From Aramaic לֵית‎ (lêṯ), a contraction equivalent to ܠܵܐ‎ (lā, “not”) +‎ ܐܝܼܬ‎ (īt, “there is/are”).

• (standard) IPA^(key): [layt.]
• (Urmian) IPA^(key): [lit.]
• (Nineveh Plains) IPA^(key): [leːθ.]

ܠܲܝܬ • (layt)

1. 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.

2. 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.”)

3. 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 mit lēh. ― He wasn't ninety years old when he died. (literally, “There wasn't to him ninety years when he died.”)

4. 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.”)

5. to not be bothered [+ ܓܵܘ‎ (gāw)]]

   ‏ܠܲܝܬ ܓܵܘܝܼ ܟܵܬܒ݂ܹܢ ܗ̇ܝ ܐܸܓܲܪܬܵܐ.‎‎ ― layt gāwī kātḇēn aya iggartā. ― I can't be bothered to write this letter. (literally, “There isn't inside me to write this letter.”)

6. 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.

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”).

• ܐܝܼܬ‎ (īt)

A contraction of ܠܐ‎ (lā, “not”) +‎ ܐܝܬ‎ (ʾīṯ, “there is/are”); compare Aramaic לֵית‎ (lêṯ).

• (Classical Edessan) IPA^(key): [ˈlajt]
• (Eastern Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈlajt]
• (Western Syriac) IPA^(key): [ˈlɑjt]

ܠܝܬ • (layt) (peal construction (irregular))

1. there is/are no/not
2. to be not
3. (with ܠ-‎ (lə-)) to have no/not
4. (with ܠ-‎ (lə-) or ܕ-‎ (də-)) to be not possible, not allowable; must not

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.

• ܐܝܬ‎ (ʾīṯ)

• “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