ܒ-

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-).

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

ܒ- • (b-)

1. 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-ṣaprā

   They spoke in the morning.

2. per, by, through, throughout

   Synonyms: ܓܲܘ (gaw), ܩܵܐ (qā), ܠܟܠ ܚܲܕ݇ (lkul ḥa)

   ܒܬܲܪܬܹܝܢ ܫܸܢܹ̈ܐ ― b-tartēn šinnē ― every two years

   ܒܚܲܕ݇ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ، ܒܬܪܹܝܢ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܐ

   b-ḥa parṣopā, b-trēn parṣopē

   per person, per two people

   ܟܝܼܠܘܿܡܝܼܛܪܹ̈ܐ ܒܫܵܥܬ݂ܵܐ ― kīlomīṭrē b-šāˁṯā ― kilometers per hour

3. about, regarding, concerning

   Synonyms: ܒܘܼܬ (būt), ܥܲܠ (ˁal)

4. 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!

5. marking the definite direct object; the person or thing affected by an action

   Synonym: ܠ- (l-)

6. according to
7. expressing composition, substance

   Synonym: ܡ̣ܢ (min)

   ܓܲܢܬ݂ܵܐ ܡܠܝܼܬ݂ܵܐ ܒܗܲܒܵܒ݂ܹ̈ܐ ― ganṯā mlīṯā b-habbāḇē ― A garden full of flowers.

8. (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.

9. Used with an adjective to indicate the superlative.

   ܡܒܘܼܪܲܟ݂ܬܵܐ ܝܘܲܬܝ ܒܢܸܫܹ̈ܐ

   mburaḵtā ìwat b-niššē

   Blessed 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.

10. denotes requital, giving or doing in return; for

    Synonym: ܩܵܐ (qā)

    ܙܒ݂ܝܼܢܹܗ ܠܝܼ ܒܬܠܵܬ݂ܵܐ ܐܲܠܦܹ̈ܐ ܕܹܝܢܵܪܹ̈ܐ.

    zḇīnēh lī b-tlāṯā alpē dēnārē

    I bought it for three thousand denarii.

11. 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 ܟܹܐ ܢܵܦܹܠ ܥܲܠ ܚܲܕ݇ ܒܢܝܼܣܵܢ.

    rēš šēttā āšorāytā kē nāpēl ˤal ḥa b-nīsān

    Assyrian New Year falls on the first of April.

• 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 ܓܲܘ (gaw, “within, inside”) may be used as a stronger variant.
• Unlike English in, -ܒ (-b) is strictly a preposition, and always takes an object; ܠܓܲܘܵܐ (lgawwā, “in, inside”) is used without an object.

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

ܒܸ- or ܒܹ- or ܒܝܼ • (bi- or bē- or bī)

1. 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 ܒܸܩܪܵܝܵܐ ― bid hāwē biqrāyā ― He will be reading; He is probably reading.

• 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))

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

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

ܒ- • (bə-, ba-)

1. various senses: in, on, upon, at, among, to, into, by, according to, for, because, about, as, against, during
2. (instrumentally) with
3. (with an adjective, forming a superlative) -est, most
4. (with a substantive, forming an adverb) -ly

Takes type-I suffixes.

• ܒ (b)

• “b_”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 4 January 2020
• 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, →ISBN, page 114a