Classical Syriac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hi]

Pronoun

ܗܝ • ‎(hī) f ‎(plural ܗܢܝܢ, masculine singular ܗܘ, masculine plural ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (personal) she, it
2. (intensive) she herself, it itself
3. sometimes used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• Syriac does not have a neuter gender. The sense of "it" comes when translating Syriac inanimate nouns that are grammatically feminine into English inanimate nouns that are usually neuter.
• As an intensive pronoun, ܗܝ ‎(hī) must come before the noun it describes.

Etymology 2

Modified from above, with the initial consonant quiescing.

Alternative forms

• -ܝ ‎(-y)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-(ʔ)i] (after a word ending in a consonant)
• IPA^(key): [-j] (after a word ending in a vowel, forming a diphthong)

Pronoun

ܗܝ • ‎([h]ī, -y) f ‎(plural ܐܢܝܢ, feminine singular ܗܘ, feminine plural ܐܢܘܢ)

1. an enclitic used as a copula for a third-person singular feminine subject; she is, it is
2. (with a preceding first- or second-person singular pronoun) an enclitic used as a copula for a singular feminine subject; (I) am, (you) are

Usage notes

• Usually, the form ܗܝ ‎([h]ī) is written separately from the word it follows while the alternative form -ܝ ‎(-y) is written together with the word it follows.

See also

• ܐܝܬܝܗ

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [hɑj]

Adjective

ܗܝ • ‎(hāy) f ‎(plural ܗܢܝܢ, singular masculine counterpart ܗܘ, plural masculine counterpart ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that

Usage notes

• As an attributive adjective, ܗܝ ‎(hāy) can come either before or after the noun it describes without any change in meaning.

Pronoun

ܗܝ • ‎(hāy) f ‎(plural ܗܢܝܢ, masculine singular ܗܘ, masculine plural ܗܢܘܢ)

1. (demonstrative) that thing, that one
2. used somewhat like a definite article; the

Usage notes

• The sense of the definite article "the" is used especially when translating Ancient Greek texts, being the equivalent of the Ancient Greek feminine singular definite article ἡ ‎(hē).

References

• “hy”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–, retrieved 2011-06-11
• Costaz, Louis (2002) Dictionnaire syriaque-français : Syriac–English Dictionary, 3rd edition, Beirut: Dar El-Machreq, p. 74a-b
• Payne Smith, Jessie (1903) A Compendious Syriac Dictionary Founded Upon the Thesaurus Syriacus of R. Payne Smith, D.D., Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 103a
• 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, p. 339b