"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come....."
- William Shakespeare
In today's Lesson, we are going to cover verbs that
have already been taught in Lessons 1, 2, 8, and 21,
respectively. We are also going to cover a new way
of expressing these verbs using a different root.
We will begin by reviewing the verb "to be", conjugated
in the past tense:
VERB: TO BE
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE: PAST
I (masc.) was: āna win-wa
I (fem) was: āna wan-wa
You (m) were: āyit wit-wa
You (f) were: āyat wet-wa
He was: āwo wae-wa
She was: āya wa-wa (yen) āyee wa-wa
We were: akhny wookh-wa
Ye were: akhto(n) wot-wa (yen) wotoon-wa
They were: anay/anee wa-wae
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There is a different root of "to be" in the old
language, the root of which is hwa(ܗܘܐ). In the
past tense, this verb also means "to be born".
There is, therefore, a rare but still existing
other conjugation of "to be" that goes thus:
VERB: TO BE, TO BE BORN
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE: PAST
I (masc.) was (born): āna hwe-ly
I (fem) was (born): āna hwe-ly
You (m) were (born): āyit hwe-lookh
You (f) were (born): āyat hwe-lakh
He was (born): āwo hwe-lih
She was (born): āya hwe-lah
We were (born): akhny hwe-lan
Ye were (born): akhto(n) hwe-lokhoon
They were (born): anay hwe-lay
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Now we will reviewing the verb "to be", conjugated
in the present tense:
VERB: TO BE
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE: PRESENT
I (masc.) am: āna ee-win
I (fem) am: āna ee-wan
You (m) are: āyit ee-wit
You (f) are: āyat ee-wat
He is: āwo ee-lih
She is: āya ee-lah (yen) āyee ee-lah
We are: akhny ee-wookh
Ye are: akhto(n) ee-wotoon
They are: anay/anee ee-lay
Again, here is the less-often-used alternative
conjugation of "to be":
VERB: TO BE
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE: PRESENT
I (masc.) am: āna k-hawin
I (fem) am: āna k-hawin
You (m) are: āyit k-hawit
You (f) are: āyat k-hawat
He is: āwo k-hawih
She is: āya k-hawah
We are: akhny k-haw-ookh
Ye are: akhto(n) k-haw-wotoon
They are: anay/anee k-haway
It is important to note that the future form is
much more commonly used. Next you will find the
standard and alternative future conjugations of
"to be":
VERB: TO BE
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE : FUTURE
I (m) will be - āna zee-win
I (f) will be - āna zee-wan
You (m) will be - āyit zee-wit
You (f) will be - āyat zee-wat
He will be - āwo zee-lih
She will be - āya/āyee zee-lah
We will be - akhny zee-wookh
Ye/Yall will be - akhtu(n) zee-wotu(n)
They will be - anay/anee zee-lay
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VERB: TO BE
ROOT: hwa (ܗܘܐ)
TENSE : FUTURE
I (m) will be - āna b-hawin (yen) ze hawin
You (m) will be - āyit ze hawit (yen) b-hawit
You (f) will be - āyat ze hawat (yen) b-hawat
He will be - āwo b-hawih (yen) ze hawih
She will be - āya/āyee b-hawah (yen) ze hawah
We will be - akhny ze hawookh (yen) b-hawookh
Ye/Yall will be - akhtu(n) ze hawotu(n) (yen) b-hawotu(n)
They will be - anay/anee b-haway (yen) ze haway
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Just when you thought we were done... now we
are going to remind you about the verb "to have",
conjugated in the future tense:
VERB: TO HAVE
ROOT: eeth (ܐܝܼܬܼ)
TENSE: FUTURE
I will have: b-hawe-ly
You (m) will have: b-hawe-lookh
You (f) will have: b-hawe-lakh
He will have: b-hawe-lih
She will have: b-hawe-lah
We will have: b-hawe-lan
Ye/Y'all will have: b-hawe-lokhoon
They will have: b-hawe-lay
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As you can see, the verb hwa is multifaceted and shows
up in place of various verbs during various conjugations
(past, present, future), but most commonly in the future
tense.
An example sentence:
I will be working: b-hawin bi-plakha
b-hawin - I will be
bi-plakha - The infinitive of "to work" (note: this is also
identical to the progressive tense in this case)
(A special thanks, again, to Fr. Andy Younan for his
ever-present assistance with this lesson and with the
entire project)
