Lebanese: Difference between revisions

The prefixing form of the verb comprises three subforms (usually simply called '''A'''', '''B''' and '''C''', examples of which are ''yipʿol'' for '''A''' and '''B''' and ''yipʿola'' for the '''C''' form, which also has and extended form ''yipʿalan''). These three forms are used on different occasions. The prefixing form A expresses the imperfective aspect and usually marks the present tense. The prefixing form B is used only to mark the past tense and the perfective aspect (similarly to the suffixing form, but it is placed in a sentence-initial position instead and also with the ''w-'' prefix). It also can express the subjunctive and optative, but is rarely used for that purpose, usually together with a proclitic particle ''l-'', 𐤋𐤔𐤌𐤀 ''lismaʿ'' "may he hear". The prefixing form C marks cohortative and optative. Its extended form has the same meaning as a simple form and is usually used only with verbs that don't have a distinction between A and B forms.

 

All imperatives are only used in affirmative commands. Negative commands use the particle 𐤀𐤋 ''al'' followed by the corresponding optative form. The passive verbs of ''puʿal'', ''paʿul'' and ''yopʿal'' do not have imperatives and only the optative form can be used and the ''nepʿal'' form is not used anymore, but can still be found in older texts. There are three grades of imperatives: simply called '''Grade I''' (or simple form), '''Grade II''' (the "-a" form) and '''Grade III''' (or extended form), for instance: 𐤋𐤊 ''lēkh'' "go!" - 𐤋𐤊𐤀 ''lēkha'' "you'd better go" - 𐤋𐤊𐤍𐤀 ''lakhanna'' "please, go!", which are the tree forms of the verb 𐤄𐤋𐤊 ''halokh" "to go". These forms have the same meaning, but the Grade II is more polite and the Grade III is used for emphasis. In Lebanese, just like in English, the word 𐤁𐤀͘𐤓𐤔𐤕 ''ba'arrōsoth'' ("please") is used together with the imperative form, however a single Grade III form is more commonly used for that purpose.