Table of Contents
Prepositions
We have already learned 10 prepositions in YiddishPOP. They are listed below together with the lesson in which each appears for the first time.
- אין (2.3)
- מיט (2.5)
- אָן (2.5)
- וועגן (3.4)
- אויף (4.2)
- אונטער (4.2)
- לעבן (4.2)
- בײַ (4.3)
- פֿון (4.3)
- פֿאַר (4.3)
Dative After a Preposition
When a noun/pronoun/person’s name is the object of a preposition, it is in the dative case. (The concept of cases is explained in 4.2 נאָך פּרטים.) The italicized words in the sentences above are “in the dative”.
Remember that most nouns in Yiddish and the indefinite article אַ/אַן do not change according to their role in the sentence. Words that are the object of a preposition are “in the dative” whether they change or not.
In this lesson we are learning the dative forms of the personal pronouns and people’s names. We will learn those of the definite article in lesson 5.1 and of the adjective endings in lesson 5.5.
Personal Pronouns in the Dative
The following table contains all the personal pronouns: nominative, accusative and dative. There is also an example sentence for each pronoun in the dative.
Note:
- אים: Look at the table and note that
- ער (nominative) corresponds to אים (accusative and dative).
- עס (nominative and accusative) corresponds to אים (dative).
- We noted in 4.1 נאָך פּרטים and 4.2 נאָך פּרטים that pronouns that replace a singular noun retain the grammatical gender of the noun. Thus, in the dative the noun is replaced by אים (masculine/neutral) or by איר (feminine). For example:
Declension of People’s Names: Dative
In the above sentences each name is the object of a preposition and therefore in the dative. In the dative, people’s names have the same ending as in the accusative, ן– or ען–. The rule about when to use ן– and when ען– can be found in 4.2 נאָך פּרטים.
Possessive Pronouns: אונדזער / אײַער / זייער
In lesson 1.5 we learned מײַן/מײַנע and דײַן/דײַנע, the possessive pronouns that correspond to איך and דו. In this lesson we are learning the possessive pronouns that correspond to איר, מיר, and זיי (first, second, and third person plural):
Remember:
- The forms without ע are used with a singular noun (אונדזער/אײַער/זייער).
- The forms with ע are used with a plural noun (אונדזערע/אײַערע/זייערע).
In lesson 4.4 we’ll learn the rest of the possessive pronouns; in 4.5 נאָך פּרטים there is a table with all the possessive pronouns.
וויסן – איך ווייס
וויסן is an irregular infinitive. The base form of the verb is ווייס. (On irregular infinitives see 2.3 נאָך פּרטים; on the base form of the verb see 2.1 נאָך פּרטים). Below is the conjugation of the verb in the present tense.
Note: ער/זי/עס ווייס = ער/זי/עס ווייסט. There is a variant of the ער/זי/עס form of this verb without the ט ending. You may encounter it in spoken or written Yiddish.
וויסן vs. קענען
The verb וויסן, that we have learned in this lesson, can be confused with the verb קענען that we learned in 3.1 נאָך פּרטים. Here is a guide to when each verb is used:
- When the verb is accompanied by an infinitive, קענען is used. For example:
- איך קען שווימען.
- מאָבי קען שפּילן אין קוישבאָל.
- יאַנקל קען נישט לייענען.
- אין לעקציע 1.1 ווייסט נעמי נישט וווּ מאָבי איז.
- מיר ווייסן וואָס יאַנקל וויל עסן.
- איך ווייס ווען מענדל וועט קומען.
The following sentences contrast וויסן and קענען:
- איך קען שווימען. איך ווייס וואָס איך דאַרף טאָן מיט די הענט און די פֿיס.
- פּערל איז מײַן חבֿרטע. איך קען זי גוט. איך ווייס וואָס זי האָט ליב: זי האָט ליב צו מאָלן.
- איך ווייס וואָס מאָבי לייענט! איך קען דאָס בוך! עס הייסט „איך, ראָבאָט“ און ס׳איז גוט.
It is not unusual in Yiddish to encounter a singular verb with a plural subject, especially with the construction איז דאָ when the verb comes before the subject. An example of this can be found at the beginning of the movie when Nomi says:
- ס׳איז אויך דאָ אַ סך בילדער.
