Surayt
Basic Turoyo (Surayt) phrases
Hello is šlomo and thank you is tawdi. These are the phrases that carry an everyday conversation in Turoyo (Surayt), the living Aramaic language of Tur Abdin, with Syriac script, pronunciation and English meaning. All of them come from the Surayt app's 21-day course and are grounded in the Freie Universität Berlin textbook.
Greetings and introductions
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܫܠܳܡܐ | Šlomo | Hello (literally: peace) |
| ܐܰܝܕܰܪܒܐ ܗܰܬ؟ | Aydarbo hat? | How are you? (singular) |
| ܐܰܝܕܰܪܒܐ ܗܰܬܘ؟ | Aydarbo hatu? | How are you? (plural or polite) |
| ܐܳܢܐ ܒܰܣܝܡ ܢܐ | Ono basim no | I am well (said by a man) |
| ܐܳܢܐ ܒܰܣܝܡܬܐ ܢܐ | Ono basimto no | I am well (said by a woman) |
| ܡܐ ܫܡܘܟ݂؟ | Mo šmux? | What is your name? |
| ܫܡܝ ... ܝܐ | Šmi ... yo | My name is ... |
| ܒܪܝܟ݂ܐ ܗܰܬ | Brixo hat | Welcome (to a man) |
| ܒܪܝܟ݂ܬܐ ܗܰܬ | Brixto hat | Welcome (to a woman) |
| ܬܐ ܠܘ ܒܰܝܬܐ! | To lu bayto! | Come into the house! |
Politeness and blessings
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܬܰܘܕܝ | Tawdi | Thank you |
| ܬܰܘܕܝ ܪܰܒܐ | Tawdi rabo | Thank you very much |
| ܬܰܘܕܝ ܥܰܠ ܐܘ ܡܘܟܠܐ | Tawdi cal u muklo | Thank you for the food |
| ܦܩܘܕ݂ | Fqud | Please, help yourself |
| ܠܰܝܬ ܩܷܛܪܐ | Layt qeṭro | No problem |
| ܐܰܠܳܗܐ ܡܒܰܪܶܟ݂ܠܳܟ݂ | Aloho mbarexlox | God bless you |
| ܥܳܡܶܪ ܒܰܝܬܘܟ݂ | Comër baytux | May your house be full (of people) |
Family
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܩܰܫܬܝ ܣܘܪܰܝܬ ܟܳܡܰܪܐ | Qašti surayt komaro | My grandmother speaks Surayt |
| ܟܺܝܬ݂ ܠܝ ܬܪܶܐ ܐܰܚܘܢܶܐ ܘܚܕܐ ܚܳܬ݂ܐ | Kiṯ li tre aḥune u ḥḏo ḥoṯo | I have two brothers and one sister |
| ܐܝܩܰܪܬ݂ܝ ܡܶܢ ܛܘܪ ܥܰܒܕܺܝܢ ܝܐ | Iqarṯi men Ṭur Cabdin yo | My family comes from Tur Abdin |
| ܟܳܒܥܷܢ ܡܰܠܦܷܢ ܐܰܢ ܢܰܥܝܡܶܐ ܕܝܠܝ. | Kobcën malfën an nacime dili. | I want to teach my children |
At the table
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܡܘܟܠܐ ܛܰܘܘܐ ܝܐ | Muklo ṭawwo yo | The food is good |
| ܒܰܣܝܡܐ ܣܰܓܝ! | Basimo sagi! | Very tasty! |
| ܣܒܰܥܠܝ | Sbacli | I am full |
| ܗܰܒ ܠܝ ܡܰܝܐ | Hab li mayo | Give me water, please |
Time and everyday life
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܡܐ ܫܳܥܬ݂ܐ ܝܐ؟ | Mo šocṯo yo? | What time is it? |
| ܟܡܐ ܫܰܬ݂ܐ ܗܰܬ؟ | Kmo šaṯe hat? | How old are you? |
| ܟܳܝܳܠܷܦ ܣܘܪܝܬ | Koyolëf surayt | I am learning Surayt |
| ܡܰܨܷܬ ܩܳܪܷܬ ܣܘܪܝܬ؟ | Maṣët qoret surayt? | Can you read Surayt? |
Feasts and congratulations
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܥܶܕ݂ܐ ܒܪܺܝܟ݂ܐ! | Ceḏo brikho! | Blessed feast! (holiday greeting) |
| ܩܝܳܡܬܐ ܒܪܺܝܟ݂ܬܐ! | Qyomto brikhto! | Happy Easter! |
| ܝܰܘܡ ܡܰܘܠܳܕܘܟ݂ ܒܪܺܝܟ݂ܐ! | Yawm mawlodux brikho! | Happy birthday! |
| ܫܰܬܐ ܚܰܬ݂ܐ ܒܪܝܟ݂ܬܐ! | Šato ḥaṯo brikhto! | Happy New Year! |
Love and pride
| Surayt | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ܟܳܪܳܚܰܡܢܰܟ݂ | Koroḥamnax | I love you (man to woman) |
| ܟܳܪܷܚܡܰܠܠܘܟ݂ | Koreḥmallux | I love you (woman to man) |
| ܟܷܬܠܝ ܫܘܒܗܳܪܐ ܒܝܠܳܟ݂! | Ketli šubhoro bilox! | I am so proud of you! |
| ܐܘܪܚܐ ܛܳܒܬ݂ܐ! | Urḥo ṭoḇṯo! | Have a good journey! |
Three pronunciation notes
- Letters with a dot below are soft: ḏ like th in English this, ṯ like th in thousand, x like ch in German Buch.
- Ḥ, ṭ, ṣ and q are emphatic or throat sounds made further back in the mouth. Listen to a speaker if you can; the ear learns faster than the eye.
- Turoyo conjugates by speaker: a man says basim no, a woman basimto no. You are not mishearing, the language politely tells them apart.
Want to actually use these, not just read them? If you read Swedish, the free Surayt app drills them into you, ten minutes a day for 21 days. Download on the App Store. If you do not read Swedish, start with the free course at textbook.surayt.com, available in six languages. New to the language? Read the guide or the alphabet.
Turoyo is spoken in many varieties, and pronunciation differs between villages and families. If your family says something differently, usually nobody is wrong. Spelling and transliteration here follow textbook.surayt.com.