For autodidact students of Yiddish, the eleventh word is "have," and in Yiddish "to have" is האָבן (hobn). The learner has used it from the first lessons without being taught it: איך האָב אַ בריוו פֿון אַ גוטן פֿרײַנד, "I have a letter from a good friend," in Lesson 5; װאָס האָסט דו הײַנט?, "what have you got today?" in Lesson 3; איך האָב עס ליב, "I love it," in Lesson 10. This lesson takes the verb as the headword and shows what it does. It has three jobs. The first is possession and holding: איך האָב אַ בוך, "I have a book," and איך האָב עס אין דער האַנט, "I have it in my hand." The second is to help another verb make the past: איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט, "I read the book." The third is an idiom of feeling: איך האָב דיך ליב, "I love you," literally "I have you dear."
The Wiktionary entry for האָבן and the English Wikipedia article on Yiddish grammar, consulted for this lesson, agree on the forms. The infinitive is האָבן, the past participle is געהאַט (gehat), and the verb is irregular in the present, where it keeps the short stem האָב- and takes endings of its own. Wiktionary lists the present tense in full: איך האָב, דו האָסט, ער, זי, עס האָט, מיר האָבן, איר האָט, זיי האָבן. It gives the imperative as האָב for one person and האָט for several, and a present participle האָבנדיק (hobndik). It gives two meanings for the verb: "to have," and "to give birth." The course teaches the first.
The verb is an old Germanic word. Wiktionary gives it as from Old High German habēn, and so a cousin of German haben and English "have." It differs from English in two ways that matter at the start. First, Yiddish has no "do" for the question and the negative. English says "do you have it?" and "I don't have it"; Yiddish moves the verb and puts נישט after it, as the course has done with every other verb: האָסטו דאָס בוך?, איך האָב עס נישט. Second, Yiddish does not always use האָבן to help the past. The Wikipedia article says that most verbs take האָבן, as in איך האָב געקױפֿט, "I bought," but that about thirty intransitive verbs of motion or state, and some of their derivatives, take זײַן, "to be," as in איך בין געקומען, "I came." The course has met the second kind already: װוּ ביסט דו געװען?, in Lesson 2, and, in Lesson 3, both helpers in one example: דער טאַטע איז צוריקגעקומען און ער האָט ברױט געגעסן, "father has come back and has eaten some bread."
Here is a trap, of the same kind as in Lessons 8 to 10. The form האָט is three different words. It is "he, she, it has" (ער האָט), it is "you (all) have" (איר האָט), and it is the plural imperative, "have!" (האָט געדולד, "have patience," said to several). In the same way האָבן is both "we have" and "they have": מיר האָבן, זיי האָבן. The subject in the sentence tells them apart. The subject is always said: the ending alone does not settle it.
Script note: האָבן has four letters, written from right to left: the ה (hey, the sound h), the אָ (komets alef, the vowel o, with the small mark under the א), the ב (beys, the sound b) and the final ן (nun sofit, the long final nun). The mark under the א matters: it is the אָ (o), and not the אַ (a) that the learner has seen in קאַלט. Written האַבן, the word would be read habn, which is not the Yiddish word.
Key Takeaways: - האָבן (hobn): "to have," a main verb of possession, a helping verb of the past, and the verb of ליב האָבן, "to love" - Present tense: איך האָב, דו האָסט, ער/זי/עס האָט, מיר האָבן, איר האָט, זיי האָבן - Question with the pronoun joined: האָסטו? Negative: נישט after the verb and its pronoun object (איך האָב עס נישט) - The past participle is געהאַט; the past of האָבן is האָבן + געהאַט (איך האָב געהאַט אַ בריוו) - Most verbs make the past with האָבן + the participle at the end (איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט); verbs of motion or state take זײַן (איך בין געקומען) - The thing possessed is the direct object: the masculine takes the accusative (אַ גרױסן גאָרטן), the pronoun takes its object form (דיך, אים, זי, עס) - ליב האָבן, "to love": איך האָב דיך ליב; the object stands between the verb and ליב - Imperative: האָב (one person), האָט (several) - With a modal, האָבן is the infinitive: אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון - Do not confuse האָט, "he has," with האָט, "you (all) have," or with האָט, "have!" (plural)
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11.1a איך I האָב have אַ a בוך book
11.1b ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG a (ah) a bukh (bookh) book.N
11.2a דו you האָסט have אַ a בריוו letter
11.2b du (doo) you.SG host (host) have.2SG a (ah) a briv (brif) letter.M
11.3a ער he האָט has אַ a הױז house
11.3b er (er) he hot (hot) have.3SG a (ah) a hoyz (hoyz) house.N
11.4a מיר we האָבן have אַ a גאָרטן garden
11.4b mir (meer) we hobn (HOB-n) have.1PL a (ah) a gortn (GOR-tn) garden.M
11.5a זיי they האָבן have טײ tea
11.5b zey (zay) they hobn (HOB-n) have.3PL tey (tay) tea
11.6a איר you-all האָט have אַ a טיש table אין in דער the קיך kitchen
11.6b ir (eer) you.PL hot (hot) have.2PL a (ah) a tish (tish) table.M in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F
11.7a איך I האָב have דיך you ליב dear
11.7b ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG dikh (dikh) you.SG.ACC lib (lib) dear
11.8a האָסטו have-you דאָס the בוך book
11.8b hostu (HOS-too) have.2SG=you.SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC bukh (bookh) book.N
11.9a ניין no איך I האָב have עס it נישט not
11.9b neyn (nayn) no ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG es (ess) it.N.ACC nisht (nisht) not
11.10a די the מאַמע mother האָט has אַ a גרױסן big גאָרטן garden אין in דער the שטאָט city
11.10b di (dee) the-F.NOM mame (MAH-meh) mother.F hot (hot) have.3SG a (ah) a groysn (GROY-sn) big-M.ACC gortn (GOR-tn) garden.M in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT shtot (shtot) city.F
11.11a הײַנט today האָבן have מיר we צײַט time
11.11b haynt (highnt) today hobn (HOB-n) have.1PL mir (meer) we tsayt (tsight) time.F
11.12a נעכטן yesterday האָב have איך I געהאַט had אַ a בריוו letter פֿון from דער the מאַמע mother
11.12b nekhtn (NEKH-tn) yesterday hob (hob) have.1SG ikh (ikh) I gehat (ge-HAHT) had.PTCP a (ah) a briv (brif) letter.M fun (foon) from der (dair) the-F.DAT mame (MAH-meh) mother.F
11.13a איך I האָב have דאָס the בוך book געלײענט read
11.13b ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC bukh (bookh) book.N geleyent (ge-LAY-ent) read.PTCP
11.14a װען when דו you האָסט have צײַט time קום come צו to מיר me אין in דער the קיך kitchen
11.14b ven (ven) when du (doo) you.SG host (host) have.2SG tsayt (tsight) time.F kum (koom) come.IMP.SG tsu (tsoo) to mir (meer) me.DAT in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F
11.15a זי she האָט has אים him ליב dear אָבער but ער he האָט has זי her נישט not ליב dear
11.15b zi (zee) she hot (hot) have.3SG im (im) him.ACC lib (lib) dear ober (OH-ber) but er (er) he hot (hot) have.3SG zi (zee) her.ACC nisht (nisht) not lib (lib) dear
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11.1 איך האָב אַ בוך. (ikh hob a bukh) "I have a book." 11.2 דו האָסט אַ בריוו. (du host a briv) "You have a letter." 11.3 ער האָט אַ הױז. (er hot a hoyz) "He has a house." 11.4 מיר האָבן אַ גאָרטן. (mir hobn a gortn) "We have a garden." 11.5 זיי האָבן טײ. (zey hobn tey) "They have tea." 11.6 איר האָט אַ טיש אין דער קיך. (ir hot a tish in der kikh) "You (all) have a table in the kitchen." 11.7 איך האָב דיך ליב. (ikh hob dikh lib) "I love you." 11.8 האָסטו דאָס בוך? (hostu dos bukh) "Do you have the book?" 11.9 ניין, איך האָב עס נישט. (neyn, ikh hob es nisht) "No, I do not have it." 11.10 די מאַמע האָט אַ גרױסן גאָרטן אין דער שטאָט. (di mame hot a groysn gortn in der shtot) "Mother has a big garden in the city." 11.11 הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט. (haynt hobn mir tsayt) "Today we have time." 11.12 נעכטן האָב איך געהאַט אַ בריוו פֿון דער מאַמע. (nekhtn hob ikh gehat a briv fun der mame) "Yesterday I had a letter from mother." 11.13 איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט. (ikh hob dos bukh geleyent) "I have read the book." 11.14 װען דו האָסט צײַט, קום צו מיר אין דער קיך. (ven du host tsayt, kum tsu mir in der kikh) "When you have time, come to me in the kitchen." 11.15 זי האָט אים ליב, אָבער ער האָט זי נישט ליב. (zi hot im lib, ober er hot zi nisht lib) "She loves him, but he does not love her."
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11.1 איך האָב אַ בוך. 11.2 דו האָסט אַ בריוו. 11.3 ער האָט אַ הױז. 11.4 מיר האָבן אַ גאָרטן. 11.5 זיי האָבן טײ. 11.6 איר האָט אַ טיש אין דער קיך. 11.7 איך האָב דיך ליב. 11.8 האָסטו דאָס בוך? 11.9 ניין, איך האָב עס נישט. 11.10 די מאַמע האָט אַ גרױסן גאָרטן אין דער שטאָט. 11.11 הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט. 11.12 נעכטן האָב איך געהאַט אַ בריוו פֿון דער מאַמע. 11.13 איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט. 11.14 װען דו האָסט צײַט, קום צו מיר אין דער קיך. 11.15 זי האָט אים ליב, אָבער ער האָט זי נישט ליב.
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These are the grammar rules for האָבן (hobn), "to have."
The present tense. האָבן is irregular, and the forms are to be learned as a set:
איך האָב (ikh hob), "I have" דו האָסט (du host), "you have" (one person) ער, זי, עס האָט (er, zi, es hot), "he, she, it has" מיר האָבן (mir hobn), "we have" איר האָט (ir hot), "you (all) have" זיי האָבן (zey hobn), "they have"
The stem is האָב-. The first person singular is the bare stem, and the plural of the first and third persons adds -ן. In the second and third persons singular the ב of the stem drops, and the endings are -סט and -ט: האָסט, האָט (Lesson 9 gave the -סט). The third person singular and the second person plural are the same word, האָט. The infinitive is האָבן, the past participle is געהאַט, and the present participle is האָבנדיק. Wiktionary and the Wikipedia table give the same paradigm.
The thing possessed is the object. After האָבן the thing had stands in the accusative case. The article אַ does not change: אַ בוך (11.1), אַ בריוו (11.2), אַ הױז (11.3). The masculine adjective after אַ takes the ending -ן: אַ גרױסן גאָרטן (11.10), as in 10.13. The definite article is דעם for the masculine accusative and דאָס for the neuter (11.8), and the personal pronoun stands in its object form: דיך (11.7), אים (11.15), זי (11.15), עס (11.9). The learner who knows the pronouns of Lessons 8 to 10 knows the objects of האָבן.
The verb stands second. In a plain sentence the subject is first and האָבן second: איך האָב אַ בוך (11.1). When another word stands first, a word of time or a clause, the verb stays second and the subject follows it: הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט (11.11), נעכטן האָב איך געהאַט אַ בריוו (11.12). In a question the verb stands first, with the pronoun joined to it: האָסטו דאָס בוך? (11.8), as in Lesson 9. After װען the verb stands in the clause's own order, and the main clause which follows begins with a verb: װען דו האָסט צײַט, קום צו מיר (11.14).
The negative. נישט stands after the verb, and after a pronoun object: איך האָב עס נישט (11.9). With ליב it stands before the adjective: ער האָט זי נישט ליב (11.15). There is no "do." The English "I don't have it" is, in Yiddish, "I have it not."
ליב האָבן, "to love." The phrase is the idiom of Lesson 5, 5.26. The verb is האָבן, the object stands in the accusative between the verb and ליב, and ליב comes last: איך האָב דיך ליב (11.7), זי האָט אים ליב (11.15), and in the genre section איך האָב עס ליב (11.27). The word ליב is an adjective, "dear," and takes no ending here. English says "love" for a person, a thing and a book; Yiddish uses the same idiom for all of them. The song of Lesson 8, איך האָב דיך צו פֿיל ליב, has the phrase in its title.
The past of האָבן. The verb is its own helper: איך האָב געהאַט (11.12), "I had," from האָבן and the participle געהאַט. In the examples a pronoun or a definite object stands before a participle (11.13, 11.22, 11.23), and in 11.12 an indefinite object follows it. The course sets down only what its examples show.
האָבן as the helper of the past. Most verbs form the perfect with the present of האָבן and a participle in ge-: איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט (11.13), "I read the book," "I have read the book," and in the genre section, װער האָט דעם בריוו געשריבן? (11.22), "who wrote the letter?" Verbs of motion and of state take זײַן instead: איך בין געקומען, "I came," איך בין געװען, "I was" (Lesson 2). English uses "have" for both. The verbs which take זײַן are a short list, about thirty according to the Wikipedia article; the rest take האָבן, and the learner should say *איך האָב געקומען never.
The imperative. For one person the imperative is the bare stem: האָב (11.25), "have!" For several it adds -ט: האָט. The learner has seen the same pairs, קום and קומט, in Lesson 9. The phrase האָב געדולד, "have patience," is a common expression.
With a modal. After a modal verb, such as דאַרף in Section F, האָבן is the infinitive, and it follows the modal at once: אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון. This is the construction of 10.8, איך װיל עס לײענען.
Handing over. The words דאָ האָסטו דעם בריוו (11.30), "here you have the letter," are the formula for handing something over. The verb is second, after דאָ.
Common Mistakes: - Using the infinitive for every person: \איך האָבן, \ער האָבן. It is איך האָב, ער האָט - Writing האָט for the second person singular or האָסט for the third: \ער האָסט, \דו האָט. It is דו האָסט, ער האָט - Putting נישט before the pronoun object: \*איך האָב נישט עס. It is איך האָב עס נישט - Using the subject pronoun for the object of ליב האָבן: \*איך האָב דו ליב. It is איך האָב דיך ליב - Using זײַן as the helper of an ordinary verb, or האָבן as the helper of a verb of motion: \איך בין דאָס בוך געלײענט, \איך האָב געקומען. It is איך האָב דאָס בוך געלײענט, איך בין געקומען - Putting a nominative adjective on the masculine thing had: \*איך האָב אַ גרױסער גאָרטן. It is אַ גרױסן גאָרטן - Confusing האָט, "he has," with האָט, "you (all) have," or with the plural imperative האָט - Writing האַבן, with the אַ, for האָבן: the vowel is o (אָ), not a
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האָבן is the eleventh word on the frequency list this course follows. The present tense is short, and the object stands where the learner expects it, so that it is among the first verbs a learner can use. The pronouns of Lessons 8 to 10 all appear in the examples: איך, דו, ער, זי, עס, מיר, איר, זיי.
The idioms are the most useful part. ליב האָבן is the common way to say "love," and the learner who has met the song of Lesson 8 has heard it already. The formula דאָ האָסטו, "here you are," is said when something is handed over. The phrase האָב געדולד asks for patience. A search for the phrase returned a wordlist of Hasidic Yiddish expressions by Frieda Vizel, a dictionary entry on the Jewish Languages site, and a Yiddish song text that opens with the words האָבּ געדולד, all giving געדולד as "patience" and the phrase as "have patience"; the lesson read the search summary and did not open those pages.
Wiktionary gives a second meaning of the verb, "to give birth." The course does not teach it beyond this mention.
The last three lessons taught the pronouns, and this one gives the learner the verb of possession. The next word on the list, the twelfth, is the particle "to," the sign of the infinitive. The learner has seen it in צו מיר, "to me," and in 10.30, צײַט צו טרינקען, but its use before the infinitive is the subject of its own lesson.
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אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון (A ligner darf hobn a gutn zikorn), a traditional Yiddish proverb
The saying A ligner darf hobn a gutn zikorn, "A liar needs to have a good memory," is one of the best known Yiddish sayings about truth. The citation rests on one page opened in full and on search results. The page "22 Yiddish Expressions About Telling the Truth" on Chabad.org, compiled by Richard Zuckerman and Menachem Posner, prints the saying in Yiddish letters and in romanisation, with the translation "A liar should have a good memory," and explains that a false story needs the liar to remember every invented detail. A search for the romanised saying returned the same romanisation and sense from several other pages, among them a Forward column ("Der Yiddish-Vinkl") and the proverb page of mameloshn.org. The lesson opened the mameloshn.org page, which does not contain the saying itself but tells the story of the rabbi who, unwilling to call a man a liar, said that he had a "phenomenal memory"; the Forward page could not be opened. The Yiddish letters were therefore seen on the Chabad.org page only. That page prints the articles with a plain alef (א ליגנער דארף האָבן א גוטן זכּרון), without the marks of the standard spelling, and the lesson writes the saying in the YIVO spelling the course uses (אַ, דאַרף); the spelling is the lesson's own normalisation, and the reader should treat the wording as probable, not as verified against a printed collection. A quotation website listed in the search attributes the English form to the Roman teacher Quintilian. The lesson could not trace the Yiddish wording to a named author, and so calls it, as Lessons 3, 4 and 5 call theirs, a traditional proverb.
אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a אַ a ליגנער liar דאַרף needs האָבן to-have אַ a גוטן good זכּרון memory
F.1b a (ah) a ligner (LIG-ner) liar.M darf (darf) need.3SG hobn (HOB-n) have.INF a (ah) a gutn (GOO-tn) good-M.ACC zikorn (zi-korn) memory.M
F-B: Original and Translation
אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון
"A liar needs to have a good memory." The English translation on the Chabad.org page is "A liar should have a good memory." The lesson takes דאַרף as "needs," the verb of need, so that the saying says that a liar has need of a good memory.
F-C: Original
אַ ליגנער דאַרף האָבן אַ גוטן זכּרון
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The saying is a single sentence, and האָבן stands in it as a main verb of possession, in the infinitive, after the modal דאַרף. The subject is אַ ליגנער, "a liar," a masculine noun with the indefinite article, and the modal is in the third person singular, דאַרף, which has no ending. After the modal the infinitive follows at once, as the course showed in 10.8 with װיל and לײענען. The thing had is אַ גוטן זכּרון, a masculine noun in the accusative: the article אַ is unchanged and the adjective takes -ן, as in אַ גרױסן גאָרטן in 11.10.
The proverb makes its point by turning the ordinary verb of possession against its subject. To have a good memory is a good thing for anyone, and the saying says that the liar needs it more than anyone, since he must keep in mind everything which is not so. The verb האָבן does the work of the whole saying: the memory is what the liar has to have. The saying shows the infinitive האָבן in use, after a modal, which the present-tense examples of the lesson do not.
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Beyle and Leyzer are in Beyle's house, and a letter from the city, which has come for Beyle's mother, cannot be found. It follows Beyle and Leyzer of Lessons 5 to 10, and the tea of Lesson 10.
11.16a לײזער Leyzer האָסטו have-you דעם the בריוו letter פֿון from דער the שטאָט city
11.16b leyzer (LAY-zer) Leyzer hostu (HOS-too) have.2SG=you.SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC briv (brif) letter.M fun (foon) from der (dair) the-F.DAT shtot (shtot) city.F
11.17a ניין no בײלע Beyle איך I האָב have אים it נישט not
11.17b neyn (nayn) no beyle (BAY-leh) Beyle ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG im (im) it.M.ACC nisht (nisht) not
11.18a װער who האָט has אים it
11.18b ver (ver) who hot (hot) have.3SG im (im) it.M.ACC
11.19a אפֿשר maybe האָט has די the מאַמע mother אים it
11.19b efsher (EF-sher) maybe hot (hot) have.3SG di (dee) the-F.NOM mame (MAH-meh) mother.F im (im) it.M.ACC
11.20a מאַמע mother האָסטו have-you דעם the בריוו letter
11.20b mame (MAH-meh) mother hostu (HOS-too) have.2SG=you.SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC briv (brif) letter.M
11.21a יאָ yes איך I האָב have אים it אין in דער the האַנט hand ער it איז is לאַנג long
11.21b yo (yoh) yes ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG im (im) it.M.ACC in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT hant (hahnt) hand.F er (er) it.M.NOM iz (iz) be.3SG lang (lahng) long
11.22a מאַמע mother װער who האָט has דעם the בריוו letter געשריבן written
11.22b mame (MAH-meh) mother ver (ver) who hot (hot) have.3SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC briv (brif) letter.M geshribn (ge-SHRI-bn) written.PTCP
11.23a דער the דאָקטער doctor האָט has אים it געשריבן written
11.23b der (dair) the-M.NOM doktor (DOK-tor) doctor.M hot (hot) have.3SG im (im) it.M.ACC geshribn (ge-SHRI-bn) written.PTCP
11.24a מאַמע mother איך I װיל want אים it לײענען to-read
11.24b mame (MAH-meh) mother ikh (ikh) I vil (vil) want.1SG im (im) it.M.ACC leyenen (LAY-e-nen) read.INF
11.25a האָב have געדולד patience בײלע Beyle
11.25b hob (hob) have.IMP.SG geduld (ge-DOOLD) patience.M beyle (BAY-leh) Beyle
11.26a בײלע Beyle דו you האָסט have דאָס the בוך book עס it האָט has שײנע beautiful בילדער pictures
11.26b beyle (BAY-leh) Beyle du (doo) you.SG host (host) have.2SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC bukh (bookh) book.N es (ess) it.N.NOM hot (hot) have.3SG sheyne (SHAY-neh) beautiful-PL bilder (BIL-der) picture.PL
11.27a יאָ yes איך I האָב have עס it ליב dear
11.27b yo (yoh) yes ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG es (ess) it.N.ACC lib (lib) dear
11.28a בײלע Beyle לײזער Leyzer הײַנט today האָבן have מיר we צײַט time קומט come אין in דער the קיך kitchen מיר we האָבן have טײ tea
11.28b beyle (BAY-leh) Beyle leyzer (LAY-zer) Leyzer haynt (highnt) today hobn (HOB-n) have.1PL mir (meer) we tsayt (tsight) time.F kumt (koomt) come.IMP.PL in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F mir (meer) we hobn (HOB-n) have.1PL tey (tay) tea
11.29a מאַמע mother דו you האָסט have דעם the בריוו letter דו you האָסט have טײ tea און and איך I האָב have דיך you ליב dear
11.29b mame (MAH-meh) mother du (doo) you.SG host (host) have.2SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC briv (brif) letter.M du (doo) you.SG host (host) have.2SG tey (tay) tea un (oon) and ikh (ikh) I hob (hob) have.1SG dikh (dikh) you.SG.ACC lib (lib) dear
11.30a אַ a דאַנק thanks בײלע Beyle דאָ here האָסטו have-you דעם the בריוו letter
11.30b a (ah) a dank (dahnk) thanks.M beyle (BAY-leh) Beyle do (doh) here hostu (HOS-too) have.2SG=you.SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC briv (brif) letter.M
11.16 בײלע: לײזער, האָסטו דעם בריוו פֿון דער שטאָט? (beyle: leyzer, hostu dem briv fun der shtot) "Beyle: Leyzer, do you have the letter from the city?" 11.17 לײזער: ניין, בײלע, איך האָב אים נישט. (leyzer: neyn, beyle, ikh hob im nisht) "Leyzer: No, Beyle, I do not have it." 11.18 בײלע: װער האָט אים? (beyle: ver hot im) "Beyle: Who has it?" 11.19 לײזער: אפֿשר האָט די מאַמע אים. (leyzer: efsher hot di mame im) "Leyzer: Maybe mother has it." 11.20 בײלע: מאַמע, האָסטו דעם בריוו? (beyle: mame, hostu dem briv) "Beyle: Mother, do you have the letter?" 11.21 מאַמע: יאָ, איך האָב אים אין דער האַנט. ער איז לאַנג. (mame: yo, ikh hob im in der hant. er iz lang) "Mother: Yes, I have it in my hand. It is long." 11.22 בײלע: מאַמע, װער האָט דעם בריוו געשריבן? (beyle: mame, ver hot dem briv geshribn) "Beyle: Mother, who wrote the letter?" 11.23 מאַמע: דער דאָקטער האָט אים געשריבן. (mame: der doktor hot im geshribn) "Mother: The doctor wrote it." 11.24 בײלע: מאַמע, איך װיל אים לײענען. (beyle: mame, ikh vil im leyenen) "Beyle: Mother, I want to read it." 11.25 מאַמע: האָב געדולד, בײלע. (mame: hob geduld, beyle) "Mother: Have patience, Beyle." 11.26 לײזער: בײלע, דו האָסט דאָס בוך. עס האָט שײנע בילדער. (leyzer: beyle, du host dos bukh. es hot sheyne bilder) "Leyzer: Beyle, you have the book. It has beautiful pictures." 11.27 בײלע: יאָ, איך האָב עס ליב. (beyle: yo, ikh hob es lib) "Beyle: Yes, I love it." 11.28 מאַמע: בײלע, לײזער, הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט. קומט אין דער קיך, מיר האָבן טײ. (mame: beyle, leyzer, haynt hobn mir tsayt. kumt in der kikh, mir hobn tey) "Mother: Beyle, Leyzer, today we have time. Come into the kitchen; we have tea." 11.29 בײלע: מאַמע, דו האָסט דעם בריוו, דו האָסט טײ, און איך האָב דיך ליב. (beyle: mame, du host dem briv, du host tey, un ikh hob dikh lib) "Beyle: Mother, you have the letter, you have tea, and I love you." 11.30 מאַמע: אַ דאַנק, בײלע. דאָ האָסטו דעם בריוו. (mame: a dank, beyle. do hostu dem briv) "Mother: Thank you, Beyle. Here you are, the letter."
11.16 בײלע: לײזער, האָסטו דעם בריוו פֿון דער שטאָט? 11.17 לײזער: ניין, בײלע, איך האָב אים נישט. 11.18 בײלע: װער האָט אים? 11.19 לײזער: אפֿשר האָט די מאַמע אים. 11.20 בײלע: מאַמע, האָסטו דעם בריוו? 11.21 מאַמע: יאָ, איך האָב אים אין דער האַנט. ער איז לאַנג. 11.22 בײלע: מאַמע, װער האָט דעם בריוו געשריבן? 11.23 מאַמע: דער דאָקטער האָט אים געשריבן. 11.24 בײלע: מאַמע, איך װיל אים לײענען. 11.25 מאַמע: האָב געדולד, בײלע. 11.26 לײזער: בײלע, דו האָסט דאָס בוך. עס האָט שײנע בילדער. 11.27 בײלע: יאָ, איך האָב עס ליב. 11.28 מאַמע: בײלע, לײזער, הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט. קומט אין דער קיך, מיר האָבן טײ. 11.29 בײלע: מאַמע, דו האָסט דעם בריוו, דו האָסט טײ, און איך האָב דיך ליב. 11.30 מאַמע: אַ דאַנק, בײלע. דאָ האָסטו דעם בריוו.
Who has it (11.16 to 11.19). Beyle's question has the joined pronoun of Lesson 9, האָסטו, and the definite masculine accusative, דעם בריוו. Leyzer's answer uses the object אים for the masculine letter, with נישט after it: איך האָב אים נישט, as the course had איך האָב עס נישט for a neuter thing in 11.9. The question word װער, "who," takes the verb at once: װער האָט אים? The next answer begins with אפֿשר, "maybe," and the verb stays second, with the subject after it: אפֿשר האָט די מאַמע אים.
The letter in the hand (11.20, 11.21). The question to the mother is again with האָסטו, since a child says דו to a mother. The mother's answer has the three parts of the sentence in their order: the subject, the verb, the object, and then a phrase of place, אין דער האַנט. The letter is masculine, so it is אים in the object and ער in the subject: ער איז לאַנג, as in 10.15.
Who wrote it (11.22, 11.23). The verb of writing takes האָבן in the perfect, and the participle געשריבן stands at the end: װער האָט דעם בריוו געשריבן? The answer leaves the full noun at the front, with the pronoun for the letter before the participle: דער דאָקטער האָט אים געשריבן. The participle געשריבן is the one of 5.13.
I want to read it (11.24). The modal װיל and the infinitive לײענען, with the object אים between them, are the pattern of 10.8 and 10.15. The pronoun is אים and not עס because the letter is masculine.
Have patience (11.25). The imperative of האָבן for one person is the stem, האָב, and the phrase is האָב געדולד, with the name of the person addressed after it. If the mother spoke to both children, she would say האָט געדולד.
The book and its pictures (11.26, 11.27). The neuter book is עס, as in Lesson 10: עס האָט שײנע בילדער, "it has beautiful pictures," where האָבן is the verb of what a thing contains. The adjective שײנע has the plural ending -ע, as in 10.21. Beyle's answer is the idiom of ליב האָבן with the pronoun in the middle: איך האָב עס ליב.
The kitchen (11.28). The mother says two things with האָבן. In הײַנט האָבן מיר צײַט the word of time stands first and the verb second, so that the subject מיר follows. The plural imperative קומט, "come," is followed by a plain statement with the subject first: קומט אין דער קיך, מיר האָבן טײ.
Three things had (11.29). Beyle's sentence is a list with the same verb: דו האָסט דעם בריוו, דו האָסט טײ. Then ליב האָבן, now with דיך, since the object is the mother, spoken to with דו. The word און joins the last part.
Here you are (11.30). The mother hands over the letter with the formula דאָ האָסטו דעם בריוו, "here you have the letter." The verb stands second after דאָ, and the pronoun is joined to it, as in a question; but the sentence is a statement. The thanks אַ דאַנק is as in Lessons 7, 9 and 10.
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The respellings follow the Standard Yiddish pronunciation of the YIVO tradition, as in Lessons 1 to 10, and the transliteration is the YIVO romanisation.
האָבן (hobn) — IPA: /ˈhɔbn̩/ — The אָ is o, as in "off" said short. The stress falls on the first syllable, and the final ן is a syllabic n, with no vowel before it. Wiktionary also gives a form with an m, /ˈhɔbm̩/, which is the way the bn is often said. האָב (hob) — The vowel is o, as in האָבן. האָסט (host) — IPA: /hɔst/ — The vowel is o. האָט (hot) — IPA: /hɔt/ — The vowel is o. האָסטו (hostu) — IPA: /ˈhɔstu/ — The stress falls on the first syllable, and the ending is u as in "do." געהאַט (gehat) — IPA: /ɡəˈhat/ — The stress falls on the second syllable. The אַ is a as in "father," said short. געלײענט (geleyent) — IPA: /ɡəˈleɪənt/ — The ײ is ey, as in "hay." געשריבן (geshribn) — IPA: /ɡəˈʃrɪbn̩/ — The ש is sh. געדולד (geduld) — The stress falls on the second syllable, and the ו is u, as in "put." נעכטן (nekhtn) — The כ is kh, as in Scottish "loch." אפֿשר (efsher) — IPA: /ˈɛfʃər/ — The פֿ (with the bar) is f. װער (ver) — IPA: /vɛr/ — The װ is v. זיי (zey) — IPA: /zeɪ/ — The ײ is ey. ליגנער (ligner) — IPA: /ˈlɪɡnər/ — The stress falls on the first syllable. דאַרף (darf) — IPA: /darf/ — The אַ is a. זכּרון (zikorn) — The ז is z and the כּ (with a dot) is k. The word comes from Hebrew. Vowel letters: ו is u, װ is v, ױ is oy /ɔɪ/, ײ is ey /eɪ/, ײַ is ay /aɪ/, י is i, ע is e /ɛ/, אַ is a /a/, אָ is o /ɔ/. The letters ן (final nun), ם (final mem), ך (final khof), ף (final fey) and ץ (final tsadek) are used only at the end of a word.
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