9B.6 Because, so that, so … that
9B · Linking sentences — how one thing leads to the next · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Chapter 9 showed kat doing all of these jobs. This section adds the other words for "because" and how the jobs differ.
Because. kat after the main clause gives the reason. Chapter 8's sab / sabab and chunket say the same thing more explicitly:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| bettanen mentukh kat a-mendi kay tunilukh | I'm grateful to you that you told me this | A 2:37 |
| adi kum bayyet … ana ka-diyyukh yavven, kat khayyi purkelukh | now I'll give you anything you want, since you saved my life | A 40:8 |
| majbur vile paletva sab letva gu-Urmi shulane | he had to leave, because there were no jobs in Urmi | dict. p.272 |
So that. kat + a plain verb, which is the "maybe" form of Chapter 4B, because the result hasn't happened yet:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| o kipa av kharbusule kat-erbe la palti | he pushes a stone (across) so that the sheep don't get out | A 50:1 |
| mayuna kat-katlile | they bring him (in order) to kill him | A 3:31 |
So … that. ukhcha "so (much)" in the first half, kat in the second:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| ina Akhikar ukhcha narahat vayele kat-hech kha-khabra letle | but Akhikar gets so embarrassed that he has nothing to say | A 3:30 |
Go deeper
A reason before the main clause works too, which is useful for "since…":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| kat-iva berrekhsha atkha atkha, leva gashshuke, kheshle pelle gu-kunya | because he was walking along like this without looking, he went and fell into a well | A 16:3 |
The polite one. After "thank you" or "I made a mistake", kat is "for" / "by":
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| basima raba kat aten-da shemyalukh | thank you for listening to this | A 2:37 |
| khelta vedli kat humzemli men-da nasha | I made a mistake (by) talking to this man | A 4:8 |
Purpose with no linker. After "send" or "go", the purpose can simply follow:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| har e-dana shadurena kha-khina khachcha azel miyya mayyilun | then they send another one to go and get a little water for them | A 37:16 |
Result with no linker:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| ina ukhcha siveva, muttuva gu-kha … kertala | but he was so old that they had put him in a basket | A 2:14 |
"What did I do, that…?" The kat of result often turns up in complaints:
| Assyrian | English | from |
|---|---|---|
| mu vettela ka-diyyukh kat-kha-khcha mkhayot? | what has it done to you, that you beat it so much? | A 3:80 |
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