baqa'

See also: baqa

Maltese

Root
b-q-għ
7 terms

Etymology

From Arabic بَقِيَ (baqiya). The final root letter għ was added by analogy: When għ began to be vowelised, the paradigm generally remained distinct from the paradigm of actual vocalic verbs on the basis of vowel colour; compare smajt (“I heard”) from sama’, Arabic سَمِعَ (samiʕa), versus bdejt (“I began”), from beda, Arabic بَدَأَ (badaʔa). However, in the verb baqa’ the vowel colour had been influenced by the preceding q (bqajt), and thus was it eventually integrated into the għ-class. Compare the same in ltaqa’ (“to meet”), from اِلْتَقَى (iltaqā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈba.ʔa/
• IPA^(key): /ˈba.ʔaˤ/ (archaic)
• Rhymes: -aʔa, -aʔaˤ

Verb

baqa’ (imperfect jibqa’, verbal noun baqgħa)

1. to remain, to stay
2. to agree
3. Used with a following active participle to convey a continuous action
4. Used with an intransitive verb in the imperfect to convey a habitual or repeated action
5. Used with a transitive verb in the imperfect to convey a continuous action

Conjugation

Conjugation of baqa’

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	bqajt	bqajt	baqa’		bqajna	bqajtu	baqgħu
	f			baqgħet
imperfect	m	nibqa’	tibqa’	jibqa’		nibqgħu	tibqgħu	jibqgħu
	f			tibqa’
imperative			ibqa’				ibqgħu