leh / ah

Having and Being as Modifiers

Level 3

Compare sanduuq bir ah “a metal box” with sanduuq fur leh “a box with a lid.”

How It Works

Build these descriptions as head noun + modifier noun or noun phrase + ah or leh. Ah is the reduced form of “be”; leh is the reduced form of “have.” Ah can express identity or a noun-based property, including material. Leh describes an associated feature. A longer phrase can precede leh: guri daaqado badan leh means “a house with many windows.”

The reduced forms do not distinguish gender or number. The nouns do agree in definiteness: compare sanduuq fur leh with sanduuqa furka leh. A possessive or demonstrative head likewise requires a definite modifier noun.

When ah or leh is the final word of an unfocused subject phrase, subject marking produces ahi or lihi. This is a case distinction, not gender agreement. Ordinary adjective modifiers have their own pattern and do not universally require either linker. All example cards below are noun-phrase fragments.

Examples (4)

  1. sanduuq bir ah

    a metal box

    Noun-phrase fragment: ah introduces a material description.

  2. sanduuq fur leh

    a box with a lid

    Noun-phrase fragment: leh describes an associated feature.

  3. sanduuqa furka leh

    the box with the lid

    Noun-phrase fragment: head and modifier are definite.

  4. guri daaqado badan leh

    a house with many windows

    Noun-phrase fragment: the full phrase daaqado badan precedes leh.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

leh / ahLevel 3Having and Being as Modifiers

Learn This First

Distinguish simple descriptive modification from the attested modifier constructions using leh and ah.