Words

ḷaḷ is used with the imperfect only.

ḷaḷ + imperfect + imperfect in the main clause, referring to the present/future:

ˁö́mor hes kéľľama tegózim ḷaḷ tefáḷaḥ šɔm eẓ̂áḷaˁ heš ‘He said: “If when the sun rises, you give me an oath, I will tell you”’ (CSOL II 4:20)

ḷaḷ + imperfect + perfect in the main clause, referring to the present:

ḷaḷ yekέˀɛ ḥéyhe ḥŝey tentézi ˁey wa-bíŝi di-yenáfaˁ šey íľyhe neféˀḥéten ‘When somebody is alone, he has nobody to help him or to get his jobs done’ (CSOL II 13:12)

ḷaḷ + imperfect + verbless clause referring to the present:

ḥéyhe bɛr ḥóriš ḷaḷ yíron šfɔ́niŝ wáľľa nóyher wáľľa ḥéyhe ḷe-ḥa be-ḥaḷf yeˁúmor hes mɛníyyo wa-mɛníyyo diyáˁ aḷ-škéro ḷaḷ nihámaˁ ṭad yíron mɛníyyo naˁámer toˀk diyáˁ ‘When a human being insults an animal, or a bird, or another person wherever he may be, we call it mɛníyyo (insult). An insult is a bad thing, not a good one, and when we hear somebody to give insult, we say to him: “Stop this bad thing!”’ (CSOL II 15:16bis)

ḷaḷ + imperfect + perfect in the main clause, referring to the past:

fɔ́ne díˀʸho be-šebóbeʰ ḷaḷ téken ẓ̂ayέfɛʰ wa-neḳáḷem aḷ-ˀémtoḷ ľinhór ḥe wa-ˁad náˁaʰ keʰ šeˁáyen bíŝi di-yaˀáraḥ ḥe ‘Formerly, in my youth, when there was a feast and we’d jump, nobody could outdo me. And even now, if we go running, nobody can catch me’ (CSOL II 13:33)

ḷaḷ + imperfect + imperfect in the main clause, referring to the past:

έter ˁag ḷáfi wa-di-ˁeẓ̂ wa-ḷaḷ yaˁágob bíľe deš bíľe di-ˁégeb hes yemáṭaˀs díˀyhe be-ˀáˁẓ̂eẓ̂ ‘Eter was a strong and vigorous man, and when he desired something, the thing he desired he would attain thanks to his strength’ (CSOL II 30:1)

ḷaḷ + imperfect + verbless clause referring to the past:

ˁímɛr ˁag ḷaḷ yegámaˁ díˀyhe ˁáže aḷyegámaˁ kaḷ be-kúľľe yom ṭey márra ‘They say there was a man who used to copulate with his wife only once a day’ (CSOL II 14:2)

‘How lucky is somebody (ke-) to have something/somebody (be-)’:

ˁö́mor ḷémo šek díˀɛ be-ˁáže ˁaf ḥéro ˁank ŝáḳar wa-hon wa-ˁáṭaḷ ‘Then the man said: “How happy you are with your wife! Indeed she has been able to guard you from hunger and disgrace and idleness!”’ (CSOL II 15:25)

Likely related are the verbs ḷέmḷem (yeḷέmḷem/ľiľέmḷɛm) and enḷέmḷem (yenḷέmḷem/ľinḷέmḷɛm) ‘to be filled with water’ (cf. LS, p. 233) (Naumkin et al. 2015b:52)