The Syriac Verb Tutorial project is a language-learning project sponsored by the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA) at Stanford University. This web application serves as a place for Syriac language learners and educators to engage with its verbal system. This platform offers several tools to help one immerse themselves in practicing Syriac verb forms, including a Verb Construction mode (conjugating verbs) and a Verb Identification mode (identifying verb forms). Through these tools, our project aims to facilitate Syriac language proficiency and appreciation for its heritage.

The history of pre-modern Christianity often concentrates on Western Christianity, the predecessors of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. However, in the early and medieval periods, the most geographically expansive churches were actually Syriac Christian communities, extending from Eastern Turkey, throughout the Middle East, through Afghanistan, Tibet, into China and down into India. These Christians spoke and wrote in Syriac (ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ), an ancient dialect of Aramaic. Knowledge of Syriac is thus essential for understanding the history of pre-modern Christianity. It also remains important to millions of modern Christians who trace their lineage to the ancient Syriac churches and who continue to use Syriac in their theology, scholarship, and liturgy.

Unfortunately, only a few today read Syriac. There are not many pedagogical resources for studying the language, nearly none for intermediate or advanced students. Particularly challenging is the language's complex verbal system. Therefore, our project currently focuses on developing tools to help Syriac language learners tackle this part of the language.