a
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Translingual
Etymology 1
Modification of capital A.
Pronunciation
- (letter, most languages): IPA(key): /ɑː/, /a/ Big Nambas
IPA (file)
Symbol
a
- (IPA, phonetics) an open front or central unrounded vowel.
- (IPA, superscript ⟨ᵃ⟩) [a]-coloring or a weak, fleeting, epenthetic or echo [a].
- (international standards) transliterates Indic अ (or equivalent).
See also
- (Latin script): Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Sſs Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
- (Variations of letter A): Áá Àà Ââ Ǎǎ Ăă Ãã Ảả Ȧȧ Ạạ Ää Åå Ḁḁ Āā Ąą ᶏ Ⱥⱥ Ȁȁ Ấấ Ầầ Ẫẫ Ẩẩ Ậậ Ắắ Ằằ Ẵẵ Ẳẳ Ặặ Ǻǻ Ǡǡ Ǟǟ Ȁȁ Ȃȃ Ɑɑ ᴀ Ɐɐ ɒ Aa Ææ Ǽǽ Ǣǣ Ꜳꜳ Ꜵꜵ Ꜷꜷ Ꜹꜹ Ꜻꜻ
- For more variations, see Appendix:Variations of "a".
Further reading
- a on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- open front unrounded vowel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Etymology 5
Abbreviation of English acceleration.
Etymology 6
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from annuity?”)
Symbol
a
- (actuarial notation) Annuity; (specifically) annuity-immediate.
- ax:n̅| ― n-year annuity-immediate to a person currently age x
- ax ― life annuity-immediate to a person currently age x
Character=A1Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.
Other representations of A:
|
English
Etymology 1
The letter name is from Middle English, from Old French, ultimately from Latin ā. Use of the Latin letter in (Old) English displaced the futhorc letter ᚪ (a) beginning in the 7th century, and partially also ᚫ (æ).
Pronunciation
- (letter name)
- (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ/
Audio (US) (file) - (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈæɪ/
- Rhymes: -eɪ
- The current pronunciation resulted from the Great Vowel Shift. Before the early part of the 17th century, the pronunciation was similar to that in other languages.
- (phoneme) IPA(key): /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, /ə/, etc.
Letter
Usage notes
- In English, the letter a usually denotes the near-open front unrounded vowel (IPA(key): /æ/), as in pad, the open back unrounded vowel (IPA(key): /ɑː/) as in father, the mid-central vowel (IPA(key): /ə/) when unstressed as in about, or, when followed by another vowel, the diphthong IPA(key): /eɪ/, as in ace.
- A is the third most common letter in English.
See also
Numeral
a (lower case, upper case A)
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Translations
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”). More at one. The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century. Cognate with Alemannic German a (“a, an”), East Franconian a (“a, an”).
Pronunciation
- (stressed) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ/
- (unstressed) IPA(key): /ə/
Audio (US), stressed (file) Audio (US), unstressed (file) - Rhymes: -eɪ, -ə
- Homophone: her (non-rhotic, unstressed)
Article
a (indefinite)
- One; any indefinite example of. [from before 1150][2]
- There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
- 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:
- With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get […]
- 2005, Emily Kingsley (lyricist), Kevin Clash (voice actor), “A Cookie is a Sometime Food”, Sesame Street, season 36, Sesame Workshop:
- Hoots the Owl: Yes a, fruit, is a [sic], any, time, food!
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- Anna, do you have a pen? — Yes. I have a pen in my bag. I have a (stressed) …
Audio (US) (file)
- Anna, do you have a pen? — Yes. I have a pen in my bag. I have a (stressed) …
- One; used before score, dozen, hundred, thousand, million, etc.
- I've seen it happen a hundred times.
- Used in some phrases denoting quantity, such as a few, a good many, a couple, a little (for an uncountable noun), etc.
- They asked me a few questions.
- Used in some adverbial phrases denoting degree or extent, such as a little, a bit, a lot, etc.
- The door was opened a little.
- The same; one and the same. Used in phrases such as of a kind, birds of a feather, etc.
- We are of a mind on matters of morals.
- They're two of a kind.
- Any; every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope.[1]
- A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.
- Any; used with a negative to indicate not a single one.[3]
- It was so dark that we couldn't see a thing.
- He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
- Used before an adjective that modifies a noun (singular or plural) delimited by a numeral.
- a staggering three million dollars
- The holidays are a mere one week away.
- One; someone named; used before a person's name, suggesting that the speaker knows little about the person other than the name.[4]
- We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
- Used before an adjective modifying a person's name.
- 2018, “Rwandan court drops all charges against opposition figure”, in Associated Press:
- "I will continue my campaign to fight for the rights of all Rwandans," a surprised but happy Rwigara told reporters after celebrating.
- Someone or something like; similar to;[3] Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
- The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.
- The man is a regular Romeo.
Usage notes
- In standard English, the article a is used before consonant sounds, while an is used before vowel sounds; for more, see the usage notes about an.
Derived terms
Translations
See also
Etymology 3
- From Middle English a, o, from Old English a-, an, on.
- Unstressed form of on.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ə/
- Rhymes: -ə
Preposition
a
- To do with separation; In, into. [from before 1150][2]
- Torn a pieces.
- To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. Often occurs between two nouns, where the first noun occurs at the end of a verbal phrase.[from before 1150][2]
- I brush my teeth twice a day.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:
- A Sundays
- 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America, archived from the original on 7 February 2019:
- Patent requests for machine learning activities grew on average by 28 percent a year between 2013 and 2016, the study found.
Audio (US) (file)
- To do with status; In. [from before 1150][2]
- King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)
- To set the people a worke.
- King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)
- (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [from before 1150][2]
- Stand a tiptoe.
- (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [from before 1150][2]
- 1964, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “The Times They Are a-Changin'”:
- The times, they are a-changin'.
- (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th c.][2]
- c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
- It was a doing.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 11:21:
- Jacob, when he was a dying
- (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th c.][2]
- (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [from before 1150][2]
- c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
- Stands here a purpose.
- (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [from before 1150][2]
Usage notes
- (position, direction): Can also be attached without a hyphen, as aback, ahorse, afoot. See a-
- (separation): Can also be attached without hyphen, as asunder. See a-
- (status): Can also be attached without hyphen, as afloat, awake. See a-.
- (process): Can also be attached with or without hyphen, as a-changing
Etymology 4
From Middle English a, ha contraction of have, or haven.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ə/
- Rhymes: -ə
Verb
a
- (archaic or slang) Have. [between 1150 and 1350, continued in some use until 1650; used again after 1950]
- I'd a come, if you'd a asked.
- 1884, Robert Holland, M.R.A.C., A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester, volume Part I--A to F., London: English Dialect Society, page 1:
- Oi'd a gen im a clout, if oi'd been theer.
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
- So would I a done by yonder ſunne
?And thou hadſt not come to my bed.
Usage notes
- Now often attached to preceding auxiliary verb. See -a.
Etymology 5
From Middle English a, a reduced form of he (“he”)/ha (“he”), heo (“she”)/ha (“she”), ha (“it”), and hie, hie (“they”).
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/
- (it): (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ə/, /ɑ/
- Rhymes: -ə, -ɑ
Pronoun
a
- (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, she, they: the third-person singular or plural nominative.[4]
- 1855, Kingsley, W. Ho!, page 120 (edition of 1889):
- He've a got a great venture on hand, but what a [it] be he tell'th no man.
- 1864, Tennyson, N. Farmer, Old Style, st. 2:
- Doctors, they knaws nowt, fur a [they] says what's nawways true.
- (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, the third-person singular nominative.
- 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
- a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.
- 1795, Peter Pindar, The Royal Visit to Exeter, a Political Epistle: by John Ploughshare ... published by Peter Pindar, Esq, page 5:
- Well! in a come [in he came]—KING GEORGE to town, / With doust and zweat az netmeg brown, / The hosses all in smoke;
- 1860, Kite, Sng. Sol., ii, 16:
- A do veed amang th' lilies.
- 1864, Tennyson, N. Farmer, Old Style, st. 7, version of 1917, Raymond Macdonald Alden, Alfred Tennyson, how to Know Him, page 226:
- "The amoighty's a taakin' o' you to 'issén, my friend," a said, […]
- (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) She, the third-person singular nominative.
- 1790, Grose, MS. add. (M.):
- A wanted me to go with her.
- 1876, Bound, Prov.:
- Did a do it!
- 1883, Hardy, Tover, page 124 (edition of 1895):
- A's getting wambling on her pins [shaky on her legs].
- 1790, Grose, MS. add. (M.):
- 1855, Kingsley, W. Ho!, page 120 (edition of 1889):
Etymology 6
From Middle English of, with apocope of the final f and vowel reduction.
Preposition
a
- (archaic or slang) Of.
- The name of John a Gaunt.
- c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
- What time a day is it?
- 1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
- It’s six a clock.
- 1931, A. P. Carter, "When I'm Gone":
- Two bottles 'a whiskey for the way
- 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 152:
- Isis rode my mug like she was on a ten-inch dick, and as soon as she nutted I tossed her ass off a me and flipped her on her back, then fucked the shit outta her cause it was payback time.
Usage notes
- Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.
Etymology 7
From Northern Middle English aw, alteration of all.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɔ/
- Rhymes: -ɔ
Etymology 8
Symbols
Symbol
a
- Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
- specific absorption coefficient
- specific rotation
- allele (recessive)
Adverb
a
Particle
a
- Alternative form of -a (“empty syllable added to songs, poetry, verse and other speech”)
- 2001, Louis F. Newcomb, Car Salesman: A Legacy, iUniverse (→ISBN), page 91:
- “I show a you right a here I can fuck a you.” “Is she crazy?” I asked Wyman.
- 2001, Louis F. Newcomb, Car Salesman: A Legacy, iUniverse (→ISBN), page 91:
Translations
Interjection
a
- ah; er (sound of hesitation)
- 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
- "We will resume yesterday's discourse, young ladies," said he, "and you shall each read a page by turns; so that Miss a—Miss Short may have an opportunity of hearing you"; and the poor girls began to spell a long dismal sermon delivered at Bethesda Chapel, Liverpool, on behalf of the mission for the Chickasaw Indians.
Etymology 13
Abbreviations.
- (stenoscript) a word-initial letter ⟨a⟩.
- (stenoscript) the long vowel /eɪ/ at the end of a word, or before a final consonant that is not /dʒ, v, z/. (Note: the final consonant is not written; [ɛə˞] counts as /eɪr/.)
- (stenoscript) the word a.m.
- (stenoscript) the prefix ad-.
Quotations
Additional quotations for any terms on this page may be found at Citations:a.
References
- Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “a”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 1.
- Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN)
- “a” in Christine A. Lindberg, editor, The Oxford College Dictionary, 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing, 2002, →ISBN, page 1.
- “a, adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2023.
- Gove, Philip Babcock, (1976)
- Brown, Lesley, (2003)
- Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)
- Oxford University Press, (2023)
Further reading
- “a”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “a”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Afar
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈʌ/
Derived terms
See also
See Template:aa-demonstrative determiners.
References
- E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “a”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
- Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie), Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)
Albanian
Etymology 1
- According to Orel, the particle and conjunction are etymologically identical. From Proto-Albanian *a and cognate to Ancient Greek ἦ (ê, “indeed”).[1]
- From Proto-Albanian *(h)au, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu- (“that”). Cognate to Ancient Greek αὖ (aû, “on the other hand, again”). A proclitic disjunctive particle, used with one or more parts of the sentence.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 2
From Proto-Albanian *(h)an, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en (“there”). Cognate with Latin an (“yes, perhaps”). Interrogative particle, usually used proclitically in simple sentences.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
- The first letter of the Standard Albanian Latin-script alphabet.
See also
References
- Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “a part. ('whether'), conj. ('or')”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 1
- Mann, S. E. (1948) “a”, in An Historical Albanian–English Dictionary, London: Longmans, Green & Co., page 1
Further reading
- “a”, in FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language] (in Albanian), 1980
- “a”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006
Anguthimri
References
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 184
Bambara
Synonyms
- (they): u
Basque
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/, [a]
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
- see other Basque letters
See also
- see other Basque letter names
Bavarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɐ/
See also
m | n | f | pl | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | ||
definite | nominative | der, da | — | das, es, des | 's | de | d' | de | d' |
accusative | en, den | 'n | |||||||
dative | em, dem | 'm | em, dem | 'm | der, da | — | |||
genitive1 | des | des | der, da | der, da | |||||
indefinite | nominative | a | — | a | — | a | — | ||
accusative | an | 'n | |||||||
dative | am | 'm | am | 'm | a, ana | 'na |
- oa (“one”, determiner)
Etymology 2
Unstressed form of ea
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɐ/
Pronoun
a
- he
See also
nominative | accusative | dative | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | stressed | unstressed | ||
1st person singular | i | — | mi | — | mia (mir) | ma | |
2nd person singular (informal) |
du | — | di | — | dia (dir) | da | |
2nd person singular (formal) |
Sie | — | Eahna | — | Eahna | — | |
3rd person singular | m | er | a | eahm | 'n | eahm | 'n |
n | es, des | 's | des | 's | |||
f | se, de | 's | se | 's | ihr | — | |
1st person plural | mia (mir) | ma | uns | — | uns | — | |
2nd person plural | eß, ihr | — | enk, eich | — | enk, eich | — | |
3rd person plural | se | 's | eahna | — | eahna | — |
Belizean Creole
References
- Crosbie, Paul, ed. (2007), Kriol-Inglish Dikshineri: English-Kriol Dictionary. Belize City: Belize Kriol Project, p. 19.
Big Nambas
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
- Rhymes: -a
References
- Big Nambas Grammar Pacific Linguistics - G.J. Fox
Breton
Etymology 1
From Proto-Brythonic *o, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Preposition
a (triggers soft mutation)
- from (expresses origin)
- tud a Vrest ― people from Brest
- of (indicates an amount)
- un tamm brav a gig ― a nice piece of meat
- of (expresses a quality)
- ur plac’h a enor ― a girl of honour
- after certain adjectives or adverbs expressing quantity
- ur voutailh leun a sistr ― a bottle full of cider
- after ordinal numbers with a plural noun
- tri a vugale ― three children
- used in negative sentences with the grammatical object
- nʼem eus ket ken a vutun ― I donʼt have any more tobacco
- before the infinitive after certain verbs like paouez, mirout, diwall, c'hwitañ
- paouezet eo ar glav a gouezhañ ― it has stopped raining [lit. the rain has stopped falling]
- after substantivized adjectives used as nouns
- ur vrav a blacʼh ― a pretty girl
- combined with a personal pronoun
- gwelet em boa acʼhanout ― I saw you
- an den a gomzan anezhañ ― the man Iʼm talking about
Inflection
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Particle
a (triggers soft mutation)
- preverbal particle used when
- the subject precedes the verb
- ar mor a zo glas ― the sea is blue
- the object precedes the verb
- an den-se a glevan ― I hear that man
- the subject precedes the verb
Pronoun
a (triggers soft mutation)
- (relative) that, which, who (used in 'direct' relative clauses, i.e. where the pronoun refers to the subject or the direct object of an inflected verb)
- an hini a garan ― the one whom I love
Cameroon Pidgin
Catalan
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
- Rhymes: -a
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Derived terms
- no saber ni la a
See also
- see other Catalan letters
Pronunciation
- (Eastern) IPA(key): /ə/
- (Western) IPA(key): /a/
Preposition
a
- in, at; indicating a particular time or place
- Sóc a Barcelona.
- I am in Barcelona.
- to; indicating movement towards a particular place
- Vaig a Barcelona.
- I'm going to Barcelona.
- to; indicating a target or indirect object
- Escric una carta a la meva àvia.
- I'm writing my grandmother a letter.
- per
- by
- dia a dia.
- day by day.
Usage notes
- When the preposition a is followed by a masculine definite article, el or els, it is contracted with it to the forms al and als respectively. If el would be elided to the form l’ because it is before a word beginning with a vowel, the elision to a l’ takes precedence over contracting to al.
The same occurs with the salat article es, to form as except where es would be elided to s’.
Chayuco Mixtec
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
References
- Pensinger, Brenda J. (1974) Diccionario mixteco-español, español-mixteco (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 18) (in Spanish), México, D.F.: El Instituto Lingüístico de Verano en coordinación con la Secretaría de Educación Pública a través de la Dirección General de Educación Extraescolar en el Medio Indígena, pages 3, 110
Chibcha
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
References
- Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.
Choctaw
Chuukese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑ/
Related terms
Present and past tense | Negative tense | Future | Negative future | Distant future | Negative determinate | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | First person | ua | use | upwe | usap | upwap | ute |
Second person | ka, ke | kose, kese | kopwe, kepwe | kosap, kesap | kopwap, kepwap | kote, kete | |
Third person | a | ese | epwe | esap | epwap | ete | |
Plural | First person | aua (exclusive) sia (inclusive) | ause (exclusive) sise (inclusive) | aupwe (exclusive) sipwe (inclusive) | ausap (exclusive) sisap (inclusive) | aupwap (exclusive) sipwap (inclusive) | aute (exclusive) site (inclusive) |
Second person | oua | ouse | oupwe | ousap | oupwap | oute | |
Third person | ra, re | rese | repwe | resap | repwap | rete |
Cimbrian
Alternative forms
- an (Sette Comuni)
Etymology
From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain.
References
- Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien
Coatepec Nahuatl
Cora
Particle
a
- outside
- out of view (from the speaker)
- entering a shallow domain; entering a domain in a shallow or restricted manner
- atyásuuna káasu hece
- The water is pouring into the (shallow) pan.
Antonyms
- u (“inside; within view”)
References
- Eugene Casad, Ronald Langacker (1985) “'Inside' and 'outside' in Cora grammar”, in International Journal of American Linguistics
Cornish
Etymology 1
Onomatopoeic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aː/
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Particle
a (triggers soft mutation)
- Inserted before the verb when a subject or direct object precedes the verb
Etymology 3
From Proto-Brythonic *o, from Proto-Celtic *ɸo, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂pó.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Preposition
a (triggers soft mutation)
Inflection
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
First person | ahanaf | ahanan |
Second person | ahanas | ahanowgh |
Third person | anodho (m) anedhy (f) | anodhans, anedha |
Corsican
Etymology
From the earlier la.
Usage notes
- Before a vowel, a turns into l'
Usage notes
- Before a vowel, a turns into l'
See also
References
- “a” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa
Czech
Etymology
Inherited from Old Czech a, from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈa]
audio (file)
Dakota
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (uppercase A)
- This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text
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.
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
- Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen) (file)
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
- see other Danish letters
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
- Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen) (file)
Inflection
Alternative forms
- à (unofficial but common)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/, [ˈaˀ]
- Rhymes: -a, -æː
Audio (Copenhagen) (file)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
- Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen) (file)
Dutch
Pronunciation
- (letter name): IPA(key): /aː/
Audio (file)
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle Dutch â, from Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.
Further reading
- Aa (waternaam) on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia nl
Etymology 3
From Middle Dutch jou, from Old Dutch *jū, a northern (Frisian?) variant of *iu, from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz, a West Germanic variant of *izwiz. Doublet of u.
Egyptian
Emilian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɐ/
- Hyphenation: a
Related terms
Number | Person | Gender | Disjunctive (tonic) |
Nominative (subject) |
Accusative (direct complement) |
Dative (indirect complement) |
Reflexive (-self) |
Comitative (with) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | First | — | mè | a | me | mêg | ||
Second | — | tè | et | te | têg | |||
Third | Masculine | ló | al | ge | se | sêg | ||
Feminine | lê | la | ||||||
Plural | First | Masculine | nuēter | a | se | nōsk | ||
Feminine | nuētri | |||||||
Second | Masculine | vuēter | a | ve | vōsk | |||
Feminine | vuētri | |||||||
Third | Masculine | lôr | i | ge | se | sêg | ||
Feminine | el | li |
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- (letter name): IPA(key): /a/
- (phoneme): IPA(key): /a/
Audio (file)
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
- see other Esperanto letters
See also
- see other Esperanto letter names
Estonian
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Noun
Declension
Declension of a (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | a- | a-d | |
accusative | nom. | ||
gen. | a- | ||
genitive | a-de | ||
partitive | a-d | a-id a-sid | |
illative | a-sse | a-desse a-isse | |
inessive | a-s | a-des a-is | |
elative | a-st | a-dest a-ist | |
allative | a-le | a-dele a-ile | |
adessive | a-l | a-del a-il | |
ablative | a-lt | a-delt a-ilt | |
translative | a-ks | a-deks a-iks | |
terminative | a-ni | a-deni | |
essive | a-na | a-dena | |
abessive | a-ta | a-deta | |
comitative | a-ga | a-dega |
(music):
Declension of a (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | ||
nominative | a' | a'd | |
accusative | nom. | ||
gen. | a' | ||
genitive | a'de | ||
partitive | a'd | a'id a'sid | |
illative | a'sse | a'desse a'isse | |
inessive | a's | a'des a'is | |
elative | a'st | a'dest a'ist | |
allative | a'le | a'dele a'ile | |
adessive | a'l | a'del a'il | |
ablative | a'lt | a'delt a'ilt | |
translative | a'ks | a'deks a'iks | |
terminative | a'ni | a'deni | |
essive | a'na | a'dena | |
abessive | a'ta | a'deta | |
comitative | a'ga | a'dega |
Fala
Etymology 1
From Old Galician-Portuguese á, from Latin illa (“that”).
Article
a f sg (plural as, masculine u or o, masculine plural us or os)
- Feminine singular definite article; the
- 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
- A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, […]
- The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, […]
See also
nominative | dative | accusative | disjunctive | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first person | singular | ei | me, -mi | mi | ||
plural | common | nos | musL nusLV nos, -nusM |
nos | ||
masculine | noshotrusM | noshotrusM | ||||
feminine | noshotrasM | noshotrasM | ||||
second person | singular | tú | te, -ti | ti | ||
plural | common | vos | vusLV vos, -vusM |
vos | ||
masculine | voshotrusM | voshotrusM | ||||
feminine | voshotrasM | voshotrasM | ||||
third person | singular | masculine | el | le, -li | uLV, oM | el |
feminine | ela | a | ela | |||
plural | masculine | elis | usLV, osM | elis | ||
feminine | elas | as | elas | |||
reflexive | — | se, -si | sí |
Etymology 2
From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”).
Preposition
a
- to
- 2000, Domingo Frades Gaspar, Vamus a falal: Notas pâ coñocel y platical en nosa fala, Editora regional da Extremadura, Chapter 1: Lengua Española:
- A grandeda da lengua española é indiscotibli, i sei estudio, utilización defensa debin sel algo consostancial a nos, […]
- The greatness of the Spanish language is unquestionable, and its study, use and defense must be something consubstantial to us, […]
Faroese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛaː/
- Homophone: æ
- Rhymes: -ɛaː
Finnish
Etymology 1
The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and a for information on the development of the glyph itself.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
Usage notes
Capitalized for the great octave or any octave below that, or in names of major keys; not capitalized for the small octave or any octave above that, or in names of minor keys.
Declension
Declension of a (type maa)
|
Franco-Provençal
Derived terms
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.
Pronunciation
- (Canada) IPA(key): /a/
Pronoun
a f
Etymology 3
From Old French a, at from Vulgar Latin *at, from Latin habet.
Further reading
- “a”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Galician
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a̝/
Preposition
a
Usage notes
The preposition a regularly forms contractions when it precedes the definite article o, a, os, and as. For example, a o ("to the") contracts to ao or ó, and a a ("to the") contracts to á.
Etymology 2
From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin illa, feminine of ille (“that”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a̝/
Usage notes
The definite article o (in all its forms) regularly forms contractions when it follows the prepositions a (“to”), con (“with”), de (“of, from”), and en (“in”). For example, con a (“with the”) contracts to coa, and en a (“in the”) contracts to na.
Also, the definite article presents a second form that could be represented as <-lo/-la/-los/-las>, or either lack any specific representation. Its origin is in the assimilation of the last consonant of words ended in -s or -r, due to sandhi, with the /l/ present in the article in pre-Galician-Portuguese period. So Vou comer o caldo or Vou come-lo caldo are representations of /ˈβowˈkomelo̝ˈkaldo̝/ ("I'm going to have my soup"). This phenomenon, rare in Portuguese, is already documented in 13th century Medieval Galician texts, as the Cantigas de Santa Maria.[1]
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈa/
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Usage notes
Due to sandhi, the accusative form o (in all its forms) regularly changes to -lo after verbal forms ended in ⟨r⟩ or ⟨s⟩, and to -no after verbal forms ended in a semivowel:
- Eu apagueina 'I quenched it' < apaguei‿a
- Ti apagáchela 'You quenched it' < apagaches‿a
- El apagouna 'He quenched it' < apagou‿a
- Nós apagámola 'We quenched it' < apagamos‿a
- Temos de apagala 'We must quench it' < apagar‿a
References
- Vaz Leão, Ângela (2000) “Questões de linguagem nas Cantigas de Santa Maria, de Afonso X”, in Scripta, volume 4, number 7, , retrieved 16 November 2017, pages 11-24
Gilbertese
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *pat, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *əpat, from Proto-Austronesian *Səpat.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Gothic
Grass Koiari
References
- 2010, Terry Crowley & Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics, fourth edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 142.
Gun
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/
See also
Gungbe personal pronouns | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Person | Emphatic Pronoun | Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Possessive Determiner | |
Singular | First | nyɛ́, yẹ́n | ùn, n | mi | cé, ṣié | |
Second | jɛ̀, jẹ̀, yẹ̀, hiẹ̀ | à | wè | tòwè | ||
Third | éɔ̀, úɔ̀, éwọ̀ | é | è | étɔ̀n, étọ̀n | ||
Plural | First | mílɛ́, mílẹ́ | mí | mítɔ̀n, mítọ̀n | ||
Second | mìlɛ́, mìlẹ́ | mì | mìtɔ̀n, mìtọ̀n | |||
Third | yélɛ́, yélẹ́ | yé | yétɔ̀n, yétọ̀n | |||
Haitian Creole
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a/
Hawaiian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/, [ə]
Usage notes
- Used for acquired possessions, while o is used for possessions that are inherited, out of personal control, and for things that can be got into (houses, clothes, cars).
Hokkien
For pronunciation and definitions of a – see 阿. (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 阿). |
Hungarian
Etymology 1
See az.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈɒ]
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɒ
Article
a (definite)
Usage notes
Used before words starting with a consonant.
Related terms
- az (for words starting with a vowel sound)
Pronoun
a (demonstrative)
- (in reduplicated constructions formed with postpositions) that
- A mellett a ház mellett vártam rá. ― I waited for him/her next to that house.
Determiner
a (demonstrative)
- (rare, only in consonant-initial fixed phrases, with zero article) Alternative form of az (“that”).
- Foglalja össze, miről szóltak az a heti beszédek és leckék.[1] ― Summarize what that week’s sermons and lessons were about.
- November 12-én, az a havi frissítőkedden jelenhet meg. ― It may be released on November 12th, on the Patch Tuesday of that month.
- Kérjük szíves tájékoztatásukat a tekintetben, hogy… (= abban a tekintetben, see az) ― We kindly request your information in that [= the] aspect…
- amondó vagyok, hogy… ― I am of the opinion that…, what/all I can / want to say is that… (literally, “I am that-sayer/-saying…”)
Pronunciation
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Derived terms
See also
References
- a heti at e-nyelv.hu
- Siptár, Péter and Miklós Törkenczy. The Phonology of Hungarian. The Phonology of the World’s Languages. Oxford University Press, 2007. →ISBN, p. 280
Further reading
- a in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (’A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2021)
- Entries in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: ISBN 9630535793
Icelandic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aː/
- Rhymes: -aː
Ido
Pronunciation
- (context pronunciation, letter name) IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
See also
Igbo
Letter
Alternative forms
- e (neutral tongue position)
Pronoun
a
- (indefinite) somebody, one, they, people (an unspecified individual).
- A gwara ya ka ọ bịa.
- He/she was told to come.
Usage notes
- Often gets translated into English with the passive voice.
See also
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/
Related terms
Indo-Portuguese
Etymology
From Portuguese a.
Pronunciation
- (Sri Lankan Creole) IPA(key): /a/, /ə/
Preposition
a
- to
- 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3 (overall work in German):
- […] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.
- […] , to give him his share which belongs to him.
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- (letter name): IPA(key): /ˈa/, [ˈa]
- (phoneme): IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Further reading
- “a” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Ingrian
Pronunciation
Conjunction
a
- and, but
- 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 17:
- A siä Jaakko, kuhu määt?
- And you Jaakko, where are you going?
- 1936, L. G. Terehova, V. G. Erdeli, translated by Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:
- keskipäivääl hää [päivyt] on kaikkiin ylemmääl, a siis alkaa laskiissa.
- on midday it [the Sun] is highest, and then it starts to descend.
References
- Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 1
- Arvo Laanest (1997) Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 15
Interlingua
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Inupiaq
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ə/
Etymology 1
From Old Irish a, from Proto-Celtic *esyo (the final vowel triggering lenition), feminine Proto-Celtic *esyās (the final -s triggering h-prothesis), plural Proto-Celtic *ēsom (the final nasal triggering eclipsis), all from the genitive forms of Proto-Indo-European *éy. Cognate with Welsh ei.
Determiner
a (triggers lenition)
Determiner
a (triggers h-prothesis)
Determiner
a (triggers eclipsis)
See also
Number | Person (and gender) | Conjunctive (emphatic) |
Disjunctive (emphatic) |
Possessive determiner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | First | mé (mise) |
mo L m' before vowel sounds | |
Second | tú (tusa)1 |
thú (thusa) |
do L d' before vowel sounds | |
Third masculine | sé (seisean) |
é (eisean) |
a L | |
Third feminine | sí (sise) |
í (ise) |
a H | |
Third neuter | — | ea | — | |
Plural | First | muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne) |
ár E | |
Second | sibh (sibhse)1 |
bhur E | ||
Third | siad (siadsan) |
iad (iadsan) |
a E |
Determiner
a (triggers lenition)
- how (used with an abstract noun)
- A ghéire a labhair sí!
- How sharply she spoke!
- A fheabhas atá sé!
- How good it is!
Etymology 2
A reduced form of older do (itself a reanalysis of do used in past tenses, and also present in early modern verbs like do-bheirim (“I give”), do-chím (“I see”)), or from the preverb a- in early modern verbs like a-tú (“I am”), a-deirim (“I say”) in relative clauses.
Particle
a (triggers lenition except of d’ and of past autonomous forms)
- introduces a direct relative clause, takes the independent form of an irregular verb
- an fear a chuireann síol ― the man who sows seed
- an síol a chuireann an fear ― the seed that the man sows
- an síol a cuireadh ― the seed that was sown
- nuair a bhí mé óg ― when I was young
- an cat a d'ól an bainne ― the cat that drank the milk
Etymology 3
From Old Irish a (“that, which the relative particle used after prepositions”), reanalyzed as an independent indirect relative particle from forms like ar a (“on which, on whom”), dá (“to which, to whom”), or early modern le a (“with which, with whom”), agá (“at which, at whom”) when prepositional pronouns started to be repeated in such clauses (eg. don té agá mbíon cloidheamh (…) aige, daoine agá mbíonn grádh aco do Dhia). Compare the forms used in Munster instead: go (from agá (“at which”)) and na (from i n-a (“in which”), go n-a (“with which”), ria n-a (“before which”) and later lena (“with which”), tréna (“through which”)).
Particle
a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)
- introduces an indirect relative clause
- an bord a raibh leabhar air ― the table on which there was a book
- an fear a bhfuil a mhac ag imeacht ― the man whose son is going away
Related terms
- ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)
Pronoun
a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)
Related terms
- ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)
References
- Nicholas Williams (1994) “Na Canúintí a Theacht chun Solais”, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, page 464: “Tháinig nós chun cinn sa 17ú haois freisin an réamhfhocal a dhúbláil: don té agá mbíonn cloidheamh..aige; daoine agá mbíonn grádh aco do Dhia (Ó Cuív, 1952b, 177), an tí ag a bhfuil a bheag do chuntabhairt aige (Williams, 1986, 155).”
- Gerald O’Nolan (1934) The New Era Grammar of Modern Irish, The Educational Company of Ireland Ltd., page 56
Etymology 4
Particle
a (triggers lenition)
- introduces a vocative
- A Dhia!
- O God!
- A dhuine uasail!
- Sir!
- Tar isteach, a Sheáin.
- Come in, Seán.
- A amadáin!
- You fool!
Etymology 5
Particle
a (triggers h-prothesis)
- introduces a numeral
- a haon, a dó, a trí... ― one, two, three...
- Séamas a Dó ― James the Second
- bus a seacht ― bus seven
Etymology 6
Originally a reduced form of do.
Preposition
a (plus dative, triggers lenition)
- to (used with verbal nouns)
- síol a chur ― to sow seed
- uisce a ól ― to drink water
- an rud atá sé a scríobh ― what he is writing
- D’éirigh sé a chaint.
- He rose to speak.
- Téigh a chodladh.
- Go to sleep.
Mutation
Irish mutation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
a | n-a | ha | not applicable |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “a”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Istriot
Preposition
a
- at
- 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
- A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
- At the stern, at the bow everything is flags,
- A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
- 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
Particle
a
- emphasises a verb; mandatory with impersonal verbs
- 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
- A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
- At the stern, at the bow everything is flags,
- A poûpa, a prùa a xì doûto bandere,
- 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 99:
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/*
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -a
- Hyphenation: a
Letter
a f or m (invariable, lower case, upper case A)
See also
Preposition
a
- Indicates the indirect object. to
- Porta questo cesto alla nonna.
- Bring this basket to grandma.
- Ai gatti piacciono i pesci.
- Cats like fish.
- (literally, “Fish are pleasable to cats.”)
- E lo chiedi a me?
- You're asking that to me?
- Indicates the place, used in some contexts, in others in is used. in, to
- Andiamo a casa?
- Can we go home?
- (literally, “Can we go to home?”)
- Ora sto a Palermo, a Roma ci torno domani.
- I'm in Palermo now, I'll go back to Rome tomorrow.
- Denotes the manner. with
- Forms adverbs meaning “in a manner related or resembling ~”.
- a cappella, a bestia, a braccio, a pennello, etc. ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- Forms goodbye formulas from the time the persons will meet again. see you...
- A domani! ― See you tomorrow!
- A dopo! ― See you later!
- Al prossimo Natale! ― See you next Christmas!
- Introduces the ingredients of a dish, perfume, etc. with
- pasta all'uovo ― pasta with eggs
- cornetto al cioccolato ― chocolate croissant
- shampoo al limone ― lemon shampoo
- patatine alla pizza ― pizza-flavoured crisps
- (central-southern Italy) Denotes the direct object, but only if it's not preceded by articles
- Chiama a Paolo.
- Call Paolo.
- E non ci avevi visto a noi?
- And you didn't see us?
- Ascolti a me, signó!
- Listen to me, ma'am!
- (followed by the definite article) Forms an interjection that gives an instruction or calls attention to something.
- Al ladro! ― Thief!
- Al fuoco! ― Fire!
- Al lupo! ― Wolf!
- All'attacco! ― Attack!
- All'arrembaggio! ― Assault! (yelled by pirates)
- (regional) Forms continuous tense when preceded by stare and followed by verb infinitives. -ing. The standard language for this scope uses gerunds.
- che stai a di'? ― what are you saying?
- stavo a dormi' ― I was sleeping
- Repeated indicates the amount by which something grows. by
- a due a due ― two by two; in pairs
- a poco a poco ― little by little
- Indicates the agent of a verb in some contexts. by. Sometimes interchangable with da.
- L'ho sentito dire a Livia.
- I heard Livia say it.
- (literally, “I heard it said by Livia.”)
- c. 1909, Luigi Pirandello, chapter 2.3, in I vecchi e i giovani:
- Mi duole, creda, sinceramente, veder fare a un uomo come lei, per cui ho tanta stima, una figura... non bella, via! non bella.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Usage notes
Descendants
- → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)
References
Further reading
- a in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Jamaican Creole
Preposition
a
Verb
a
Particle
a
- Habitual present tense marker.
- wan plies we dem a plie haki mach
- a place where they play hockey matches
- Precedes a verb to mark the -ing form.
- a laaf, a ron, a iit
- laughing, running, eating
See also
Further reading
- a at majstro.com
- A Learner’s Grammar of Jamaican, The Open Grammar Project
Jersey Dutch
Pronunciation
- (phoneme): IPA(key): /ʊ/, /ɑ/
K'iche'
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aː/
Adjective
a
- masculine youth indicator
Adverb
a
- (interrogatory) indicator of a question
Pronoun
a
- your
References
- Allen J. Christenson, Kʼiche-English dictionary, page 7
Kabuverdianu
Kalasha
Kapampangan
Ligature
a
- connects adjectives to nouns
- Romantiku a bengi.
- A romantic night.
- Pinakapalsintan a tau.
- The person I love the most.
- Mayap a abak.
- Good morning.
- Mayap a bengi.
- Good night.
- Dakal a salamat.
- Thank you very much.
See also
Kari'na
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [a]
Kashubian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa/
- Syllabification: a
Etymology 1
The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.
Letter
a (lowercase, uppercase A)
See also
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.
Etymology 3
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.
Further reading
- Stefan Ramułt (1893) “a”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 1
- Bernard Sychta (1967–1973) “a, a!”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich, volume 1, page 1
- Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “a”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi, volume 1, page 9
- “A, a”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
- “a!”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
Koitabu
References
- Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics
Krisa
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a/
References
- Donohue, Mark and San Roque, Lila. I'saka: a sketch grammar of a language of north-central New Guinea. (Pacific Linguistics, 554.) (2004).
Ladin
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Lashi
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʔa/
Latgalian
Etymology
Ultimately from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. The source is not clear:
- Probably borrowed from a Slavic language (compare Russian а (a) and Belarusian а (a)).
- Alternatively, irregularly shortened from *ā, inherited from *ō.
Compare Lithuanian o.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈa]
- Hyphenation: a
References
- A. Andronov, L. Leikuma (2008) Latgalīšu-Latvīšu-Krīvu sarunu vuordineica, Lvava, →ISBN
Latin
Etymology 1
From Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), likely through Etruscan.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
- (sometimes with littera) the first letter of the Latin alphabet.
- littera a ― the letter a
Etymology 2
From Etruscan.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /aː/, [äː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a/, [äː]
Coordinate terms
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /aː/, [äː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a/, [äː]
Preposition
ā (+ ablative)
- (indicating ablation) from, away from, out of
- c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 1.1:
- Gallōs ab Aquītānīs Garumna flūmen, ā Belgīs Matrona et Sēquana dīvidit.
- The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine (separate them) from the Belgae.
- Gallōs ab Aquītānīs Garumna flūmen, ā Belgīs Matrona et Sēquana dīvidit.
- (indicating ablation) down from
- (indicating agency: source of action or event) by, by means of
- 45 BCE, Cicero, De finibus bonorum et malorum 1.2:
- Quamquam philosophiae quidem vituperātōribus satis respōnsum est eō librō, quō ā nōbīs philosophia dēfēnsa et collaudāta est, cum esset accūsāta et vituperāta ab Hortēnsiō.
- Although indeed to the vituperators of philosophy an adequate response is in that book, in which philosophy has been defended and highly praised by us [me], when it had been accused and vituperated by Hortensius.
- Quamquam philosophiae quidem vituperātōribus satis respōnsum est eō librō, quō ā nōbīs philosophia dēfēnsa et collaudāta est, cum esset accūsāta et vituperāta ab Hortēnsiō.
- (indicating instrumentality: source of action or event) by, by means of, with
- (indicating association) to, with
- 163 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Heauton Timorumenos 1.77:
- Homō sum, hūmānī nihil ā mē aliēnum putō.
- I am a man; I consider nothing that is human alien to me.
- Homō sum, hūmānī nihil ā mē aliēnum putō.
- (indicating location) at, on, in
- (time) after, since
Usage notes
Used in conjunction with passive verbs to mark the agent.
- Liber ā discipulō aperītur.
- The book is opened by the student.
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Expressive.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /aː/, [äː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /a/, [äː]
Further reading
- “a”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “a”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- a in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- “a”, in ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ [Logeion] (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, 2011
Latvian
Etymology
Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [a]
Audio (file)
See also
See also
Further reading
- a on the Latvian Wikipedia.Wikipedia lv
Laz
See also
Ligurian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Livonian
Pronunciation
- (phoneme) IPA(key): /ɑ/
Lower Sorbian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (upper case A)
See also
- See Template:list:Latin script letters/dsb.
- See Template:list:Latin script letter names/dsb.
Further reading
- Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928) “a”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
- Starosta, Manfred (1999) “a”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag
Lushootseed
Malay
Pronunciation
- (letter name): IPA(key): /e/
- (interjection): IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Interjection
a (Jawi spelling ا)
- Used to show excitement or to show agreement.
- A, macam itulah sepatutnya kaujawab!
- Yes, that's how you should answer!
- Used to show that you have forgotten or are attempting to remember something.
- Dia ni, a, salah seorang Perdana Menteri Britain dulu.
- This guy is, uh, one of Britain's Prime Ministers in the past.
Further reading
- “a” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
Maltese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/ (short phoneme)
- IPA(key): /aː/ (long phoneme)
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Mandarin
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Mandinka
Pronoun
a
Maori
Particle
a
Usage notes
- When used in the sense of of, suggests that the possessor has control of the relationship (alienable possession).
Masurian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈa]
- Syllabification: a
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old Polish a.
Particle
a
- sometimes neutral or emphatic, used to start a sentence or question
Etymology 2
Inherited from Old Polish a, from Proto-Slavic *a.
Mezquital Otomi
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/
Interjection
a
- expresses satisfaction, pity, fright, or admiration
Alternative forms
- ʼa (obsolete)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/, /ǎ/
Etymology 3
From Proto-Otomi *ʔɔ, from Proto-Otomian *ʔɔ.
Alternative forms
- ʼá (obsolete)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /á/, /ǎ/
Derived terms
- aꞌni
- mfoxꞌa
References
- Andrews, Enriqueta (1950) Vocabulario otomí de Tasquillo, Hidalgo (in Spanish), México, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 1
- Hernández Cruz, Luis, Victoria Torquemada, Moisés (2010) Diccionario del hñähñu (otomí) del Valle del Mezquital, estado de Hidalgo (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 45) (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.
Inflection
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Further reading
- “a (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
Middle English
Middle French
Etymology 1
From Old French a, from Latin ad.
Alternative forms
- à (after 1550)
Etymology 2
From Old French, from Latin habet.
Middle Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Particle
a (triggers lenition)
- inserted before the verb when the subject of direct object precedes it
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Particle
a (triggers lenition)
- used to introduce a direct question
- whether, used to introduce an indirect question
Etymology 4
Reduction of o (“from”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Preposition
a
- used between a focused adjective and the noun it modifies
- Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:
- bychan a dial oed yn lloski ni, neu yn dienydyaw am y mab
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child
- Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 7
From Proto-Celtic *ageti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aː/
Mòcheno
Etymology
From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one, a”).
References
- “a” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Mopan Maya
References
- Hofling, Charles Andrew (2011). Mopan Maya–Spanish–English Dictionary, University of Utah Press.
Mountain Koiari
References
- Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics
Murui Huitoto
Nauruan
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑ/
Pronoun
a
- I (first person singular pronoun)
- 2000, Lisa M Johnson, Firstness of Secondness in Nauruan Morphology (overall work in English):
- a pudun
- 1sing fall+Vn
I fell
- 1sing fall+Vn
- […]
- a nuwawen
- 1pers.sing. go+Vn
I did go. (I left.)
- 1pers.sing. go+Vn
- […]
- a kaiotien aem
- [1pers.sing.] [hear+Vn] [your words]
I hear what you said.
- [1pers.sing.] [hear+Vn] [your words]
- […]
- a nan imoren
- 1pers.sing. FUT health+Vn
I shall be cured (get better).
- 1pers.sing. FUT health+Vn
Navajo
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
- (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á, Ą ą, Ą́ ą́), B b, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dz dz, E e (É é, Ę ę, Ę́ ę́), G g, Gh gh, H h, Hw hw, X x, I i (Í í, Į į, Į́ į́), J j, K k, Kʼ kʼ, Kw kw, ʼ, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n (Ń ń), O o (Ó ó, Ǫ ǫ, Ǫ́ ǫ́), S s, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tł tł, Tłʼ tłʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh
Nias
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.
References
- Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 15.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology 1
From Latin a, from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), likely through the Etruscan language, from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ), from Proto-Canaanite , from Proto-Sinaitic , from Egyptian 𓃾, representing the head of an ox.
Pronunciation
Letter
a (uppercase A)
See also
Noun
a m (definite singular a-en, indefinite plural a-er, definite plural a-ene)
- the letter a, the first letter of the Norwegian alphabet
- fra A til B ― from A to B
- fra A til Å ― from A to Z
- har man sagt a, må man si b ― if you have said A, you should say B
- 1999, Lars Roar Langslet, I kamp for norsk kultur, page 234:
- bruken av a i bestemt form i hunkjønnsord
- the use of a in the definite form of feminine words
- indicates the first or best entry of a list, order or rank
- Synonyms: A-, a-
- oppgang A ― apartment entrance A
- blodgruppe A ― blood group A
- førerkort i klasse A ― (motorcycle) driver's license in class A
- øl i klasse A ― beer in class A (with 0,0-0,7 volume percent alcohol)
- A post ― A post / priority mail
- A-aksje ― class A-share
- hepatitt A ― hepatitis A
- 1919, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Samlede digter-verker I [Collected poetic works 1], page 454:
- [bokstavene begynte] at gaa sammen, to og to: a stod og hvilte under et træ, som hedte b
- [the letters began] to go together, two by two: a stood and rested under a tree called b
- 1920, Jonas Lie, Samlede Digterverker V, page 389:
- begynde paa Ø istedet for A
- start with Ø instead of A
- 1886, Arne Garborg, Mogning og manndom I, page 172:
- jeg traf sammen med et par generalbanditter, gamle gutter, storartede ranglefanter, 1ste klasse 1 A med stjerne, deilige herremænd
- I met a couple of general bandits, old boys, great revelers, 1st class 1 A with a star, lovely gentlemen
- 1939, Knut Hamsun, Artikler, page 99:
- historie er hvad A mener til forskel fra B, og hvad C igen mener til forskel baade fra A og B om den samme sag
- story is what A thinks differently from B and what C again thinks differently from both A and B about the same case
- the highest grade in a school or university using the A-F scale
- få A til eksamen
- receive an A on an exam
- 2019, Helene Uri, Stillheten etterpå, page 14:
- jeg har gode karakterer. Bare A-er og B-er
- I have good grades. Only A's and B's
- (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone
- 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, page 10:
- synge en riktig A uten hjelp av et instrument eller stemmegaffel
- sing a correct A without the aid of an instrument or tuning fork
- 1973, Finn Havrevold, Avreisen, page 127:
- han slår énstrøken a på klaveret
- he strikes one stroke A on the piano
- 1997, Tove Nilsen, G for Georg, page 42:
- så gal at man virkelig tror at svaler er g-nøkler og bass-nøkler og a’er og c’er som svever rundt hverandre og lager konsert i himmelen
- so crazy that you really think swallows are g-keys and bass-keys and a's and c's floating around each other and making a concert in the sky
- (physics) symbol for ampere
- (physics) symbol for nucleon number
- (horology) symbol for avance
- symbol for anno
- short form of atom-
- Synonym: a-
- a-bombe
- atom bomb (a-bomb)
Derived terms
- a-form (“a-form”), a-infinitiv (“a-infinitive”), a-kjendis (“A-list celebrity”)
Etymology 2
Abbreviation of atto- (“atto-”).
Etymology 3
Abbreviation of ar (“are”).
Alternative forms
Etymology 5
From Latin ā (“from, away from, out of”), alternative form of ab (“from, away from, out of, down from”).
Alternative forms
Preposition
a
Etymology 7
From Old Norse hana (“her”), accusative form of hón (“she”), from Proto-Norse [script needed] (*hān-), from a prefixed form of Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one; some”), from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one; single”).
Pronoun
a
- (dialectal, used enclitically after a conjunction or subjunction) she
- 1948, Helge Krog, Skuespill I, page 43:
- jagu slår a ja. Og det så det kjens. Forleden dag ga hun meg en knallende ørefik
- she can certainly punch. And so you feel it. The other day she gave me a popping slap to the ear
- 1989, Bergljot Hobæk Haff, Den guddommelige tragedie:
- hu kunne ikke henge på seg så mye som et enrada perlebånd, uten at a måtte skotte opp i skyene for å høre hva den aller høyeste mente
- she could not put on as much as a single string of pearls, without having to shoot up into the clouds to hear what the very highest one meant
- (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, she
- 1899, Sfinx, Vi og Voreses, page 45:
- hos Hansens laa dem te klokka var ni, og 10 var a mange ganger ogsaa
- at Hansen's they laid until nine o'clock, and 10 she was many times too
- 1954, Agnar Mykle, Lasso rundt fru Luna, page 476:
- hvor ligger a [duskeluen] henne?
- where is the hat?
- hvor er a katta di?
- where is your cat?
- Synonym: hun
- (dialectal, used enclitically) her; object form of hun (=she)
- hva gjorde du med a?
- what did you do to her?
- 1847–1868, Halfdan Kjerulf, Av hans efterladte papirer, page 245:
- jeg [skrev] klaverstykker … en lille scherzo med nordisk motiv … «gjenta» og «Jørgen Matros», som gjør kur til ’a og «Ola Spelman» som hun foretrækker
- I [wrote] piano pieces… a small scherzo with a Nordic motif… «gjenta» and «Jørgen Matros», which makes cure for her and «Ola Spelman» which she prefers
- 1875, Alexander Erbe, Fra skjærgaarden, page 23:
- [klokkeren] skulle da koste paa a amen
- [the clockmaker] would then cost her amen
- 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden I, page 6:
- jeg kan da gjerne skjære litt mat til a
- I could happily cut some food for her
- 1931, Aksel Sandemose, En sjømann går i land, page 19:
- han stakk henne med kniven, riktig kylt’n midt i magan på a
- he stabbed her with the knife, really threw in the middle of her stomach
- 2010, Helene Guåker, Kjør!:
- flere enn deg i hvert fall, di lørje, svarte jeg og så a midt i aua
- more than you at least, you skank, I answered and looked her in the eye
- hva gjorde du med a?
- (dialectal, about grammatically feminine animals or objects) it, her
- hvis katta stikker av, må du fange a!
- if the cat runs away, you need to catch her!
- 1895, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Over Ævne II, page 136:
- naar kjærka ikke kan holde arbejderne i ave [age], aa faen skal vi saa me’a
- when the church can not keep the workers in duty, what the hell do we do with her then
- Synonym: henne
- hvis katta stikker av, må du fange a!
- (dialectal, used proclitically with a woman's name or female relation) she, her
- 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 96:
- ta a Guldborg
- consider Guldborg
- 1921, Sigrid Undset, Samlede romaner og fortællinger fra nutiden V, page 64:
- har du glemt a mamma
- did you forget about mom
- 2015, Rudolf Nilsen, Samlede dikt, page 88:
- a Paula kom plystrende hjem
- Paula came home whistling
- 2015 March 12, Gerd Nyland, “Fire år uten radio”, in Oppland Arbeiderblad, archived from the original on 2023-01-28:
- a tante Karen, mor hennes Reidun, hadde ordne med sengeplasser i stua, Booken på en divan og a Rita på flatseng på golvet
- aunt Karen, her mother Reidun, had arranged beds in the living room, Booken on a daybed and Rita on a flat bed on the floor
Etymology 8
From Danish ah (“oh”), likely from German ach (“oh”), from Middle High German ach, from Old High German ah. Also see ah and akk.
Interjection
a
- expression of surprise or horror
- a, for noe tøv!
- oh, such nonsense!
- 1888, Herman Colditz, Kjærka, et Atélierinteriør:
- a, det er bare noe drit til han terracottaen
- oh, that is just some crap for that terracotta guy
- expression of admiration or happiness
- a, det gjorde godt!
- oh, that felt good!
- 1897, Fridtjof Nansen, Fram over Polhavet I, page 345:
- a, kunde vi bare gi «Fram» slige vinger
- oh, if only we could give "Fram" wings like that
- used with the words yes and no to give a sense of impatience or rejection
- a jo, men hold nå fred!
- oh yes, but keep quiet now
- 1874, Henrik Ibsen, Fru Inger til Østråt, page 99:
- a nej, det kan være det samme
- oh no, it does not matter
- 1874-1878, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Brytnings-år I, page 25:
- a ja, lad Schirmer tegne staburet
- oh yes, let Schirmer draw the storehouse
- 1988, Arild Nyquist, Giacomettis forunderlige reise:
- verden er vakker, bestemor. Selv når det regner og blåser. A ja da.
- the world is beautiful, grandma. Even when it's raining and windy. Oh yes.
Etymology 9
Mostly likely from Norwegian ad (“against, on”), from Danish ad (“by, at”), from Old Danish at, from Old Norse at (“at, to”), from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, toward, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“to, at”).
Interjection
a
Alternative forms
References
- “a” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
- “a” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
- “a” in Store norske leksikon
- a on the Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia.Wikipedia nb
Norwegian Nynorsk
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑː/
Letter
a (lowercase, uppercase A)
See also
Etymology 3
From Old Norse af, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó.
Preposition
a
- (dialect) alternative form of av
- c. 1700, Sigurd Kolsrud, quoting Jacob Rasch, “Eldste nynorske bibeltekst: Jacob Rasch c. 1700”, in Syn og Segn, volume 56, published 1950, page 110:
- fre a Gud okka far aa Jesu Christo den herræ.
- peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
References
- “a” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
- a on the Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia.Wikipedia nn
Nupe
Pronunciation
- (phoneme): IPA(key): /a/, (after /n/ or /m/) /ã/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/
Particle
à
- not (placed at the end of a clause to negate it)
- Mi de eshìgi à, mi ma de dàǹgi à. ― I don't have a dog, and I don't have a cat.
Etymology 3
Clipping of lá
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /á/
Usage notes
á, which is derived from the verb lá (“to take”), functions like a verb so that the word order in the present perfect tense is that of a serial verb construction.
- Musa shi dùkùn ― Musa bought a pot
- Musa á dùkùn shi. ― Musa has bought a pot. (literally, “Musa took a pot to buy”)
Etymology 4
Clipping of gà
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /à/
Particle
à
- Used to express the future tense (placed before verbs)
- A à lá èbi be nakàn ― They will use a knife to cut the meat
Occitan
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Audio (Béarn) (file)
Old Czech
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.
Descendants
- Czech: a
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.
Conjunction
a
Descendants
- Czech: a
References
- Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “a”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění
Old Danish
Alternative forms
- aa (Jutlandic)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑː/
Etymology 1
From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.
Descendants
- Danish: å
Etymology 2
From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ana.
Descendants
- Danish: på
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *ahu.
Inflection
This noun needs an inflection-table template.
Alternative forms
Further reading
- “ā, ē”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *aiw, from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“eternity, age”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑː/
References
- Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “Á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
References
- Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑ/
References
- Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “a”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Old Galician-Portuguese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa/
Preposition
a
- to; towards
- 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 14 (facsimile):
- fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ faraon.
- ran away with him to Egypt. land of King pharaoh.
- fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ faraon.
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Old Irish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 1
From Proto-Celtic *sosim (“this”).
Alternative forms
- (relative pronoun): an
Article
a
- nominative/accusative singular neuter of in
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Pronoun
a (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause using a deuterotonic or absolute verb form)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 in (definite article)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Conjunction
a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Etymology 3
From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *ēsom (pl), from Proto-Indo-European *ésyo, genitive singular of *ís and *íd; compare Welsh ei (“his, her, its”), eu (“their”); Old High German iro (“their”); and Sanskrit अस्य (asyá, “his, its”), अस्यास् (asyā́s, “her”), and एषाम् (eṣā́m, “their”).
Determiner
a (predicative aí or áe) (triggers lenition in the masculine and neuter singular, an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel in the feminine singular, and eclipsis in the plural)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Etymology 4
From Proto-Celtic *ā (compare Welsh a), from Proto-Indo-European *ō (compare Ancient Greek ὦ (ô), Latin ō).
Alternative forms
Particle
a (triggers lenition)
- O (vocative particle)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Etymology 5
Particle
a (triggers an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel)
- introduces a numeral
- a deich ― ten
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Etymology 6
From Proto-Celtic *exs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs.
Preposition
a (combined with plural article asnaib, combined with 1st singular possessive determiner asmo, combined with 3rd person possessive determiner assa)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Inflection
Person | Normal | Emphatic |
---|---|---|
1st person sing. | asum | |
2d person sing. | essiut | |
3d sing. masc./neut., dative | as(s), es | |
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative | ||
3d sing. fem., dative | e(i)ssi, esse | essisi |
3d sing. fem., accusative | ||
1st person pl. | ||
2d person pl. | ||
3d person pl., dative | es(s)ib, eissib | |
3d person pl., accusative |
Related terms
Further reading
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “7 a (‘out of’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Old Polish
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a. First attested in the first half of 14th century.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. First attested in the first half of 14th century.
Conjunction
a
References
- B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “a”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
- B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “a, ha”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
Old Swedish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aː/
Declension
Descendants
- Swedish: å
References
Ometepec Nahuatl
Palauan
Etymology 1
From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a.
Etymology 2
From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a, from Proto-Austronesian *a.
Papiamentu
Letter
a (lower case upper case, A)
Etymology 3
From Portuguese a.
Usage notes
- Only used in set expressions from Spanish.
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
- (Middle Polish) IPA(key): /a/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -a
- Syllabification: a
Etymology 1
The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.
Letter
a (lowercase, uppercase A)
See also
- see other Polish letters
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) First attested in the the year 1551.[1]
Noun
a n (indeclinable)
- a, near-open central vowel
- samogłoska a ― the vowel a
- powiedzieć a ― to say a
- (music) a (note)
- zagrać a ― to play an a
- zaśpiewać a ― to sing an a
Related terms
Etymology 3
Abbreviation of ar.
Etymology 4
Inherited from Old Polish a.
Conjunction
a
- and, but, whereas (used contrastively)
- A ty? ― And you?
- Wolisz tabletki, a ja wolę zastrzyki. ― You prefer pills whereas I prefer injections.
- and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
- walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil
- and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)
- Poszukasz, a znajdziesz. ― If you seek it, then you shall find it.
- and (used after a verb to indicate it will last a long time)
- pracować a pracować ― to work and work (for a long time)
- such and such (used when the speaker does not want to be more specific, when repeating an element)
- is (used to show some connection between two objects which are very different from each other)
- what about
- Ja jestem gotowy, a ty? ― I'm ready, what about you?
Etymology 5
Inherited from Old Polish a.
Trivia
According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), a is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 555 times in scientific texts, 307 times in news, 507 times in essays, 703 times in fiction, and 1175 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 3226 times, making it the 13th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.[2]
References
- Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “a”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- Ida Kurcz (1990) “a”, in Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej [Frequency dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), volume 1, Kraków, Warszawa: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Języka Polskiego, page 1
Further reading
- a in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- a in Polish dictionaries at PWN
- Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “a”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “a”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
- “A”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2022 May 31
- Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego
- Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
- J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “a”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 1
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- letter
- IPA(key): /a/
- Homophone: à (Brazil)
- Hyphenation: a
Audio (file)
- article, pronoun
Etymology 1
From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin illa (with the disappearance of an initial l; compare Spanish la).
Article
a
- feminine singular of o
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 219:
- Então, como foi a última festinha de Slughorn?
- So, how was the last Slughorn's little party?
- 2007, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] (Harry Potter; 7), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 147:
- Entregou a foto rasgada, [...]
- He handed over the torn photograph, [...]
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:o.
See also
Portuguese articles (edit) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | |
Definite articles (the) |
o | a | os | as |
Indefinite articles (a, an; some) |
um | uma | uns | umas |
Pronoun
a f (third-person singular)
Usage notes
- Becomes -la after verb forms ending in -r, -s, or -z, the pronouns nos (“us”) and vos (“plural you”), and the adverb eis (“here is; behold”); the final letter causing the change disappears.
- After ver (“to see”): Posso vê-la? — “May I see her/it?”
- After pôs (“he/she/it put”): Ele pô-la ali. — “He put her/it there.”
- After fiz (“I made; I did”): Fi-la ficar contente. — “I made her/it become happy.”
- After nos (“us”): Ela deu-no-la relutantemente. — “She gave her/it to us reluctantly.”
- After eis (“here is; behold”): Ei-la! — “Behold her/it!”
- Becomes -na after a nasal vowel or diphthong: -ão, -am [ɐ̃w̃], -õe [õj̃], -em, -êm [ẽj̃].
- Detêm-na como prisioneira. — “They detain her/it as a prisoner.”
- In informal Brazilian Portuguese, the nominative form ela (“she”) is more commonly used.
- Eu a vi. → Eu vi ela.: “I saw her/it.”
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
See also
See Template:Portuguese personal pronouns for more.
Etymology 3
From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”) and ab (“from, away, by”).
Preposition
a
- to, introduces the indirect object
- Synonym: para
- Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.
- Meu coração pertence a você. ― My heart belongs to you.
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 143:
- Deixe-me mostrar a você...
- Let me show it to you...
- 2007, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] (Harry Potter; 7), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 516:
- Não é bonito dizer isso a uma pessoa.
- It's not nice to say that to a person.
- to; towards, indicates destination
- away, indicates a physical distance
- A vila fica a onze milhas ― The village is eleven miles away.
- Comunicação à distância. ― Communication at a distance.
- with; by means of, using as an instrument or means
- Synonyms: com, por meio de
- Mataram o cão a pauladas. ― They bludgeoned the dog to death. (literally, “they killed the dog with bludgeonings”)
- A cavalo. ― On horseback.
- Livro escrito a lápis. ― A book written with a pencil.
- with; on, using as a medium or fuel
- Quadro pintado a óleo. ― A painting painted with oil.
- Fornalha a carvão. ― Coal furnace.
- by, using the specified measurement; in the specified quantity
- É mais barato comprar comida ao quilo. ― It is cheaper to by food by the kilogram.
- Os fracassos ocorrem às dezenas. ― Failures occur by the dozen.
- (preceded and followed by the same word) by, indicates a steady progression
- Synonym: por
- Calma lá. Resolva o problema passo a passo. ― Easy there. Solve the problem step by step.
- in the style or manner of; a la
- (limited use, see usage notes) at, during the specified period
- (rare except in set terms) at; in, indicates a location or position
- Synonym: em
- Isto fica à frente do altar. ― This stays in front of the altar.
- indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis
- A mim ele não engana. ― He doesn’t deceive me. (literally, “To me he doesn’t deceive.”)
- (followed by a verb in the infinitive form) forms the present participle
- Estou a preparar a canja. ― I am preparing the chicken soup.
- (followed by an infinitive or present passive) to, forms the future participle
Usage notes
When followed by a definite article, a is combined with the article to give the following combined forms:
In the sense of to (introducing the indirect object) usage with a personal pronoun can be replaced with an indirect pronoun (me, nos, te, vos, lhe, lhes):
- Deram um livro a ele. → Deram-lhe um livro.
In the sense of at (during the specified period) it can be used with:
- noite (“night”)
- noitinha (“evening”)
- tarde (“afternoon”)
- meio-dia (“noon”)
- meia-noite (“midnight”)
- specific hours
Dia (“day”), manhã (“morning”), madrugada (“early morning”) use de (“of”) instead, which can optionally be used for tarde, noitinha and noite as well. Names of months, days of the month and of the week use em (“in”).
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Descendants
- Indo-Portuguese: a
Alternative forms
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Etymology 5
From homophone há.
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Etymology 6
From homophone à.
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.
Rapa Nui
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa/
- Hyphenation: a
Etymology 1
From Proto-Polynesian *a. Cognates include Maori a and Tongan ʻa.
Article
a
- the personal article, used before proper nouns
Etymology 2
From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *a. Cognates include Hawaiian ā and Maori ā.
Romagnol
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Alternative forms
Pronoun
a (plural a)
Romani
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
- (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, X x, I i, J j, K k, Kh kh, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Ph ph, R r, S s, T t, Th th, U u, V v, Z z International Standard: (À à, Ä ä, Ǎ ǎ), Ć ć, Ćh ćh, (È è, Ë ë, Ě ě), (Ì ì, Ï ï, Ǐ ǐ), (Ò ò, Ö ö, Ǒ ǒ), Rr rr, Ś ś, (Ù ù, Ü ü, Ǔ ǔ), Ź ź, Ʒ ʒ, Q q, Ç ç, ϴ θ. Pan-Vlax: Č č, Čh čh, Dž dž, (Dź dź), Ř ř, Š š, (Ś ś), Ž ž, (Ź ź).
References
- Yūsuke Sumi (2018) “a”, in ニューエクスプレス ロマ(ジプシー)語 [New Express Romani (Gypsy)] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, page 134
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”).
Preposition
a
Etymology 3
From Proto-Romanian, from a late Vulgar Latin *ae(t), from Latin habet.[1]
Verb
(el/ea) a (modal auxiliary, third-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)
- modal auxiliary
- (he/she) has...
- A văzut acest film?
- Has he/she seen this film?
- (he/she) has...
Usage notes
a is used instead of are to form the third-person singular perfect compus.
Sardinian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word) in senses 1 and 2)
Conjunction
a
- (Nuorese) Only used in che a (“like, as”)
- (Campidanese) Only used in tottu a and a tottu
- used in the words for the numbers 17 and 19
- (Logudorese) Only used in degasette (“seventeen”)
- (Campidanese) Only used in dexasetti (“seventeen”) and degannoi (“nineteen”)
- (Nuorese) Only used in decassette (“seventeen”) and decannobe (“nineteen”)
Etymology 2
From Latin ad from Proto-Italic *ad, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
a
- indicates the indirect object; to
- indicates the place; in, to
- denotes the manner; with
- a pe' (Logudorese) ― on foot
Etymology 3
From Latin aut (“or”), from Proto-Italic *auti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewti (“on the other hand”), derived from *h₂ew (“away from, off”). Doublet of o.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word))
Conjunction
a
- (central Sardinia) Used to introduce a question or an exhortation
- a benis? ― are you coming?
- a nos pasamos! ― Let's rest!
Usage notes
Derived terms
- annò
References
- Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a1”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
- Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a2”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
- Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964) “a3”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg
Sassarese
Alternative forms
- ad (before a vowel)
Etymology
From Latin ad, from Proto-Italic *ad, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Preposition
a
- Used to indicate the target or recipient of an action; to, sometimes untranslated
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter VI, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 14, page 19:
- Si però no abeddi a paldunà all’ omini: nemmancu lu voltru Babbu paldunarà a voi li voltri piccaddi.
- [Si però no abeddi a pardhunà a l'omini: nemmancu lu vosthru Babbu pardhunarà a voi li vosthri piccaddi.]
- But, if you won't forgive man, neither will your Father forgive you for your sins.
- c. 19th century, Sebastiano di Branca, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese, volume 1 (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), Cagliari, published 1873, song 1, page 59:
- Divìlu a cha t’ha mandaddu
Ch’iltoggu com’ edda sà,
Ch’è superflu priguntà
Com’ iltazi un dildiciaddu.- [Dìvvilu a ca t'ha mandaddu
Ch'isthoggu com' edda sa
Ch'è superfluu priguntà
Com' isthazi un disdhicciaddu.] - Tell it to the one who sent you, that I feel exactly like she knows; for it is superfluous to ask an unfortunate how he's doing.
- [Dìvvilu a ca t'ha mandaddu
- 1989, Giovanni Maria Cherchi, “Primabéra [Spring]”, in La poesia di l'althri (overall work in Sassarese and Italian), Sassari: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, page 13:
- Lu branu a me no piazi
- I don't like spring
- (literally, “The spring to me is not pleasant”)
- Used to indicate destination; to
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter III, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 7, page 8:
- Videndi però assai di li Farisei, e di li Sadduzzei, chi viniani a lu so’ battisgimu, li dizisi: Razza di pibbari, ca vi ha ammultraddu di fuggì dall’ira, chi debi vinì?
- [Videndi però assai di li Farisei, e di li Sadduzzei, chi vinìani a lu so' battìsgimu, li dizisi: Razza di pìbbari, ca vi ha ammusthraddu di fuggì da l’ira, chi debi vinì?]
- But he, seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were coming to his baptism, told them: "You vipers! Who showed you to flee from the wrath that is to come?
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Pascha d’amòri [Easter of love]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 75:
- Chi prufumi di fiòri,
canti disìzi i lu córi!
Giunti sò li rissignóri
a la Pascha di l’amòri.- Such a sweet smell of flowers; so many desires inside the heart! The nightingales have come to the Easter of love.
- Used to indicate purpose; to
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter II, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 23, page 7:
- E andesi a abità in la ziddai, chi si ciama Nazaret
- And he went to live in the city that is called Nazareth
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Nò è succu nò l'amòri [No, love is not pastina]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 61:
- Sòri e luna gira gira
zi passabani li dì.
Trabagliaba a fà siènda.- Sun and moon going around, the days went by. I was working to make money.
- Used with adverbs expressing position or proximity; to, sometimes untranslated
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter IV, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 17, page 11:
- Caminendi però Gesù vizinu a lu mari di Galilea, vidisi due fraddeddi, Scimoni, chi si ciama Peddru, e Andria so’ fraddeddu, chi gittabani la rezza in mari (palchì erani pilcadori)
- [Caminendi però Gesù vizinu a lu mari di Galilea, vidisi due fraddeddi, Scimoni, chi si ciama Peddru, e Andria so’ fraddeddu, chi gittàbani la rezza in mari (parchì érani pischadori)]
- But Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers: Simon, named Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a drag into the sea (for they were fishers)
- (literally, “Walking however Jesus close to the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, who were throwing a net into the sea (because they were fishers)”)
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, Sassari véccia e nóba; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 77:
- Èdda è sèmpri cu la frébba
candu noi passemu impari
sott’a lu só balchòni.- She always has a fever whenever we pass, together, under her balcony.
- Used to indicate a moment in time; at
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “In triatu [At the theater]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 78:
- Chi nuttada di duròri!
Nò pudia più rassignammi
ma se’ giunta a cunfurthammi
a l’iscida di lu sòri.- What a night of torment! I could no longer make peace with that, but you came to comfort me at the break of dawn.
- (literally, “What a night of pain! I couldn't anymore make peace, but you came to comfort me at the coming out of the sun.”)
- 1989, Giovanni Maria Cherchi, “Dipididda [Departure]”, in La poesia di l'althri (overall work in Sassarese and Italian), Sassari: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, page 15:
- Lu disthinu di l’ommu ciamba pianu,
ma caggi a una zerth’ora […]- The fate of man changes slowly, but it arrives at some point
- Used to indicate a period of time; in
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Nò è succu nò l'amòri [No, love is not pastina]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 61:
- A li festhi, dugna tantu,
i l’isthagnu e i lu riu
cazzïendi a spassamira.- In the festivities, every so often, [I was] hunting in the pond, or in the stream, to have fun.
- in, about, with regard to
- c. 19th century, anonymous author, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese, volume 1 (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), Cagliari, published 1873, song 15, page 87:
- Dunca lu megliu è
Tu pensa a la to’ pazi, ed eju a me.- [Dunca lu mégliu è
Tu pensa a la to' pazi, ed éiu a' me.] - So the best [thing] is: you think about your own peace, and I [think] about myself.
- [Dunca lu mégliu è
- 1989, Giovanni Maria Cherchi, “Un cuntaddu [A tale]”, in La poesia di l'althri (overall work in Sassarese and Italian), Sassari: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, page 49:
- Erani amigghi cari, ma, girosi
l’unu di l’althru, […]
[…]
s’invintàbani umbè d’innamuraddi
gariggendi a ca più fèmmini v'abìa.- They were close friends, but, [being] jealous of one another, they would make up lots of lovers, competing for having the most girls.
- (literally, “They were dear friends, but, jealous one of the other, they invented lots of lovers, competing in who had the most girls.”)
- Used to indicate a comparison; to
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter VI, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 8, page 18:
- No vògliaddi dunca assimigliavvi a eddis. Palchì lu voltru Babbu sa lu chi è nezzessariu a voi, prima chi vi lu dimàndiaddi.
- [No vógliaddi dunca assimigliavvi a eddi. Parchì lu vosthru Babbu sa lu chi è nezzessàriu a voi, prima chi vi lu dimàndiaddi.]
- So do not be similar to them, because your Father knows what you need, before you ask him.
- Denotes the direct object
- 1866 [1770s], Antonio Martini, chapter I, in Giovanni Spano, transl., L'ebagneliu sigundu S. Matteju [The Gospel according to St. Matthew], London, translation of Il santo Vangelo di Gesù Cristo secondo Matteo (in Italian), verse 2, page 1:
- Abramu generesi a Isaccu. Isaccu generesi a Giacobbu. Giacobbu generesi a Giuda, e a li so’ fraddeddi.
- Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers
- c. 19th century, Gavino Serra, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese, volume 2 (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), Cagliari, song 42, page 129:
- Di tanti cantendi, e tanti
Mancuna incantesi a me,
Ma da ch’aggiu intesu a te
Tu sei l’unica ch’incanti.- Of so, so many singers, not one enchanted me; yet, since I've heard you, you're the only one who enchants.
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Tuttu m’ammentu… [I remember everything…]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina, page 123; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN:
- E nò l’aggiu iparadi chissi ingordhi
isthruidori d’abi
pa cuntintà a tè.- And I didn't shoot those greedy destroyers of bees, just to make you happy.
- 1989, Giovanni Maria Cherchi, “Lu trabagliu [Work]”, in La poesia di l'althri (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), Sassari: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, page 23:
- Abà zappu una terra asciutta e tóstha
azzuppendi a la rocca,
a la prunizza. […]- Here I hoe dry, hard land, clashing against rock and thornbush.
- Indicates manner.
- c. 19th century, anonymous author, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese, volume 2 (overall work in Italian and Sassarese), Cagliari, song 15, page 90:
- A cori abbeltu e cun sinziriddai
Ti diggu chi soggu omu- [A cori abbérthu e cun sinziriddai
Ti diggu chi soggu omu] - With an open heart, and with honesty, I tell you that I am a man
- [A cori abbérthu e cun sinziriddai
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “In triatu [At the theater]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 78:
- E più bèdda éri di tanti
chi i li palchi a mill’ischudi,
a pittorri e a brazzi nudi,
facci tinti e in brillanti,
mi pariani puppì
assintadi i la musthrina.- And you were more beautiful than so many [others], who—on thousand-dollars stages, with bare breasts and arms, painted faces, and bejewelled, looked to me like dolls set in a showcase.
- (literally, “And more beautiful you were than many who on the stages for a thousand scudos, with breasts and with arms bare, faces painted and in jewels, to me seemed dolls sat in the showcase.”)
- Indicates shape.
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Ischolta, Rimundì! [Listen, Raimondica!]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 70:
- Peggiu pa tè chi sei fea,
nasu a boccia e musthazzuda,
faccia di giàtta marruda,
vèrdhi cument’e la zèa.- Sucks to be you, being ugly, [with a] ball-shaped nose, and moustached, [with a] sharp catlike face, green like beet.
- Used to introduce a question.
- 1956, Salvator Ruju, “Màggiu [May]”, in Agnireddu e Rusina; republished as Caterina Ruju, editor, Sassari véccia e nóba, Nuoro: Ilisso edizioni, 2001, →ISBN, page 81:
- A mi credi, Rusì, ch’era pinsendi
a Giuseppinu candu sarà mannu?
Mi pari di vidéllu a cabidannu
in mézu a tutti l’althri vinnannendi.- Can you believe, Rosina, that I was thinking about Giuseppino, when he's going to be grown up? I can almost see him, in September, harvesting grapes amongst all the others.
- (literally, “Do you believe me, Rosina, that I was thinking about Giuseppino, when he will be big? It seems to me to see him in September in the middle of all the others harvesting grapes.”)
- 2020 March 25, Ignazio Sanna, “Di nomme fozzu Asdrubale [My name is Asdrubale]”, in Ignazio Sanna - Prosa e poesia in sassarese:
- Ma tu ca sei? Da undi n’accùdi? Ah, t’abìa invitaddu Antonio? A lu sai chi da abà ti baddarài di lu frèddu a la sóra?
- Who are you? Where are you from? Oh, so Antonio invited you? Do you know that from now on you're going to dance alone in the cold?
References
- Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes
Satawalese
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /a/
References
Kevin M. Roddy (2007), "A Sketch Grammar Of Satawalese, The Language Of Satawal Island, Yap State, Micronesia"
Scots
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle English a, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ə]
Usage notes
- Unlike English, this form can be used before both consonant and vowel sounds. However, this is not often the case in written Scots, probably due to the influence of English. [1]
Synonyms
- (before a vowel): an
References
- “a, indef. art.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
References
- “a, adj., adv.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
Scottish Gaelic
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (etymologies 2-8) /ə/, (etymologies 1 and 9) /a/
- Hyphenation: a
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
See also
Pronoun
a (governs the relative form of the verb)
Particle
a (triggers H-prothesis)
- Used before cardinal numbers not succeded by a noun
- A bheil agad a ceithir? ― Do you have four?
Particle
a (triggers lenition)
- Used to mark the infinitive of a verb; to
- Tha mi a' dol a chadal. ― I'm going to sleep.
Etymology 7
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Preposition
a (+ dative, triggers lenition of consonants and Dh-prothesis of vowels)
Etymology 8
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Usage notes
- Less frequently, am may be used before bheil as well.
Alternative forms
References
- MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “a”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Stirling, →ISBN
- Colin Mark (2003) The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1
- Edward Dwelly (1911) “a”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
Serbo-Croatian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 1
See Translingual section.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Etymology 2
From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).
Conjunction
a (Cyrillic spelling а)
- but, and (compare ȁli)
- Učio sam c(ij)elo posl(ij)epodne, a ništa nisam naučio. ― I studied for the whole afternoon, but I didn't learn anything.
- A kako biste vi to napravili? ― And how would you do that?
- while (on the contrary), whereas
- Stolovi su crveni, a stolice su zelene. ― The tables are red, whereas the chairs are green.
- (with da ne) without (usually after negative verbs)
- Ne mogu se uključiti u raspravu, a da ne napravim nered. ― I cannot enter a discussion without making a mess.
- Odlazi, a da nije rekao ni zbogom. ― He's leaving without even saying goodbye.
- (a ȉpāk) and yet
- Pravi prijatelj zna sve o tebi, a ipak te voli. ― The real friend knows everything about you, and yet he loves you.
- (a kȁmoli) not to mention, let alone
- U moru loših v(ij)esti teško je ostati objektivan, a kamoli optimističan. ― In the sea of bad news it's hard to stay objective, let alone optimistic.
- (a + i + da) even if
- A i da jesam to napravio, ne bi to učinilo neku razliku. ― Even if I did it, it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
- (a + i) and so, and also, and too
- Sviđaju mi se plavuše, a i ja se pokojoj svidim. ― I like blondes, and some of them even like me.
- Bili su žalosni, a i ja sam. ― They were sad, and so am I.
Etymology 3
Attested since the 15th century. Probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Slovene a, Russian а (a), Lithuanian õ, Latin ō and Ancient Greek ὦ (ô). These could all derive from Proto-Indo-European interjection *ō (“oh, ah”), but each form in individual languages could easily be an independent, expressive formation.
References
- “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
- “a” in Hrvatski jezični portal
- Skok, Petar (1971) “a”, in Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika [Etymological Dictionary of the Croatian or Serbian Language] (in Serbo-Croatian), volumes 1 (A – J), Zagreb: JAZU, page 1
Sicilian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Etymology 2
From the lenition of la, from the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Usage notes
- As for other Romance languages, such as Neapolitan or Portuguese, Sicilian definite articles have undergone a consonant lenition that has led to the phonetic fall of the initial l. The use of this illiquid variant has not yet made the use of liquid variants disappear, but today it is still the prevalent use in speech and writing.
- In the case of the production of literary texts, such as singing or poetry, or of formal and institutional texts, resorting to "liquid articles" and "liquid articulated prepositions" confers greater euphony to the text, although it may sound a form of courtly recovery.
- Illiquid definite articles can be phonetically absorbed by the following noun. I.e: l'arancina (liquid) and ârancina (illiquid).
Inflection
Sicilian articles | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Masculine singular definite article | Feminine singular definite article | Masculine and feminine plural definite article | ||
Definite articles (liquid) | lu | la | li | |
Definite articles (illiquid) | u | a | i | |
Definite articles | nu (also: un,'n) |
na |
Etymology 3
From the lenition of la, from the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.
Alternative forms
- la (liquid form)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
Pronoun
Usage notes
- This pronoun can blend in contracted forms with other particles, especially other personal pronominal particles.
Inflection
Sicilian pronominal particles | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Masculine singular pronominal particles | Feminine singular pronominal particles | Masculine and feminine plural pronominal particles | ||
mi | mû | mâ | mî | |
ti | tû | tâ | tî | |
ci | ci u | ci a | cî | |
ni | nû | nâ | nî | |
vi | vû | vâ | vî | |
ci | ci u | ci a | cî |
Preposition
a
- indicates the indirect object; to
- Porta stu panaru â nanna.
- Bring this basket to grandma.
- Ê jatti ci piàciunu i pisci.
- Cats like fish.
- (literally, “Fish are pleasable to cats.”)
- E mû dumanni a mìa?
- You're asking that to me?
- indicates the place, used in some contexts, in others in is used; in, to
- Jemu â casa?
- Can we go home?
- (literally, “Can we go to the home?”)
- Cchiui staju a Palermu, a Ruma cci tornu dumani.
- I'm in Palermo now, I'll go back to Rome tomorrow.
- denotes the manner; with
- a pedi, a muzzu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- denotes the direct object, but only if it's not preceded by articles
- Chiama a Paulu.
- Call Paolo.
- E nun ni vidisti cchiui a nuiautri?
- And you didn't see us?
- Ascutassi a mìa, signù!
- Listen to me, ma'am!
Usage notes
Verb
a
- Misspelling of àvi.
Silesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa/
- Rhymes: -a
- Syllabification: a
Etymology 1
The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and a for development of the glyph itself.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Etymology 2
Inherited from Old Polish a.
Conjunction
a
Particle
a
- intensifies agreement
Etymology 3
Inherited from Old Polish a, from Proto-Slavic *a.
Skolt Sami
Pronunciation
- (phoneme) IPA(key): /ɑ/
Etymology 1
See Translingual section.
See also
References
- Juutinen, Markus. 2022. “Russian Loanwords in Skolt Saami”. Finnisch-Ugrische Forschungen 2022 (67):75–126. https://doi.org/10.33339/fuf.110737.
Slovak
Etymology 1
From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.
See also
Etymology 2
From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).
Derived terms
- a čo
- a jednako
- a predsa
- a preto
- a tak
- a teda
Further reading
- “a”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024
Slovene
Etymology 1
From Gaj's Latin alphabet a, from Czech alphabet a, modification of capital A, itself derived from the Etruscan letter 𐌀 (a), from the Ancient Greek letter Α (A, “alpha”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (ʾ, “aleph”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓃾.
Pronunciation
- (phoneme, tonal variety): IPA(key): /áː/, /àː/, /ʌ́/, /a/, [â], [ǎ]
- (phoneme, non-tonal variety): IPA(key): /aː/, /a/
- (letter name): IPA(key): /àː/, /áː/
Audio (letter name, non-tonal) (file) - Rhymes: -aː
- Homophone: a
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
Inflection
- Overall more common
Masculine inan., soft o-stem | |||
---|---|---|---|
nom. sing. | ā | ||
gen. sing. | ā-ja | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative (imenovȃlnik) |
ā | ā-ja | ā-ji |
genitive (rodȋlnik) |
ā-ja | ā-jev | ā-jev |
dative (dajȃlnik) |
ā-ju | ā-jema | ā-jem |
accusative (tožȋlnik) |
ā | ā-ja | ā-je |
locative (mẹ̑stnik) |
ā-ju | ā-jih | ā-jih |
instrumental (orọ̑dnik) |
ā-jem | ā-jema | ā-ji |
- More common when with a definite adjective
Masculine inan., no endings | |||
---|---|---|---|
nom. sing. | ā | ||
gen. sing. | ā | ||
singular | dual | plural | |
nominative | ā | ā | ā |
accusative | ā | ā | ā |
genitive | ā | ā | ā |
dative | ā | ā | ā |
locative | ā | ā | ā |
instrumental | ā | ā | ā |
Etymology 2
Attested since the 18th century. Probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Serbo-Croatian a, Russian а (a), Lithuanian õ, Latin ō and Ancient Greek ὦ (ô). These could all derive from Proto-Indo-European interjection *ō (“oh, ah”), but each form in individual languages could easily be an independent, expressive formation.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /àː/, /áː/, /á/
Audio (non-tonal, long) (file) Audio (non-tonal, short) (file)
Interjection
a
- oh
- Used at the end of a sentence for confirmation, similarly to 'didn't I' in English.
- Tega nisi pričakoval, a? ― You did not expect this, did you?
Etymology 3
From Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Indo-European *ō̃t, which is ablative form of Proto-Indo-European *e- 'this'. Cognates with Serbo-Croatian a, Russian а (a) and Czech a.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/
See also
Further reading
- “a”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
Slovincian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa/
- Syllabification: a
Etymology 1
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a (“and; but”).
Etymology 2
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a (“ah!”).
References
- Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “a”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1
- Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) “ã”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a/, [a]
Audio (Latin America) (file) Audio (Spain) (file) - Homophone: ha
- Rhymes: -a
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A)
See also
Preposition
a
- to
- 1605, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quijote de la Mancha1, Chapter I:
- Tenía en su casa una ama que pasaba de los cuarenta y una sobrina que no llegaba a los veinte, y un mozo de campo y plaza que así ensillaba el rocín como tomaba la podadera.
- He had in his house a housekeeper past forty, a niece under twenty, and a lad for the field and market-place, who used to saddle the hack as well as handle the billhook.
- Tenía en su casa una ama que pasaba de los cuarenta y una sobrina que no llegaba a los veinte, y un mozo de campo y plaza que así ensillaba el rocín como tomaba la podadera.
- 1605, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quijote de la Mancha1, Chapter I:
- by
- at
- Used before words referring to people, pets, or personified objects or places that function as direct objects: personal a.
- Lo busca a usted.
- He is looking for you.
Usage notes
- Personal a is not translated into English.
Derived terms
Sranan Tongo
Pronoun
a
- he, she, it
- ca. 1765, Pieter van Dyk, Nieuwe en nooit bevoorens geziene Onderwyzinge in het Bastert, of Neeger Engels, zoo als het zelve in de Hollandsze Colonien gebruikt word [New and unprecedented instruction in Bastard or Negro English, as it is used in the Dutch colonies], Frankfurt/Madrid: Iberoamericana, retrieved 20 March 2021:
- Odi mijn heer hoe fa joe tan gran tanki fo myn heer a komi ja fo loeke da pranasie wan trom.
- Good day, Sir, how are you? Many thanks to Sir, (that) he has come here to look at the plantation on this occasion.
Usage notes
Sranan Tongo makes no difference between singular and plural forms, except for pronouns and determiners and the definite article. Common nouns referring to a collection of similar items are usually treated as singular where in English they would be grammatically plural, and so are referred to with singular pronouns and determiners and the singular definite article.
Usage notes
This particle is only used when the temporal aspect is unmarked, whether for timeless facts, or for statements where time is not considered relevant.
Sumerian
Swahili
Particle
-a
- The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of
- kitabu cha mtoto ― child's book
- kiini cha yai ― egg yolk (literally, “center of egg”)
Usage notes
- This particle agrees in class with the noun preceding it.
- When used as an adjectival particle, the particle itself is untranslated:
- When used as a genitive particle, the particle is sometimes untranslated:
- Bahari ya Hindi ― Indian Ocean
Inflection
Swedish
Usage notes
- Only used in the noun a dato (from this day) and the adverb a priori (beforehand, in advance).
Letter
See also
Usage notes
Often with multiple As. From an extended (and doubly emphasized – compare mhm) A being used as an agreeing or affirmative response in spoken Swedish.
Tagalog
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog)
- IPA(key): /ˈʔej/ [ˈʔɛɪ̯] (letter name, Filipino alphabet)
- Rhymes: -ej
- IPA(key): /ˈʔa/ [ˈʔa] (letter name, Abakada alphabet, Abecedario)
- Rhymes: -a
- IPA(key): /ˈa/ [ˈa] (phoneme, stressed)
- Rhymes: -a
- IPA(key): /a/ [ɐ] (phoneme, unstressed)
- IPA(key): /ˈʔej/ [ˈʔɛɪ̯] (letter name, Filipino alphabet)
- Syllabification: a
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A, Baybayin spelling ᜁᜌ᜔)
- The first letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Filipino alphabet), called ey and written in the Latin script.
Letter
a (lower case, upper case A, Baybayin spelling ᜀ)
- The first letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abakada alphabet), called a and written in the Latin script.
- (historical) The first letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abecedario), called a and written in the Latin script.
See also
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- the name of the Latin-script letter A/a, in the Abakada alphabetThe time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. the name of the Latin-script letter A/a, in the AbecedarioThe time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Related terms
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Interjection
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Interjection
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. ouch (The time allocated for running scripts has expired.)
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Particle
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Further reading
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Tày
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Particle
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Derived terms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 2
From The time allocated for running scripts has expired.. Cognate with The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- paternal aunt
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- younger sister
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Derived terms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Tok Pisin
Etymology
Imitative or onomatopoeia.
Interjection
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- eh?
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Tokelauan
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 1
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. From The time allocated for running scripts has expired.. Cognates include The time allocated for running scripts has expired. and The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Article
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Derived terms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
Impersonal | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
Definite | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
Indefinite | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
Personal | ||
Nominal | Pronominal | |
Simple | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |
After The time allocated for running scripts has expired./The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
After The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
Etymology 2
From The time allocated for running scripts has expired.. Cognates include The time allocated for running scripts has expired. and The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Preposition
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.; of
See also
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Tooro
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Particle
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.; The time allocated for running scripts has expired.; of
Declension
Noun class | indefinite | definite | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | singular | plural | |
1/2 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
3/4 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
5/6 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
7/8 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
9/10 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
11/10 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
12/14 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
13 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
14/6 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
15/6 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
16 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
18 | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Turkish
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Turkmen
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Tyap
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Interjection
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- you (2nd person subject singular personal pronoun)
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- they (indefinite) (3rd person plural personal pronoun)
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Upper Sorbian
Conjunction
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Further reading
- “a” in Soblex
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 1
Borrowed from The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Noun
(classifier The time allocated for running scripts has expired.) The time allocated for running scripts has expired.The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Verb
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Particle
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Interjection
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Votic
Pronunciation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Conjunction
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- but (Following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather
- However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand
Etymology 3
Natural. Compare The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Walloon
Etymology
From The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Welsh
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Mutation
- a cannot be mutated but, being a vowel, does take The time allocated for running scripts has expired., for example with the word The time allocated for running scripts has expired.:
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Derived terms
- Digraph sequences: The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- see other Welsh letters and their names
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Mutation
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Verb
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Synonyms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 3
From The time allocated for running scripts has expired., from The time allocated for running scripts has expired., from The time allocated for running scripts has expired. (compare The time allocated for running scripts has expired. and The time allocated for running scripts has expired.).
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Conjunction
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Synonyms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. that, which, who (used in 'direct' relative clauses, i.e. where the pronoun refers to the subject or the direct object of an inflected verb (as opposed to a periphrastic construction with bod, to be)).
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Usage notes
- a is not used with the third person singular present of the verb bod, where the relative verb form sydd is used instead
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- not *Y dyn a yw'n ifanc
- a is not used in indirect relative clauses, where the pronoun is part of a genitive or periphrastic construction. Instead the second relative pronoun y is used
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- not *Y dyn a oedd ei chwaer yma
West Makian
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Verb
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Conjugation
Conjugation of a (stative verb) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | |||
inclusive | exclusive | |||
1st person | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |
2nd person | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
3rd person | inanimate | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |
animate | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |||
imperative | —, The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | —, The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Verb
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Usage notes
The verb a ("to eat") takes the same verbal prefixes that directional verbs do.
Conjugation
Conjugation of a (directional verb) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | |||
inclusive | exclusive | |||
1st person | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |
2nd person | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | ||
3rd person | inanimate | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | |
animate | ||||
imperative | The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired. | The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired. |
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Yola
Etymology 1
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. From The time allocated for running scripts has expired., from The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Article
The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- the, in later times the.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 2
From The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., from The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Alternative forms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Article
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- one
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 3
Unstressed form of The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Preposition
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- on
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Preposition
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20050222031415/http://homepage.tinet.ie/~taghmon/histsoc/vol3/chapter4/chapter4.htm
Yoruba
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 2
Likely a The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- we (The time allocated for running scripts has expired.)
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Usage notes
Similar to other shortened subject pronouns, its usage is restricted and can only be found directly before a verb or pre-verbal marker. It cannot be used with particles/discourse markers such as The time allocated for running scripts has expired. or conjunctions such as The time allocated for running scripts has expired., The time allocated for running scripts has expired., and The time allocated for running scripts has expired.. In those cases, The time allocated for running scripts has expired. must be used instead.
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
See Template:yo-personal pronouns.
Yucatec Maya
Pronoun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- you (The time allocated for running scripts has expired.)
Zazaki
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- see other Zazaki letters
Zhuang
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Etymology 1
Compare The time allocated for running scripts has expired..
Synonyms
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Noun
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired. mother
Particle
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Zou
Pronunciation
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
References
- The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
Zulu
Letter
The time allocated for running scripts has expired.
See also
- see other Zulu letters