-ai

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ai"

French

Etymology

Inherited from Latin -āvī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e/

Suffix

-ai

1. forms the first-person singular past historic indicative form of an -er verb

Hungarian

Etymology

-a (possessive suffix) +‎ -i (possessive plural)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɒji]

Suffix

-ai

2. possessive suffix for multiple possessions:
   1. (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (“s/he”) being optional for emphasis)

      ház (“house”) → a házai (“his/her/its houses”), az ő házai (“his/her houses”)

      játék (“toy”) → a játékai (“his/her/its toys”), az ő játékai (“his/her toys”)

   2. (with no noun for possessor, formal) your ……-s (second-person singular, grammatically resembling the third person sg.)

      ház (“house”) → a házai (“your [formal] houses”), az ön házai, a maga házai (“your [formal] houses”)

   3. construed with a noun or certain pronouns as the possessor: ……’s ……-s, ……-s of …… (third-person sg. or pl., depending on the noun or pronoun)

      az ember(nek a) házai ― the person’s houses

      a gyerek(nek a) játékai ― the child’s toys

      az emberek(nek a) házai ― the people’s houses

      a gyerekek(nek a) játékai ― the children’s toys

      az önök házai, a maguk házai ― your (plural, formal) houses

      azok(nak a) házai ― the houses of those

      ki(k)nek a játékai? ― whose toys?

Usage notes

• (possessive suffix) Variants:

  -i is added to words ending in a vowel except -i. Final -a changes to -á-; final -e changes to -é-. The latter feature distinguishes it from the -i (adjective-forming suffix), which does not lengthen the preceding -a/-e.

  -ai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -ei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -jai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i

  -jei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i

  • If the possessed noun is in the plural and the possessor is expressed in English with a possessive pronoun only (rather than a noun), e.g. “their toys” (as opposed to “the children’s toys”), the -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik suffixes are required in Hungarian.

See also

• Category:Hungarian noun forms
• Appendix:Hungarian possessive suffixes

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin -āvī, via -āī. Example: Italian lodai, from Latin laudāvī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaj/
• Rhymes: -aj
• Hyphenation: -ài

Suffix

-ai (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)

1. used with a stem to form the first-person singular past historic of -are verbs

See also

• -erai

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.i/
• Rhymes: -ai
• Hyphenation: -à‧i

Suffix

-ai m pl (non-lemma form of noun-forming suffix or adjective-forming suffix)

1. masculine plural of -aio

Anagrams

• -ia, IA

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• -ae (obsolete)

Suffix

-ai

1. forms the 2^nd-person plural affirmative imperative of 1^st conjugation verbs; appended to the stem

   Amai-vos uns aos outros.

   Love (you all) one another.

Usage notes

Like every other 2nd-person plural conjugation, its use is archaic.

Related terms

• -ei (affirmative imperative for 2nd-conjugation verbs)
• -i (affirmative imperative for 3rd-conjugation verbs)
• -eis (negative imperative for 1st-conjugation verbs)

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin -āre, present infinitive of -ō (1^st-conjugation verbal suffix), from Proto-Italic *-āō. Compare Logudorese and Nuorese -are.

Suffix

-ai (Campidanese)

1. Attached to a stem, forms the present infinitive of most regular verbs

Conjugation

    Conjugation of -ai

infinitive	simple	-ai
	compound	essi or ai + past participle
gerund	simple	-endi, -endu
	compound	sendi or endi + past participle
past participle		-au
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		deu	tui	issu/issa	nosu	bosatrus/bosatras	issus/issas
(simple tenses)	present	-u	-as	-at	-aus	-ais	-ant
	imperfect	-amu, -au	-ast	-at	-amus, -astus	-astis	-ant
	future	apu (a) -ai	as (a) -ai	at (a) -ai	eus (a) -ai	eis (a) -ai	ant (a) -ai
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of essi or ai + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of essi or ai + past participle
	future perfect	future of essi or ai + past participle
conditional		deu	tui	issu/issa	nosu	bosatrus/bosatras	issus/issas
present		emu (a) -ai	iast (a) -ai	iat (a) -ai	emus (a) -ai	estis (a) -ai	iant (a) -ai
perfect		present conditional of essi or ai + past participle
subjunctive		chi deu	chi tui	chi issu/issa	chi nosu	chi bosatrus/bosatras	chi issus/issas
(simple tenses)	present	-i	-is	-it	-eus	-eis	-int
	imperfect	-essi	-essis	-essit	-èssimus	-estis	-essint
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of essi or ai + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of essi or ai + past participle
imperative		deu	tui	issu/issa	nosu	bosatrus/bosatras	issus/issas
		—	-a	-it	-eus	-ai	-int

Derived terms

Sardinian terms suffixed with -ai

Welsh

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ai̯/

Suffix

-ai m (plural -eion)

1. receiver or sufferer of action, -ee

   ‎enwebu (“to nominate”) + ‎-ai → ‎enwebai (“nominee”)

   ‎cyf-weld (“to interview”) + ‎-ai → ‎cyfwelai (“interviewee”)

   ‎morgeisio (“to mortgage”) + ‎-ai → ‎morgeisai (“mortgagee”)

2. (obsolete) agentive suffix, -er

   ‎blawd (“flour”) + ‎-ai → ‎blotai (“beggar of flour; flour merchant”)

   ‎llad (“gift, virtue”) + ‎-ai → ‎llatai (“love messenger, go-between”)

3. (obsolete) instrument

   ‎cymell (“to compel, to induce”) + ‎-ai → ‎cymhellai (“wrench”)

   ‎hidlo (“to strain, to filter”) + ‎-ai → ‎hidlai (“strainer, filter”)

4. (obsolete) gas, -gen

   ‎ul (“moist, damp”) + ‎-ai → ‎ulai (“hydrogen”)

   ‎ufel (“fire”) + ‎-ai → ‎ufelai (“oxygen”)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• (South Wales) (third-person singular conditional): -sai

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ai̯/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɛ/, /a/
• (South Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ai̯/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɛ/

Suffix

-ai

1. (literary) verb suffix for the third-person singular imperfect/conditional
2. (colloquial) verb suffix for the third-person singular conditional

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -ai

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-ai”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
• Morris Jones, John (1913) A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative, Oxford: Clarendon Press, § 143 iv 2