le

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "le"

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from French le.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): (usual pronunciation, like French) /lə/; also (esp. US or online) /leɪ/, (rarely) /li/, (emulating Parisian French) /lø/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -e

Article[edit]

le

  1. (informal, humorous) The.
    • 1949, Michael Maltese, For Scent-imental Reasons, spoken by Penelope Pussycat:
      Le mew. Le purr.
    • 1996 September 28, Game Freak, Pokémon Blue, Nintendo, level/area: S.S. Anne:
      Waiter: 'Bonjour! I am le waiter on this ship! [...] Ah! Le strong silent type!'
    • 2001 June 24, LaManna, “My Weekend...”, in alt.punk‎[4] (Usenet):
      […] upon arrival, le girlfriend realizes she has left her ID back at my house (a 1 1/2 hour roundtrip on the Metro), […]
    • 2002 December 27, Amelia, “Re: Neat things SANTA brought me...”, in alt.fashion‎[5] (Usenet):
      And then le boyfriend perks up and names around 8 different brands (Stila, MAC, Becca, Nars etc..) - I was *SO* proud of him!! :)
    • 2003 January 10, johnny dupe (quoting nowhere man), “Re: I can walk with jezus...”, in alt.fan.wings‎[6] (Usenet):
      That was always OUR song (me and le girlfriend of the time).
    • 2012 October 1, Miranda Kenneally, Stealing Parker, Sourcebooks, Inc., →ISBN, page 63:
      That's when Waitress Seductress Extraordinaire comes back and gets our order. […] "We're sharing an order of à la Appalachia, he says, handing over the menus and turning his focus back to me. Le waitress stomps off. I ask, "Why are they called that?" "Because when they've got the fries stacked up they're higher than a mountain range." I groan and touch my stomach. "You're funny," he says, his eyes twinkling.
Usage notes[edit]

Marks the speaker as pretending to be stereotypically French. For additional jocular effect, may be used where neither English nor French would place a definite article.

Related terms[edit]
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From French lez and lès.

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

le

  1. (obsolete) Next to, near (still used in some place names).
    Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham near an old Roman road.
    Witton-le-Wear, Dalton-le-Dale, Hetton-le-Hole

Anagrams[edit]

Afar[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

lé

  1. (transitive) have

Conjugation[edit]

    Conjugation of le (irregular)
1st singular 2nd singular 3rd singular 1st plural 2nd plural 3rd plural
m f
present indicative I V-affirmative liyóh litóh léh léh linóh litoonúh loonúh
N-affirmative liyó litó lé lé linó litón lón
negative máliyo, máyyu málito, mántu máli máli málino, mánnu máliton málon
present indicative II affirmative present indicative I + imperfective of én
past indicative I lúk + perfective of én
past indicative II lúk + perfective of sugé
present
potential 		affirmative liyóm takkéh litóm takkéh lém takkéh lém takkéh linóm takkéh litoonúm takkéh loonúm takkéh
past
conditional 		affirmative lúk + past conditional of sugé
-h converb -k converb -in(n)uh converb infinitive
líh lúk línnuh líyya

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 284

Albanian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Jussive particle le (“let”) corresponds with 2nd person/singular Aorist form of Albanian lë (“to let/leave (go/behind)”); le (“you let/left (go/behind)”). From Proto-Albanian *laide (“let”).[1] Identical to Baltic permissive and optative particles Latvian lai (“to let”), Lithuanian laĩ, Old Prussian -lai.[2][3][4][5]

Cognate to Albanian lihem (“to be left; allowed”) (Standard & Tosk), Gheg Albanian lêhem, lêna (passive forms of active lë).[6][7]

Verb[edit]

le (aorist láshë, participle lënë)

  1. second-person singular aorist active indicative of lë
  2. second-person singular aorist passive indicative of lihem

Particle[edit]

le (+)

  1. (jussive) let
    Jussive modal particle used before verbs. A gentle way to express orders, instructions or to ask for approval/permission. Jussive construction:
    1. jussive particle → le (“let”)
    2. + subjunctive particle → të (“it”)
    3. + → subjunctive verb form (present, imperfect, perfect or past perfect). See also (*) for irregular verbs.
    Examples: third-person singular present active jussive of marr:
    le (“let”) + të + marrë (“take”)
    le të marrë ― let it take
    third-person singular present passive jussive of merrem:
    le (“let”) + të + merret (“deal (with)”)
    le të merret ― let it deal (with)
    third-person singular present active jussive of shkoj:
    le (“let”) + të + shkojë (“go”)
    le të shkojë ― let him go
    third-person plural present active jussive of shkoj:
    le (“let”) + të + shkojnë (“go”)
    le të shkojnë ― let them go
    third-person singular present active jussive of flas:
    le (“let”) + të + flasë (“talk; speak”)
    le të flasë ― let him talk
    third-person plural present active jussive of flas:
    le (“let”) + të + flasin (“talk; speak”)
    le të flasin ― let them talk
    (*) Irregular verb:
    indicative/present → subjunctive/present
    është (“is”) → jetë (“be”)
    Example: third-person singular present active jussive of jam:
    le (“let”) + të (“it”) + jetë (“be”)
    le të jetë ― let it be
  2. (subjunctive) + që (“that”) → subjunctive: not only that; if only; would that
    Le që... ― Not only that...
  3. (Gheg, subjunctive) → mostly + se (“that”) instead of që (“id”): not only that; if only; would that
    Le se... ― Not only that...

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “le”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 215
  2. ^ Camarda, Demetrio (1864) Saggio di grammatologia comparata sulla lingua albanese (in Italian), Livorno: Successore di Egisto Vignozzi, page 255
  3. ^ Gjergj Pekmezi (1908) Grammar of the Albanian language, transl., Grammatik der albanesischen Sprache (in German), Albanesicher Verein Dija (Albanian Association Dija), Wien - Austria, pages 76-77
  4. ^ Ernst Fraenkel (1962) Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, transl., Litauisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), C. Winter, page 329
  5. ^ Çabej, Eqrem (1976) “le”, in Studime Gjuhësore II, Studime Etimologjike në Fushë të Shqipes, Prishtinë: Rilindja, page 3120
  6. ^ Mann, Stuart E. (1977) An Albanian Historical Grammar‎[1], Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag, →ISBN, page 137
  7. ^ Stuart Edward Mann (1932) A Short Albanian Grammar with Vocabularies, and Selected Passages for Reading, D. Nutt (A.G. Berry), pages 34, 40

Further reading[edit]

  • Oda Buchholz, Wilfried Fiedler, Gerda Uhlisch (2000) Langenscheidt Handwörterbuch Albanisch, Langenscheidt Verlag, →ISBN, page 273 (juss. particle ¹le / ²le (+ që) → subjunc. / verb ³le 2nd p./sg. aor. of lë)
  • [7] jussive particle le (engl. let) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)
  • [8] conjugation active verb lë (e kryera e thjeshtë (engl. Aorist): 1st/sg) lashë; (2nd/sg) le; (3rd/sg) la; (1st/pl) lamë; (2nd/pl) latë; (3rd/pl) lanë) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-Albanian *laida, an ostensibly o-grade thematic present from the root *leyd- (“to let go, release”).

Verb[edit]

le needs inflection

  1. (dialectal) to give birth, bear
    Synonyms: lej, lind
    lehet ― is born
    u le ― to be born
Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

  • Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “lej”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 217
  • AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 56: “nascere” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

Aragonese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ille (“that one”).

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. (to) him (indirect object)

Synonyms[edit]

Bourguignon[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin ille.

Article[edit]

le (alternative form lou, feminine lai, plural les)

  1. the

Breton[edit]

Noun[edit]

le ? (plural leou)

  1. vow

Cornish[edit]

From Proto-Brythonic *lleɣ, from Proto-Celtic *legyom. Cognate to Welsh lle and Breton lec'h.

Noun[edit]

le m (plural leow)

  1. place, location
    Pur vysi yw an le ma der an hav.
    This place is very busy through the summer.
  2. space, seat
    Eus le yn an park kerri na?
    Is there a space in that car park?
    Res yw dhywgh ragerghi le rag an kyttrin leel.
    You need to book a seat for the local bus.

Derived terms[edit]

  • leel (“local”)
  • leelieth (“localism”)
  • yn le (“instead of, in place of, in lieu of”)

Corsican[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illae, feminine plural of ille (“that”), from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian le (“the, them”) and French les (“the, them”).

Article[edit]

le

  1. Archaic form of e.

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. Archaic form of e.

References[edit]

Dalmatian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illae, nominative feminine plural of ille.

Article[edit]

le f pl

  1. the

Related terms[edit]

Danish[edit]

En le – a scythe.

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse lé (“scythe”), from Proto-Germanic *lewô, cognate with Norwegian ljå and Swedish lie.

Noun[edit]

le c (singular definite leen, plural indefinite leer)

  1. scythe (farm tool)
Inflection[edit]
Declension of le
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative le leen leer leerne
genitive les leens leers leernes

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse hlæja, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, cognate with English laugh and German lachen.

Verb[edit]

le (imperative le, present ler, past lo, past participle leet or let)

  1. to laugh (show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face and emission of sounds)
Conjugation[edit]
Inflection of le
present past
simple ler lo
perfect har leet or let havde leet or let
passive les —
participle leende leet or let
imperative le —
infinitive le —
auxiliary verb have —
gerund leen —

See also[edit]

Fala[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illī.

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. Third person dative pronoun; to him, to her, to it, to them

Usage notes[edit]

  • Takes the form -li when suffixed to an impersonal verb form.

See also[edit]

Fala personal pronouns
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

References[edit]

  • Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎[9], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle French le, from Old French le, from Latin illum, by dropping il- and -m. Latin illum is the accusative singular of ille.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

Article[edit]

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

  1. the (definite article)
    Le lait du matin. ― The milk of the morning.
  2. Used before abstract nouns; not translated in English.
    L’amour est aveugle.
    Love is blind.
  3. Used before the names of most countries, many subnational regions, and other geographical names including names of lakes and streets; not translated into English in most cases.
    Je vais visiter le Canada l’année prochaine, surtout l’Ontario et le Québec.
    I will be visiting Canada next year, especially Ontario and Quebec.
    La place Rouge se trouve au cœur de Moscou.
    Red Square is located in the heart of Moscow.
  4. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc.
    Il s’est cassé la jambe. ― He has broken his leg.
  5. (before units) a, an, per
    cinquante kilomètres à l’heure ― fifty kilometres an hour
    trois dollars le morceau ― three dollars per piece
  6. (before dates) on
    Je suis née le 1er juillet 1967. ― I was born on July 1, 1967.

Usage notes[edit]

  • le becomes l’ before a vowel or an unaspirated h.
    l’amour ― love
    l’homme ― the man
  • When the article le is preceded by the prepositions de or à, *de le or *à le is not used; instead, it is always contracted into du or au, respectively. Likewise, *de les and *à les are replaced by des and aux. However, la may be preceded by de and à.
    Il a une cicatrice au visage. ― He has a scar on the face. / He has a scar on his face.
  • *de le and *à le become de l' and à l' respectively in front of a vowel or an unaspirated h.

Pronoun[edit]

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

  1. (direct object) him, it
    Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas.
    Where is Malik? I don't see him.
    Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture.
    My bag? I'm going to put it in the car.
  2. used to refer to something previously mentioned or implied; not translated in English
    Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi. ― I am small and he is too (literally, “... and he is it too”)

Usage notes[edit]

  • Unlike the definite article le, the pronouns le and les may be preceded by the prepositions de and à: Je cherchais à le voir. ― I was trying to see him.

Related terms[edit]

French personal pronouns
Number Person Gender Nominative
(subject) 		Accusative
(direct complement) 		Dative
(indirect complement) 		Disjunctive
(tonic)
Singular First — je, j’ me, m’ moi
Second — tu te, t’ toi
Third Masculine il le, l’ lui lui
Feminine elle la, l’ elle
Gender neutral5 iel lea ellui
Indeterminate on1 — — —
Reflexive — se, s’4 soi4
Plural First — nous nous nous
Second — vous2 vous2,3 vous2
Third Masculine ils3 les leur eux
Feminine elles elles
Gender neutral5 iels elleux
1 Also used as the first person plural.
2 Also used as the polite singular form.
3 Also used when a group has both men and women.
4 Also used as third person plural reflexive.
5 Colloquial, and not in popular use.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dauzat, Albert with Jean Dubois, Henri Mitterand (1964) “le, la, les”, in Nouveau dictionnaire étymologique (in French), Paris: Librairie Larousse

Further reading[edit]

Friulian[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

le (third person feminine direct object)

  1. her

Related terms[edit]

Fula[edit]

Particle[edit]

le

  1. (Pular, Maasina) as for, truly
    aan le?
    and as for you?
    (Maasina)
    O yahii le!
    He really left!
    (Pular)

References[edit]

Galician[edit]

Verb[edit]

le

  1. inflection of ler:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Garifuna[edit]

Article[edit]

le

  1. masculine definite article
    Mutu le ― The man

Antonyms[edit]

Hungarian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

le (comparative lejjebb)

  1. down

Usage notes[edit]

This term may also be part of the split form of a verb prefixed with le-, occurring when the main verb does not follow the prefix directly. It can be interpreted only with the related verb form, irrespective of its position in the sentence, e.g. meg tudták volna nézni (“they could have seen it”, from megnéz). For verbs with this prefix, see le-; for an overview, Appendix:Hungarian verbal prefixes.

Further reading[edit]

  • le in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Anagrams[edit]

Ido[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from Italian le.

Article[edit]

le (plural)

  1. the (used only when there is no other sign of plurality, for example with nominalized adjectives)
    Yen pomi, prenez le bona e lasez le mala.
    Here's apples, take the good ones and leave the bad ones.
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

le (plural le-i)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter L/l.
See also[edit]

Interlingua[edit]

Article[edit]

le

  1. the

Usage notes[edit]

  • de le is contracted into del.
  • a le is contracted into al.

Pronoun[edit]

le m (plural les)

  1. him (direct object)
    Io le appella mi amico. ― I call him my friend.

Irish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From a conflation of two Early Modern Irish prepositions:

  1. re (“to”), from Old Irish fri, from Proto-Celtic *writ- (compare Welsh wrth, prefix gwrth-), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”) (compare Latin versus (“against”)).
  2. le (“with”), from Old Irish la, from Proto-Celtic *let-, from Proto-Celtic *letos (“side”) (compare leath, Welsh lled).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

le (plus dative, triggers h-prothesis, before the definite article leis)

  1. with
    le héadach ― with clothing
  2. used in conjunction with the copula particle is and a noun to indicate possession
    Is liomsa an hata.
    The hat is mine; the hat belongs to me.
    Is le Cáit an peann luaidhe.
    The pencil is Cáit’s; the pencil belongs to Cáit.
  3. (in conjunction with the copula particle is and an adjective) in the opinion of, in the consideration of
    Is beag liom an cheist.
    The issue is unimportant to me/in my opinion.
  4. to (indicating purpose; in this sense triggering eclipsis of ithe (“eating”) and ól (“drinking”))
    rud le n-ithe ― something to eat
    oiriúnach le n-ól ― fit to drink
    ró-the le n-ól ― too hot to drink
  5. to (after a verb of speaking)
    • Níl sé ina lá (Irish traditional song):
      Is é dúirt sí liom “ní bhfaighidh tú deor. / Buail an bóthar is gabh abhaile.”
      And what she said to me was, “you won’t get a drop. / Hit the road and go home.”
  6. in order to
    le rud a dhéanamh ― in order to do a thing
    Synonyms: chun, d'fhonn

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of le
Person Normal Emphatic
1st person sing. liom liomsa
2d person sing. leat leatsa
3d sing. masc. leis leis-sean
3d sing. fem. léi léise
1st person pl. linn linne
2d person pl. libh libhse
3d person pl. leo leosan

Derived terms[edit]

See Category:Irish phrasal verbs with particle (le)

See also[edit]

Irish preposition contractions
Basic form Contracted with Copular forms
an (“the sg”) na (“the pl”) mo (“my”) do (“your”) a (“his, her, their; which (present)”) ár (“our”) ar (“which (past)”) (before consonant) (present/future before vowel) (past/conditional before vowel)
de (“from”) den de na
desna*		 de mo
dem*		 de do
ded*, det*		 dá dár dar darb darbh
do (“to, for”) don do na
dosna*		 do mo
dom*		 do do
dod*, dot*		 dá dár dar darb darbh
faoi (“under, about”) faoin faoi na faoi mo faoi do faoina faoinár faoinar faoinarb faoinarbh
i (“in”) sa, san sna i mo
im*		 i do
id*, it*		 ina inár inar inarb inarbh
le (“with”) leis an leis na le mo
lem*		 le do
led*, let*		 lena lenár lenar lenarb lenarbh
ó (“from, since”) ón ó na
ósna*		 ó mo
óm*		 ó do
ód*, ót*		 óna ónár ónar ónarb ónarbh
trí (“through”) tríd an trí na trí mo trí do trína trínár trínar trínarb trínarbh
*Dialectal.

Further reading[edit]

Italian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /le/
  • Rhymes: -e
  • Hyphenation: le

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin illae, which is the nominative plural feminine of ille.[1]

Article[edit]

Italian Definite Articles
singular plural
masculine il
lo/l' 		i
gli
feminine  la/l' le

le f pl (singular la)

  1. the
Usage notes[edit]
  • Contrary to la, le does not elide before words that begin with a vowel:
    le amiche ― (the female) friends

Pronoun[edit]

le f pl (masculine li, singular la)

  1. (accusative) them (third-person plural feminine)
    Le ho viste. ― I saw them.
Usage notes[edit]
  • Never elides.
  • Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
Alternative forms[edit]
See also[edit]
Italian personal pronouns
Number Person Gender Nominative Reflexive Accusative Dative Conjunctive Disjunctive Locative Partitive
Singular first — io mi, m', -mi me me —
second — tu ti, t', -ti te te
third m lui si2, s', -si lo, l', -lo gli, -gli glie, se2 lui, sé ci, c',
vi, v' (formal) 		ne, n'
f lei, Lei1 la, La1, l', L'1, -la, -La1 le3, Le1, -le3, -Le1 lei, Lei1, sé
Plural first — noi ci, c', -ci ce noi —
second — voi, Voi4 vi, Vi4, v', V'4, -vi, -Vi4 ve voi, Voi4
third m loro, Loro1 si, s', -si li, Li1, -li, -Li1 gli, -gli, loro (formal),
Loro1 		glie, se loro, Loro1, sé ci, c',
vi, v' (formal) 		ne, n'
f le, Le1, -le, -Le1
1 Third person pronominal forms used as formal terms of address to refer to second person subjects (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
2 Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
3 Often replaced by gli, -gli in informal language.
4 Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).

Etymology 2[edit]

From Vulgar Latin *illae, a nonstandard form of Latin illī (dative singular of illa). The ae in illae is modelled under influence of the dative case for first-declension feminine nouns, e.g. Classical Latin puellae.

Pronoun[edit]

le f (plural gli)

  1. (dative) her, to her
    Synonym: (informal) gli
    Le ho detto che la amo. ― I told her that I love her.
    Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave her the letter.
  2. (dative) you, to you (term of respect)
    Non le ho detto il mio nome. ― I didn't tell you my name.
    Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave you the letter.
Usage notes[edit]
  • In formal writing, when le is used as term of respect it is usually capitalised/capitalized as Le to avoid confusion with le (“her”).
  • In informal contexts often replaced with gli, especially in spoken language.
  • Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
  • Never elides.
Alternative forms[edit]
See also[edit]
Italian personal pronouns
Number Person Gender Nominative Reflexive Accusative Dative Conjunctive Disjunctive Locative Partitive
Singular first — io mi, m', -mi me me —
second — tu ti, t', -ti te te
third m lui si2, s', -si lo, l', -lo gli, -gli glie, se2 lui, sé ci, c',
vi, v' (formal) 		ne, n'
f lei, Lei1 la, La1, l', L'1, -la, -La1 le3, Le1, -le3, -Le1 lei, Lei1, sé
Plural first — noi ci, c', -ci ce noi —
second — voi, Voi4 vi, Vi4, v', V'4, -vi, -Vi4 ve voi, Voi4
third m loro, Loro1 si, s', -si li, Li1, -li, -Li1 gli, -gli, loro (formal),
Loro1 		glie, se loro, Loro1, sé ci, c',
vi, v' (formal) 		ne, n'
f le, Le1, -le, -Le1
1 Third person pronominal forms used as formal terms of address to refer to second person subjects (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
2 Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
3 Often replaced by gli, -gli in informal language.
4 Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).

References[edit]

  1. ^ Patota, Giuseppe (2002) Lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano (in Italian), Bologna: il Mulino, →ISBN, page 127

Anagrams[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

le

  1. Rōmaji transcription of れ゚
  2. Rōmaji transcription of レ゚

Maltese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Arabic لَا (lā). Cognate with Hebrew לא (lō).

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

le

  1. no
    Synonym: leqq (colloquial)

Related terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

le (le5／le0, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄜ)

  1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 了
  2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 餎／饹

le

  1. Nonstandard spelling of lē.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of lè.

Usage notes[edit]

  • 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.

Mauritian Creole[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French le.

Pronunciation[edit]

Article[edit]

le

  1. (definite) the

Meriam[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Rotuman.

Noun[edit]

le

  1. person

Middle French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French le, from Latin illum.

Article[edit]

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

  1. the

Descendants[edit]

  • French: le

Neapolitan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. Alternative form of 'e

Coordinate terms[edit]

Number Person Nominative Accusative Dative Reflexive Possessive Prepositional
singular first-person io (i') me mìo, mìa, mieje, meje me, méne
second-person, familiar tu te tùjo, tòja, tùoje, tòje te, téne
second-person, formal vuje ve vuósto, vósta, vuóste, vóste vuje
third-person, masculine ìsso 'o, 'u (lo, lu) 'i, 'e (li, le) se sùjo, sòja, sùoje, sòje ìsso
third-person, feminine éssa 'a (la) 'e (le) éssa
plural first-person nuje ce nuósto, nòsta, nuóste, nòste nuje
second-person, plural vuje ve vuósto, vòsta, vuóste, vòste vuje
third-person, masculine ìsse 'i, 'e (li, le) llòro se llòro (invariable) llòro
third-person, feminine llòro 'e (le)

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse hlé.

Adjective[edit]

le (indeclinable)

  1. lee or leeward (side)

Noun[edit]

le n

  1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
  2. shelter

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”).

Verb[edit]

le (imperative le, present tense ler, passive -, simple past lo, past participle ledd, present participle leende)

  1. to laugh

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”),[1] from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from the Proto-Indo-European root *klel-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Akin to English laugh.

Alternative forms[edit]

Verb[edit]

le (present tense ler, past tense lo, supine ledd or lett, past participle ledd, present participle leande, imperative le)

  1. (intransitive) to laugh
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old Norse hlé.[1] Akin to English lee.

Noun[edit]

le n (definite singular leet, indefinite plural le, definite plural lea)

  1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
  2. shelter

Adjective[edit]

le (indeclinable)

  1. lee or leeward (side)

Etymology 3[edit]

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb[edit]

le

  1. imperative of lea

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “le” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
  2. ^ Ivar Aasen (1850) “læ”, in Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog‎[2] (in Danish), Oslo: Samlaget, published 2000
  3. ^ Ivar Aasen (1850) “læja”, in Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog‎[3] (in Danish), Oslo: Samlaget, published 2000

Anagrams[edit]

Old French[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • lo (9th century in The Sequence of Saint Eulalia and 10th century in La Vie de Saint Léger)

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illum.

Pronunciation[edit]

Article[edit]

le

  1. the (masculine singular oblique definite article)
  2. (Picardy, Anglo-Norman) the (feminine singular definite article)

Usage notes[edit]

When coming after en, the two words combine into el.

Inflection[edit]

Old French definite articles
Declension of the definite article le
singular plural
masculine feminine masculine feminine
nominative li la, le 1 li les
oblique le 1 la 1 les les
1 These singular forms elide to l' before a vowel or non-aspirate h.

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. it (masculine singular object pronoun)

Descendants[edit]

  • Middle French: le
    • French: le

Anagrams[edit]

Old Polish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): (10th–15th CE) /lʲɛ/
  • IPA(key): (15th CE) /lʲɛ/

Conjunction[edit]

le

  1. but
  2. only
  3. that is, namely

Related terms[edit]

conjunction

Descendants[edit]

  • Middle Polish: le

Phalura[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Determiner[edit]

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

  1. that, this (agr: dist fem / dist non-nom masc)

References[edit]

  • Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[10], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 2[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Determiner[edit]

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

  1. those, these (agr: dist)

References[edit]

  • Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[11], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 3[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

  1. that one
  2. it
  3. she (dist fem nom)

References[edit]

  • Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[12], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 4[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

  1. those ones
  2. these ones
  3. they (dist nom)

References[edit]

  • Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎[13], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Pnar[edit]

Pnar cardinal numbers
 <  2 3 4  > 
    Cardinal : le
    Ordinal : wa le

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Khasian *laːj. Cognate with Khasi lai. Compare Proto-Palaungic *ləʔɔːj (whence Blang [La Gang] lɔ́j) and Car Nicobarese lōe.

Pronunciation[edit]

Numeral[edit]

le

  1. (cardinal number) three

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illīs, dative common plural of ille.

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

le m (unstressed dative form of ei)

  1. (indirect object, third-person masculine plural) to them (all-male or mixed group)

Pronoun[edit]

le f (unstressed dative form of ele)

  1. (indirect object, third-person feminine plural) to them (all-female group)

Pronoun[edit]

le m (unstressed accusative form of ele)

  1. (direct object, third-person feminine plural) them (all-female group)

Related terms[edit]

  • lor (stressed dative of ei and ele)
  • ele (stressed accusative of ele)
  • îl (unstressed dative of el (singular))
  • îi (unstressed dative of ea (singular) and unstressed accusative of ei (masculine))
  • o (unstressed accusative of ea (singular))

Samoan[edit]

Article[edit]

le

  1. the (the definite article)

Usage notes[edit]

Only in the singular. Sometimes used where the indefinite article would be used in English.

See also[edit]

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish la. Cognates include Irish le and Manx lesh.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /le/
  • Hyphenation: le

Preposition[edit]

le (+ dative, no mutation, before the definite article leis)

  1. with
  2. by
  3. down
    Thuit e leis a' chreig. ― He fell down the rock.
    deòir a' ruith leis a h-aodann ― tears running down her face

Usage notes[edit]

  • When referring to being with people, còmhla ri is preferred to le by many speakers.

Inflection[edit]

Personal inflection of le
Number Person Simple Emphatic
Singular 1st leam leamsa
2nd leat leatsa
3rd m leis leis-san
3rd f leatha leathase
Plural 1st leinn leinne
2nd leibh leibhse
3rd leotha leothasan
Possessive declension of le
Singular Plural
First person lemL lerN
Second person ledL lurN
Third person m le aL lenN, lemN 1)
Third person f le aH
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; N Triggers eclipsis; 1) Used before b-, f-, m- or p-

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Adverb[edit]

le (Cyrillic spelling ле)

  1. (archaic) only

Related terms[edit]

Slovene[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

lȅ

  1. only, merely, just
    • 2024, Raiven (lyrics and music), “Veronika”:
      Tvojo resnico le ona ve.
      Only she knows your truth.

Further reading[edit]

  • “le”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Southern Ndebele[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

Etymology 2[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin illī, dative of ille.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /le/ [le]
  • Audio (Colombia):(file)
  • Rhymes: -e
  • Syllabification: le

Pronoun[edit]

le m or f by sense

  1. to him, for him; dative of él
    Mi mamá va a escribirle una carta.
    My mom is going to write him a letter.
  2. to her, for her; dative of ella
    Le dio un beso a Ana.
    He gave Ana a kiss.
  3. to it, for it; dative of ello
    ¡Ponle esfuerzo!
    Put some effort into it!
  4. to you, for you (formal); dative of usted
    ¿A usted le gustan los caballos?
    Do you like horses?

Usage notes[edit]

  • Though le is usually the indirect object form of the direct object pronouns lo/la, it is often used in Spain as a direct object as well...e.g., yo le amo (“I love him”). This phenomenon is known as leísmo.
  • Note that when a sentence contains a noun that is an indirect object, a redundant indirect object le (or its plural form les) is also required; for example yo le daré el libro a Jorge (literally “I will give him the book to Jorge”), where him/le corresponds to Jorge. This type of pronoun is obligatory. Both of the object pronouns le and les become se when followed by the direct object lo/la/los/las; hence, yo se lo daré (“I will give it to him/her/them”) rather than *yo le/les lo daré.

Pronoun[edit]

le gender-neutral

  1. (gender-neutral, neologism) to them, for them (singular); dative of elle
    Le diré que te llame.
    I will tell them to call you.

See also[edit]

Spanish personal pronouns
nominative dative accusative disjunctive
first person singular yo me mí1
plural masculine2 nosotros nos nosotros
feminine nosotras nosotras
second person singular tuteo tú te ti1
voseo vos vos
formal3 usted le, se4 lo/la5 usted
plural familiar6 masculine2 vosotros os vosotros
feminine vosotras vosotras
formal/general3 ustedes les, se4 los/las5 ustedes
third person singular masculine2 él le, se4 lo él
feminine ella la ella
neuter ello7 lo ello
plural masculine2 ellos les, se4 los ellos
feminine ellas las ellas
reflexive — se sí1
  1. Not used with con; conmigo, contigo, and consigo are used instead, respectively
  2. Like other masculine Spanish words, masculine Spanish pronouns can be used when the gender of the subject is unknown or when the subject is plural and of mixed gender.
  3. Treated as if it were third-person for purposes of conjugation and reflexivity
  4. If le or les precedes lo, la, los, or las in a clause, it is replaced with se (e.g., Se lo dije instead of Le lo dije)
  5. Depending on the implicit gender of the object being referred to
  6. Used primarily in Spain
  7. Used only in rare circumstances

Further reading[edit]

Swahili[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

-le (declinable)

  1. that (distal demonstrative adjective)

Inflection[edit]

Inflected forms of -le
Noun class singular plural
m-wa class(I/II) yule wale
m-mi class(III/IV) ule ile
ji-ma class(V/VI) lile yale
ki-vi class(VII/VIII) kile vile
n class(IX/X) ile zile
u class(XI) ule see n(X) or ma(VI) class
pa class(XVI) pale
ku class(XVII) kule
mu class(XVIII) mle

See also[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Swedish lēia, lea, from Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

le (present ler, preterite log, supine lett, imperative le)

  1. to smile
    Hon log brett ― She smiled broadly
  2. (obsolete) to laugh

Conjugation[edit]

Conjugation of le (class 6 strong)
Active Passive
Infinitive le les
Supine lett letts
Imperative le —
Imper. plural1 len —
Present Past Present Past
Indicative ler log les logs
Ind. plural1 le logo les logos
Subjunctive2 le loge les loges
Participles
Present participle leende
Past participle —
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Tarantino[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Article[edit]

le m pl or f pl

  1. the

Turkish[edit]

Noun[edit]

le

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

See also[edit]

Vietnamese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

(classifier cây) le

  1. a plant in the rice family, which grows in forests and has a shape similar to bamboo

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

(classifier con) le • (𪅆)

  1. (obsolete, zoology) lesser whistling duck
    • Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải 南交古金里巷歌謠註解 ("Old and new folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys in Nanjiao, annotated and explained"), 151a
      𡥵𪅆奴𣵰𡥵𪂮奴𱝩
      Con le nó lặn; con cò nó bay.
      The lesser whistling duck dives; the stork flies.
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms

Etymology 3[edit]

Verb[edit]

le

  1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) Alternative form of lè (“to loll (tongue); to put out”)

Etymology 4[edit]

Adverb[edit]

le

  1. (rare) Alternative form of lè (“very”)

Etymology 5[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

le

  1. (archaic) but; however
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms

Welsh[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

le

  1. Soft mutation of lle.

Adverb[edit]

le

  1. (South Wales, colloquial) where
    Le ma'r tŷ bach?
    Where's the loo?

Synonyms[edit]

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
lle le unchanged unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Xhosa[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

lé

  1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

Etymology 2[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

lé

  1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

Yoruba[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Verb[edit]

lè

  1. (auxiliary, defective) to be able, can, to be possible
    Ó lè gbọ́ Yorùbá. ― She can understand Yoruba.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

le

  1. to be hard in texture, to be difficult
    Iṣẹ́ náà le bí ojú ẹja. ― The work is as hard as a fish's eye.
  2. (idiomatic) to be healthy, to be in good health
    Synonym: yá
    ṣe ará le o? ― Are you in good health?
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Verb[edit]

le

  1. to have a strong taste
    Ọtí yìí le. ― This beer is strong.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

Verb[edit]

le

  1. to have an erection (of the penis)
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 5[edit]

Verb[edit]

lé

  1. (transitive) to exceed in number
  2. to yield interest
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 6[edit]

Verb[edit]

lé

  1. (intransitive) to appear distinctly
Derived terms[edit]
  • Alébíoṣù (“A Yoruba nickname meaning, "One that appears very distinctly like the moon."”)
  • léfòó

Etymology 7[edit]

Preposition[edit]

lé

  1. on, on top of, after
    Wọ́n bí Àlàbá lé Ìdòwú. ― Alaba was born right after Idowu.
Usage notes[edit]

When a word is homophonous with the verb 'lé'; it always occurs in a non-V1 position.

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 8[edit]

Verb[edit]

lé

  1. (transitive) to pursue, to chase
    Wọ́n lé e nílèékulèé, òun náà sàsàákúsàá. ― They pursued him relentlessly, and he also ran relentlessly.
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 9[edit]

Verb[edit]

lé

  1. (transitive) to become swollen
    Synonyms: ré, wú
Derived terms[edit]

Zou[edit]

Conjunction[edit]

le

  1. and

References[edit]

Zulu[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.
Inflection[edit]
Stem -lé
Full form lé
Locative kule
Full form lé
Locative kule
Copulative yile
Possessive forms
Modifier Substantive
Class 1 wale owale
Class 2 bale abale
Class 3 wale owale
Class 4 yale eyale
Class 5 lale elale
Class 6 ale awale
Class 7 sale esale
Class 8 zale ezale
Class 9 yale eyale
Class 10 zale ezale
Class 11 lwale olwale
Class 14 bale obale
Class 15 kwale okwale
Class 17 kwale okwale

Etymology 2[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun[edit]

le

  1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.
Inflection[edit]
Stem -lé
Full form lé
Locative kule
Full form lé
Locative kule
Copulative yile
Possessive forms
Modifier Substantive
Class 1 wale owale
Class 2 bale abale
Class 3 wale owale
Class 4 yale eyale
Class 5 lale elale
Class 6 ale awale
Class 7 sale esale
Class 8 zale ezale
Class 9 yale eyale
Class 10 zale ezale
Class 11 lwale olwale
Class 14 bale obale
Class 15 kwale okwale
Class 17 kwale okwale

References[edit]

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