а

Character	а
Unicode name	CYRILLIC SMALL LETTER A
Cyrillic	U+0430

See also: А and Appendix:Variations of "a"

Translingual

Cyrillic letter А а (A a), normal above, italics below.

Handwritten forms

Etymology

From early Cyrillic letter azǔ, created in the tenth century from Greek α (a, “alpha”).

Letter

а (lower case, upper case А)

1. The first letter of several Cyrillic alphabets.

Related terms

• a (Latin alphabet)

See also

• Appendix:Alphabets#Cyrillic alphabets
• Entries in the English Wiktionary beginning with а
• Wikipedia article on the Cyrillic alphabet

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Adyghe

Alternative forms

• ӏа

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔaː]

Determiner

а • (ā)

1. that, Calling article (o)

   а бэнанэ — that banana

   а пшъашъэ — that girl

   а кӏалэм еӏуэ — that boy is saying

Letter

а • (ā) (lower case, upper case А)

1. The first letter of the Adyghe Cyrillic alphabet.

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Bulgarian

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

а • (a) (lower case, upper case А)

1. The first letter of the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet. It is followed by the letter б (b).

Particle

а • (a)

1. used in orders for emphasis, let’s, just

   А върви де! - Come on, go ahead!

   А да идем на кино. - Let’s go to the pictures.

   А удари ме, ако смееш. - Just you hit me, if you dare.

   Кажи де, а кажи! - Speak up, do!

2. just, about to, on the point of, almost

   разперила криле, а-а да хвръкне - with wings spread out, about to fly off

Interjection

а • (a)

1. used to express surprise or wonder, ah, oh, ha, why

   А, ето къде си бил! - Ah, there you are!

   А, значи ти хареса. - Oh, so you liked it.

   А! Не те видях. - Oh! I didn't see you there.

   А, Джейн, ти ли си! - Why Jane, it's you!

2. used to express pleasure, relief, ah

   А, пролетните цветя. - Ah, the flowers of spring.

   А, спомням си старите времена. - Ah, I remember the good old days.

3. used when you are not certain about something and you would like confirmation, eh, well, right, or translated with a tag question

   Хареса ти, а? - So, you liked it, eh/did you?

   Утре заминаваш, а? - You're leaving tomorrow, right?

4. (colloquial) used to indicate that one did not hear what was said, eh, huh

   ‘Не съм гладен.’ ‘А?’ ‘Казах, че не съм гладен.’ - ‘I'm not hungry.’ ‘Eh?’ ‘I said I'm not hungry.’

   А? Какво каза? - Huh? What did you say?

5. used to express understanding, recognition, or realization, oh

   А, значи така работело. - Oh, so that's how it works.

   А, сега ми дойде на ум! - Oh, I’ve just thought of it.

   А, да, сетих се! - Oh, yes, I remember.

6. used to express displeasure, objection

   Изпуснал влака … ама работа, а! - So he missed the train … what a damned nuisance!

   А, той ще ми каже! - He's not the one to tell me!

   Ще ми се плезиш, а! - Don't stick out your tongue at me!

7. used to express criticism or disapproval, now

   А-а, така не може! - Now, this sort of thing can’t go on/won’t do!

   А, Били, така не се говори на майка си! - Now, Billy, that's no way to talk to your mother!

Pronunciation 2

• (stressed) IPA^(key): /a/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /ɐ/, /ə/

Conjunction

а • (a)

1. used to describe how two facts are different, whereas, while

   Мислехме си, че е арогантна, а всъщност просто беше много срамежлива. - We thought she was arrogant, whereas in fact she was just very shy.

   Той има кафяви очи, а децата му имат зелени очи. - He has brown eyes whereas his children have green eyes.

   Едни се раждат, а други умират. - Some are born while others die.

2. used to introduce an idea that is different or opposite to the idea that is desired, expected or that you have stated previously, but, yet, rather

   Не музиката не харесвам, а самата банда. - It's not the music I don't like but (rather) the band themselves.

   Тя получи повишението не заради късмет, а с усърдна работа. - She got the promotion not by luck but by hard work.

   Стените не бяха бели, а по-скоро мръсно сиви. - The walls were not white, but rather a sort of dirty grey.

   Той има добра работа, а като че ли никога няма пари. - He has a good job, and yet he never seems to have any money.

   Мислех си, че те познавам, а колко съм грешал. - I thought I knew you, yet how wrong I was.

   Видях го вчера, а не днес. - I saw him yesterday, not today.

3. used to start a new sentence or clause that continues or adds to a previous sentence or clause, and

   Минаха години и всичко се промени. А той все още не се завръщаше. - Years passed and everything changed. And he still hadn't come back.

Synonyms

• но, ала, ама

See also

• а... а...

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Chechen

Etymology

Compare Ingush а (a).

Conjunction

а • (a)

1. and

See also

• и (i)

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Ingush

Etymology

Compare Chechen а (a).

Conjunction

а • (a)

1. and

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Old Church Slavonic

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *a.

Conjunction

а • (a)

1. and
2. but

Descendants

• Russian: а (a)
• Serbo-Croatian: a

• Slovene: a

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Russian

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

See Translingual section.

Letter

а • (a) (lower case, upper case А)

1. The first letter of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. It is followed by the letter б (b).
2. The name of the Roman letter A, a in Russian.

Usage notes

The Russian name for а (a) is а (ā), and in stressed syllables it has the sound of the long a in father. In unstressed positions, it is pronounced as a schwa, like the o in mother. (Unstressed Russian а (a) is pronounced the same as unstressed Russian о (o).)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ōd (presumed to be the ablative of *éy, h₁e). Cognate with Lithuanian õ (“and, but”).

Possible link with Lithuanian ar̃ (“question particle”). Compare Russian а (a, “and, but”), и (i, “and”) and да (da, “and, but”) with Lithuanian ar̃ (“if, whether”), ir̃ (“and”) and dár (“still, yet”)

Conjunction

а • (a)

1. but, and (introduces a new or different meaning).

   Сего́дня тепло́, а вчера́ бы́ло хо́лодно — It is warm today, but yesterday it was cold.

   Это не я́блоко, а гру́ша — This is not an apple, but a pear.

   А что? — Why so?

   а то — or else

Etymology 3

Compare Lithuanian à, õ, oà (“expression of pain, surprise”), as well as Gothic 𐍉 (ō, “ah!”), Latin ā, āh (“expression of pain, anger”), Ancient Greek ἆ (a, “ah!”)

Alternative forms

• аа (aa), а-а (a-a)

Interjection

а • (a)!

1. well! (expressing surprise)

Particle

а • (a)

1. (colloquial particle used to seek confirmation) eh

   Ты слышишь меня, а? — Do you hear me, eh?

   Ты придёшь сегодня, а? — So are you coming today, then?

Abbreviation

а • (a)

1. Abbreviation of ампер (ampér, “ampere”).

Pronoun

а • (a) (invariable)

1. (criminal slang) he, she or it (used to point to a particular person)

References

• Viktor Pirožkov (2001), Kriminalʹnaja Psixologija [Criminal Psychology], Moscow: Os-89

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

See Translingual section.

Alternative forms

• (uppercase): А

Letter

а (Latin spelling a)

1. The 1st letter of the Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet (gajica), followed by б.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Conjunction

а (Latin spelling a)

1. but, and (compare а̏ли)

   учио сам ц(иј)ело посл(иј)еподне, а ништа нисам научио — I studied for the whole afternoon, but I didn't learn anything

   а како бисте ви то направили? — and how would you do that?

2. while (on the contrary), whereas

   столови су црвени, а столице су зелене — the tables are red, whereas the chairs are green

3. (with да не) without (usually after negative verbs)

   не могу се укључити у расправу, а да не направим неред — I cannot enter a discussion without making a mess

   одлази, а да није рекао ни збогом — he's leaving without even saying goodbye

4. (а и̏па̄к) and yet

   прави пријатељ зна све о теби, а ипак те воли — the real friend knows everything about you, and yet he loves you

5. (а ка̏моли) not to mention, let alone

   у мору лоших в(иј)ести тешко је остати објективан, а камоли оптимистичан — in the sea of bad news it's hard to stay objective, let alone optimistic

6. (а + и + да) even if

   а и да јесам то направио, не би то учинило неку разлику — even if I did it, it wouldn't have made much of a difference

7. (а + и) and so, and also, and too

   свиђају ми се плавуше, а и ја се покојој свидим — I like blondes, and some of them even like me

   били су жалосни, а и ја сам — 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 (ō). 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.

Interjection

а (Latin spelling a)

1. oh, ah

   а да? — oh really?

References

• “а” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• “а” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• Petar Skok (1971), Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika, Zagreb: JAZU, volume 1, page 1