-а

See also: а, а-, -a, and Appendix:Variations of "a"

Belarusian

Alternative forms

• -a — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьje. Variant used after non-palatalizable consonants.

Alternative forms

• -е (-je)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -е (-je); used after ш, ч, ж formed as a result of the Slavic first palatalization, as well as sometimes after р.

   ‎па- (pa-, “across, along”) + ‎грані́ца (hraníca, “border”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎паграні́чча (pahraníčča, “region along the border”)

   ‎за- (za-) + ‎ці́хі (cíxi, “quiet, still”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎заці́шша (zacíšša, “lull, calm”)

   ‎без- (bjez-, “without”) + ‎даро́га (daróha, “path”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎бездаро́жжа (bjezdaróžža, “impassibility”)

   ‎па- (pa-) + ‎ве́цер (vjécjer, “wind”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎паве́тра (pavjétra, “air”)

Usage notes

• Syllable stress is usually drawn onto the syllable before the suffix.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.

Alternative forms

• -я (-ja) — used for nouns ending in -ь

Pronunciation

• -а: IPA^(key): [a]
• -а́: IPA^(key): [ˈa]

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Forms the genitive singular of most masculine and neuter nouns.

   ‎дом (dom, “building”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎до́ма (dóma, “of a/the building, a/the building's”)

   ‎крыло́ (kryló, “wing”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎крыла́ (krylá, “of a/the wing, a/the wing's”)

2. Forms the count form of some nouns.

Derived terms

Belarusian terms suffixed with -а

Chuvash

Etymology 1

Suffix

-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)

1. Forms agent nouns: -er, -or

   ‎пӑх (păh, “to look”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎пӑха (păh̬a, “supervisor”)

2. Forms instrument nouns by means of which the action is performed

   ‎пӑр (păr, “to turn”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎пӑра (păra, “drill”)

3. Forms resultative nouns

   ‎вит (vit, “to cover”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎вите (vit̬e, “stable”)

4. Forms nouns of location

   ‎ҫарат (śarat, “to clear”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎ҫарата (śarat̬a, “meadow”)

Etymology 2

Suffix

-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)

1. (non-productive) Forms diminutives

   ‎ҫӳҫ (śüś, “hair”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎ҫӳҫе (śüś̬e, “fringe”)

   ‎мӑй (măj, “neck”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎мӑя (măja, “necklace”)

Komi-Zyrian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-a/, [-ä]

Suffix

-а • (-a) (soft stem variant -я)

1. Used to form nouns describing the quality of an adjective; -ness
2. Used to form adjectives having a characteristic of a noun; -like, -ly
3. Used to form postpositions measuring the preceding noun in the quality of an adjective; as ... as

Derived terms

Komi-Zyrian terms suffixed with -а

References

• Bubrikh, Dmitry V. (1949) Грамматика литературного коми языка [Grammar of the literary Komi language] (in Russian), Leningrad: Zhdanov Leningrad State University, page 61

Russian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ə]

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• -я (-ja) — used after a soft consonant

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Noun-forming suffix used to form diminutives of proper names; used after a hard (unpalatalized) consonant.

Etymology 2

From early Proto-Slavic *-ja.

Alternative forms

• -а (-a) — non-iotating

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems ending in a consonant that becomes a hushing consonant (ш ж ч щ) when iotated. The final consonant of the stem is iotated before this suffix.

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎клад- (klad-, “to lay, to put”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎покла́жа (pokláža, “load”)

   ‎пропа́д- (propád-, “to disappear”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎пропа́жа (propáža, “disappearance, loss”)

   ‎пред- (pred-, “before”) + ‎тек- (tek-, “to flow”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎предте́ча (predtéča, “forerunner, precursor”)

   ‎переда́т- (peredát-, “to broadcast”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎переда́ча (peredáča, “broadcast”)

Declension

Declension of -а (inan fem-form sibilant-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-а -a	-и -i
genitive	-и -i	(no suffix) (no suffix)
dative	-е -e	-ам -am
accusative	-у -u	-и -i
instrumental	-ей, -ею -ej, -eju	-ами -ami
prepositional	-е -e	-ах -ax

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Alternative forms

• -а (-a) — iotating

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems. The final consonant of the stem is not iotated before this suffix.

   ‎про- (pro-) + ‎сек- (sek-, “to cut”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎про́сека (próseka, “path cleared in a forest”)

   ‎от- (ot-) + ‎рад (rad, “glad”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎отра́да (otráda, “joy”)

Declension

Declension of -а (inan fem-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-а -a	-ы -y
genitive	-ы -y	(no suffix) (no suffix)
dative	-е -e	-ам -am
accusative	-у -u	-ы -y
instrumental	-ой, -ою -oj, -oju	-ами -ami
prepositional	-е -e	-ах -ax

Derived terms

Russian terms suffixed with -а

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Suffix

-а (Latin spelling -a)

1. Suffix appended to words (usually verbal stems) to create a feminine noun, usually denoting a relation or to form a proper noun.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.

Suffix

-а (Latin spelling -a)

1. Forms the genitive singular of masculine and neuter nouns and indefinite adjectives.

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

• а: IPA^(key): [a]

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. used to form feminine deverbal nouns denoting a result, process or an abstract concept

   ‎загати́ти pf (zahatýty, “to dam up”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎зага́та f (zaháta, “dam”)

   ‎змогти́ pf (zmohtý, “to be able to, to manage to”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎змо́га f (zmóha, “ability, possibility, opportunity”)

   ‎сплати́ти pf (splatýty, “to pay”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎спла́та f (spláta, “pay, payment”)

   ‎послужи́ти pf (poslužýty, “to serve”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎по́слуга f (pósluha, “service”)

   ‎позичи́ти pf (pozyčýty, “to borrow, to lend”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎по́зика f (pózyka, “loan”)

2. used to form gender neutral nouns denoting a person characterized by the root word

   ‎не- (ne-, “not”) + ‎чепури́тися impf (čepurýtysja, “to smarten oneself up, to preen”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎нечепу́ра gender-neutral (nečepúra, “a slovenly/unkempt person”)

   ‎при- (pry-) + ‎ве́ред m (véred, “whim, caprice”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎привере́да gender-neutral (pryveréda, “a picky/capricious person”)

   ‎нікче́м(ний) (nikčém(nyj), “good-for-nothing, worthless, insignificant”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎нікче́ма gender-neutral (nikčéma, “good-for-nothing, looser, zero, nonentity, crumb”)

3. used to form feminine counterparts of masculine nouns

   ‎ону́к, вну́к m (onúk, vnúk, “grandson”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎ону́ка, вну́ка f (onúka, vnúka, “granddaughter”)

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎друг m (druh, “male friend”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎по́друга f (pódruha, “female friend”)

   ‎раб m (rab, “male slave”) + ‎-а (-a) → ‎раба́ f (rabá, “female slave”)

Usage notes

• This suffix does not cause palatalization/iotation.
• This suffix is always attached to the original unpalatalized form of the root: обложи́ти pf (obložýty), поважа́ти impf (považáty), означа́ти impf (označáty) → обло́га f (oblóha), пова́га f (pováha), озна́ка f (oznáka).

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ja.

Alternative forms

• -я (-ja) — after consonants other than ч ж ш щ

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ

   ‎зада́ти pf (zadáty, “to assign, to raise (question)”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎зада́ча f (zadáča, “task, problem”)

   ‎огороди́ти pf (ohorodýty, “to fence in, to enclose”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎огоро́жа f (ohoróža, “fence”)

   ‎пло́ский (plóskyj, “flat”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎пло́ща f (plóšča, “square”)

   ‎ти́хий (týxyj, “quiet, silent”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎ти́ша f (týša, “silence, quietness”)

   ‎утекти́ pf (utektý, “to flee, to escape”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎уте́ча f (utéča, “flight, run”)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Ruthenian -а (-a), from Old East Slavic -а (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ę.

Alternative forms

• -я (-ja) — after consonants other than ч ж ш щ

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ

   ‎ку́рка f (kúrka, “chicken”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎курча́ n (kurčá, “chick”)

   ‎верблю́д m (verbljúd, “camel”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎верблюжа́ n (verbljužá, “camel calf”)

   ‎ведмі́дь m (vedmídʹ, “bear”) + ‎-я (-ja) → ‎ведмежа́ n (vedmežá, “bear cub”)

Derived terms

Ukrainian terms suffixed with -а