User:Thadh/a

See also: A, ᴀ, and Appendix:Variations of "a"

a U+0061, a LATIN SMALL LETTER A ← ` [U+0060] Basic Latin b → [U+0062]

ᵃ U+1D43, ᵃ MODIFIER LETTER SMALL A ← ᵂ [U+1D42] Phonetic Extensions ᵄ → [U+1D44]

ａ U+FF41, ａ FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER A ← ｀ [U+FF40] Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms ｂ → [U+FF42]

Languages (151)

Translingual • English

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology 1

Modification of capital A.

Pronunciation

• (letter, most languages): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/ Big Nambas

• IPA:

  (file)

Letter

a (upper case A)

1. The first letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

   (superscript) See ª.

Symbol

a

1. (IPA, phonetics) an open front or central unrounded vowel.
2. (IPA, superscript ⟨ᵃ⟩) [a]-coloring or a weak, fleeting, epenthetic or echo [a].
3. (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

• For more variations, see Appendix:Variations of "a".

Further reading

• a on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• open front unrounded vowel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of atto-, from Danish atten (“eighteen”).

Symbol

a

1. atto-, prefix for 10^-18 in the International System of Units.

Etymology 3

From Latin annum or annus.

Symbol

a

1. Year as a unit of time, specifically a Julian year or 365.25 days.

Etymology 4

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

Symbol

a

1. An are, a unit of area one hundredth of a hectare; ares.

Etymology 5

Abbreviation of English acceleration.

Symbol

a

1. (physics) 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

1. (actuarial notation) Annuity; (specifically) annuity-immediate.

   a_x:n̅| ― n-year annuity-immediate to a person currently age x

   a_x ― life annuity-immediate to a person currently age x

Other representations of A:

NATO phonetic: Alpha Morse code: ·– Braille: ⠁ ASL Manual: A

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase versions of A, in normal and italic type
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase A in Fraktur
• 
  Approximate form of Greek uppercase Α (a, “alpha”), the source of both common variants of a A in uncial script

English

Etymology 1

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 form):

  (file)

• Audio (US, unstressed form):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ, -ə
• Homophone: her (non-rhotic, unstressed)

Article

a (indefinite)

1. One; any indefinite example of. [from before 1150]

   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, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →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)

2. One; used before score, dozen, hundred, thousand, million, etc.

   I've seen it happen a hundred times.

3. 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.

4. Used in some adverbial phrases denoting degree or extent, such as a little, a bit, a lot, etc.

   The door was opened a little.

5. 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.

6. Any; every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope.

   A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.

7. Any; used with a negative to indicate not a single one.

   It was so dark that we couldn't see a thing.

   He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?

8. 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.

9. One; someone named; used before a person's name, suggesting that the speaker knows little about the person other than the name.

   We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.

10. 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.

11. Someone or something like; similar to; 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

Main appendix: English articles#Indefinite articles

• 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

• a few
• a great many

Translations

See an/translations § Article.

See also

• an

Etymology 2

• From Middle English a, o, from Old English a-, an, on.
• Unstressed form of on.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/
• Rhymes: -ə

Preposition

a

1. To do with separation; In, into. [from before 1150]

   Torn a pieces.

2. 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]

   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^[3], 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)

3. To do with status; In. [from before 1150]
   • King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)

     To set the people a worke.

4. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [from before 1150]

   Stand a tiptoe.

5. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [from before 1150]
   • 1964, Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are a-Changin'”:

     The times, they are a-changin'.

6. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th c.]
   • 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

7. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th c.]
8. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [from before 1150]
   • 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.

9. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [from before 1150]

   A God’s name.

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

See also

• on
• a-

Etymology 3

From Middle English a, ha contraction of have, or haven.

Alternative forms

• 'a, 'a', ha, ha'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/
• Rhymes: -ə

Verb

a

2. (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.

Derived terms

• coulda
• shoulda
• woulda

Etymology 4

From Middle English a, a reduced form of he (“he”)/ha (“he”), heo (“she”)/ha (“she”), ha (“it”), and hie, hie (“they”).

Alternative forms

• 'a

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə/
• (it): (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ə/, /ɑ/
• Rhymes: -ə, -ɑ

Pronoun

a

1. (obsolete outside England and Scotland dialects) He, she, they: the third-person singular or plural nominative.
   • 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.

   1. (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, […]

   2. (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].

Etymology 5

From Middle English of, with apocope of the final f and vowel reduction.

Alternative forms

• o', o (preposition)

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ə/

Preposition

a

2. (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"^[4]:

     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 6

From Northern Middle English aw, alteration of all.

Alternative forms

• a'

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔ/
• Rhymes: -ɔ

Adverb

a (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [from ca. 1350—1470]

Adjective

a (not comparable)

1. (chiefly Scotland) All. [from ca. 1350—1470]

Etymology 7

Symbols

Symbol

a

1. Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
2. specific absorption coefficient
3. specific rotation
4. allele (recessive)

Etymology 8

Adverb

a

1. (crosswording) across

   Do you have the answer for 23a?

2. (chiefly US) Alternative spelling of a.m. (“ante meridiem”) or am

Etymology 9

Particle

a

1. 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.

Etymology 10

Interjection

a

1. 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.

1. (Stenoscript) the word a.m.
2. (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: 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.

Abau

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a

1. house

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʌ/

Determiner

á

1. this, these (masculine)

Derived terms

• ánnah

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)‎^[5], 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”).

• 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.

Alternative forms

• ha (archaic, Buzuku)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a

1. or
2. there

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/

Particle

a

1. probably, perhaps
2. whether

Further reading

• FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎^[6], 1980
• “a”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006

Ama

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ãː/

Noun

a

1. tree

Anguthimri

Verb

a

1. (transitive, Mpakwithi) to pull

References

• Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 184

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illa.

Article

a f sg

1. the

   a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ [a]

Preposition

a

1. to, towards

Derived terms

• al

Bambara

Article

a

1. the (definite article).

Interjection

a

1. ah (expression of surprise)
2. eh (expression of reluctance)

Pronoun

a

1. they, them (plural)
2. he, she, they (singular)

Synonyms

• (they): u

Bavarian

Etymology 1

Cognate with German ein, eine, Yiddish אַ (a), אַן (an).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/

Article

a

1. a

See also

Bavarian articles

		singular						plural
		masculine		neuter		feminine
		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

¹ higher, formal register

• oa (“one”, determiner)

Etymology 2

Unstressed form of ea

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/

Pronoun

a

1. he

Etymology 3

Cognate with German auch.

Adverb

a

1. alternative form of aa: also, too, as well

Belizean Creole

Preposition

a

1. of

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

Preposition

a

1. in

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)

1. from (expresses origin)

   tud a Vrest ― people from Brest

2. of (indicates an amount)

   un tamm brav a gig ― a nice piece of meat

3. of (expresses a quality)

   ur plac’h a enor ― a girl of honour

4. after certain adjectives or adverbs expressing quantity

   ur voutailh leun a sistr ― a bottle full of cider

5. after ordinal numbers with a plural noun

   tri a vugale ― three children

6. used in negative sentences with the grammatical object

   nʼem eus ket ken a vutun ― I donʼt have any more tobacco

7. 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]

8. after substantivized adjectives used as nouns

   ur vrav a blacʼh ― a pretty girl

9. combined with a personal pronoun

   gwelet em boa acʼhanout ― I saw you

   an den a gomzan anezhañ ― the man Iʼm talking about

Inflection

Personal forms of a

		singular	plural
1st person		ac'hanon	ac'hanomp
2nd person		ac'hanout	ac'hanoc'h
3rd person	m	anezhañ	anezho
	f	anezhi
impersonal		ac'hanor

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. preverbal particle used when
   1. the subject precedes the verb

      ar mor a zo glas ― the sea is blue

   2. the object precedes the verb

      an den-se a glevan ― I hear that man

Pronoun

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. (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

Pronoun

a

1. alternative spelling of I (“1st person singular subject personal pronoun”)

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Pronunciation

• (Eastern) IPA^(key): /ə/
• (Western) IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in, at; indicating a particular time or place

   Sóc a Barcelona.

   I am in Barcelona.

2. to; indicating movement towards a particular place

   Vaig a Barcelona.

   I'm going to Barcelona.

3. to; indicating a target or indirect object

   Escric una carta a la meva àvia.

   I'm writing my grandmother a letter.

4. per
5. 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’.

Derived terms

• al
• als
• as
• cap a
• per a

Chayuco Mixtec

Etymology

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

Conjunction

a

1. or

References

• Pensinger, Brenda J. (1974), Diccionario mixteco-español, español-mixteco (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 18)‎^[7] (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/

Noun

a

1. open mouth
2. smell, taste

References

• Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.

Choctaw

Conjunction

a

1. yes

Chuukese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. he
2. she
3. it

Adjective

a

1. he is
2. she is
3. it is

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	exclusive	aua	ause	aupwe	ausap	aupwap	aute
		inclusive	sia	sise	sipwe	sisap	sipwap	site
	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.

Article

a (oblique masculine an)

1. (Luserna) a, an

   Maria iz a lavròunaren. ― Maria is a Lavaronese.

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

Noun

a

1. water

Cora

Particle

a

1. outside
2. out of view (from the speaker)
3. 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/

Interjection

a

1. ah

Etymology 2

Compare Welsh a

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. 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)

1. of (expressing separation, origin, composition/substance or a quality)
2. of (between a preceding large number and a following plural noun to express quantity)
3. from (indicating provenance)

Inflection

  Standard Cornish

	Singular	Plural
First person	ahanaf	ahanan
Second person	ahanas	ahanowgh
Third person	anodho (m) anedhy (f)	anodhans, anedha

Corsican

Etymology

From the earlier la.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Homophones: à, hà

Article

a f (masculine u, masculine plural i, feminine plural e)

1. the (feminine)

Usage notes

• Before a vowel, a turns into l'

Pronoun

a f

1. her, it (direct object)

Usage notes

• Before a vowel, a turns into l'

See also

Corsican personal pronouns

			nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
singular	1st person		eiu	mi		mè
	2nd person		tù	ti		tè
	3rd person	m	ellu	li	u, l'	ellu
		f	ella		a, l'	ella
plural	1st person		noi	ci		noi
	2nd person		voi	vi		voi
	3rd person	m	elli	li	i, l'	elli
		f	elle		e, l'	elle

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)

Conjunction

a

1. and

Further reading

• “a”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “a”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. at

Danish

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• à (unofficial but common)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ˈaˀ]
• Rhymes: -a, -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen):

  (file)

Preposition

a

1. of, of...each, each containing
2. at
3. to, or

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
• Rhymes: -æː

• Audio (Copenhagen):

  (file)

Verb

a

1. imperative of ae

Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch â, from Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

Alternative forms

• aa (especially in names)
• ie

Noun

a f (plural a's, diminutive aatje)

2. (archaic) a stream or water

Related terms

• Aa
• eiland

Further reading

• Aa (waternaam) on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl

Etymology 2

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.

Pronoun

a

1. (Brabant) you

Synonyms

• u
• U

Egyptian

Romanization

a

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of ꜥ.

Emilian

Etymology

From Latin ego (“I”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɐ/
• Hyphenation: a

Pronoun

a (personal, nominative case)

1. I
2. we
3. you (plural)

Alternative forms

• Becomes aj- before a vowel (proclitic).
• Becomes -ja when acting as an enclitic.

Related terms

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person		disjunctive (tonic)	nominative (subject)	accusative (direct complement)	dative (indirect complement)	reflexive	comitative (with)
singular	first		mè	a	me			mêg
	second		tè	et	te			têg
	third	m	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
		f	lê	la
plural	first	m	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		f	nuētri
	second	m	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		f	vuētri
	third	m	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		f		el	li

Estonian

Etymology 1

Clipping of aga. Probably influenced by Russian а (a).

Conjunction

a

1. (colloquial, in fast speech) but

Etymology 2

Noun

a

1. abbreviation of aasta
2. abbreviation of aar

References

• a in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “a”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

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)

1. 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, […]

Pronoun

a

1. Third person singular feminine accusative pronoun; her

See also

Fala personal pronouns

			nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
singular	first person		ei	me, -mi		mi
	second person		tú	te, -ti		ti
	third person	m	el	le, -li	uLV, oM	el
		f	ela		a	ela
plural	first person	common	nos	musL nusLV nos, -nusM		nos
		m	noshotrusM			noshotrusM
		f	noshotrasM			noshotrasM
	second person	common	vos	vusLV vos, -vusM		vos
		m	voshotrusM			voshotrusM
		f	voshotrasM			voshotrasM
	third person	m	elis	le, -li	usLV, osM	elis
		f	elas		as	elas
third person reflexive			—	se, -si		sí

Dialects:  ^L Lagarteiru   ^M Mañegu   ^V Valverdeñu

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”).

Preposition

a

1. 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, […]

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021), Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[8], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN, page 36

Finnish

Etymology

German musical notation.

Noun

a

1. (music) A (note)

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

Inflection of a (Kotus type 18/maa) singular plural nominative a a:t genitive a:n a:iden a:itten partitive a:ta a:ita accusative a a:n a:t inessive a:ssa a:issa elative a:sta a:ista illative a:han a:ihin adessive a:lla a:illa ablative a:lta a:ilta allative a:lle a:ille essive a:na a:ina translative a:ksi a:iksi abessive a:tta a:itta instructive – a:in comitative – a:ineen

Derived terms

compounds

• A-duuri
• a-molli

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin ad.

Pronoun

a (ORB)

1. to
2. at

Derived terms

• a revêr

References

• à in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• a in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Etymology 1

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

Pronunciation

• (CA) IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a f

1. (Quebec, colloquial) alternative form of elle (“she”)

   C'te fille-là, a'a l'air cute.

   That girl, she looks cute.

Etymology 2

From Old French a, at from Vulgar Latin *at, from Latin habet.

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /a/
• (CA) IPA^(key): /a/, /ɔ/
• Homophones: à, as
• Rhymes: -a

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

   Elle a un chat.

   She has a cat.

See also

• à
• â

Further reading

• “a”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Fula

Etymology 1

Pronoun

a

1. you (second person singular subject pronoun; short form)

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).
• Used in all conjugations except the affirmative non-accomplished, where the long form is used instead.

See also

• aɗa (second person singular subject pronoun; long form), hiɗa (variant used in the Pular dialect of Futa Jalon)
• aan (emphatic form) (Maasina)
• an (emphatic form) (Pular)
• maaɗa (second person singular possessive pronoun (Adamawa))
• -maa (second person singular dependent pronoun (Adamawa))

Galician

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to, toward”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a̝/

Preposition

a

1. to, toward; indicating direction of motion
2. introducing an indirect object
3. used to indicate the time of an action
4. (with de) to, until; used to indicate the end of a range

   de cinco a oito ― from five to eight

5. by, on, by means of; expresses a mode of action

   a pé ― on foot

6. for; indicates price or cost

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.

Derived terms

at/to + the table

-	Singular	Plural
Masculine	ao (ó)	aos (ós)
Feminine	á	ás

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin illa, feminine of ille (“that”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a̝/

Article

a f (masculine singular o, feminine plural as, masculine plural os)

1. (definite) the

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.

Derived terms

• á
• coa
• da
• na

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun

a

1. accusative of ela

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

German

Noun

a

1. abbreviation of a-Moll
2. abbreviation of Ar

Gilbertese

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *pat, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *əpat, from Proto-Austronesian *Səpat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Numeral

a

1. four

Gothic

Romanization

a

1. romanization of 𐌰

Grass Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

• 2010, Terry Crowley & Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics, fourth edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 142.

Gun

Etymology

Cognates include Fon à.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Pronoun

à

1. you (second-person singular subject pronoun)

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/

Article

a

1. the, definite article

Usage notes

This term only follows words that end with an oral (non-nasal) consonant and an oral vowel in that order, and can only modify singular nouns.

See also

• an
• la
• lan
• nan
• yo
• yon

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [ə]

Conjunction

a

1. and (used between sentences)
2. until, up to

Preposition

a

1. of, belonging to

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)

1. the

   a hölgy ― the lady

2. (before some time phrases) this

   a héten ― (during) this week

   a télen ― (in) this winter

Usage notes

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related terms

• az (for words starting with a vowel sound)

Pronoun

a (demonstrative)

1. (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)

1. (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. ― 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…”)

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
  • definite article; pronoun; determiner
  • speech sound; letter; first element; abbreviation
  • musical note and tone
  • interjection for displeasure, contradiction, surprise, disappointment, or pity and (dialectal) interjection for emphasis

Ido

Preposition

a

1. apocopic form of ad

Related terms

• e (“and”)
• o (“or”)

Igbo

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• e (neutral tongue position)

Pronunciation

• (high-tone): IPA^(key): /á/
• (low-tone): IPA^(key): /à/

Pronoun

a

1. (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

Igbo personal pronouns

		dependent	independent	object/possessive
Singular	first	m, a/e- ... -m	m, mụ
	second	ị, i	ngị, gị	gị
	third	ọ, o	ya
Plural	first	anyị
	second	ụnụ
	third	ha, a/e- ... -ha	ha
Indefinite		a/e	-	-

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Determiner

a

1. this.

Related terms

• ahụ

Indo-Portuguese

Etymology

From Portuguese a.

Pronunciation

• (Sri Lankan Creole) IPA^(key): /a/, /ə/

Preposition

a

1. 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.

Ingrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Hyphenation: a

Conjunction

a

1. 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) [Geography: textbook for Ingrian elementary school third grade (first part)], 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/

Preposition

a

1. to, at
2. to, for (indicating purpose)

   sala a attender ― waiting room

Derived terms

• a in
• al

Inupiaq

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a

1. listen, hark
2. oops (used to acknowledge an error)
3. oh (used to express surprise)

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)

1. his, its

   a athair agus a mháthair ― his father and mother

   Chaill an t-éan a chleití.

   The bird lost its feathers.

Determiner

a (triggers h-prothesis)

1. her, its

   a hathair agus a máthair ― her father and mother

   Bhris an mheaig a heiteog.

   The magpie broke its wing.

Determiner

a (triggers eclipsis)

1. their

   a n-athair agus a máthair ― their father and mother

   a dtithe ― their houses

   a n-ainmneacha ― their names

2. (Connacht) our
3. (Connacht) your (plural)

See also

Irish personal pronouns

	person		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	m	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a L
		f	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a H
		n	—	ea	—
plural	first		muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár E
	second		sibh (sibhse)1		bhur E
	third		siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a E

^L Triggers lenition   ^E Triggers eclipsis   ^H Triggers h-prothesis

¹ Also used as the vocative

The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun.
For instance, "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

Determiner

a (triggers lenition)

1. 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)

1. 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

References

• Gerald O’Nolan (1920), Studies in Modern Irish‎^[9], volume 1, pages 89, 93–94

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)

1. 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)

1. all that, whatever

   Sin a bhfuil ann.

   That's all that is there.

   An bhfuair tú a raibh uait?

   Did you get all that you wanted?

   Íocfaidh mé as a gceannóidh tú.

   I will pay for whatever you buy.

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)

1. 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)

1. 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)

1. 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

Mutated forms of a

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
a	n-a	ha	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “a”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Istriot

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. 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,

Particle

a

1. 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,

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/^*

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Latin ad. In a few phrases, a stems from Latin ā, ab.

Preposition

a

1. 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?

2. 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.

3. Denotes the manner. with

   appena, a nuoto, a piedi, a caso ― almost, swimming, by foot, randomly

5. 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)

6. 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!

7. 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

8. (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?

   the "us" here is repeated twice for emphasis

   Ascolti a me, signó!

   Listen to me, ma'am!

9. (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)

10. (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

11. 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

12. 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

• When followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the form ad is used instead.
• When followed by the definite article, a combines with the article to produce the following combined forms:

a + article	Combined form
a + il	al
a + lo	allo
a + l'	all'
a + i	ai
a + gli	agli
a + la	alla
a + le	alle

Descendants

• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 2

Verb

a

1. misspelling of ha

Further reading

• a in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Jamaican Creole

Preposition

1. Indicates location: at, in, on.

   a mi yaad

   at my home

2. of

   Yunaitid Stiet a Amoerka

   United States of America

3. to

   Dem go a maakit. Mi a-go a skuul.

   They go to the market. I'm going to school.

Verb

a

1. be
   1. is, it's

      Jumieka a wahn ailan konchri.

      Jamaica is an island country.

   2. are, am

      Wi a api.

      We are happy.

      Mi a di tiicha.

      I am the teacher.

   3. there is, there are

      A tuu apruoch tu Ort sayans.

      There are two approaches to Earth science.

Particle

a

1. Habitual present tense marker.

   wan plies we dem a plie haki mach

   a place where they play hockey matches

2. Precedes a verb to mark the -ing form.

   a laaf, a ron, a iit

   laughing, running, eating

See also

• a-go

Further reading

• a at majstro.com
• A Learner’s Grammar of Jamaican, The Open Grammar Project

Japanese

Romanization

a

1. Rōmaji transcription of あ
2. Rōmaji transcription of ア

K'iche'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Adjective

a

1. masculine youth indicator

Adverb

a

1. (interrogatory) indicator of a question

Pronoun

a

1. your

References

• Allen J. Christenson, Kʼiche-English dictionary, page 7

Kabyle

Alternative forms

• agi
• agini

Determiner

a

1. this

   a rgaz a

   this man

Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit अहम् (ahám).

Pronoun

a (Arabic آ)

1. I (1st-person personal pronoun)

See also

Kalasha personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		a / آ	ábi / آبی
2nd person		tu / تُو	ábi / آبی
3rd person	near	ía / اِیا	émi / ایمی
	far	ása / آسا	éḷi / ایࣇی
	absent	se / سے	te / تے

Kapampangan

Ligature

a

1. 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

• na

Kari'na

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Interjection

a

1. ah, aah

References

• Courtz, Hendrik (2008), A Carib grammar and dictionary‎^[10], Toronto: Magoria Books, →ISBN, page 213
• Yamada, Racquel-María (2010), “a”, in Speech community-based documentation, description, and revitalization: Kari’nja in Konomerume‎^[11], University of Oregon, page 707

Kashubian

Pronunciation

• Template:csb-IPA
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

Noun

a n (indeclinable)

1. (music) a (note)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a.

Interjection

a

1. interjection that expresses various emotions; ah!

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893), “a”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 1
• Sychta, Bernard (1967), “a, a!”, in Słownik gwar kaszubskich [Dictionary of Kashubian dialects] (in Polish), volumes 1 (A – Ǵ), Wrocław: Ossolineum, page 1
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “a”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[12], 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

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

• Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

Krisa

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a m

1. pig

   Nana a doma.

   I shot your pig.

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

Etymology

From Latin a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

Derived terms

• al
• ala
• ai
• ales

Lashi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa/

Adverb

a

1. not

References

• Hkaw Luk (2017), A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[13], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

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

Conjunction

a f

1. and, but

References

• A. Andronov; L. Leikuma (2008), Latgalīšu-Latvīšu-Krīvu sarunu vuordineica, Lvava, →ISBN

Latin

Etymology 1

Alternative form of ab by apocope (not used before a vowel or h).

Alternative forms

• à (earlier in New Latin)
• ab

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

Preposition

ā (+ ablative)

1. (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.

2. (indicating ablation) down from
3. (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.

4. (indicating instrumentality: source of action or event) by, by means of, with
5. (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.

6. (indicating location) at, on, in
7. (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

• a lacte cunisque

Descendants

• Italian: a
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: a (learned)

Etymology 2

Expressive.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/, [äː]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a/, [äː]

Interjection

ā

1. ah

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] Dictionaries for Ancient Greek and Latin (in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese), University of Chicago, since 2011

Laz

Determiner

a

1. Latin spelling of ა (a)

Numeral

a

1. Latin spelling of ა (a)

Ligurian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

Article

a f sg (plural e)

1. the

Etymology 2

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

   Vàddo a câza. ― I'm going home. (literally, “I go to home.”)

4. indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis

   A mæ seu ghe fa mâ 'n bràsso. ― My sister's arm hurts. (literally, “To my sister an arm hurts.”)

a + article	Combined form
a + o	a-o
a + a	a-a
a + i	a-i
a + e	a-e

Louisiana Creole

Etymology

From French avoir (“to have”).

Verb

a

1. to have

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a

1. and

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

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a (Jawi spelling ا)

1. Used to show excitement or to show agreement.

   A, macam itulah sepatutnya kaujawab!

   Yes, that's how you should answer!

2. 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 (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

Mandarin

Romanization

a (a⁵ / a⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 呵
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 啊
3. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 阿

a

1. nonstandard spelling of ā
2. nonstandard spelling of á
3. nonstandard spelling of ǎ
4. nonstandard spelling of à

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

1. he, him (personal pronoun)

   A m busa ― He/she struck me.

   Y a busa ― They struck him/her.

2. she, her (personal pronoun)
3. it (personal pronoun)

See also

Mandinka personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person	short	ń, m̀
	long	ńte	ńtolu, ńtelu
2nd person	short	í	ali
	long	íte	alitolu, alitelu
3rd person	short	a	ì
	long	ate	ìtolu, ìtelu, ìte

Maori

Particle

a

1. of
2. (determinative particle for names)
3. (particle for pronouns when succeeding ki, i, kei, and hei)

Usage notes

• When used in the sense of of, suggests that the possessor has control of the relationship (alienable possession).

Mezquital Otomi

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Interjection

a

1. expresses satisfaction, pity, fright, or admiration

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• ʼa (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/, /ǎ/

Verb

a

1. (transitive) wake, awaken

Etymology 3

From Proto-Otomi *ʔɔ, from Proto-Otomian *ʔɔ.

Alternative forms

• ʼá (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /á/, /ǎ/

Noun

a

1. flea

Derived terms

• aꞌni
• mfoxꞌa

References

• Andrews, Enriqueta (1950), Vocabulario otomí de Tasquillo, Hidalgo‎^[14] (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)‎^[15] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

Noun

â f

1. (rare) river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: a, Aa

Further reading

• “a (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000

Middle English

Etymology 1

Pronoun

a

1. alternative form of an (mainly preconsonantal)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

a

1. (Late Middle English) alternative form of I (“I”)

Etymology 3

Pronoun

a

1. alternative form of heo (“she”)

Etymology 4

Pronoun

a

1. alternative form of he (“he”)

Etymology 5

Pronoun

a

1. alternative form of he (“they”)

Etymology 6

Numeral

a

1. (Northern, Early Middle English) alternative form of oo (“one”)

Middle French

Etymology 1

From Old French a, from Latin ad.

Alternative forms

• à (after 1550)

Preposition

a

1. to; towards

Etymology 2

From Old French, from Latin habet.

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Middle Welsh

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. O (vocative particle)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a (triggers lenition)

1. who, which, that

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. inserted before the verb when the subject of direct object precedes it
   • Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet:

     Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet a oed yn arglwyd ar seith cantref Dyuet.

     Pwyll Prince of Dyfed was lord of the seven cantrefs of Dyfed.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. used to introduce a direct question
2. whether, used to introduce an indirect question

Etymology 4

Reduction of o (“from”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. 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

Etymology 5

From Old Welsh ha.

Alternative forms

• ac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a (triggers aspiration)

1. and

Etymology 6

Alternative forms

• ac

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a (triggers aspiration)

1. with

Etymology 7

From Proto-Celtic *ageti, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

Alternative forms

• aa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Mutation

Mutated forms of a{{{2}}}

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
a	unchanged	unchanged	ha

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Mòcheno

Etymology

From Middle High German ein, from Old High German ein, from Proto-West Germanic *ain, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz (“one, a”).

Article

a (oblique masculine an)

1. a, an

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

Article

a

1. the

References

• Hofling, Charles Andrew (2011). Mopan Maya–Spanish–English Dictionary, University of Utah Press.

Mountain Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

• Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

Murui Huitoto

Adverb

a

1. superseded spelling of aa

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[16] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19

Nauruan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

1. 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

     […]

     a nuwawen

     1pers.sing. go+Vn
     I did go. (I left.)

     […]

     a kaiotien aem

     [1pers.sing.] [hear+Vn] [your words]
     I hear what you said.

     […]

     a nan imoren

     1pers.sing. FUT health+Vn
     I shall be cured (get better).

Neapolitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Latin de ab.

Preposition

a

1. from (referring to a place)
2. by (introducing the actor in the passive voice)
3. to (implying necessity)

Etymology 2

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. in (locative: staying in a place of relative width)
2. to (locative: moving towards a place of relative width)
3. to (dative)

Nias

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

a (imperfective manga)

1. (transitive) to eat

References

• Sundermann, Heinrich. 1905. Niassisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Moers: Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, p. 15.

Norman

Verb

a

1. (Guernsey) third-person singular present indicative of aver

Norwegian Bokmål

The letter a from the Norwegian alphabet.

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 name): IPA^(key): /ɑː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: a
• Homophones: A, à, A-, a-, ah

Noun

a m (definite singular a-en, indefinite plural a-er, definite plural a-ene)

1. 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

2. 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

3. (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone

   A-dur

   A major

   A-moll

   A minor

   • 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

4. (physics) symbol for ampere
5. (physics) symbol for nucleon number
6. (horology) symbol for avance
7. symbol for anno
8. 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-”).

Symbol

a

1. atto-, prefix for 10^-18 in the International System of Units.

Etymology 3

Abbreviation of ar (“are”).

Symbol

a

1. an are, a unit of area one hundredth of a hectare; ares

   Synonym: ar

Etymology 4

From French à (“to, on, in”).

Preposition

a

1. alternative spelling of à

Alternative forms

• à

Etymology 5

From Latin ā (“from, away from, out of”), alternative form of ab (“from, away from, out of, down from”).

Preposition

a

1. (used in Latin expressions, before a consonant) from, of

   a posteriori, a prima vista, a priori, a tempo, a verbo, a viso, a vista

Alternative forms

• ab

Etymology 6

From Italian a (“in, at, to”).

Preposition

a

1. (used in Italian expressions, before a consonant) from, of, with

   a battuta, a cappella, a due, a dato, a konto

2. weak form of av (of)

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

1. (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

2. (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

3. (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

4. (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

5. (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^[17], archived from the original on 28 January 2023:

     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

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

1. expression of anger or sorrow, especially with a personal pronoun

   uff a meg!

   oh, my!

   huff a meg!

   oh, no!

Alternative forms

• å

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

Anagrams

• A, A-, a-

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Interjection

a

1. ah!

   Synonyms: ah, å

Etymology 2

From Old Norse af, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó.

Preposition

a

1. (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

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Particle

à

1. 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 2

Clipping of lá

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /á/

Particle

á

1. Marks the perfective aspect, for actions that are completed

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 3

Clipping of gà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Particle

à

1. 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)

Etymology 1

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. at

Derived terms

• al, als

Etymology 2

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

Old Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈa/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈa/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Interjection

a

1. ah!

Descendants

• Czech: a

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō.

Particle

a

1. Connective, contrasitve particle; and
2. then, as, if
3. yes, of course

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)

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.

Noun

ā (genitive ār, plural ār)

1. (Scania) stream, river

Descendants

• Danish: å

Etymology 2

From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ana.

Preposition

ā

1. (Scania) on, in, at

Descendants

• Danish: på

Etymology 3

Verb

ā

1. first/third-person singular present indicative of ēgha

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *ahu.

Noun

ā f

1. river, stream, water

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms

• aha

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: â
  • Dutch: a, Aa

Further reading

• “ā, ē”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Alternative forms

• āwa, āwo, ō

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *aiw, from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“eternity, age”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Adverb

ā

1. ever, always

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “Á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Noun

ā f

1. alternative form of ǣ: law

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “á”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Preposition

a

1. alternative form of on: to, in

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “a”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old French

Etymology 1

From Latin ad.

Alternative forms

• ad
• à (not in manuscripts; occasionally used by scholars to differentiate between the preposition and the verb form)

Preposition

a

1. to
2. towards
3. belonging to

   fil a putain ― son of a whore

Derived terms

• al
• au
• aux

Descendants

• French: à
  • → Danish: à
  • → Dutch: à
  • → German: à
  • → Hungarian: à
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: à, a
  • → Swedish: à

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• ad

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Etymology 3

From Latin ab.

Adverb

a

1. by, by means of

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin ad (“toward, to”).

Preposition

a

1. to; towards
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 14 (facsimile):

     fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ faraon.

     ran away with him to Egypt. land of King pharaoh.

Descendants

• Fala: a
• Galician: a
• Portuguese: a
  • Indo-Portuguese: a
  • Papiamentu: a

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Article

a f

1. alternative spelling of á

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *sosim (“this”).

Alternative forms

• (relative pronoun): an

Article

a

1. 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)

2. that which, what

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, 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)

1. when

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”).

Alternative forms

• á, ha

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)

1. his, its
2. her, its
3. their

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Irish: a (“his, her, its, their”)
• Scottish Gaelic: a (“his, her, its”); an (“their”)

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, 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

• á

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. O (vocative particle)

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, 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)

1. introduces a numeral

   a deich ― ten

Descendants

• Irish: a
• Scottish Gaelic: a

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, 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)

1. out of

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Inflection

Inflection of a

	Person:		normal	emphatic
singular	first		asum
	second		essiut
	third m or n	dative	as(s), es
		accusative
	third f	dative	e(i)ssi, esse	essisi
		accusative
plural	first
	second
	third	dative	es(s)ib, eissib
		accusative

Related terms

• ess-

Descendants

• Irish: as
• Manx: ass
• Scottish Gaelic: à

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “7 a (‘out of’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Polish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a. First attested in the first half of 14th century

Interjection

a

1. ah! (used when the speaker has remembered or noticed something)

Descendants

• Polish: a
• Silesian: a

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō. First attested in the first half of 14th century

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)
3. and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)
4. emphasizes a question
5. introduces a new sentences

Related terms

• ale
• ali

Descendants

• Polish: a
• Silesian: a

References

• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “a”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “a, ha”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• ᛆ

Etymology

From Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Noun

ā f

1. creek, river

Declension

Declension of ā (ō-stem)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ā	āin	ā(r)	āna(r)
accusative	ā	āna	ā(r)	āna(r)
dative	ā	ānni	ām	āmin, -men
genitive	ā(r)	ārinnar	ā	ānna

Descendants

• Swedish: å

References

• “å”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Omaha-Ponca

Noun

a

1. arm

References

• Omaha Ponca digital dictionary

Ometepec Nahuatl

Noun

a

1. water

Palauan

Etymology 1

From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a.

Article

a

1. a, the

Etymology 2

From Pre-Palauan *a, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *a, from Proto-Austronesian *a.

Conjunction

a

1. linking particle

Papiamentu

Etymology 1

Particle

a

1. Indicates the past tense.

   Mi a papia kuné. ― I talked to him.

Etymology 2

From Portuguese a.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. by
3. at

Usage notes

• Only used in set expressions from Spanish.

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) First attested in the year 1551

Noun

a n (indeclinable)

1. a, near-open central vowel

   samogłoska a ― the vowel a

   powiedzieć a ― to say a

2. (music) a (note)

   zagrać a ― to play an a

   zaśpiewać a ― to sing an a

Related terms

• akanie

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of ar.

Noun

a m inan

1. (metrology) abbreviation of ar

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Conjunction

a

1. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)

   A ty? ― And you?

   Wolisz tabletki, a ja wolę zastrzyki. ― You prefer pills whereas I prefer injections.

2. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)

   walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil

3. 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.

4. and (used after a verb to indicate it will last a long time)

   pracować a pracować ― to work and work (for a long time)

5. such and such (used when the speaker does not want to be more specific, when repeating an element)
6. is (used to show some connection between two objects which are very different from each other)
7. what about

   Ja jestem gotowy, a ty? ― I'm ready, what about you?

Derived terms

• atoli
• ażeby

Related terms

• ale
• ali

Etymology 4

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Interjection

a

1. ah! (used when the speaker has remembered or noticed something)

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.

Further reading

• “a”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[18] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “a”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[19] (in 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]
• 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], 31 May 2022
• 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

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a/
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin illa (with the disappearance of an initial l; compare Spanish la).

Article

a

2. feminine singular of o
   • 2005, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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

	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	masculine	feminine
definite article (the)	o	a	os	as
indefinite article (a, an; some)	um	uma	uns	umas

Pronoun

a f (third-person singular)

2. her, it (as a direct object; as an indirect object, see lhe; after prepositions, see ela)

   Encontrei-a na rua. ― I met her/it on the street.

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 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”) and ab (“from, away, by”).

Preposition

a

2. 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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.

4. to; towards, indicates destination

   Synonyms: para, até

   Vamos a Paris! ― Let’s go to Paris!

6. away, indicates a physical distance

   A vila fica a onze milhas ― The village is eleven miles away.

   Comunicação à distância. ― Communication at a distance.

8. 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.

10. with; on, using as a medium or fuel

    Quadro pintado a óleo. ― A painting painted with oil.

    Fornalha a carvão. ― Coal furnace.

12. 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.

14. (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.

16. in the style or manner of; a la

    Synonym: ao modo de

    Ele puxou o temperamento ao pai. ― He inherited his temperament from his father.

    Camarão à grega. ― Greek-style shrimp.

18. (limited use, see usage notes) at, during the specified period

    Synonyms: em, de

    Dormimos à noite. ― We sleep at night.

    O filme começa às duas horas. ― The film starts at two o’clock.

20. (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.

22. 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.”)

24. (followed by a verb in the infinitive form) forms the present participle

    Estou a preparar a canja. ― I am preparing the chicken soup.

26. (followed by an infinitive or present passive) to, forms the future participle

    Synonyms: para, por

    Um trabalho a ser feito. ― A job to be done.

    Nada a fazer. ― Nothing to be done.

Usage notes

When followed by a definite article, a is combined with the article to give the following combined forms:

• a + o → ao
• a + os → aos
• a + a → à
• a + as → às

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

See also

• em
• para

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• ah

Interjection

a

2. oh, expression of mild surprise

   A, tudo bem então.

   Oh, all right then.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 4

From homophone há.

Verb

a

1. misspelling of há

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 5

From homophone à.

Contraction

a

1. misspelling of 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 Māori a and Tongan ʻa.

Article

a

1. the personal article, used before proper nouns

Etymology 2

From Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *a. Cognates include Hawaiian ā and Māori ā.

Preposition

a

1. along, towards

References

• Paulus Kieviet (2017), A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[20], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 102

Rawang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Suffix

a

1. verbal suffix for marking benefactive of the V.

Pronoun

a (upper case A)

1. proximate demonstrative pronoun

   Alòng èlámò.

   Dry this one.

   Ló webǿng nàí baqòé, ngàí abǿng bakngò lé" wa.

   Well, you carry that side, I will carry this side.

   A wedø nø bvttut mvjòǃ

   Oh, it is absolutely wrong to do (it) that way.

Romagnol

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• à

Pronunciation

• (Central Romagnol) IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ̯]
  • (Ville Unite):
    • (San Zaccaria) IPA^(key): [ˈaɐ]

Verb

a

1. third-person singular/plural present indicative of avér (“to have”)

Etymology 2

From Latin ego.

Pronoun

a (plural a)

1. (Ville Unite) I
2. (Ville Unite) plural of a (“we”)
3. (Ville Unite) plural of te (“you”)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Latin ad, a (“to, toward”).

Preposition

a

1. to; at

Romani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a

1. oh, ah

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/

Etymology 1

Article

a

1. feminine singular of al (“of”, possessive article)

Etymology 2

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”).

Preposition

a

1. (used with infinitive verbs) the infinitive marker: to

   a fi ― to be

2. (obsolete) at (now almost completely replaced by la)
3. (used only with a few perception verbs like suna, mirosi, arăta) like, of

Etymology 3

From Proto-Romanian, from a late Vulgar Latin *ae(t), from Latin habet.

Verb

(el/ea) a (modal auxiliary, third-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

1. modal auxiliary

   (he/she) has...

   A văzut acest film?

   Has he/she seen this film?

Usage notes

a is used instead of are to form the third-person singular perfect compus.

Sardinian

Etymology 1

From Latin ac, alternative form of atque (“and, and also; as, then”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word) in senses 1 and 2)

Conjunction

a

1. (Nuorese) only used in che a (“like, as”)
2. (Campidanese) only used in tottu a and a tottu
3. used in the words for the numbers 17 and 19
   1. (Logudorese) only used in degasette (“seventeen”)
   2. (Campidanese) only used in dexasetti (“seventeen”) and degannoi (“nineteen”)
   3. (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”).

Alternative forms

• ad (used before vowel-initial words)
• an (Nuorese, before words starting with d-)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Logudorese, Nuorese) /a/ (triggers final cogemination (syntactic gemination of the initial consonant of the following word))
• IPA^(key): (Campidanese) /a/ (often does not trigger final cogemination)

Preposition

a

1. indicates the indirect object; to
2. indicates the place; in, to
3. 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

1. (central Sardinia) Used to introduce a question or an exhortation

   a benis? ― are you coming?

   a nos pasamos! ― Let's rest!

Usage notes

• Used in expressions such as a chie ... a chie ... (Logudorese, Nuorese) and a chini ... a chini ... (Campidanese)

  a chie ridet, a chie pranghet (Nuorese) ― one laughs, the other one cries (literally, “[there's] who laughs, [there's] who cries”)

  • In these expressions, e can be used instead of a, though it's not common.

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

2. 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]‎^[21], 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. 19^th century, Sebastiano di Branca, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese‎^[22], 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.

   • 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”)

4. 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]‎^[23], 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.

6. 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]‎^[24], 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.

8. 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]‎^[25], 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.

10. 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

12. 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.

14. in, about, with regard to
    • c. 19^th century, anonymous author, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese‎^[26], 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.

    • 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.”)

16. 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]‎^[27], 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.

18. 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]‎^[28], 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. 19^th century, Gavino Serra, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese‎^[29], 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.

20. Indicates manner.
    • c. 19^th century, anonymous author, “[untitled song]”, in Giovanni Spano, editor, Canti popolari in dialetto sassarese‎^[30], 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

    • 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.”)

22. 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.

24. 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^[31]:

      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/

Pronoun

a (third-person singular)

1. he
2. she
3. it

References

Kevin M. Roddy (2007), "A Sketch Grammar Of Satawalese, The Language Of Satawal Island, Yap State, Micronesia"

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English a, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ə]

Article

a

1. a, an (indefinite article)

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.

Synonyms

• (before a vowel): an

References

• “a, indef. art.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

Determiner

a

1. alternative form of a'

Adverb

a

1. alternative form of a'

Noun

a (uncountable)

1. alternative form of a'

References

• “a, adj., adv.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (etymologies 1-7) /ə/, (etymology 8) /a/
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Old Irish a, from Proto-Celtic *ā. Cognates include Irish a and Welsh a.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Used to mark a vocative; O

   Halò, a Ruairidh. ― Hello, (O) Roderick.

Etymology 2

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Determiner

a

1. (triggers lenition) his, its
2. (triggers H-prothesis) her, its

See also

Scottish Gaelic possessive determiners

		singular		plural
		+ C	+ V	+ C	+ V
first person		moL	m'	ar	arN
second person		doL	d'	ur	urN
third person	m	aL	—	an, am1	an
	f	a	aH

^L Triggers lenition; ^H Triggers H-prothesis; ^N Triggers eclipsis
¹ Used before b-, f-, m- or p-

Etymology 3

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Pronoun

a (governs the relative form of the verb)

1. who, which, that

   Cuin a chluinneas tu e? ― When will you hear it? (literally, “When [is it] that you will hear it?”)

Etymology 4

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Particle

a (triggers H-prothesis)

1. Used before cardinal numbers not succeded by a noun

   A bheil agad a ceithir? ― Do you have four?

Etymology 5

From Old Irish a. Cognates include Irish a.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Used to mark the infinitive of a verb; to

   Tha mi a' dol a chadal. ― I'm going to sleep.

Etymology 6

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Preposition

a (+ dative, triggers lenition of consonants and Dh-prothesis of vowels)

1. Reduced form of do
2. Reduced form of de

Etymology 7

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Particle

a (triggers lenition)

1. Form of an used before bheil

Usage notes

• Less frequently, am may be used before bheil as well.

Etymology 8

Interjection

a!

1. ah!

Alternative forms

• à

References

• MacBain, Alexander; Mackay, Eneas (1911), “a”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[32], Stirling, →ISBN
• Mark, Colin (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

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).

Conjunction

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

1. 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?

2. while (on the contrary), whereas

   Stolovi su crveni, a stolice su zelene. ― The tables are red, whereas the chairs are green.

3. (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.

4. (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.

5. (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.

6. (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.

7. (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 2

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.

Interjection

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

1. oh, ah

   a da? ― oh really?

References

• “a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• 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

Etymology 1

From the lenition of la, from the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Article

a f sg (m u, plural i)

1. the (feminine singular definite article)

   Synonym: la

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 2

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

a f sg (plural i, masculine u)

1. (accusative) her

   Synonym: la

   A canusci? ― Do you know her?

2. (accusative) it, this or that thing

   Synonym: la

   Quannu tâ desi. ― When I gave it to you.

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

Etymology 3

From the merge of Latin ad and ab.

Preposition

a

1. 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?

2. 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.

4. denotes the manner; with

   a pedi, a muzzu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. 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?

   the "us" here is repeated twice for emphasis

   Ascutassi a mìa, signù!

   Listen to me, ma'am!

Usage notes

• When followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound, the form ad (also rhotacized as ar) is used instead.
• When followed by the definite article, a combines with the article to produce the following combined forms:

a + article	Combined form
a + u	ô
a + lu	a lu
a + a	â
a + la	a la
a + i	ê
a + li	a li

Etymology 4

Verb

a

1. misspelling of àvi

Silesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish a.

Conjunction

a

1. and (used to continue a previous statement or to add to it)
2. and, but, whereas (used contrastively)
3. and then (used to say an event will occur if some requirement is fulfilled)
4. and (used for clairification)

Particle

a

1. intensifies agreement

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish a, from Proto-Slavic *a.

Interjection

a

1. interjection that expresses various emotions; ah!

Further reading

• a in dykcjonorz.eu
• a in silling.org

Skolt Sami

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian а (a) 'but'.

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Conjunction

a

1. but
2. how, what about

Further reading

• Eino Koponen, Klaas Ruppel, Kirsti Aapala, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎^[33], Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Slovak

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”).

Conjunction

a

1. and

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, 2003–2026

Slovene

Etymology 1

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)

• Rhymes: -aː
• Homophones: A, a

Interjection

a

1. oh
2. 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?

Synonyms

• ah
• e
• eh
• o
• oh
• uh

Etymology 2

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/

Conjunction

a

1. but

   Synonyms: in, pa, toda, vendar

Particle

a

1. contracted form of ali, particle used to form a yes- no question.

   Synonyms: kaj, ali

Further reading

• “a”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026

Slovincian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa/
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a (“and; but”).

Conjunction

a

1. and

   Synonym: ë

2. and, but, whereas

Derived terms

conjunctions

• abô

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *a (“ah!”).

Interjection

a

1. ah!

   Synonyms: ach, ach, o

References

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908), “a”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[34] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 1
• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908), “ã”, in Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[35] (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

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to”).

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) á
• (obsolete) à

Preposition

a

1. 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.

2. by
3. at
4. 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

• a la

See also

• Wikipedia article covering “personal a”

Sranan Tongo

Pronoun

a

1. 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]‎^[36], 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.

Article

a (singular)

1. the

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.

Preposition

a

1. at, to

   Synonym: na

Particle

a

1. (copula) to be (used with a noun phrase as complement)

   Synonym: na

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

Romanization

a

1. romanization of 𒀀 (a)

Swahili

Particle

-a

1. The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of

   kitabu cha mtoto ― child's book

   kiini cha yai ― egg yolk (literally, “center of egg”)

   • 18th century, Abdallah bin Ali bin Nasir, Al-Inkishafi‎^[37], stanza 9:

     كِطَّمْسِكِزَ گَوُجُهَّالِ ، نُرُ نَمِيَاغَ اِتَظَلَالِ

     Kiṭamsi-kiza cha-ujuhali, nuru na-mianga itaẓalali

     Brightness and lights will overcome the shadow and darkness of ignorance

Usage notes

• This particle agrees in class with the noun preceding it.
• When used as an adjectival particle, the particle itself is untranslated:
  • nguo za kufuliwa ― laundry, washing (literally, “laundry clothing”)
  • mali ya pamoja ― communal property
• When used as a genitive particle, the particle is sometimes untranslated:
  • Bahari ya Hindi ― Indian Ocean

Inflection

Inflected forms of -a

Noun class	singular	plural
m-wa class(I/II)	wa	wa
m-mi class(III/IV)	wa	ya
ji-ma class(V/VI)	la	ya
ki-vi class(VII/VIII)	cha	vya
n class(IX/X)	ya	za
u class(XI)	wa	see n(X) or ma(VI) class
pa class(XVI)	pa
ku class(XVII)	kwa
mu class(XVIII)	mwa

See also

• -enye: the ornative particle

Swedish

Preposition

a

1. from (very formal, seldom used outside written formal texts.)

Usage notes

• Only used in the noun a dato (from this day) and the adverb a priori (beforehand, in advance).

See also

• a dato
• a priori

Interjection

a

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) pronunciation spelling of ja (“yes”)

   aa d ere

   yeah, it is

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

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔa/ [ˈʔa]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Interjection

a (Baybayin spelling ᜀ)

1. ah: an exclamation of pity, admiration or surprise

   A! Kailan namatay ang iyong ina? ― Ah! When did your mother die?

2. oh (expression of understanding or realization)

   Synonym: aw

Alternative forms

• ah

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔaʔ/ [ˈʔaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: a

Interjection

a (Baybayin spelling ᜀ)

1. (informal) ouch (expression of pain)

   Synonyms: aray, aw

Alternative forms

• ah

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔa/ [ˈʔa]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Particle

a (Baybayin spelling ᜀ)

1. alternative form of ha (sentence-ending particle)

Alternative forms

• ah

Further reading

• “a”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Tarantino

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˦˥]

Etymology 1

Particle

a (Nôm form 呵)

1. alright?; okay?; will you?

   Chin a. ― Let's eat.

   Mừa a. ― Let's go home.

2. already

   Chư̱ a. ― Oh right.

Derived terms

• a dè
• a rối

Etymology 2

From Proto-Tai *ʔaːᴬ (“father's younger sister”). Cognate with Lao ອາ (ʼā), Thai อา (aa).

Noun

a (Nôm form 妸)

1. paternal aunt

   me̱ a ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. younger sister

   a noọng ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

• a lùa
• a sliên

References

• Hoàng Văn Ma; Lục Văn Pảo; Hoàng Chí (2006), Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
• Lương Bèn (2011), Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[38][39] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[40] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Imitative or onomatopoeia.

Interjection

a

1. eh?
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:1:

     God, Bikpela i bin wokim olgeta animal, tasol i no gat wanpela bilong ol inap winim snek long tok gris. Na snek i askim meri olsem, “Ating God i tambuim yutupela long kaikai pikinini bilong olgeta diwai bilong gaden, a?”

     →New International Version translation

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *a. Cognates include Māori a and Tuvaluan a.

Article

a

1. a personal article, used after the prepositions i and ki and before personal names or names of months

Derived terms

• a te

See also

Tokelauan articles

impersonal
	singular	plural
definite	te	nā
indefinite	he	ni
personal
	nominal	pronominal
simple	ia
after i/ki	a	a te
after mai	ia te

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qa. Cognates include Hawaiian a and Samoan a.

Preposition

a

1. marks alienable possession; of

See also

• o

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[41], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 1

Tooro

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Particle

-a

1. The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of

Declension

Inflected forms of -a

Noun class	indefinite		definite
	singular	plural	singular	plural
1/2	wa	ba	owa	aba
3/4	gwa	ya	ogwa	eya
5/6	lya	ga	erya	aga
7/8	kya	bya	ekya	ebya
9/10	ya	za	eya	eza
11/10	rwa		orwa
12/14	ka	bwa	aka	obwa
13	—	twa	—	otwa
14/6	bwa	ga	obwa	aga
15/6	kwa		okwa
16	ha	—	aha	—
18	mwa		omwa

References

• Kaji, Shigeki (2007), A Rutooro Vocabulary‎^[42], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 415

Tyap

Interjection

a

1. ah (expression of surprise, question)
2. eh (expression of reluctance)

Pronoun

a

1. you (2nd person subject singular personal pronoun)

Pronoun

a̱

1. he/she (3rd person singular personal pronoun)

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ə̀/

Pronoun

á̱

1. they (indefinite) (3rd person plural personal pronoun)

Upper Sorbian

Conjunction

a

1. and
2. the (establishing a parallel between two comparatives)

   starši a mudriši ― the older, the smarter

   dlěje a hórje ― the longer, the worse

Further reading

• “a” in Soblex

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]

Etymology 1

Noun

(classifier cái) a • (阿)

1. a cutting tool consisting of two blades inserted into a long handle to cut grass or to harvest rice

   Synonyms: trang, gạc

   rèn một lưỡi a bằng ba lưỡi hái

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Etymology 2

Verb

a

1. to rush or charge forward at

   Synonyms: trang, gạc

   a vào giật cho bằng được

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Etymology 3

Pronoun

a

1. (slang, Internet, text messaging) abbreviation of anh

Etymology 4

Particle

a

1. (rare) Used to indicate a question that is asked out of perplexity or sarcasm.

   Bây giờ mới đi a?

   You've only been going just now?

   Thật thế a?

   Really?

Etymology 5

Interjection

a

1. An expression of happiness, surprise or of a sudden remembrance of something.

   A mẹ đã về!

   Oh, my mom came home!

   A, mình nhớ ra rồi!

   Oh, I remember!

Votic

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivčülä) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/, [ˈɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑ
• Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

Conjunction

a

1. but (Following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather
2. However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand

Etymology 2

Natural. Compare Russian а (a).

Interjection

a

1. ah!, oh!
2. oops!
3. ouch!

See also

• aa
• aah
• ah
• haa
• see other Votic letters

References

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language]‎^[43], 2nd edition, Tallinn

Walloon

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. at

Welsh

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/
• Rhymes: -aː

Verb

a

1. (colloquial) first-person singular future of mynd

Synonyms

• af (literary)

Etymology 2

From Old Welsh a(c), from Proto-Brythonic *(h)a, from Proto-Indo-European *ad-gʰe (compare Welsh ag and Cornish ha).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Rhymes: -a

Conjunction

a (triggers aspirate mutation (but not always in colloquial language))

1. and

Synonyms

• ac (used before a vowel)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Rhymes: -a

Pronoun

a (triggers soft mutation)

1. (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 (as opposed to a periphrastic construction with bod, to be)).

   Y dyn a welais i ― The man whom I saw

Usage notes

1. a is not used with the third person singular present of the verb bod, where the relative verb form sydd is used instead

   Mae'r dyn yn ifanc ― The man is young

   Y dyn sydd yn ifanc ― The man who is young"

   not *Y dyn a yw'n ifanc

2. 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

   Roedd chwaer y dyn yma ― The man's sister was here

   Y dyn yr oedd ei chwaer yma ― The man whose sister was here

   not *Y dyn a oedd ei chwaer yma

West Makian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Verb

a

1. (stative) to be cooked
2. (stative) to be done, finished

Conjugation

Conjugation of a (stative verb)

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tia	mia	aa
2nd person		nia	fia
3rd person	inanimate	ia	dia
	animate	maa
imperative		—, a	—, a

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Verb

a

1. (transitive) alternative form of am (“to eat”)

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		tia	mia	aa
2nd person		nia	fia
3rd person	inanimate	ia	dia
	animate
imperative		nia, a	fia, a

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[44], Pacific linguistics

Yola

Etymology 1

From Middle English þe, from Old English þe.

Alternative forms

• ee, eee, the, tha, thay, th', ye, y'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iː/, /ðiː/, /ð/, /jiː/, /j/
• Homophone: thaaye

Article

a

1. the, in later times the.
   • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 94:

     Maade a nicest coolecannan that e'er ye did zee.

     Made the nicest coolecannan that ever you did see.

   • 1867, “SONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 108:

     A vursth stroke hea strooke

     The first stroke he struck

   • 1867, “JAMEEN QOUGEELY EE-PEALTHE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 110, lines 5-6:

     If ich hadh Peeougheen a Buch, Meyleare a Slut, Peedher Ghiel-laaune, an Jackeen Bugaaune,

     If I had Hugh the Buck, Meyler the Sloven, Peter the Smart Man, and John Boggan,

Etymology 2

From Middle English a, an, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”).

Alternative forms

• e

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Article

a

1. one

Etymology 3

Unstressed form of .

Preposition

1. on

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20050222031415/http://homepage.tinet.ie/~taghmon/histsoc/vol3/chapter4/chapter4.htm

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Likely a

Pronoun

1. we

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 or conjunctions such as , , and . In those cases, must be used instead.

Etymology 2

Pronoun

1. him, her, it

Pronoun

1. him, her, it

See also

See Template:yo-personal pronouns.

Yucatec Maya

Pronoun

1. you

Zazaki

Pronoun

1. she

Zhuang

Etymology 1

Compare .

Noun

1. crow

Etymology 2

Noun

1. mother

Zou

Noun

1. hen