'a

See also: Appendix:Variations of "a"

English

Pronoun

'a

1. (archaic) Alternative form of a (“he, she, they”)

Verb

'a

1. (archaic) Alternative form of a (“have, had”)

Particle

'a

1. Alternative form of a (“to”)
   • 1955, Russell Ames, “The Open Road, the Chain Gang, and the Jail”, in The Story of American Folk Song (The Listener’s Music Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, published 1960, →OCLC, page 248:

     Say, these stripes, stripes sure don’t worry me. But these chains, chains goin’ ’a kill me dead.

   • 2009, Jennifer Worth, “The Captain’s Daughter”, in Farewell to the East End, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, →ISBN, page 237:

     Well, this one’s ’ere all right. Captain’s wife or somefink, the mate says. Least, that’s what I think he’s tryin’ ’a say, because he can’t speak no English.

   • 2014, R[oger] N. Morris, chapter 11, in The Dark Palace (A Silas Quinn Mystery; 3), Sutton, Surrey: Crème de la Crime, →ISBN, Part 1 (Love), page 50:

     So while we’re all distracted tryin’ ’a fix it all – that’s when they strike.

French

Article

’a f sg

1. (Quebec, informal) Contraction of la.

Neapolitan

Etymology 1

From Old Neapolitan la.

Article

'a f (definite)

1. the

Pronoun

'a f

1. her (accusative)

Coordinate terms

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

Etymology 2

From Old Neapolitan da, from Latin de ab.

Alternative forms

• a

Preposition

'a

1. from
2. by (indicating the actor in a passive voice)
3. to (something that has to be done)

See also

• â
• 'e
• ll'
• 'o

Tarantino

Article

'a f sg (plural le)

1. the