-сте

Ukrainian

Alternative forms

• -сьте (-sʹte)

Etymology

Contraction of Proto-Slavic *este, second-person plural of *byti. Previously marked the perfect aspect, as in Old Church Slavonic. Cognate with Polish -ście, which is also used with former l-participles to form the past tense.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ stɛ]

Verb

-сте • (-ste) (clitic)

1. (dialectal) Used with past plural forms of imperfective (rarely perfective) verbs, marking them as second-person plural.
   • 1900, Vasyl Stefanyk, Камінний хрест [The Stone Cross]‎^[1], Lviv, published 1942:

     Дєкую вам файно, ґазди і ґаздині, шо-сте ні мали за ґазду, а мою за ґаздиню…

     Djekuju vam fajno, gazdy i gazdyni, šo-ste ni maly za gazdu, a moju za gazdynju…

     I thank you much, gentlemen and ladies, for you have had me for a householder, and my [wife] for a householdress…

Usage notes

• May be attached to any word in the sentence.

See also

• -сми (-smy) (1-st person singular)
• -смо (-smo) (1-st person plural)