a

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

TranslingualEdit

See also the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica's article on:

A.

Etymology 1Edit

Modification of capital letter A, from Latin A, from Ancient Greek letter Α (A).

PronunciationEdit

(letter, most languages): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/
IPA
(file)

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

SymbolEdit

a

English Wikipedia has an article on:

open front unrounded vowel

Wikipedia

(IPA) Used in the International Phonetic Alphabet and in several romanization systems of non-Latin scripts to represent an open front unrounded vowel.

Etymology 2Edit

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

SymbolEdit

a

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

Etymology 3Edit

From Latin annus.

SymbolEdit

a

A year in SI Units, specifically a Julian year or exactly 365.25 days.

Etymology 4Edit

Abbreviation of are, from French are.

SymbolEdit

a

An are, a unit of area of which 100 comprise a hectare; ares.

Etymology 5Edit

Abbreviation of acceleration

SymbolEdit

a

(physics) acceleration

Other representations of A:

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

GalleryEdit

Letter styles
Capital and lowercase versions of A, in normal and italic type
Uppercase and lowercase A in Fraktur
Approximate form of Greek upper case Α (a, “alpha”) that was the source for both common variants of aA in uncial script

EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English and Old English lower case letter a and split of Middle English and Old English lower case letter æ.

Old English lower case letter a from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case letter a of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚪ (a, “āc”), derived from Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”).
Old English lower case letter æ from 7th century replacement by Latin lower case ligature æ of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚫ (æ, “æsc”), also derived from Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”).

Alternative formsEdit

(Gregg Shorthand) · (dot)

PronunciationEdit

(letter name)
- (UK, US) IPA^(key): /eɪ/
- Audio (US)
  (file)
- (General Australian) IPA^(key): /æɪ/
- Rhymes: -eɪ
The current pronunciation resulted from the Great Vowel Shift. Before the early part of the 17th century, the pronunciation was similar to that in other languages.
(phoneme) /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, ...

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A, plural a's)

The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

Usage notesEdit

In English, the letter a usually denotes the near-open front unrounded vowel (/æ/), as in pad, the open back unrounded vowel (/ɑː/) as in father, or, followed by another vowel, the diphthong /eɪ/, as in ace.

a is the third most common letter in English.

Derived termsEdit

Digraph sequences: ae, ah, ai, au, aw, ay, ea, eau, ia, oa, ua

NumeralEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The ordinal number first, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a (plural aes)^[1]

The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

TranslationsEdit

name of the letter A, a

Arabic: إِي‎ m (ʾey) (English), آ‎ (ar) m (ʾā) (Latin, etc.)
Asturian: a (ast) f
Catalan: a (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: (English letter names are called as in English, no other standard Mandarin name exists)
Danish: a (da) n
Esperanto: a (eo)
Finnish: aa (fi)
Galician: a (gl) m
Greek: έι (el) n (éi)
Hawaiian: ʻā
Hebrew: איי‎ f (éy)
Hindi: ए (hi) (e)
Hungarian: a (hu), az (hu)
Ido: a (io)
Irish: á, ailm
Italian: a (it) m, f
Japanese: エー (ē)

Khmer: អេ (ee)
Korean: 에이 (ei)
Latin: ā (la)
Latvian: a (lv) m
Macedonian: а (mk) (a)
Malay: e (ms)
Marathi: ए (e)
Oriya: ଏ (e)
Persian: آ‎ (fa) (â), اِی‎ (fa) (ey)
Polish: a (pl)
Portuguese: á (pt) m
Russian: эй (ru) n (ej) (English), а (ru) n (a)
Slovene: a (sl)
Spanish: a (es) f
Thai: เอ (th) (ee)
Turkish: a (tr)
Vietnamese: a (vi)

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English a, from Old English ān (“one; a; lone; sole”). The "n" was gradually lost before consonants in almost all dialects by the 15th century.

PronunciationEdit

(stressed) IPA^(key): /eɪ/
(unstressed) IPA^(key): /ə/
Audio (US), stressed
(file)
Audio (US), unstressed
(file)

ArticleEdit

a (indefinite)

One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. [First attested prior to 1150]^[2]
There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
- 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, 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)
Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word.
I've seen it happen a hundred times.
One certain or particular; any single. [First attested between around 1150 and 1350]^[2]
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
The same; one. [16th Century]^[2]
We are of a mind on matters of morals.
Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope;^[1] also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.^[3]
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.

He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc.
Someone or something like; similar to;^[3] Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.

Usage notesEdit

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.

TranslationsEdit

an — see an

Etymology 3Edit

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

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/

PrepositionEdit

a

(archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
Stand a tiptoe.
To do with separation; In, into. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
Torn a pieces.
To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
I brush my teeth twice a day.

1601, Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV-v
A Sundays
(obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
Marlowe, C.
Stands here a purpose.
(obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
A God’s name.
To do with status; In. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)
To set the people a worke.
(archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [First attested before 1150]^[2]
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’
The times, they are a-changin'.
(archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. [16th century]^[2]
- 1605~1608 Shakespeare
  It was a doing.
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21
Jacob, when he was a dying
(archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th century]^[2]

Usage notesEdit

(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

Etymology 4Edit

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

Alternative formsEdit

'a, 'a', ha, ha'

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/

VerbEdit

a (third-person singular simple present -, present participle -, simple past and past participle -)

(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.
- 1604 (facsimile printed between 1830 and 1910), William Shakespeare, Hamlet:
  So would I a done by yonder ſunne
  
  And thou hadſt not come to my bed.

Derived termsEdit

Derived terms

coulda

shoulda

woulda

Usage notesEdit

Now often attached to preceding auxiliary verb. See -a.

Etymology 5Edit

A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: "There are five etymologies and two pronunciation but just one meaning. Does Modern English a also mean he, she, it, I? If so, then the meanings have to be added, if not, then it does not make sense to mention for example I in the etymology section or it in the pronunciation section.
Talk:a#RFV implies that the unrelated etymologies and pronunciations have to be removed too.".

Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup⁽⁺⁾ or the talk page for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

(he): From Middle English a, ha (“he”), unstressed variant of he, from Old English hē.
(she): From Middle English a, ha, unstressed variant of heo, hie, hi, from Old English hēo, hīo, hī feminine of hē (“he”).
(they): From Middle English a, ha, unstressed variant of hie, hi, from Old English hīe, hī plural of hē (“he”).
(it): From Middle English a, ha, unstressed variant of he, heo, from Old English hit (“it”).
(I): From Middle English [Term?] variant of the word I.

Alternative formsEdit

'a

PronunciationEdit

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

PronounEdit

a

(obsolete outside England and Scotland dialectal) He. [1150-1900]^[2]
- 1599, Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, III-ii:
  a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.
- 1874 Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (Barnes & Noble Classics reprint [reset], 2005, chapter 5, page 117; from "Hardy's 1912 Wessex edition"):
  "And how Farmer James would cuss, and call thee a fool, wouldn't he, Joseph, when 'a seed his name looking so inside-out-like?" continued Matthew Moon, with feeling. / "Ay — 'a would," said Joseph meekly.

Etymology 6Edit

Variant spelling of ah.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/, /ɑː/

InterjectionEdit

a

A meaningless syllable; ah.
- 1623 Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale, IV-iii:
  A merry heart goes all the day
  
  Your sad tires in a mile-a
- 1936 Avery, I Love to Singa:
  I love to sing-a
  
  About the moon-a and the June-a and the Spring-a.

Etymology 7Edit

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

PronunciationEdit

(US) IPA^(key): /ə/

PrepositionEdit

a

(archaic, slang) Of.
The name of John a Gaunt.
- a. 1597, Shakespeare, Henry IV Part 1, I-ii
  What time a day is it?
- 1598, Ben Jonson, Every man in his humour
  It’s six a clock.
- 1931 (created) - 2009 (revived) - 2011 (viral video) - 2012 (film version), Cups (When I'm Gone)
  Two bottles 'a whiskey for the way^[4]

Usage notesEdit

Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Alternative formsEdit

o’, o

Etymology 8Edit

From (Northern dialect) Middle English aw, alteration of all.

(chiefly Scotland) All. [First attested from 1350 to 1470.]

AdjectiveEdit

a (not comparable)

(chiefly Scotland) All. [First attested from 1350 to 1470.]

Etymology 9Edit

Symbols

SymbolEdit

a

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

Etymology 10Edit

AbbreviationEdit

a

(crosswords) across
Do you have the answer for 23a?

ReferencesEdit

Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], →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.

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Gove, Philip Babcock, (1976)
↑ ^2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 Brown, Lesley, (2003)
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)
^ YouTube video with lyrics

AbauEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

NounEdit

a

house

AfarEdit

LetterEdit

a

The first letter of the Afar alphabet

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ʌ/

DeterminerEdit

a

this

AlbanianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

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.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ParticleEdit

a

or
there

Etymology 2Edit

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.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ParticleEdit

a

probably, perhaps

AmaEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ãː/

NounEdit

a

tree

AragoneseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin illa.

ArticleEdit

a f sg

the
a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

AsturianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

to, towards

Derived termsEdit

al

NounEdit

a f

a (name of the letter A, a)

AzerbaijaniEdit

PronunciationEdit

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a lower case (upper case A)

The first letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

BambaraEdit

ArticleEdit

a

the (definite article).

InterjectionEdit

a

ah (expression of surprise)
eh (expression of reluctance)

PronounEdit

a

they, them (plural)

BavarianEdit

ArticleEdit

a

a

CatalanEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Catalan alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Derived termsEdit

no saber ni la a

Etymology 2Edit

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

PronunciationEdit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

in, at; indicating a particular time or place
Sóc a Barcelona.
I am in Barcelona.
to; indicating movement towards a particular place
Vaig a Barcelona.
I'm going to Barcelona.
to; indicating a target or indirect object
Escric una carta a la meva àvia.
I'm writing my grandmother a letter.
per
by
dia a dia.
day by day.

Usage notesEdit

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 termsEdit

ChuukeseEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑ/

PronounEdit

a

AdjectiveEdit

a

he is
she is
it is

Related termsEdit

		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	aua (exclusive) sia (inclusive)	ause (exclusive) sise (inclusive)	aupwe (exclusive) sipwe (inclusive)	ausap (exclusive) sisap (inclusive)	aupwap (exclusive) sipwap (inclusive)	aute (exclusive) site (inclusive)
	Second person	oua	ouse	oupwe	ousap	oupwap	oute
	Third person	ra, re	rese	repwe	resap	repwap	rete

CornishEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/

ParticleEdit

a

Marks the following verb to the preceding subject.

PrepositionEdit

a

of (Expresses separation, origin, composition/substance or a quality)
of (Comes between a preceding large number and a following plural noun to express quantity)
from (Indicates provenance)

InflectionEdit

Standard Cornish

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

CzechEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Slavic *a.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/
audio
(file)

ConjunctionEdit

a

and

DalmatianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

to
at

DanishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen)
(file)

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Danish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen)
(file)

NounEdit

a n (singular definite a'et, plural indefinite a'er)

The name of the letter A or a.

InflectionEdit

Declension of a

gender	Singular		Plural
gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	a	a'et	a'er	a'erne
genitive	a's	a'ets	a'ers	a'ernes

Etymology 3Edit

Alternative formsEdit

à (unofficial but common)

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/, [ˈaˀ]
Rhymes: -a, Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen)
(file)

PrepositionEdit

a

of, of...each, each containing
at
to, or

Etymology 4Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /æː/, [ˈæːˀ]
Rhymes: -æː
Audio (Copenhagen)
(file)

VerbEdit

a

imperative of ae

DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA^(key): /aː/
Audio
(file)

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:

Aa (waternaam)

Wikipedia ^nl

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

Alternative formsEdit

aa (especially in names)
ie

NounEdit

a f (plural a's, diminutive aatje n)

(archaic) a stream or water

Related termsEdit

eiland

Etymology 3Edit

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.

PronounEdit

a

(Brabantian) you

SynonymsEdit

u
U

EgyptianEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

Manuel de Codage transliteration of ˤ.

EmilianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ego (“I”).

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɐ/
Hyphenation: a

PronounEdit

a (personal, nominative case)

I
we
you (plural)

Alternative formsEdit

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

Related termsEdit

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person	Gender	Disjunctive (tonic)	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Reflexive (-self)	Comitative (with)
Singular	First	—	mè	a	me			mêg
	Second	—	tè	et	te			têg
	Third	Masculine	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
	Third	Feminine	lê	la		ge	se	sêg
Plural	First	Masculine	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
	First	Feminine	nuētri	a	se			nōsk
	Second	Masculine	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
	Second	Feminine	vuētri	a	ve			vōsk
	Third	Masculine	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
	Third	Feminine	lôr	el	li	ge	se	sêg

EsperantoEdit

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA^(key): /a/
(phoneme): IPA^(key): /a/
Audio
(file)

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Esperanto alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a (accusative singular a-on, plural a-oj, accusative plural a-ojn)

The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

FalaEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Portuguese á, from Latin illa (“that”).

ArticleEdit

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

feminine singular of definite article o
- 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, […]

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near, at”).

PrepositionEdit

a

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, […]

FaroeseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀‎ (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɛaː/
Homophone: æ
Rhymes: -ɛaː

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

FinnishEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Finnish alphabet, called aa and written in the Latin script.

FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑ/

NounEdit

a m, f (plural as)

a, The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.

Etymology 3Edit

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

PronunciationEdit

(Canada) IPA^(key): /a/, /ɔ/

PronounEdit

a

(Quebec, colloquial) Alternative form of elle (“she”)
(Can we add an example for this sense?)

Etymology 4Edit

SymbolEdit

a

are (100 square metres)

Etymology 5Edit

PronunciationEdit

(France) IPA^(key): /a/
(Canada) IPA^(key): /a/, /ɔ/

VerbEdit

a

third-person singular present indicative of avoir
Elle a un chat.
She has a cat.

FulaEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notesEdit

Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a

you (second person singular subject pronoun; short form)

Usage notesEdit

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.

GalicianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin ad (“to, toward”).

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a̝/

PrepositionEdit

a

to, toward; indicating direction of motion
introduces indirect object
used to indicate time of an action
(with de) to, until; used to indicate the end of a range
de cinco a oito ― from five to eight
by, on, by means of; expresses a mode of action
a pé ― on foot
for; indicates price or cost

Usage notesEdit

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 termsEdit

á, ás
ao, aos
ó, ós

Etymology 2Edit

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

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a̝/

ArticleEdit

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

(definite) the

Usage notesEdit

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. It's 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.^[1]

Derived termsEdit

Derived terms

á
coa

da

na

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ˈa/

NounEdit

a m (plural as)

a (name of the letter A, a)

Etymology 4Edit

See the etymology of the main entry.

PronounEdit

a

accusative of ela

ReferencesEdit

^ Vaz Leão, Ângela (2000), “Questões de linguagem nas Cantigas de Santa Maria, de Afonso X”, in Scripta‎^[1], volume 4, issue 7, DOI:10.5752/P.2358-3428, retrieved 16 November 2017, pages 11-24

GermanEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/, /ä/
Rhymes: -aː

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the German alphabet, written in the Latin script.

GilberteseEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

NumeralEdit

a

(cardinal) four

GothicEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

Romanization of 𐌰

Grass KoiariEdit

PronounEdit

a

you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

Haitian CreoleEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ArticleEdit

a

the: definite article

Usage notesEdit

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.

HawaiianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /aː/

ConjunctionEdit

a

and (used between sentences)
until, up to

PrepositionEdit

a

of, belonging to

Usage notesEdit

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).

HungarianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): [ˈɒ]
Audio
(file)

ArticleEdit

a (definite)

the
a hölgy ― the lady

Usage notesEdit

Used before words starting with a consonant.

Related termsEdit

az, for words starting with a vowel

IdoEdit

PronunciationEdit

(context pronunciation, letter name) IPA^(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a (plural a-i)

The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

PrepositionEdit

a

Apocopic form of ad

Related termsEdit

e (“and”)
o (“or”)

Indo-PortugueseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Portuguese a, from Old Portuguese a, from Latin ad (“to”), from Proto-Indo-European *át (“near; at”).

PronunciationEdit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

to
- 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:
  […] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.
  
  […] , to give him his share which belongs to him.

InterlinguaEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PrepositionEdit

a

to, at
to, for (indicating purpose)
sala a attender ― waiting room

Derived termsEdit

a in
al

IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (the final vowel triggering lenition), feminine Proto-Celtic *esyās (the final -s triggering h-prothesis), plural Proto-Celtic *esyom (the final nasal triggering eclipsis), all from the genitive forms of Proto-Indo-European *éy. Cognate with Welsh ei.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers lenition)

his, its
a athair agus a mháthair ― his father and mother

Chaill an t-éan a chleití.
The bird lost its feathers.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers h-prothesis)

her, its
a hathair agus a máthair ― her father and mother

Bhris an mheaig a heiteog.
The magpie broke its wing.

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers eclipsis)

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

a dtithe ― their houses

a n-ainmneacha ― their names
(Connacht) our
(Connacht) your pl

DeterminerEdit

a (triggers lenition)

how (used with an abstract noun)
A ghéire a labhair sí!
How sharply she spoke!

A fheabhas atá sé!
How good it is!

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a (triggers lenition except of d’ and of past autonomous forms)

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

PronounEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)

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 termsEdit

ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

PronounEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes the dependent form of an irregular verb; not used in the past tense except with some irregular verbs)

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 termsEdit

ar (used with the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs)

Etymology 3Edit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

Introduces a vocative
A Dhia!
O God!

A dhuine uasail!
Sir!

Tar isteach, a Sheáin.
Come in, Seán.

A amadáin!
You fool!

Etymology 4Edit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers h-prothesis)

Introduces a numeral
a haon, a dó, a trí... ― one, two, three...

Séamas a Dó ― James the Second

bus a seacht ― bus seven

Etymology 5Edit

Originally a reduced form of do.

PrepositionEdit

a (plus dative, triggers lenition)

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.

IstriotEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

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,

ParticleEdit

a

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,

ItalianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/, [ä]
audio
(file)
Hyphenation: a

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin ā (the name of the letter A).

NounEdit

a f, m (invariable)

The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.; a

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad, from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“near; at”). In a few phrases, a stems from Latin a, ab.^[1]

PrepositionEdit

a

in
at
to
Indicates the direct object, mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both are displaced, or for emphasis
A me non importa. ― It doesn’t matter to me. (literally, “To me it doesn’t matter.”)

A lei non piace, ma a lui piace molto. ― She doesn't like it, but he likes it very much.

Usage notesEdit

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

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

a

Misspelling of ha.

ReferencesEdit

^ Angelo Prati, "Vocabolario Etimologico Italiano", Torino, 1951

JapaneseEdit

RomanizationEdit

a

Rōmaji transcription of あ
Rōmaji transcription of ア

K'iche'Edit

Etymology 1Edit

a

(adj) masculine youth indicator

Etymology 2Edit

a

(adv interrog) indicator of question

Etymology 3Edit

a

(adv interrog) your

ReferencesEdit

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

KalashaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Sanskrit अहम् (aham), from Proto-Indo-European *éǵh₂om.

PronounEdit

a

I (1st-person personal pronoun)

KoitabuEdit

PronounEdit

a

you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

KrisaEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

NounEdit

a m

pig

LadinEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin a.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PrepositionEdit

a

in
at
to

Derived termsEdit

LatgalianEdit

EtymologyEdit

Shortened from an older Baltic form *ā, which cognates with Lithuanian o (the same meaning).

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ConjunctionEdit

a f

but, however, while, signal

ParticleEdit

a f

and, but, so, well

LatinEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), likely through Etruscan.

PronunciationEdit

(letter name):

(Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

(sometimes with littera) the first letter of the Latin alphabet.
littera a ― the letter a

Etymology 2Edit

From Etruscan [Term?].

PronunciationEdit

(Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/

NounEdit

ā (indeclinable)

The name of the letter A.

Coordinate termsEdit

(Latin-script letter names) littera; ā, bē, cē, dē, ē, ef, gē, hā, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta

ReferencesEdit

Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32
Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū — each, again, with a long vowel sound.

Etymology 3Edit

Shortened form of ab.

Alternative formsEdit

à (earlier in New Latin)

PronunciationEdit

(Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/
Audio (Classical)
(file)

PrepositionEdit

ā (+ ablative)

of, from
- Heauton Timorumenos (“The Self-Tormentor”) by Publius Terentius Afer
  Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.
  I am a man, I consider nothing that is human alien to me.

Alternative formsEdit

ab

Derived termsEdit

a lacte cunisque

Etymology 4Edit

This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

PronunciationEdit

(Classical) IPA^(key): /aː/

InterjectionEdit

ā

ah

LatvianEdit

Latvian Wikipedia has an article on:

a

Wikipedia ^lv

EtymologyEdit

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): [a]
Audio
(file)

LetterEdit

A

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Latvian alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): [a]

NounEdit

a m (invariable)

The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

LigurianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

Ligurian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	o	i
feminine	a	e

ArticleEdit

a f sg (plural e)

the

Etymology 2Edit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

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

LivonianEdit

PronunciationEdit

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Livonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Louisiana Creole FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French avoir (“to have”)

VerbEdit

a

to have

Lower SorbianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): [a]

ConjunctionEdit

a

and

MalayEdit

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA^(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

a (Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

Pinyin transcription of 呵
Pinyin transcription of 啊
Pinyin transcription of 阿

a

Nonstandard spelling of ā.
Nonstandard spelling of á.
Nonstandard spelling of ǎ.
Nonstandard spelling of à.

Usage notesEdit

English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

MandinkaEdit

PronounEdit

a

he, him (personal pronoun)
A m busa ― He/she struck me.

Y a busa ― They struck him/her.
she, her (personal pronoun)
it (personal pronoun)

MaoriEdit

ParticleEdit

a

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

Usage notesEdit

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

Middle DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Dutch ā, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂.

NounEdit

â f

(rare) river, stream, water

InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

DescendantsEdit

Dutch: a

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronounEdit

a

(late) Alternative form of I

ReferencesEdit

“ich (pron.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 5 May 2018.

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a

Alternative form of heo

ReferencesEdit

“he, pron. (3)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 June 2018.

Etymology 3Edit

PronounEdit

a

Alternative form of he

ReferencesEdit

“he, pron. (3)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 12 June 2018.

Middle FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old French [Term?], from Latin ad.

Alternative formsEdit

à (after 1550)

PrepositionEdit

a

to; towards

Etymology 2Edit

From Old French [Term?], from Latin habet.

VerbEdit

a

third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Middle WelshEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

O (vocative particle)

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PronounEdit

a (triggers lenition)

who, which, that

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

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 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

used to introduce a direct question
whether (used to introduce an indirect question)

Etymology 4Edit

Reduction of o (“from”).

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PrepositionEdit

a

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
  it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child

Etymology 5Edit

Alternative formsEdit

ac

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ConjunctionEdit

a (triggers aspiration)

and

Etymology 6Edit

Alternative formsEdit

ac

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PrepositionEdit

a (triggers aspiration)

with

Etymology 7Edit

From Proto-Celtic *ageti, third-person singular present indicative of *ago-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

Alternative formsEdit

aa

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /aː/

VerbEdit

a

third-person singular present indicative of mynet

MutationEdit

Middle Welsh mutation
Radical	Soft	Nasal	H-prothesis
a	unchanged	unchanged	ha
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Mopan MayaEdit

ArticleEdit

a

the

ReferencesEdit

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

Mountain KoiariEdit

PronounEdit

a

you (singular)

ReferencesEdit

Terry Crowley, Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics

NauruanEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑ/

PronounEdit

a

I (first person singular pronoun)
- 2000, Lisa M Johnson, Firstness of Secondness in Nauruan Morphology:
  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).

NavajoEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Navajo alphabet, written in the Latin script.
a = /a˨/

ą = /ã˨/

á = /a˥/

ą́ = /ã˥/

aa = /aː˨˨/

ąą = /ãː˨˨/

áa = /aː˥˨/

ą́ą = /ãː˥˨/

aá = /aː˨˥/

ąą́ = /ãː˨˥/

áá = /aː˥˥/

ą́ą́ = /ãː˥˥/

NeapolitanEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin de ab.

PrepositionEdit

a

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

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

PrepositionEdit

a

in (locative: staying in a place of relative width)
to (locative: moving towards a place of relative width)
to (dative)

NormanEdit

VerbEdit

a

(Guernsey) third-person singular present indicative of aver

Norwegian BokmålEdit

Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:

a

Wikipedia ^nb

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA^(key): /ɑː/
(phoneme): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/

LetterEdit

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

The first letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

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

the letter a

Norwegian NynorskEdit

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

a

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/ (example of pronunciation)

LetterEdit

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

The first letter of the Norwegian Nynorsk alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a m (definite singular a-en, indefinite plural a-ar, definite plural a-ane)

the letter a

NovialEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

to

Usage notesEdit

When followed by the definite article li, a may optionally be combined with the article to give al.

Old DanishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

aa (Jutlandic)

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Etymology 1Edit

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

NounEdit

ā (genitive ār, plural ār)

(Scanian) stream, river

DescendantsEdit

Danish: å

Etymology 2Edit

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

PrepositionEdit

ā

(Scanian) on, in, at

DescendantsEdit

Danish: på

Etymology 3Edit

VerbEdit

ā

first-person singular present indicative of ēgha
third-person singular present indicative of ēgha

Old DutchEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Germanic *ahwō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂.

NounEdit

ā f

river, stream, water

InflectionEdit

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative formsEdit

aha

DescendantsEdit

Middle Dutch: â
- Dutch: a

Old EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“eternity, age”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“vitality”). Cognate with Old Saxon eo, Old High German io, eo (German je), Old Norse ei, ey (English aye), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐍃 (aiws, “age, eternity”).

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ɑː/

AdverbEdit

ā

ever, always

DescendantsEdit

English/Scots: ay/aye

Old FrenchEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Old French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin ad.

Alternative formsEdit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

to
towards
belonging to
fil a putain ― son of a whore

Derived termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

French: à

Etymology 3Edit

From the verb avoir, aveir.

Alternative formsEdit

ad

VerbEdit

a

third-person singular present indicative of avoir

Old IrishEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Celtic *sindom (“this”).

Alternative formsEdit

(relative pronoun): an

ArticleEdit

a

nominative / accusative singular neuter of in
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 15^b28
  A mbás tiagme-ni do·áirci bethid dúib-si.
  The death to which we go causes life unto you.

PronounEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a leniting relative clause)

that which, what
- c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112^b13
  Is demniu liunn a n-ad·chiam hua sulib ol·daas an ro·chluinemmar hua chluasaib.
  What we see with the eyes is more certain for us than what we hear with the ears.

DescendantsEdit

Irish: a

Etymology 2Edit

ConjunctionEdit

a (triggers eclipsis, takes a nasalizing relative clause)

when
- c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55^d11
  Ícaid-som didiu anisin, a n-as·mbeir “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.
  He solves that then, when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”.
- c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 112^b17
  ⁊ a no·nda imbide
  and when thou art hedged round

Etymology 3Edit

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *esōm (pl); 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 formsEdit

á, ha

DeterminerEdit

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)

his, its
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5^a23
  Cossóit a thuaithe fri Dia inso.
  This is a slandering of his folk before God.
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 5^d10
  Bad hi forcitul .i. a chomalnad condib desimrecht do chách.
  Let it be in teaching, that is, to fulfill it [lit. "its fulfillment"] so that he may be an example to everyone.
her, its
- c. 845, St. Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 32^b6
  A mmuntar-sidi ad·rothreb-si lee, it he con·rótgatar in cathraig.
  Her folk whom she had with her, it is they who built the city.
their
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 24^a38
  Ní epur a n-anman sund.
  I do not say their names here.

DescendantsEdit

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

Etymology 4Edit

From Proto-Celtic *ō (compare Welsh a, from Proto-Indo-European *ō (compare Ancient Greek ὦ (ô), Latin ō).

Alternative formsEdit

á

ParticleEdit

a (triggers lenition)

O (vocative particle)
- c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 134^d3
  Ar·troídfe-siu inna drochdaíni, a Dǽ, dia n-anduch, air is fechtnach a n-andach mani erthroítar húa Día.
  Thou wilt restrain the evil men, O God, from their iniquity, for their iniquity is prosperous if it be not restrained by God.

DescendantsEdit

Irish: a

Etymology 5Edit

ParticleEdit

a (triggers an unwritten prothetic /h/ before a vowel)

introduces a numeral
a deich ― ten

DescendantsEdit

Irish: a

Etymology 6Edit

From Proto-Celtic *exs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs.

PrepositionEdit

a (combined with plural article asnaib, combined with 1st singular possessive determiner asmo, combined with 3rd person possessive determiner assa)

out of
- c. 875, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 127^d6
  in tan ro·mmemaid re n-Abrachan forsna coíc riga bertar Loth a Sodaim
  when the five kings who carried Lot out of Sodom had been routed by Abraham

InflectionEdit

Inflection of a

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	asum
2d person sing.	essiut
3d sing. masc./neut., dative	ass, as, es
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative
3d sing. fem.	essi, esse, eissi
1st person pl.
2d person pl.
3d person pl., dative	essib, eissib, esib
3d person pl., accusative

Related termsEdit

ess-

DescendantsEdit

Irish: as
Manx: ass
Scottish Gaelic: à

ReferencesEdit

“1 a (vocative particle)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“2 a (‘his, her, their’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“3 a (particle used before numerals)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“4 a (‘that which’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“7 a (‘out of’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“1 in (definite article)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Old PortugueseEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

to; towards
- 13th century, attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 14 (facsimile):
  fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ Faraon.
  ran away with him to Egypt, land of the Pharaoh king.

DescendantsEdit

Fala: a
Galician: a
Portuguese: a

Etymology 2Edit

ArticleEdit

a

Alternative spelling of á

PolishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/
audio
(file)

ConjunctionEdit

a

and; but
A ty? ― And you?

Wolisz tabletki, a ja wolę zastrzyki. ― You prefer pills and I prefer injections.
and
walka między dobrem a złem ― battle between good and evil

PortugueseEdit

PronunciationEdit

letter

Audio
(file)
IPA^(key): /ˈa/
- Homophones: há, à
Hyphenation: a

article, pronoun

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

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀‎ (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a m (plural as)

Alternative spelling of á

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Related termsEdit

with diacritics: ã, â, à, á

Etymology 2Edit

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

ArticleEdit

a f

Feminine singular of article o.
- 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 219:
  Então, como foi a última festinha de Slughorn?
  So, how was the last Slughorn's little party?
- 2007, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Rocco, page 147:
  Entregou a foto rasgada, [...]
  He handed over the torn photograph, [...]

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:o.

PronounEdit

a f (third-person singular)

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 notesEdit

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.”

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 3Edit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

to (introduces the indirect object)
- 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 143:
  Deixe-me mostrar a você...
  Let me show it to you...
- 2007, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Rocco, page 516:
  Não é bonito dizer isso a uma pessoa.
  It's not nice to say that to a person.
Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.

Meu coração pertence a você. ― My heart belongs to you.
to; towards (indicates destination)
Vamos a Paris! ― Let’s go to Paris!
away (indicates a physical distance)
A vila fica a onze milhas ― The village is eleven miles away.

Comunicação à distância. ― Communication at a distance.
with; by means of (using as an instrument or means)
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.
with; on (using as a medium or fuel)
Quadro pintado a óleo. ― A painting painted with oil.

Fornalha a carvão. ― Coal furnace.
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.
(preceded and followed by the same word) by (indicates a steady progression)
Calma lá. Resolva o problema passo a passo. ― Easy there. Solve the problem step by step.
in the style or manner of; a la
Ele puxou o temperamento ao pai. ― He inherited his temperament from his father.

Camarão à grega. ― Greek-style shrimp.
(limited use, see usage notes) at (during the specified period)
Dormimos à noite. ― We sleep at night.

O filme começa às duas horas. ― The film starts at two o’clock.
(rare except in set terms) at; in (indicates a location or position)
Isso fica à frente do altar. ― This stays in front of the altar.
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.”)
(Portugal, followed by a verb in the infinitive form) forms the present participle; in Brazil, the gerund is used instead
Estou a preparar a canja ― I am preparing the chicken soup
(followed by an infinitive or present passive) to (forms the future participle)
Um trabalho a ser feito. ― A job to be done.

Nada a fazer. ― Nothing to be done.

Usage notesEdit

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”).

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

SynonymsEdit

(introducing an indirect object): para
(indicating a destination): para, até
(by means of): com, por meio de
(indicating a steady progression): por
(a la): ao modo de
(in the specified time period): em, de
(indicating location): em
(forming the future participle): para, por

Etymology 4Edit

InterjectionEdit

a

oh (expression of mild surprise)
A, tudo bem então.
Oh, all right then.

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 5Edit

From homophone há

VerbEdit

a

Misspelling of há.

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Etymology 6Edit

From homophone à

ContractionEdit

a

Misspelling of à.

QuotationsEdit

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:a.

Rapa NuiEdit

ParticleEdit

a

possessive particle marking an alienable possession; of

Usage notesEdit

Inserted before the relevant pronoun. Only for possessions like houses or beliefs that have the ability to no longer be yours; otherwise, use ,.

RomanianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Romanian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notesEdit

In Romanian, the letter a represents the phoneme /a/.

Etymology 1Edit

ArticleEdit

a (feminine singular possessive article)

of
sora mea și a lui Alexandru
My and Alexandru's sister

cartea este a mea
the book is mine

Coordinate termsEdit

al (masculine/neuter singular)
ai (masculine plural)
ale (feminine/neuter plural)

Etymology 2Edit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

(used with infinitive verbs) the infinitive marker: to
A fi.
To be.
(archaic) at (now almost completely replaced by la)
(used only with a few perception verbs like suna, mirosi, arăta) like

Etymology 3Edit

From proto-Romanian, from a late Vulgar Latin *ae(t), from Latin habet^[1].

VerbEdit

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

modal auxiliary
(he/she) has...
A văzut acest film?
Has he/she seen this film?

Usage notesEdit

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

Related termsEdit

ReferencesEdit

^ http://www.lingv.ro/RRL%201-2%202009%20Nevaci,%20Todi.pdf

SatawaleseEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

PronounEdit

a (third-person singular)

ReferencesEdit

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

ScotsEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /ə/

ArticleEdit

a (indefinite)

a, an (indefinite article)

Usage notesEdit

Unlike English, this form can be used before both consonant and vowel sounds.

Etymology 2Edit

DeterminerEdit

a

Alternative form of a'

AdverbEdit

a (not comparable)

Alternative form of a'

NounEdit

a (uncountable)

Alternative form of a'

Scottish GaelicEdit

PronounEdit

a

Usage notesEdit

As his/its lenites the following word.
a mhac - his son

a mac - her son
As his/its is omitted if the following word begins with a vowel or fh followed by a vowel.
athair - a father or his father (depending on the context)

PrepositionEdit

a

Alternative form of do

ParticleEdit

a

to (precedes the infinitive form)
Tha mi a' dol a chadal. ― I'm going to sleep.
Used before cardinal numbers which are not followed by a noun.
A bheil agad a ceithir? ― Do you have four?
Used before the vocative form.
Hallo, a Ruairidh. ― Hello, Roderick.

Serbo-CroatianEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

See Translingual section.

Alternative formsEdit

(uppercase): A

LetterEdit

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

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

Etymology 2Edit

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

ConjunctionEdit

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

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?
while (on the contrary), whereas
stolovi su crveni, a stolice su zelene ― the tables are red, whereas the chairs are green
(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
(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
(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
(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
(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 3Edit

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.

InterjectionEdit

a (Cyrillic spelling а)

oh, ah
a da? ― oh really?

ReferencesEdit

“a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal, 2006–2018
“a”, in Hrvatski jezični portal, 2006–2018
Skok, Petar (1971) Etimologijski rječnik hrvatskoga ili srpskoga jezika (in sh), volume 1, Zagreb: JAZU, page 1

Skolt SamiEdit

PronunciationEdit

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

SlovakEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Latin a, form of A, from Etruscan 𐌀 (a), from Ancient Greek Α (A, “alpha”), from Phoenician 𐤀‎ (ʾ, “aleph”), from Egyptian 𓃾.

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Slovak alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

From Proto-Slavic *a (“and, but”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *ō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ōd. Cognates include Old Church Slavonic а (a)|tr=a, Lithuanian õ (“and, but”) and Sanskrit आत् (ā́t, “so, then, afterwards”).

ConjunctionEdit

a

and

Derived termsEdit

Derived terms

a teda
a čo

SloveneEdit

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Slovene alphabet, written in the Latin script.

InterjectionEdit

a

oh

SynonymsEdit

ah

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/
Tonal orthography: a

ConjunctionEdit

a

but

ParticleEdit

a

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

SpanishEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/
Audio (Latin America)
(file)
Audio (Spain)
(file)
Homophone: ha
Rhymes: -a

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a f (plural aes)

Name of the letter A.

Etymology 2Edit

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

Alternative formsEdit

(obsolete) á
(obsolete) à

PrepositionEdit

a

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.
by
at
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 notesEdit

Personal a is not translated into English.

Sranan TongoEdit

NounEdit

a

it

SwahiliEdit

ParticleEdit

-a

The genitive particle; adjectival particle; of

Usage notesEdit

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
(lit. "laundry clothing")
mali ya pamoja ― communal property

When used as a genitive particle, the particle is sometimes untranslated:

Bahari ya Hindi ― Indian Ocean

InflectionEdit

Inflected forms of -a

Noun class	singular	plural
M-wa class	wa	wa
M-mi class	wa	ya
Ma class	la	ya
Ki-vi class	cha	vya
N class	ya	za
U class	wa	za
Pa class	pa	pa
Ku class	kwa	kwa
Mu class	mwa	mwa

SwedishEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

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

Usage notesEdit

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

LetterEdit

a (name a, uppercase form A)

The first letter of the Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

TagalogEdit

InterjectionEdit

a

ah: an exclamation of pity, admiration or surprise
A! Kailan namatay ang iyong ina? ― Ah! When did your mother die?

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Tagalog alphabet, written in the Latin script.

TarantinoEdit

PrepositionEdit

a

in
at
to

Tok PisinEdit

EtymologyEdit

Imitative or onomatopoeia.

InterjectionEdit

a

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

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

TurkishEdit

PronunciationEdit

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Turkish alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a

The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

TurkmenEdit

PronunciationEdit

(phoneme) IPA^(key): /a/, /aː/

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Turkmen alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Upper SorbianEdit

ConjunctionEdit

a

and
the (establishing a parallel between two comparatives)
starši a mudriši ― the older, the smarter

dlěje a hórje ― the longer, the worse

VietnameseEdit

PronunciationEdit

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔaː˧˧]

Etymology 1Edit

Borrowed from French a

LetterEdit

a (upper case A)

The first letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

NounEdit

a

The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.

Etymology 2Edit

PronounEdit

a

(slang, Internet, text messaging) Abbreviation of anh.

VoticEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1Edit

LetterEdit

a

The first letter of the Votic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2Edit

InterjectionEdit

a

ah!, oh!
oops!
ouch!

Etymology 3Edit

ConjunctionEdit

a

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

Etymology 4Edit

InterjectionEdit

a

ah!, oh!
oops!
ouch!

ReferencesEdit

"a" in Vadja keele sõnaraamat

(Latin-script letters) tširjai; A a, B b, D d, Ď ď, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ľ ľ, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, P p, R r, Ŕ ŕ, S s, Š š, Ś ś, T t, Ť ť, Ts ts, Tš tš, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž, Ź ź, Õ õ, Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü

WalloonEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PrepositionEdit

a

at

WelshEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Alternative formsEdit

With circumflex to indicate long vowel: â
With grave accent to indicate short vowel: à
With acute accent to indicate stress: á

PronunciationEdit

(letter name): IPA^(key): /aː/
(phoneme): IPA^(key): /a/, /aː/

LetterEdit

a (name â, uppercase form A)

The first letter of the Welsh alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Derived termsEdit

Digraph sequences: ae, ai, au, aw

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /aː/

VerbEdit

a

(colloquial) first-person singular future of mynd

SynonymsEdit

af (literary)

Etymology 3Edit

This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /a/

ConjunctionEdit

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

and

SynonymsEdit

ac (used before a vowel)

Etymology 4Edit

PronunciationEdit

IPA^(key): /aː/, /a/

PronounEdit

a (triggers soft mutation)

(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 that I saw

Usage notesEdit

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

Not *Y dyn a yw'n ifanc but Y dyn sydd yn ifanc
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
Oedd y chwaer y dyn yma ― The man's sister was here

"The man whose sister was here": not *Y dyn a oedd ei chwaer yma but Y dyn yr oedd ei chwaer yma

YorubaEdit

PronounEdit

a

First-person plural subject pronoun: we
A lo.
We went.

ZazakiEdit

LetterEdit

a

The first letter of the Zazaki alphabet, written in the Latin script.

PronounEdit

a (f)

she

ZhuangEdit

EtymologyEdit

Compare Chinese 鴉.

PronunciationEdit

(Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /a˨˦/
Tone numbers: a¹
Hyphenation: a

NounEdit

a (old orthography a)

crow

SynonymsEdit

roegga

ZuluEdit

LetterEdit

a (lower case, upper case A)

The first letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Number	Person (and gender)	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 masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a ^L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a ^H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár ^E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)¹		bhur ^E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a ^E

Number	Person (and gender)	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 masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a ^L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a ^H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár ^E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)¹		bhur ^E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a ^E

Number	Person (and gender)	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 masculine	sé (seisean)	é (eisean)	a ^L
	Third feminine	sí (sise)	í (ise)	a ^H
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár ^E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)¹		bhur ^E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a ^E

	singular	plural
1st person	a	ábi
2nd person	tu	ábi
3rd person (near)	ía	émi
3rd person (far)	ása	éḷi
3rd person (absent)	se	te

	singular	plural
1st person	nte, n, m	ntolu, ntelu, n
2nd person	ite, i	altolu, altelu, al
3rd person	ate, a	itolu, itelu, y

Portuguese articles (edit)
	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
Definite articles (the)	o	a	os	as
Indefinite articles (a, an; some)	um	uma	uns	umas

Portuguese personal pronouns (edit)
Number	Person	Nominative (subject)		Accusative (direct object)		Dative (indirect object)	Prepositional		Prepositional with com		Non-declining
Number	Person	m	f	m	f	m and f	m	f	m	f	m	f
Singular	First	eu		me			mim		comigo
	Second	tu		te			ti		contigo		você
	Second	tu		te			ti		contigo		o senhor	a senhora
	Third	ele	ela	o (lo, no)	a (la, na)	lhe	ele	ela	com ele	com ela	o mesmo	a mesma
	Third	ele	ela	se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)		o mesmo	a mesma
Plural	First	nós		nos			nós		connosco (Portugal) conosco (Brazil)		a gente
	Second	vós		vos			vós		convosco		vocês
	Second	vós		vos			vós		convosco		os senhores	as senhoras
	Third	eles	elas	os (los, nos)	as (las, nas)	lhes	eles	elas	com eles	com elas	os mesmos	as mesmas
	Third	eles	elas	se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)		os mesmos	as mesmas
Indefinite				se (reflexive)			si (reflexive)		consigo (reflexive)

a

Contents

TranslingualEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

SymbolEdit

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

Etymology 2Edit

SymbolEdit

Etymology 3Edit

SymbolEdit

Etymology 4Edit

SymbolEdit

Etymology 5Edit

SymbolEdit

GalleryEdit

EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

LetterEdit

Usage notesEdit

Derived termsEdit

See alsoEdit

NumeralEdit

NounEdit

See alsoEdit

TranslationsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

PronunciationEdit

ArticleEdit

Usage notesEdit

TranslationsEdit

Etymology 3Edit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

Usage notesEdit

Etymology 4Edit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

Derived termsEdit

Usage notesEdit

Etymology 5Edit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

Etymology 6Edit

PronunciationEdit

InterjectionEdit

Etymology 7Edit

PronunciationEdit

PrepositionEdit

Usage notesEdit

Alternative formsEdit

Etymology 8Edit

PronunciationEdit

Alternative formsEdit

AdverbEdit

AdjectiveEdit

Etymology 9Edit

SymbolEdit

Etymology 10Edit

AbbreviationEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Further readingEdit

AbauEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

AfarEdit

LetterEdit

PronunciationEdit

See alsoEdit

DeterminerEdit

AlbanianEdit

Etymology 1Edit

PronunciationEdit