a

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

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

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

Translingual

Etymology 1

Modification of capital A.

Pronunciation

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

• IPA

  (file)

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

Symbol

a

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

See also

• (Latin script): Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
• (Variations of letter A): Áá Àà Ââ Ǎǎ Ăă Ãã Ảả Ȧȧ Ạạ Ää Åå Ḁḁ Āā Ąą ᶏ Ⱥⱥ Ȁȁ Ấấ Ầầ Ẫẫ Ẩẩ Ậậ Ắắ Ằằ Ẵẵ Ẳẳ Ặặ Ǻǻ Ǡǡ Ǟǟ Ȁȁ Ȃȃ Ɑɑ ᴀ Ɐɐ ɒ Ａａ Ææ Ǽǽ Ǣǣ Ꜳꜳ Ꜵꜵ Ꜷꜷ Ꜹꜹ Ꜻꜻ
• 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 for acceleration

Symbol

a

1. (physics) acceleration

Other representations of A:

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

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 

  Capital and lowercase As, in normal and italic type

• 

  Upper and lowercase A in Fraktur

• 

  Approximate form of Greek uppercase Α (a, “alpha”), the source of both common variants of aA in uncial script

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English

Etymology 1

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 forms

• · (Gregg Shorthand)

Pronunciation

• (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) IPA^(key): /æ/, /ɑː/, /eɪ/, etc.

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A, plural as or a's)

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

Usage notes

• In English, the letter a usually denotes the near-open front unrounded vowel (IPA^(key): /æ/), as in pad, the open back unrounded vowel (IPA^(key): /ɑː/) as in father, or, followed by another vowel, the diphthong IPA^(key): /eɪ/, as in ace.
• A is the third most common letter in English.

Derived terms

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Numeral

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a (plural aes)

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

Translations

See a/translations § Noun.

See also

• (Latin script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee/zed ^{(Category: en:Latin letter names)}

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

• (stressed) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ/
• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /ə/

• Audio (US), stressed

  (file)

• Audio (US), unstressed

  (file)

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

Article

a (indefinite)

1. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. [First attested prior to 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, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →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. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word.

   I've seen it happen a hundred times.

3. One certain or particular; any single. [First attested between around 1150 and 1350]

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

4. The same; one. [16th Century]

   We are of a mind on matters of morals.

5. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.

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

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

6. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc.
7. 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.

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.

Translations

See an/translations § Article.

See also

• an

Derived terms

• a few
• a great many

Etymology 3

• 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. [First attested before 1150]

   Torn a pieces.

2. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. [First attested before 1150]

   I brush my teeth twice a day.

   • c. 1599–1602, 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 606515358, [Act IV, scene v]:

     A Sundays

   • 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎^[2], 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. [First attested 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. [First attested before 1150]

   Stand a tiptoe.

5. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. [First attested before 1150]
   • 1964, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “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 century]
   • c. 1608–1609, 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 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     It was a doing.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Hebrews 11:21:

     Jacob, when he was a dying

7. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. [16th century]
8. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. [First attested before 1150]
   • c. 1589–1590, Christopher Marlo[we], Tho[mas] Heywood, editor, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Ievv of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, OCLC 1121318438, Act 4, [scene 3]:

     Stands here a purpose.

9. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. [First attested 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 4

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.

   Oi'd a gen im a clout, if oi'd been theer.

   from Robert Holland, M.R.A.C., A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester, Part I--A to F., English Dialect Society, London, 1884, 1

   • c. 1599–1602, 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 606515358, (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<br?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 5

From Middle English a, a reduced form of he (“he”)/ha (“he”), heo (“she”)/ha (“she”) and ha (“it”) (as well as of 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, or sometimes she, it. [1150-1900] (clarification of this definition is needed)
   • 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 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:

     a’ brushes his hat o’ mornings.

Etymology 6

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

Alternative forms

• o’, o

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ə/

Preposition

a

2. (archaic or slang) Of.

   The name of John a Gaunt.

   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:

     What time a day is it?

   • 1598, Benjamin Jonson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Ben Jonson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, OCLC 960101342, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

   • 1931, A. P. Carter, "When I'm Gone"^[3]:

     Two bottles 'a whiskey for the way

Usage notes

• Often attached without a hyphen to preceding word.

Etymology 7

From Northern Middle English aw, alteration of all.

Pronunciation

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

Alternative forms

• a'

Adverb

a (not comparable)

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

Adjective

a (not comparable)

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

Etymology 8

Symbols

Symbol

a

1. Distance from leading edge to aerodynamic center.
2. specific absorption coefficient
3. specific rotation
4. allele (recessive)
5. (stenoscript) (a) an initial letter ⟨a⟩

   (b) the long vowel /eɪ/ at the end of a word, or before a final consonant that is not j, v, z (the consonant is not written; [ɛə˞] counts as /eɪr/)

   (c) the words a, an or abbreviation A.M.

   (d) the prefix ad-

Etymology 9

Adverb

a

1. (crosswords) across

   Do you have the answer for 23a?

Etymology 10

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.

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.

Further reading

• a at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “a” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

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Abau

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

Noun

a

1. house

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Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʌ/

Determiner

á

1. this, these (masculine)

See also

Afar demonstrative determiners

	masculine	feminine
proximal	á	tá
medial	amá	tamá
distal	wóo	tóo
very distal	wótti

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)‎^[4], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

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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.

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Standard Albanian Latin-script alphabet.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /a/

See also

• (Latin-script letters) shkronjë; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, Dh dh, E e, Ë ë, F f, G g, Gj gj, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ll ll, M m, N n, Nj nj, O o, P p, Q q, R r, Rr rr, S s, Sh sh, T t, Th th, U u, V v, X x, Xh xh, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

---

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

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Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin illa.

Article

a f sg

1. the

   a luenga aragonesa ― the Aragonese language

---

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to, towards

Derived terms

• al

Noun

a f

1. a (the name of the letter A, a)

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Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) hərf; Aa, Bb, Cc, Çç, Dd, Ee, Əə, Ff, Gg, Ğğ, Hh, Xx, Iı, İi, Jj, Kk, Qq, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Öö, Pp, Rr, Ss, Şş, Tt, Uu, Üü, Vv, Yy, Zz

---

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

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Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, [a]

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• see other Basque letters

Noun

a (indeclinable)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.

See also

• see other Basque letter names

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Bavarian

Article

a

1. a

Adverb

a

1. 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.

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Big Nambas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in

References

• Big Nambas Grammar Pacific Linguistics - G.J. Fox

---

Cameroon Pidgin

Pronoun

a

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

---

Catalan

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Rhymes: -a

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Derived terms

• no saber ni la a

See also

• see other Catalan letters

Etymology 2

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)‎^[5] (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

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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.

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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	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

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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

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Coatepec Nahuatl

Noun

a

1. water.

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Cornish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ə/

Particle

a

1. Marks the following verb to the preceding subject.

Preposition

a

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

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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
	3rd person f	ella		a, l'	ella
Plural	1st person	noi	ci		noi
	2nd person	voi	vi		voi
	3rd person m	elli	li	i, l'	elli
	3rd person f	elle		e, l'	elle

References

• “a” in INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa

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Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa]

• audio

  (file)

Conjunction

a

1. and

Further reading

• a in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• a in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

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Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin ad.

Preposition

a

1. to
2. at

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Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• see other Danish letters

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Noun

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

1. The name of the letter A or a.

Inflection

Declension of a

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

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• à (unofficial but common)

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Preposition

a

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

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (Copenhagen)

  (file)

Verb

a

1. imperative of ae

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /aː/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Etymology 2

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

• eiland

Further reading

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

Etymology 3

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

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Egyptian

Romanization

a

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of ꜥ.

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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	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
		Feminine	lê	la
Plural	First	Masculine	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		Feminine	nuētri
	Second	Masculine	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		Feminine	vuētri
	Third	Masculine	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine		el	li

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Esperanto

Pronunciation

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

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• see other Esperanto letters

Noun

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

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

See also

• see other Esperanto letter names

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Estonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a

1. Abbreviation of aasta; year

Conjunction

a

1. (colloquial, in fast speech) but

See also

• see other Estonian letters

Further reading

• a on the Estonian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^et

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Fala

Etymology 1

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

Article

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

1. feminine singular of the 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 2

From Old 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, […]

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Faroese

Etymology

From Latin a.

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) bókstavur; Aa, Áá, Bb, Dd, Ðð, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Íí, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Óó, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Úú, Vv, Yy, Ýý, Ææ, Øø

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Finnish

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kirjain; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s (Š š), T t, U u, V v (W w), X x, Y y, Z z (Ž ž), Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

Etymology 2

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

Declension of a (type 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 instructive – a:in abessive a:tta a:itta comitative – a:ineen

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French

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a m or f (plural as)

1. a, the name of the Latin-script letter A

Derived terms

• e dans l'a

Etymology 2

Quebec eye-dialect spelling of elle.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /a/

Pronoun

a f

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

   C'te fille-là, a'a l'air cute.

   This girl, she looks cute.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /a/
• (Canada) 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.

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Fula

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Usage notes

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) karfeeje; ', A a, B b, Mb mb, Ɓ ɓ, C c, D d, Nd nd, Ɗ ɗ, E e, F f, G g, Ng ng, Ɠ ɠ, H h, I i, J j, Nj nj, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, Ñ ñ, Ɲ ɲ, O o, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Ƴ ƴ

Etymology 2

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)

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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

• á, ás
• ao, aos
• ó, ós

Etymology 2

From Old 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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈa/

Noun

a m (plural as)

1. a (name of the letter A, a)

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronoun

a

1. accusative of ela

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German

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/, /ä/
• Rhymes: -aː

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Noun

a n (strong, genitive a or as, plural a or as)

1. Alternative form of A

Etymology 2

Noun

a

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

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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.

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Gun

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à/

Pronoun

à

1. you (second-person singular personal pronoun)

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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#Haitian_Creole
• la#Haitian_Creole
• lan#Haitian_Creole
• nan#Haitian_Creole
• yo#Haitian_Creole
• yon#Haitian_Creole

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Hawaiian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /aː/

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).

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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

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…”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (letter or phoneme itself): IPA^(key): [ˈɒː]
• (identifier or musical note): IPA^(key): [ˈaː] (in the names of minor scales; see also A)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

2. The first letter of the Hungarian alphabet, written in the Latin script.
3. (music) designation of the sixth note from C and the corresponding tone

Derived terms

• a-moll

See also

• (Latin-script letters) betű; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Cs cs, D d, Dz dz, Dzs dzs, E e, É é, F f, G g, Gy gy, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ly ly, M m, N n, Ny ny, O o, Ó ó, Ö ö, Ő ő, P p, R r, S s, Sz sz, T t, Ty ty, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, Ű ű, V v, Z z, Zs zs. Only in the extended alphabet: Q q W w X x Y y. Commonly used: ch. Also defined: à ë. In surnames (selection): ä aa cz ds eé eö ew oe oó th ts ÿ.

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

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Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/
• Rhymes: -aː

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

Noun

a ?

1. The name of the Latin-script letter A.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Ð ð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

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Ido

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L, l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Noun

a (plural a-i)

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

See also

• (Latin script letter names) litero; a, be, ce, che, de, e, fe, ge, he, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, pe, que, re, se, she, te, u, ve, we, xe, ye, ze ^{(Category: io:Latin letter names)}

Preposition

a

1. Apocopic form of ad

Related terms

• e (“and”)
• o (“or”)

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Igbo

Letter

a (upper case A, lower case a)

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

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/possesive
Singular	first	m, a/e- ... -m	m, mụ	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

à

1. this, the (thing) here.

Related terms

• ahụ

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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 (in German):

     […] , que da-cá su quião que ta pertencê a êll.

     […] , to give him his share which belongs to him.

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Indonesian

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. The first letter of the Indonesian alphabet, called id and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) alfabet; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

---

Ingrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian а (a).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑ/
• 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, Mihailov and P. I. Maksimov, transl., Geografia: oppikirja iƶoroin alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart (ensimäine osa), 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

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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

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Inupiaq

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Interjection

a

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

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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 *eysom (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

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

^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: e.g. "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^[6], 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 Kim McCone et al., editor, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]adráig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Coláiste Phádraig, Maigh Nuad, →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

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
a	n-a	ha	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• "a" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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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,

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Italian

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/^*

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: a

Noun

a f (invariable)

1. a, the name of the Latin-script letter A

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) lettera; a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, i lunga, kappa, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu, doppia vu, ics, ipsilon, zeta

Etymology 2

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

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to
4. 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 not important.”)

   A lei non piace, ma a lui piace molto.

   She doesn't like it, but he likes it very much.

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

Etymology 3

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of ha.

References

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

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Japanese

Romanization

a

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

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Jersey Dutch

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ʊ/, /ɑ/

Letter

a

1. A letter of the Jersey Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

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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

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Kabuverdianu

Letter

a (uppercase A)

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

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Kabyle

Alternative forms

• agi
• agini

Determiner

a

1. this

   a rgaz a

   this man

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Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit अहम्.

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
3rd person (far)		ása / آسا‎	éḷi / ایࣇی‎
3rd person (absent)		se / سے‎	te / تے‎

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Koitabu

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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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).

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Ladin

Etymology

From Latin a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Preposition

a

1. in
2. at
3. to

Derived terms

• al
• ala
• ai
• ales

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Lashi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔa/

Adverb

a

1. not

References

• Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid‎^[7], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)

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Latgalian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Conjunction

a f

1. but, however, while, signal

Particle

a f

1. and, but, so, well

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Latin

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

(letter name):

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

   littera a ― the letter a

Etymology 2

From Etruscan [Term?].

Pronunciation

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

Noun

ā f (indeclinable)

1. The name of the letter A.

Coordinate terms

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

Etymology 3

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]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

Preposition

ā (+ ablative)

1. (indicating ablation): from, away from, out of
2. (indicating ablation): down from
3. (indicating agency): (source of action or event) by, by means of
4. (indicating instrumentality): (source of action or event) by, by means of, with
5. (indicating association): to, with
   • Heauton Timorumenos (“The Self-Tormentor”) by Publius Terentius Afer

     Homo sum, humani nihil ā me alienum puto.

     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
• Norwegian Bokmål: a

Etymology 4

Expressive.

Pronunciation

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

Interjection

ā

1. ah

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Latvian

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

A

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latvian letters) latviešu burti; Aa, Āā, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ēē, Ff, Gg, Ģģ, Hh, Ii, Īī, Jj, Kk, Ķķ, Ll, Ļļ, Mm, Nn, Ņņ, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Ūū, Vv, Zz, Žž

Noun

a m (invariable)

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

See also

• (Latvian letter names) latviešu burtu vārdi; a, garais ā, bē, cē, čē, dē, e, garais ē, ef, gā, ģē, hā, i, garais ī, jē, kā, ķē, el, eļ, em, en, eņ, o, pē, er, es, eš, tē, u, garais ū, vē, zē, žē

Further reading

• a on the Latvian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^lv

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Ligurian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

Ligurian Definite Articles
	singular	plural
masculine	o	i
feminine	a	e

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

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Livonian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Letter

a (upper case A)

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

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Louisiana Creole French

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

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Lushootseed

Letter

a

1. The second letter of the Lushootseed alphabet, pronounced as an open back unrounded vowel.

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Malay

Pronunciation

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

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

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Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/ (short phoneme)
• IPA^(key): /aː/ (long phoneme)

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) ittra; A a, B b, Ċ ċ, D d, E e, F f, Ġ ġ, G g, Għ għ, H h, Ħ ħ, I i, Ie ie, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Ż ż, Z z

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Mandarin

Romanization

a (Zhuyin ˙ㄚ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin transcription of 呵.
2. Hanyu Pinyin transcription of 啊.
3. Hanyu Pinyin transcription 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

• 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.

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

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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).

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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^[8] (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)‎^[9] (in Spanish), second edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 3

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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

Further reading

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

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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”)

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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 [Term?], from Latin habet.

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

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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

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

Alternative forms

• aa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Mutation

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.

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Min Nan

For pronunciation and definitions of a – see 阿. (This character, a, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 阿.)

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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.

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Mopan Maya

Article

a

1. the

References

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

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Mountain Koiari

Pronoun

a

1. you (singular)

References

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

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Murui Huitoto

Adverb

a

1. Alternative spelling of aa

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983) Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[10] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19

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Nauruan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ/

Pronoun

a

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

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Navajo

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

1. 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˥˥/

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a (Á á, Ą ą, Ą́ ą́), B b, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dzdz, E e (É é, Ę ę, Ę́ ę́), G g, Gh gh, H h, Hw hw, X x, I i (Í í, Į į, Į́ į́), J j, K k, Kʼ kʼ, Kw kw, ʼ, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n (Ń ń), O o (Ó ó, Ǫ ǫ, Ǫ́ ǫ́), S s, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tł tł, Tłʼ tłʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

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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)

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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.

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Norman

Verb

a

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

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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/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ɑː/, /a/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

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

Letter

a (uppercase A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz, Ææ, Øø, Åå

Noun

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

1. the letter a, the first letter of the Norwegian alphabet
   • 1999, Lars Roar Langslet, I kamp for norsk kultur, page 234:

     bruken av a i bestemt form i hunkjønnsord

     the use of a in the definite form of feminine words

   fra A til B ― from A to B

   fra A til Å ― from A to Z

   har man sagt a, må man si b ― if you have said A, you should say B

2. indicates the first or best entry of a list, order or rank
   • 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

   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

   Synonyms: A-, a-

3. the highest grade in a school or university using the A-F scale
   • 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

   få A til eksamen

   receive an A on an exam

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

   A-dur

   A major

   A-moll

   A minor

5. (physics) symbol for ampere
6. (physics) symbol for nucleon number
7. (horology) symbol for avance
8. symbol for anno
9. short form of atom-

   a-bombe

   atom bomb (a-bomb)

   Synonym: a-

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, Oppland Arbeiderblad‎^[oa.no]:

     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
   • 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

   a, for noe tøv!

   oh, such nonsense!

2. expression of admiration or happiness
   • 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

   a, det gjorde godt!

   oh, that felt good!

3. used with the words yes and no to give a sense of impatience or rejection
   • 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.

   a jo, men hold nå fred!

   oh yes, but keep quiet now

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-

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/ (example of pronunciation)

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also

• (Latin script letters) Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz, Ææ, Øø, Åå

Noun

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

1. the letter a

Etymology 2

Interjection

a

1. ah!

   Synonyms: ah, å

Etymology 3

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

Preposition

a

1. (dialect) alternative form of av
   • c. 1700, Kolsrud, Sigurd, 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

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Nupe

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /a/, (after /n/ or /m/)/ã/

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) banki; A a (Á á, À à), B b, C c, D d, Dz dz, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì), J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, Ts ts, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù), V v, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

Etymology 2

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 3

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 4

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

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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

Noun

a f (plural as)

1. a (the letter a)

Etymology 3

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of aver

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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

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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: aDutch: Ee

Further reading

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

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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

Descendants

• English: ay, aye
• Scots: ay, aye

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Old French

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

Etymology 2

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
  • → Norwegian Bokmål: à, a

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• ad

Verb

a

1. third-person singular present indicative of avoir

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Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *sindom (“this”).

Alternative forms

• (relative pronoun): an

Article

a

1. nominative/accusative singular neuter of in

For quotations using this term, see Citations:a/Old Irish.

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/Old Irish.

Descendants

• Irish: a

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/Old Irish.

Etymology 3

From Proto-Celtic *esyo (m and n), *esyās (f), and *esōm (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/Old Irish.

Descendants

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

Etymology 4

From Proto-Celtic *ō (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/Old Irish.

Descendants

• Irish: a

Etymology 5

Particle

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

1. introduces a numeral

   a deich ― ten

Descendants

• Irish: a

Etymology 6

From Proto-Celtic *exs.

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/Old Irish.

Inflection

Inflection of a

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	asum
2d person sing.	essiut
3d sing. masc./neut., dative	as(s), es
3d sing. masc./neut., accusative
3d sing. fem., dative	e(i)ssi, esse	essisi
3d sing. fem., accusative
1st person pl.
2d person pl.
3d person pl., dative	es(s)ib, eissib
3d person pl., accusative

Related terms

• ess-

Descendants

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

References

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 a (vocative particle)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 a (‘his, her, their’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “3 a (particle used before numerals)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “4 a (‘that which’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “7 a (‘out of’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 in (definite article)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Old Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

Etymology 1

From Latin ad (“to”).

Preposition

a

1. to; towards
   • 13th century CE, 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.

Descendants

• Fala: a
• Galician: a
• Portuguese: a, ah
  • Indo-Portuguese: a

Etymology 2

Article

a

1. Alternative spelling of á

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Ometepec Nahuatl

Noun

a

1. water

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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

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: a

Etymology 1

Letter

a (lowercase, uppercase A)

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

See also

• see other Polish letters

Noun

a n (indeclinable)

1. a, near-open central vowel
2. (music) a (note)

Etymology 2

Noun

a m inan

1. (metrology) Abbreviation of ar.

Etymology 3

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

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

conjunctions

• atoli
• ażeby

 

Etymology 4

Interjection

a

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

Further reading

• a in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• a in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

letter

• IPA^(key): /a/
• Homophone: à (Brazil)
• Hyphenation: a

• Audio

  (file)

article, pronoun

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

Etymology 1

From Latin a.

Letter

a (lower case, upper case A)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a (Á á, À à, Â â, Ã ã), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, Ê ê), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ô ô, Õ õ), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Noun

a m (plural as)

2. Alternative spelling of á

Related terms

• with diacritics: ã, â, à, á

Etymology 2

From Old 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, 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, 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

Additional quotations can be found at Citations:o.

See also

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

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

Quotations can be found at Citations:a.

See also

See Template:Portuguese personal pronouns for more.

Etymology 3

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

Preposition

a

2. to, introduces the indirect object
   • 2005, J. K. Rowling, 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, 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.

   Dê-o a mim. ― Give it to me.

   Meu coração pertence a você. ― My heart belongs to you.

   Synonym: para

4. to; towards, indicates destination

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

   Synonyms: para, até

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

   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.

   Synonyms: com, por meio de

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

    Calma lá. Resolva o problema passo a passo. ― Easy there. Solve the problem step by step.

    Synonym: por

16. 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.

    Synonym: ao modo de

18. (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.

    Synonyms: em, de

20. (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.

    Synonym: em

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. (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

26. (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.

    Synonyms: para, por

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

Quotations can be found at Citations:a.

Descendants

• Indo-Portuguese: a

See also

• em
• para

Etymology 4

Alternative forms

• ah

Interjection

a

2. oh, expression of mild surprise

   A, tudo bem então.

   Oh, all right then.

Quotations

Quotations can be found at Citations:a.

Etymology 5

From homophone há

Verb

a

1. Misspelling of há.

Quotations

Quotations can be foun