sí

See also: Appendix:Variations of "si"

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin sīc.

Particle

sí

1. yes (word used to indicate agreement or acceptance)

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin sīc.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈsi/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Homophone: si

Particle

sí

1. yes (affirmation; commonly used to respond affirmatively to a question)

   Synonym: hoc

Adverb

sí

1. The opposite of 'not'.

   No parles català? – Sí parlo català!

   Do you not speak Catalan? – I do speak Catalan!

   Synonym: hoc

Usage notes

• Sí is used to add positive emphasis to the verb, much like the auxiliary do in affirmative sentences in English. It generally contrasts with a previous no, and is placed in the same location within the sentence. This is a usage the word shares with Spanish.

Antonyms

• no

See also

• si

Further reading

• “sí” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “sí”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
• “sí” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Fala

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsi/

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese si (“yes”), from Latin sīc (“thus, so”), from Proto-Indo-European *so (“this, that”).

Adverb

sí

1. yes

Etymology 2

From Old Galician-Portuguese si, from Latin sibi, from Proto-Indo-European *sébʰye.

Pronoun

sí

1. Reflexive prepositional pronoun; oneself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself; each other, one another

See also

Fala personal pronouns

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

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu [Fala Dictionary]‎^[1], CIDLeS, →ISBN, page 258

Faroese

Verb

sí

1. imperative of síggja: behold

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃiː]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʃiː

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Schi (“ski”), originally from Norwegian ski (“ski”).

Noun

sí (plural sík)

1. ski

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	sí	sík
accusative	sít	síket
dative	sínek	síknek
instrumental	sível	síkkel
causal-final	síért	síkért
translative	sívé	síkké
terminative	síig	síkig
essive-formal	síként	síkként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	síben	síkben
superessive	sín	síken
adessive	sínél	síknél
illative	síbe	síkbe
sublative	síre	síkre
allative	síhez	síkhez
elative	síből	síkből
delative	síről	síkről
ablative	sítől	síktől
non-attributive possessive - singular	síé	síké
non-attributive possessive - plural	síéi	síkéi

Possessive forms of sí
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	sím	síjeim
2nd person sing.	síd	síjeid
3rd person sing.	síje	síjei
1st person plural	sínk	síjeink
2nd person plural	sítek	síjeitek
3rd person plural	síjük	síjeik

Derived terms

• síel

Compound words

• síbajnok
• síbakancs
• sícipő
• síléc
• sílift
• síoktató
• sípálya

 

Etymology 2

An onomatopoeia (sound imitation).

Verb

sí

2. (archaic) to howl, cry, whiz, shriek, screech, shrill

   Synonyms: sivít, visít, sikít, vijjog, rikolt, sikolt, süvít

Conjugation

conjugation of sí

			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd p. sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd p. pl formal
Indica­tive mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	sívok	sísz	sí	sívunk	sítok	sínak
		Def.	sívom	sívod	síja	síjuk	síjátok	síják
		2nd-p. o.	sílak	―
	Past	Indef.	síttam	síttál	sítt	síttunk	síttatok	síttak
		Def.	síttam	síttad	sítta	síttuk	síttátok	sítták
		2nd-p. o.	síttalak	―
Condi­tional mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	sínék	sínál	sína	sínánk	sínátok	sínának
		Def.	sínám	sínád	síná	sínánk (or sínók)	sínátok	sínák
		2nd-p. o.	sínálak	―
Sub­junc­tive mood	Pre­sent	Indef.	síjak	síj or síjál	síjon	síjunk	síjatok	síjanak
		Def.	síjam	sídd or síjad	síja	síjuk	síjátok	síják
		2nd-p. o.	síjalak	―
Infinitive	síni		sínom	sínod	sínia	sínunk	sínotok	síniuk
Other nonfinite verb forms			Verbal noun	Present participle	Past participle	Future part.	Adverbial part.	Potential
			sívás	sívó	sítt	sívandó	síva	síhat

Derived terms

• sikít
• sikolt
• sikoly
• silány
• sió
• sivatag
• sivár
• sivít
• síp

 

Related terms

• sír

Further reading

• (ski): sí in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (to howl, cry): sí in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Adverb

sí

1. always

Synonyms

• alltaf, ávallt, sífelllt, æ, ætíð

Derived terms

• sí og æ (“always, permanently, continually”)

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃiː/, [ɕiː]

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish side, from Old Irish síd (“fairy mound”), from Proto-Celtic *sedos, *sīdos (“mound (inhabited by fairies)”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēds, *sed- (“seat”).

Alternative forms

• sidhe, síodh

Noun

sí m (genitive singular sí, nominative plural síthe)

1. fairy mound, tumulus

Declension

Declension of sí

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative sí síthe Vocative a shí a shíthe Genitive sí síthe Dative sí síthe

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an sí na síthe Genitive an tsí na síthe Dative leis an sí don sí leis na síthe

Derived terms

• aos sí (“inhabitants of fairy mounds, fairies”)
• bean sí (“banshee, fairy woman”)
• ceol sí (“fairy music; enchanting music”)
• dumha sí (“fairy mound”)
• leannán sí (“fairy, phantom, lover; baleful influence; sickly complaining person”)
• long sí (“phantom ship”)
• sián (“fairy mound”)
• síbhean (“fairy woman”)
• síbhruíon (“fairy palace”)
• síofrach (“elfin, fairy-like”)
• síofróg (“elf-woman, fairy”)
• síofróireacht (“fairy lore; precocious talk; silly talk”)
• sióg (“fairy”)
• síothshluagh (“fairy host, fairy army”)
• síscéal (“fairy-tale”)
• síúil (“fairy-like, elfin; weird”)
• slua sí (“fairy host”)
• solas sí (“misguiding light”)

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish sí, from Proto-Celtic *sī, from Proto-Indo-European *sih₂.

Pronoun

sí (emphatic form sise, conjunctive)

1. she
2. it (referring to a feminine noun)

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
	Third neuter	—	ea	—
Plural	First	muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne)		ár E
	Second	sibh (sibhse)1		bhur E
	Third	siad (siadsan)	iad (iadsan)	a E

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

¹ Also used as the vocative

The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun: e.g. "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
sí	shí after an, tsí	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “sí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Lakota

Noun

sí

1. foot, paw

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʲiː/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *sī (compare Welsh hi), from a blend of Proto-Indo-European *só (“this”) + *íh₂.

Pronoun

sí

1. she

   Sí fri gábud condon·fóir.

   May she protect us against danger.

2. it (referring to a feminine noun)

   Is sí thol Dée.

   It is God's will.

Related terms

• sissi (emphatic)

Descendants

• Irish: sí
• Manx: ee
• Scottish Gaelic: i

Etymology 2

See síi.

Pronoun

sí

1. Alternative spelling of síi

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsi/ [ˈsi]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: sí
• Homophone: si

Etymology 1

From Latin sīc (est).

Particle

sí

1. yes, affirmation. Commonly used to respond affirmatively to a question.

   Synonyms: claro, por supuesto, (colloquial, Mexico, Guatemala) simón, (colloquial) sip

   Antonyms: no, (colloquial, Mexico) nel

2. (Spain) hello (used to answer the telephone)

Usage notes

• As an affirmation, this term has in Spanish a usage that is not usually explicitly translated into English, since it could sound like a pleonasm, being that "positively", "affirmatively", and always related to a negation (explicit or not):
  • Él sí puede, yo no

    He (positively) can, I cannot.

  • Esto sí es una fiesta.

    This sure is a party. / This is what I call a party.

  • No sabemos si es sostenible, pero lo que sí sabemos es que funciona muy bien.

    We don't know if it's sustainable, but what we do know is that it works very well.

Derived terms

• porque sí
• sí o sí
• sí y no

 

Noun

sí m (plural sís or síes)

1. yes; aye, ay; approbation, acceptance

   Ganaron los síes.

   The ayes have it.

Etymology 2

From Latin sibi, from Proto-Indo-European *sébʰye, dative of *swé (“self”). Cognate with French soi, Italian sé, and Portuguese si.

Pronoun

sí

1. himself, herself, itself, themselves, yourself, yourselves (form of se used after prepositions)

   para sí ― for himself/herself/itself/themselves/yourself/yourselves

Derived terms

• de por sí
• entre sí
• por sí
• por sí y ante sí
• sí mismo

 

See also

Spanish personal pronouns

				nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
first person	singular			yo	me		mí1
	plural	masculine2		nosotros	nos		nosotros
		feminine		nosotras			nosotras
second person	singular	tuteo		tú	te		ti1
		voseo		vos			vos
		formal3		usted	le, se4	lo/la5	usted
	plural	familiar6	masculine2	vosotros	os		vosotros
			feminine	vosotras			vosotras
		formal/general3		ustedes	les, se4	los/las5	ustedes
third person	singular	masculine2		él	le, se4	lo	él
		feminine		ella		la	ella
		neuter		ello7		lo	ello
	plural	masculine2		ellos	les, se4	los	ellos
		feminine		ellas		las	ellas
	reflexive			—	se		sí1

1. Not used with con; conmigo, contigo, and consigo are used instead, respectively
2. Like other masculine Spanish words, masculine Spanish pronouns can be used when the gender of the subject is unknown or when the subject is plural and of mixed gender.
3. Treated as if it were third-person for purposes of conjugation and reflexivity
4. If le or les precedes lo, la, los, or las in a clause, it is replaced with se (e.g., Se lo dije instead of Le lo dije)
5. Depending on the implicit gender of the object being referred to
6. Used primarily in Spain
7. Used only in rare circumstances

See also

• si

Further reading

• “sí”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014