See also: а, а-, -a, and Appendix:Variations of "a"

Belarusian

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-ьje. Variant used after non-palatalizable consonants.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. alternative form of (-je); used after ш, ч, ж formed as a result of the Slavic first palatalization, as well as sometimes after р
    па- (pa-, across, along) + ‎грані́ца (hraníca, border) + ‎ (-a) → ‎паграні́чча (pahraníčča, region along the border)
    за- (za-) + ‎ці́хі (cíxi, quiet, still) + ‎ (-a) → ‎заці́шша (zacíšša, lull, calm)
    без- (bjez-, without) + ‎даро́га (daróha, path) + ‎ (-a) → ‎бездаро́жжа (bjezdaróžža, impassibility)
    па- (pa-) + ‎ве́цер (vjécjer, wind) + ‎ (-a) → ‎паве́тра (pavjétra, air)
Usage notes
  • Syllable stress is usually drawn onto the syllable before the suffix.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.

Alternative forms

  • (-ja)used for nouns ending in () or (-j)

Pronunciation

  • : IPA(key): [a]
  • -а́: IPA(key): [ˈa]

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. Forms the genitive singular of most masculine and neuter nouns.
    дом (dom, building) + ‎ (-a) → ‎до́ма (dóma, of a/the building, a/the building's)
    крыло́ (kryló, wing) + ‎ (-a) → ‎крыла́ (krylá, of a/the wing, a/the wing's)
  2. Forms the count form of some nouns.

Etymology 3

Compare Russian and Ukrainian (-o).

Alternative forms

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. Suffix added to adjectives to produce adverbs
    ху́ткі (xútki, quick) + ‎ (-a) → ‎ху́тка (xútka, quickly)
    да́ўні (dáŭni, old) + ‎ (-a) → ‎даўно́ (daŭnó, long time ago)
Usage notes
  • Not to be confused with -а- (-a-) when used in compounds following adjectives.

Derived terms

Chuvash

Etymology 1

Suffix

• (-a) (front vowel variant )

  1. Forms agent nouns: -er, -or
    пӑх (păh, to look) + ‎ (-a) → ‎пӑха (păh̬a, supervisor)
  2. Forms instrument nouns by means of which the action is performed
    пӑр (păr, to turn) + ‎ (-a) → ‎пӑра (păra, drill)
  3. Forms resultative nouns
    вит (vit, to cover) + ‎ (-a) → ‎вите (vit̬e, stable)
  4. Forms nouns of location
    ҫарат (śarat, to clear) + ‎ (-a) → ‎ҫарата (śarat̬a, meadow)

Etymology 2

Suffix

• (-a) (front vowel variant )

  1. (non-productive) Forms diminutives
    ҫӳҫ (śüś, hair) + ‎ (-a) → ‎ҫӳҫе (śüś̬e, fringe)
    мӑй (măj, neck) + ‎ (-a) → ‎мӑя (măja, necklace)

Kazakh

Suffix

preceding vowel
А / Ы / О / Ұ Ә / Е / І / Ө / Ү
postconsonantal (-i) (-i)
postvocalic (-a) (-e)

• (-a)

  1. Form of (-i) in hard words and after a consonant.

Komi-Zyrian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /-a/, [-ä]

Suffix

• (-a) (soft stem variant )

  1. Used to form nouns describing the quality of an adjective; -ness
  2. Used to form adjectives having a characteristic of a noun; -like, -ly
  3. Used to form postpositions measuring the preceding noun in the quality of an adjective; as ... as

Derived terms

References

  • Bubrikh, Dmitry V. (1949) Грамматика литературного коми языка [Grammar of the literary Komi language] (in Russian), Leningrad: Zhdanov Leningrad State University, page 61

Macedonian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [a]

Suffix

• (-a)

Accusative sufix in its singular form, male gender.

  1. За Стамбола, за Солуна Битола не давам.
    Za Stambola, za Soluna Bitola ne davam.
    For Salonica, for Istanbul, I wouldn't give Bitola.
    Брат брата не рани, тешко кој го нема.
    Brat brata ne rani, teško koj go nema.
    Brother doesn't wound brother, hard is it for him, who doesn't have him.
    Јас Методи Патче од Охрида ослободен од битолски затвор. Па си тргнав за Охрида града, там' не најдов ни мајка, ни татко.
    Jas Metodi Patče od Ohrida osloboden od bitolski zatvor. Pa si trgnav za Ohrida grada, tam' ne najdov ni majka, ni tatko.
    I, Metodi Patče from Ohrid, freed from a prison in Bitola. So I set forth for the city of Ohrid, there I found neither mother nor father.

Usage notes

The productivity in standard Macedonian is debatable although it's very productive in some dialects like the Vevčani or Kumanovo dialect. It's use was greater earlier after standardisation and has since declined. Used with animate nouns (Јована, Бога, човека, брата, татка си, сина си, деда си) and place names (Прилепа града, Стамбола, Солуна).

Northern Mansi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Uralic *-ë

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [a]
  • Hyphenation: а
  • Rhymes: -a

Particle

(-a) (Sosva, Upper Lozva, Sygva, Ob)

  1. An enclitic, question-forming interrogative particle.
    • 1982, Je. I. Rombandejeva, Je. A. Kuzakova, Slovarʹ mansijsko-russkij i russko-mansijskij [Dictionary Mansi-Russian and Russian-Mansi], Leningrad: Prosveščenije:
      Ты ма̄ныр? Кол-а?
      Ty mānyr? Kol-a?
      What is this? A house?

Russian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ə]

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

  • (-ja)used after a soft consonant

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. Noun-forming suffix used to form diminutives of proper names; used after a hard (unpalatalized) consonant.

Etymology 2

From early Proto-Slavic *-ja.

Alternative forms

  • (-a)non-iotating

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems ending in a consonant that becomes a hushing consonant (ш ж ч щ) when iotated. The final consonant of the stem is iotated before this suffix.
    по- (po-) + ‎клад- (klad-, to lay, to put) + ‎ (-a) → ‎покла́жа (pokláža, load)
    пропа́д- (propád-, to disappear) + ‎ (-a) → ‎пропа́жа (propáža, disappearance, loss)
    пред- (pred-, before) + ‎тек- (tek-, to flow) + ‎ (-a) → ‎предте́ча (predtéča, forerunner, precursor)
    переда́т- (peredát-, to broadcast) + ‎ (-a) → ‎переда́ча (peredáča, broadcast)
Declension

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Alternative forms

  • (-a)iotating

Suffix

• (-a)

  1. Noun-forming suffix used to form abstract nouns and agent nouns from prefixed stems. The final consonant of the stem is not iotated before this suffix.
    про- (pro-) + ‎сек- (sek-, to cut) + ‎ (-a) → ‎про́сека (próseka, path cleared in a forest)
    от- (ot-) + ‎рад (rad, glad) + ‎ (-a) → ‎отра́да (otráda, joy)
Declension

Derived terms

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Suffix

(Latin spelling -a)

  1. Suffix appended to words (usually verbal stems) to create a feminine noun, usually denoting a relation or to form a proper noun.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a, from Proto-Indo-European *-ōd, the thematic ablative ending.

Suffix

(Latin spelling -a)

  1. Forms the genitive singular of masculine and neuter nouns and indefinite adjectives.

Ukrainian

Pronunciation 1

  • IPA(key): [ a] or IPA(key): [ ˈa]

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Ruthenian (-a), from Old East Slavic (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Suffix

• (-am or f

  1. used to form feminine deverbal nouns denoting a result, process or an abstract concept
    загати́ти pf (zahatýty, to dam up) + ‎ (-a) → ‎зага́та f (zaháta, dam)
    змогти́ pf (zmohtý, to be able to, to manage to) + ‎ (-a) → ‎змо́га f (zmóha, ability, possibility, opportunity)
    сплати́ти pf (splatýty, to pay) + ‎ (-a) → ‎спла́та f (spláta, pay, payment)
    послужи́ти pf (poslužýty, to serve) + ‎ (-a) → ‎по́слуга f (pósluha, service)
    позичи́ти pf (pozyčýty, to borrow, to lend) + ‎ (-a) → ‎по́зика f (pózyka, loan)
  2. used to form gender neutral nouns denoting a person characterized by the root word
    не- (ne-, not) + ‎чепури́тися impf (čepurýtysja, to smarten oneself up, to preen) + ‎ (-a) → ‎нечепу́ра gender-neutral (nečepúra, a slovenly/unkempt person)
    при- (pry-) + ‎ве́ред m (véred, whim, caprice) + ‎ (-a) → ‎привере́да gender-neutral (pryveréda, a picky/capricious person)
    нікче́м(ний) (nikčém(nyj), good-for-nothing, worthless, insignificant) + ‎ (-a) → ‎нікче́ма gender-neutral (nikčéma, good-for-nothing, looser, zero, nonentity, crumb)
  3. used to form feminine counterparts of masculine nouns
    ону́к, вну́к m (onúk, vnúk, grandson) + ‎ (-a) → ‎ону́ка, вну́ка f (onúka, vnúka, granddaughter)
    по- (po-) + ‎друг m (druh, male friend) + ‎ (-a) → ‎по́друга f (pódruha, female friend)
    раб m (rab, male slave) + ‎ (-a) → ‎раба́ f (rabá, female slave)
Usage notes

Declension

Declension of -(х)а́
(pers hard fem-form accent-a)
singular plural
nominative -(х)а́
-(x)á
-(х)и́
-(x)ý
genitive -(х)и́
-(x)ý
-́(х)
-́(x)
dative -(х)і́
-(x)í
-(х)а́м
-(x)ám
accusative -(х)у́
-(x)ú
-́(х)
-́(x)
instrumental -(х)о́ю
-(x)óju
-(х)а́ми
-(x)ámy
locative -(х)і́
-(x)í
-(х)а́х
-(x)áx
vocative -(х)о́
-(x)ó
-(х)и́
-(x)ý

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Ruthenian (-a), from Old East Slavic (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ja.

Alternative forms

  • (-ja)after consonants other than ч ж ш щ

Suffix

• (-af

  1. alternative form of (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ
    зада́ти pf (zadáty, to assign, to raise (question)) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎зада́ча f (zadáča, task, problem)
    огороди́ти pf (ohorodýty, to fence in, to enclose) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎огоро́жа f (ohoróža, fence)
    пло́ский (plóskyj, flat) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎пло́ща f (plóšča, square)
    ти́хий (týxyj, quiet, silent) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎ти́ша f (týša, silence, quietness)
    утекти́ pf (utektý, to flee, to escape) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎уте́ча f (utéča, flight, run)

Declension

Declension of -́(щ)а
(inan semisoft fem-form accent-a)
singular plural
nominative -́(щ)а
-́(šč)a
-щі́
-ščí
genitive -щі́
-ščí
-́щ
-́šč
dative -щі́
-ščí
-ща́м
-ščám
accusative -щу́
-ščú
-щі́
-ščí
instrumental -ще́ю
-ščéju
-ща́ми
-ščámy
locative -щі́
-ščí
-ща́х
-ščáx
vocative -ще́
-ščé
-щі́
-ščí

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Suffix

• (-a) (variant )

  1. feminine nominative singular of -ий (-yj)

Pronunciation 2

  • IPA(key): [ ˈa]

Etymology 4

Inherited from Old Ruthenian (-a), from Old East Slavic (-a), from Proto-Slavic *-ę.

Alternative forms

  • -я́ (-já)after consonants other than ч ж ш щ

Suffix

-а́ • (n

  1. alternative form of -я́ (-já) used after ч ж ш щ
    ку́рка f (kúrka, chicken) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎курча́ n (kurčá, chick)
    верблю́д m (verbljúd, camel) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎верблюжа́ n (verbljužá, camel calf)
    ведмі́дь m (vedmídʹ, bear) + ‎ (-ja) → ‎ведмежа́ n (vedmežá, bear cub)

Declension

Declension of -жа́
(animal t-stem neut-form accent-b)
singular plural
nominative -жа́
-žá
-жа́та
-žáta
genitive -жа́ти
-žáty
-жа́т
-žát
dative -жа́ті
-žáti
-жа́там
-žátam
accusative -жа́
-žá
-жа́та, -жа́т
-žáta, -žát
instrumental -жа́м
-žám
-жа́тами
-žátamy
locative -жа́ті
-žáti
-жа́тах
-žátax
vocative -жа́
-žá
-жа́та
-žáta