-а

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

Belarusian

Alternative forms

• -a — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology 1

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

Alternative forms

• -е (-je)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -е (-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”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎паграні́чча (pahraníčča, “region along the border”)

   ‎за- (za-) ‎ці́хі (cíxi, “quiet, still”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎заці́шша (zacíšša, “lull, calm”)

   ‎без- (bjez-, “without”) ‎даро́га (daróha, “path”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎бездаро́жжа (bjezdaróžža, “impassibility”)

   ‎па- (pa-) ‎ве́цер (vjécjer, “wind”) ‎-а (-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

• -я (-ja) — used for nouns ending in -ь (-ʹ) or -й (-j)

Pronunciation

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

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Forms the genitive singular of most masculine and neuter nouns.

   ‎дом (dom, “building”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎до́ма (dóma, “of a/the building, a/the building's”)

   ‎крыло́ (kryló, “wing”) ‎-а (-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 -о (-o).

Alternative forms

• -е (-je)
• -о́ (-ó) — stressed

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Suffix added to adjectives to produce adverbs

   ‎ху́ткі (xútki, “quick”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎ху́тка (xútka, “quickly”)

   ‎да́ўні (dáŭni, “old”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎даўно́ (daŭnó, “long time ago”)

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with -а- (-a-) when used in compounds following adjectives.

Derived terms

Belarusian terms suffixed with -а

Chuvash

Etymology 1

Suffix

-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)

1. Forms agent nouns: -er, -or

   ‎пӑх (păh, “to look”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎пӑха (păh̬a, “supervisor”)

2. Forms instrument nouns by means of which the action is performed

   ‎пӑр (păr, “to turn”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎пӑра (păra, “drill”)

3. Forms resultative nouns

   ‎вит (vit, “to cover”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎вите (vit̬e, “stable”)

4. Forms nouns of location

   ‎ҫарат (śarat, “to clear”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎ҫарата (śarat̬a, “meadow”)

Etymology 2

Suffix

-а • (-a) (front vowel variant -е)

1. (non-productive) Forms diminutives

   ‎ҫӳҫ (śüś, “hair”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎ҫӳҫе (śüś̬e, “fringe”)

   ‎мӑй (măj, “neck”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎мӑя (măja, “necklace”)

Komi-Zyrian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-a/, [-ä]

Suffix

-а • (-a) (soft stem variant -я)

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

Komi-Zyrian terms suffixed with -а

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a]

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Suffix

-а • (-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.

Related terms

• -та (-ta)

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).

Russian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ə]

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• -я (-ja) — used after a soft consonant

Suffix

-а • (-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

• -а (-a) — non-iotating

Suffix

-а • (-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”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎покла́жа (pokláža, “load”)

   ‎пропа́д- (propád-, “to disappear”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎пропа́жа (propáža, “disappearance, loss”)

   ‎пред- (pred-, “before”) ‎тек- (tek-, “to flow”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎предте́ча (predtéča, “forerunner, precursor”)

   ‎переда́т- (peredát-, “to broadcast”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎переда́ча (peredáča, “broadcast”)

Declension

Declension of -а (inan fem-form sibilant-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-а -a	-и -i
genitive	-и -i	(no suffix) (no suffix)
dative	-е -e	-ам -am
accusative	-у -u	-и -i
instrumental	-ей, -ею -ej, -eju	-ами -ami
prepositional	-е -e	-ах -ax

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *-a.

Alternative forms

• -а (-a) — iotating

Suffix

-а • (-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”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎про́сека (próseka, “path cleared in a forest”)

   ‎от- (ot-) ‎рад (rad, “glad”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎отра́да (otráda, “joy”)

Declension

Declension of -а (inan fem-form hard-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	-а -a	-ы -y
genitive	-ы -y	(no suffix) (no suffix)
dative	-е -e	-ам -am
accusative	-у -u	-ы -y
instrumental	-ой, -ою -oj, -oju	-ами -ami
prepositional	-е -e	-ах -ax

Derived terms

Russian terms suffixed with -а

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Suffix

-а (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

-а (Latin spelling -a)

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

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

• а: IPA^(key): [a]

Etymology 1

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

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. used to form feminine deverbal nouns denoting a result, process or an abstract concept

   ‎загати́ти pf (zahatýty, “to dam up”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎зага́та f (zaháta, “dam”)

   ‎змогти́ pf (zmohtý, “to be able to, to manage to”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎змо́га f (zmóha, “ability, possibility, opportunity”)

   ‎сплати́ти pf (splatýty, “to pay”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎спла́та f (spláta, “pay, payment”)

   ‎послужи́ти pf (poslužýty, “to serve”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎по́слуга f (pósluha, “service”)

   ‎позичи́ти pf (pozyčýty, “to borrow, to lend”) ‎-а (-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”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎нечепу́ра gender-neutral (nečepúra, “a slovenly/unkempt person”)

   ‎при- (pry-) ‎ве́ред m (véred, “whim, caprice”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎привере́да gender-neutral (pryveréda, “a picky/capricious person”)

   ‎нікче́м(ний) (nikčém(nyj), “good-for-nothing, worthless, insignificant”) ‎-а (-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”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎ону́ка, вну́ка f (onúka, vnúka, “granddaughter”)

   ‎по- (po-) ‎друг m (druh, “male friend”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎по́друга f (pódruha, “female friend”)

   ‎раб m (rab, “male slave”) ‎-а (-a) → ‎раба́ f (rabá, “female slave”)

Usage notes

• This suffix does not cause palatalization/iotation.
• This suffix is always attached to the original unpalatalized form of the root: обложи́ти pf (obložýty), поважа́ти impf (považáty), означа́ти impf (označáty) → обло́га f (oblóha), пова́га f (pováha), озна́ка f (oznáka).

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

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

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ

   ‎зада́ти pf (zadáty, “to assign, to raise (question)”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎зада́ча f (zadáča, “task, problem”)

   ‎огороди́ти pf (ohorodýty, “to fence in, to enclose”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎огоро́жа f (ohoróža, “fence”)

   ‎пло́ский (plóskyj, “flat”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎пло́ща f (plóšča, “square”)

   ‎ти́хий (týxyj, “quiet, silent”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎ти́ша f (týša, “silence, quietness”)

   ‎утекти́ pf (utektý, “to flee, to escape”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎уте́ча f (utéča, “flight, run”)

Etymology 3

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

Alternative forms

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

Suffix

-а • (-a)

1. Alternative form of -я (-ja) used after ч ж ш щ

   ‎ку́рка f (kúrka, “chicken”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎курча́ n (kurčá, “chick”)

   ‎верблю́д m (verbljúd, “camel”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎верблюжа́ n (verbljužá, “camel calf”)

   ‎ведмі́дь m (vedmídʹ, “bear”) ‎-я (-ja) → ‎ведмежа́ n (vedmežá, “bear cub”)

Derived terms

Ukrainian terms suffixed with -а