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-ai. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-ai, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-ai in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-ai you have here. The definition of the word
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French
Etymology
Inherited from Latin -āvī.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ai
- forms the first-person singular past historic indicative form of an -er verb
Hungarian
Etymology
-a (possessive suffix) + -i (possessive plural)
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ai
- possessive suffix for multiple possessions:
- (with no noun for possessor) his, her, its ……-s (third-person singular; the pronoun ő (“s/he”) being optional for emphasis)
- ház (“house”) → a házai (“his/her/its houses”), az ő házai (“his/her houses”)
- játék (“toy”) → a játékai (“his/her/its toys”), az ő játékai (“his/her toys”)
- (with no noun for possessor, formal) your ……-s (second-person singular, grammatically resembling the third person sg.)
- ház (“house”) → a házai (“your houses”), az ön házai, a maga házai (“your houses”)
- construed with a noun or certain pronouns as the possessor: ……’s ……-s, ……-s of …… (third-person sg. or pl., depending on the noun or pronoun)
- az ember(nek a) házai ― the person’s houses
- a gyerek(nek a) játékai ― the child’s toys
- az emberek(nek a) házai ― the people’s houses
- a gyerekek(nek a) játékai ― the children’s toys
- az önök házai, a maguk házai ― your (plural, formal) houses
- azok(nak a) házai ― the houses of those
- ki(k)nek a játékai? ― whose toys?
Usage notes
- (possessive suffix) Variants:
- -i is added to words ending in a vowel except -i. Final -a changes to -á-; final -e changes to -é-. The latter feature distinguishes it from the -i (adjective-forming suffix), which does not lengthen the preceding -a/-e.
- -ai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -ei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -jai is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
- -jei is added to some front-vowel words ending in a consonant or the vowel -i
- If the possessed noun is in the plural and the possessor is expressed in English with a possessive pronoun only (rather than a noun), e.g. “their toys” (as opposed to “the children’s toys”), the -ik/-aik/-eik/-jaik/-jeik suffixes are required in Hungarian.
See also
Italian
Etymology 1
From Latin -āvī, via -āī.
Example: Italian lodai, from Latin laudāvī.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ai (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)
- used with a stem to form the first-person singular past historic of -are verbs
See also
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.i/
- Rhymes: -ai
- Hyphenation: -à‧i
Suffix
-ai m pl (non-lemma form of noun-forming suffix or adjective-forming suffix)
- masculine plural of -aio
References
- ^ Patota, Giuseppe (2002) Lineamenti di grammatica storica dell'italiano (in Italian), Bologna: il Mulino, →ISBN, page 145
Anagrams
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Suffix
-ai
- forms the 2nd-person plural affirmative imperative of 1st conjugation verbs; appended to the stem
Amai-vos uns aos outros.- Love (you all) one another.
Usage notes
Like every other 2nd-person plural conjugation, its use is archaic.
Related terms
- -ei (affirmative imperative for 2nd-conjugation verbs)
- -i (affirmative imperative for 3rd-conjugation verbs)
- -eis (negative imperative for 1st-conjugation verbs)
Sardinian
Etymology
From Latin -āre, present infinitive of -ō (1st-conjugation verbal suffix), from Proto-Italic *-āō. Compare Logudorese and Nuorese -are.
Suffix
-ai (Campidanese)
- Attached to a stem, forms the present infinitive of most regular verbs
Conjugation
Conjugation of -ai
infinitive
|
simple
|
-ai
|
compound
|
essi or ai + past participle
|
gerund
|
simple
|
-endi, -endu
|
compound
|
sendi or endi + past participle
|
past participle
|
-au
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
first
|
second
|
third
|
first
|
second
|
third
|
indicative
|
deu
|
tui
|
issu/issa
|
nosu
|
bosatrus/bosatras
|
issus/issas
|
(simple tenses)
|
present
|
-u
|
-as
|
-at
|
-aus
|
-ais
|
-ant
|
imperfect
|
-amu, -au
|
-ast
|
-at
|
-amus, -astus
|
-astis
|
-ant
|
future
|
apu (a) -ai
|
as (a) -ai
|
at (a) -ai
|
eus (a) -ai
|
eis (a) -ai
|
ant (a) -ai
|
(compound tenses)
|
present perfect
|
present indicative of essi or ai + past participle
|
pluperfect
|
imperfect indicative of essi or ai + past participle
|
future perfect
|
future of essi or ai + past participle
|
conditional
|
deu
|
tui
|
issu/issa
|
nosu
|
bosatrus/bosatras
|
issus/issas
|
present
|
emu (a) -ai
|
iast (a) -ai
|
iat (a) -ai
|
emus (a) -ai
|
estis (a) -ai
|
iant (a) -ai
|
perfect
|
present conditional of essi or ai + past participle
|
subjunctive
|
chi deu
|
chi tui
|
chi issu/issa
|
chi nosu
|
chi bosatrus/bosatras
|
chi issus/issas
|
(simple tenses)
|
present
|
-i
|
-is
|
-it
|
-eus
|
-eis
|
-int
|
imperfect
|
-essi
|
-essis
|
-essit
|
-èssimus
|
-estis
|
-essint
|
(compound tenses)
|
past
|
present subjunctive of essi or ai + past participle
|
pluperfect
|
imperfect subjunctive of essi or ai + past participle
|
imperative
|
deu
|
tui
|
issu/issa
|
nosu
|
bosatrus/bosatras
|
issus/issas
|
—
|
-a
|
-it
|
-eus
|
-ai
|
-int
|
Derived terms
Welsh
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ai m (plural -eion)
- receiver or sufferer of action, -ee
- enwebu (“to nominate”) + -ai → enwebai (“nominee”)
- cyf-weld (“to interview”) + -ai → cyfwelai (“interviewee”)
- morgeisio (“to mortgage”) + -ai → morgeisai (“mortgagee”)
- (obsolete) agentive suffix, -er
- blawd (“flour”) + -ai → blotai (“beggar of flour; flour merchant”)
- llad (“gift, virtue”) + -ai → llatai (“love messenger, go-between”)
- (obsolete) instrument
- cymell (“to compel, to induce”) + -ai → cymhellai (“wrench”)
- hidlo (“to strain, to filter”) + -ai → hidlai (“strainer, filter”)
- (obsolete) gas, -gen
- ul (“moist, damp”) + -ai → ulai (“hydrogen”)
- ufel (“fire”) + -ai → ufelai (“oxygen”)
Etymology 2
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Suffix
-ai
- (literary) verb suffix for the third-person singular imperfect/conditional
- (colloquial) verb suffix for the third-person singular conditional
Derived terms
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-ai”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
- Morris Jones, John (1913) A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative, Oxford: Clarendon Press, § 143 iv 2