Definitions and meaning of la
la
Translingual
Symbol
la
- (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Latin.
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɑː/
-
- Rhymes: -ɑː
Etymology 1
From Glover's solmization, from Middle English la (“sixth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian la in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin labiī (“lip's”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
Alternative forms
Noun
la (plural las)
- (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the sixth note of a major scale.
Coordinate terms
- (music): do, re, mi, fa, sol, ti
Translations
Etymology 2
Sound used to form meaningless song refrains. Of imitative origin. Compare Old English lā (a common exclamation), Ancient Greek λαλαγε (lalage, “babble”), German lallen (“to babble”).
Interjection
la
- Represents the sound of music or singing.
Derived terms
Etymology 3
From Middle English la, from Old English lā. More at lo.
Alternative forms
Interjection
la
- (obsolete) Used to introduce a statement with emphatic or intensive effect.
- (archaic) Expressing surprise, anger. etc.
Etymology 4
From French la, Italian la.
Adjective
la (not comparable)
- (often ironic) Prefixed to the name of a woman, with ironic effect (as though an opera prima donna).
Etymology 5
Possibly a shortened form of lad.
Noun
la (plural las)
- (Liverpool) lad, kid
Related terms
- lid (rhyming slang for kid)
Etymology 6
From Cantonese 啦 (laa1). Doublet of lah.
Pronunciation
- (Hong Kong) IPA(key): /lɑː˥/
Particle
la (Hong Kong, colloquial)
- Placed at the end of a sentence in imperatives making it sound more like a request than an order.
- Sleep la! ― [You should] go to bed.
- Eat shit la you! ― You're going to hell! (calque of 食屎啦你！)
- Used to tone down comments.
- ok la ― not bad; good enough
See also
Etymology 7
Particle
la
- (Singlish, Manglish) Alternative form of lah.
Anagrams
- Al, & al., AL, al, al-, -al, Ål, a.l.
Afrikaans
Pronunciation
Noun
la (plural [please provide])
- (music) la (solfège)
References
- 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
Ama
Pronunciation
Noun
la
- fish
Anguthimri
Noun
la
- (Mpakwithi) black snake
References
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 186
Aragonese
Etymology
From Latin illa (“that one”).
Pronoun
la
- her (direct object)
Aromanian
Etymology
From Latin illac. Compare Romanian la.
Preposition
la
- at
- by
Asturian
Alternative forms
- lla (archaic)
- a (A Estierna)
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la f sg (masculine el, neuter lo, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)
- (definite) the
Usage notes
- The article la contracts to l' before a word beginning with a or ha: l'asturiana (the Asturian), l'habitación (the habitation), because it ends with an A already
Pronoun
la
- her (third-person singular feminine direct pronoun)
Baltic Romani
Pronoun
la
- (Litovska) accusative/independent oblique of joj
Declension
Bambara
Alternative forms
Postposition
la
- postposition marking location
Catalan
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old Catalan la, from Latin illa (demonstrative) via apheresis.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /lə/, [ɫə]
- (Valencia) IPA(key): /la/
Article
la f (masculine el, masculine plural els, feminine plural les)
- the; feminine singular definite article
Usage notes
- The article la is contracted to l' before a vowel or h, except before a following unstressed I or U sounds, as in la universitat, la idea, and la oliva. Note: Unstressed O sounds like a U.
Pronoun
la (enclitic and proclitic, contracted proclitic l')
- her (direct object)
Usage notes
- -la is the full (plena) form of the pronoun. It is normally used after verbs.
- Mira-la. ― Look at her.
Declension
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈla]
Noun
la m (plural las)
- (music) la (sixth note of a diatonic scale)
Further reading
- “la”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], 2007 April
- “la”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
- “la” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “la” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Chickasaw
Pronoun
la
- I (first-person singular pronoun)
Corsican
Etymology
From Latin illa, feminine form of ille (“that”), from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian la and French la.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈla/
- Homophone: là
Article
la
- archaic form of a
Pronoun
la
- archaic form of a
References
- https://infcor.adecec.net/
Dalmatian
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la
- the; feminine singular definite article
Related terms
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /laː/
-
- Hyphenation: la
- Rhymes: -aː
Etymology 1
From earlier lade through regular syncope of intervocalic -d- (compare weer, blij, broer), from Middle Dutch lāde, from Old Dutch *latha, from Proto-Germanic *hlaþō.
Noun
la f (plural laden or la's, diminutive laatje n)
- drawer
Alternative forms
Derived terms
- bestekla
- bureaula
- schuifla
Descendants
- Afrikaans: laai
- → Caribbean Hindustani: láh
- → Caribbean Javanese: latye (from the diminutive form)
- → Papiamentu: lachi, laadsje (from lade)
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
la f (plural la's, diminutive laatje n)
- la (music)
Anagrams
Emilian
Etymology
From Latin illa(m), feminine form of ille.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
- Hyphenation: la
Article
la f sg (plural al or el or li)
- the
Inflection
Pronoun
la (personal)
- (nominative case) she
- (accusative case) her
Alternative forms
- Becomes l’ before a vowel.
- Becomes -la when acting as an enclitic.
Related terms
Esperanto
Etymology
Borrowed from French la, Italian la, Spanish la, all ultimately from Medieval Latin ille.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
- Rhymes: -a
- Hyphenation: la
Article
la
- the
- la libro — the book
- la libroj — the books
- la angla lingvo — the English language
- la angla — (the) English (language) (clipped form)
Alternative forms
Finnish
Noun
la
- abbreviation of lauantai (“Saturday”)
Franco-Provençal
Etymology
Inherited from Latin illam.
Determiner
la f (prevocalic l')
- feminine singular of lo (“the”)
Pronoun
la f (prevocalic l') (ORB, broad)
- her (third-person singular feminine accusative)
See also
References
- la [2] in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
- la in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
- (Canada) IPA(key): [lɑ], [lɔ]
-
- Homophones: là, las
Etymology 1
From Middle French la, from Old French la, from Latin illam, which is the accusative singular feminine of ille.
Article
la f sg
- feminine of le: the
Usage notes
- la becomes l’ before a vowel or an unaspirated h.
- l’amitié ― the friendship
- l’île ― the island
- l’oasis ― the oasis
Derived terms
Descendants
Pronoun
la f sg
- her, it (direct object)
Related terms
Etymology 2
Noun
la m (plural la)
- (music) la, the note 'A'
Derived terms
Descendants
See also
References
Further reading
- “la”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Friulian
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la f sg (plural lis)
- the
Inflection
See also
Galician
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Pronoun
la f (accusative)
- alternative form of a (“her”)
Usage notes
The l- forms of accusative third-person pronouns are used when the preceding word ends in -r or -s, and is suffixed to the preceding word
Related terms
Pronunciation
Etymology 2
Noun
la m (plural las)
- (music) la (sixth note of the scale)
- (music) A (the musical note or key)
See also
Etymology 3
From Old Galician-Portuguese lãa, from Latin lāna.
Pronunciation
Alternative forms
Noun
la f (uncountable)
- wool
Guinea-Bissau Creole
Etymology
From Portuguese lá. Cognate with Kabuverdianu la.
Adverb
la
- there
Haitian Creole
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From French l'art.
Noun
la
- art
Etymology 2
Article
la
- the (definite article)
Usage notes
This article is used only after a word that ends with an oral (non-nasal) vowel and an oral consonant, in that order, and when it modifies a singular noun.
See also
Etymology 3
From French là (“there”).
Adverb
la
- there
Hungarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈlɒ]
-
- Rhymes: -lɒ
Interjection
la
- (archaic) used in dialects at the end of an exclamatory sentence as an emphasis
- ott van la! ― there it is!
- a syllable used when singing a tune without lyrics
Further reading
- (for emphasis): la in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
- (syllable used when singing): la in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
- (alternative form of lá, used in solfège): la in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
- (used in à la, cf. à): la in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
Ido
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Esperanto la, from French la, Italian la, Spanish la.
Article
la (plural le)
- the
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Borrowed from English la, French la, Italian la, Spanish la, Portuguese lá, German A, Russian ля (lja).
Noun
la (plural le la or lai)
- (music) la
Interlingua
Pronoun
la
- (accusative) her
- (dative) to her
Isoko
Verb
la
- to jump
Istriot
Etymology
From Latin illa(m), feminine of ille.
Article
la f sg (masculine el)
- feminine singular definite article the
Italian
Etymology 1
From Latin illa(m), feminine form of ille.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): °/la/°, /la/°
- IPA(key): (many dialects) /a/°
Article
la f sg (plural le)
- the
Usage notes
- The article la elides with words that begin with a vowel, becoming l'.
Inflection
Pronoun
la f sg (plural le, masculine lo)
- (accusative) her, it
- La vedo. ― I see her.
- a. 1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini:
- (accusative, formal) you (term of respect)
- La vedo. ― I see you.
- Scusi se la disturbo. ― Sorry to bother you.
Alternative forms
See also
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈla/°, /ˈla/*
- Rhymes: -a
- Hyphenation: là
Noun
la m (invariable)
- (music) la (musical note)
- (music) A (musical note and scale)
Derived terms
References
Further reading
- La (nota) on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia it
- la in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)
Anagrams
Japanese
Romanization
la
- Rōmaji transcription of ら゚
- Rōmaji transcription of ラ゚
Jingpho
Etymology
Borrowed from Burmese လ (la.).
Noun
la
- month
References
- Kurabe, Keita (2016 December 31) “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research[3], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128
Kabuverdianu
Etymology
From Portuguese lá.
Adverb
la
- there
Kambera
Preposition
la
- in
References
- Marian Klamer (1998) A Grammar of Kambera, Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 127
Kapampangan
Etymology
From ila. Derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *si-ida, from Proto-Austronesian *(si-)ida. Compare Bikol Central sinda, Cebuano sila, Tagalog sila, Chamorro siha, Hiligaynon sila, Inonhan sanda, Malay sida, Maranao siran, Ratagnon sanda, Tetum sira, West Albay Bikol sinra, Yami sira, and Yogad sira.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈla/ [ˈlä]
- Hyphenation: la
Pronoun
la
- they; them (third person plural)
- Synonyms: da, lu, ilu, do, di, de, to
Derived terms
See also
Kilivila
Verb
-la-
- to leave, to go
- kula - thou goest
- kulosi - ye go
- bala - I will go
See also
References
Ladin
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la f (singular)
- the
Usage notes
- The article la elides with words that begin with a vowel, becoming l'.
See also
Ladino
Article
la (Hebrew spelling לה, plural las, masculine el)
- the (feminine singular)
Leonese
Etymology
From Latin illa(m), feminine singular of ille.
Article
la f sg (masculine el, neuter lu, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)
- the (definite article)
Usage notes
- The prepositions cun, en and pur contract with la, unless la is part of a proper noun.
- cun + la → cula
- en + la → na
- pur + la → pula
- The article la becomes l' before a word beginning with a a or ha:
- l'aviespa ― the wasp
Lutuv
Etymology
From Proto-Kuki-Chin *laa-I, from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *ləʔ.
Verb
la
- to take, grab
Malay
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
- Rhymes: -a
Etymology 1
pronunciation spelling of lah
Particle
la
- (nonstandard) alternative form of lah
Etymology 2
Clipping of la ni, itself a clipping of kala ini, making la a clipping of kala.
Adverb
la (Jawi spelling لا)
- (dialectal, Kedah, Kelantan-Pattani, Terengganu) At the present time or moment; now.
- Synonyms: sekarang, la ni, ini
Further reading
- “la” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
Maltese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /laː/
- Usually unstressed and then automatically shortened to /la/.
Etymology 1
From Arabic لَا (lā). Doublet of le (“no”).
Adverb
la
- Used—optionally—with a negated second-person imperfect verb to express the negated imperative.
- Used to express negative intention.
Conjunction
la
- neither, nor
- La jiekol u la jixrob. ― He doesn't eat nor drink.
- (obsolete) except
- Synonym: ħlief
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Probably from Arabic لَمَّا (lammā).
Conjunction
la
- when
- since
Derived terms
Mandarin
Pronunciation
Romanization
la (la5 / la0, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄚ)
- Hanyu Pinyin reading of 啦
- Hanyu Pinyin reading of 嚹
- Hanyu Pinyin reading of 鞡
- Hanyu Pinyin reading of 𤷟
- Hanyu Pinyin reading of 𩋷
la
- nonstandard spelling of lā
- nonstandard spelling of lá
- nonstandard spelling of lǎ
- nonstandard spelling of là
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Matal
Preposition
la
- in
- from
References
Michif
Etymology
From French la.
Pronunciation
Article
la f (masculine li, masculine and feminine plural lii)
- the
Middle French
Etymology 1
From Old French la, from Latin illam.
Article
la f (masculine le, masculine and feminine plural les)
- the
Descendants
Etymology 2
From Old French la.
Alternative forms
Adverb
la
- there
Descendants
Mirandese
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la f (plural las, masculine l, masculine plural ls)
- the
Mwan
Noun
la
- rain
Neapolitan
Pronoun
la
- alternative form of 'a
Norman
Etymology
From Old French la, from Latin illa(m).
Pronunciation
Article
la f (plural les)
- (Jersey) the (feminine singular definite article)
- la beque ― the spade
- la crôte ― the crust
- la léçon ― the lesson
- la tâsse ― the cup
Inflection
Coordinate terms
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology 1
From the verb late.
Verb
la (imperative la, present tense lar, simple past lot, past participle latt)
- to let
- La sovende hunder ligge. ― Let sleeping dogs lie.
- to leave (in a given state)
- la dem (være) i fred ― leave them alone
Etymology 2
From Old Norse hlaða.
Verb
la (imperative la, present tense lar, simple past ladde, past participle ladd)
- alternative form of lade
Etymology 3
Verb
la
- simple past of legge
Etymology 4
From French la (“the”), from Middle French la (“the”), from Old French la (“the”), from Latin illam (“that, those”), which is the accusative singular feminine of ille (“that, those”), from Old Latin olle (“he, that”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ol-no- or *h₂l̥-no-, from *h₂el- (“beyond, other”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
-
- Rhymes: -a
- Hyphenation: la
Article
la
- (Used in certain expressions of French origin) the
- à la, à la carte, à la grecque, à la mode, à la maison, à la suite
References
- “la” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old Norse láta, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną. Akin to English let.
Alternative forms
Verb
la (present tense lar or lèt, past tense lét, supine latt or late, past participle latt or laten, present participle latande, imperative la)
- let, allow
Derived terms
- la vera
- la bli
- la seg gjera
Etymology 2
From Old Norse hlaða, a strong verb from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną.
Alternative forms
Verb
la (present tense lar, past tense ladde, supine ladd or ladt, past participle ladd, present participle ladande, imperative la)
- (ambitransitive) to load, charge
- Synonym: laste
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 3
From Latin labii, from the first word of the sixth line of Ut queant laxis, the medieval hymn on which solfège was based because its lines started on each note of the scale successively. Through Italian.
Noun
la m (definite singular la-en, indefinite plural la-ar, definite plural la-ane)
- (music) la, a syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale.
Coordinate terms
- (scale of solfège): do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
la
- past of leggja and legga
References
- “la” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Anagrams
Occitan
Etymology
From Old Occitan la, from Latin illa(m).
Pronunciation
Article
la (masculine lo, feminine plural las, masculine plural los)
- the; feminine singular definite article
Old English
Etymology
Unknown. Probably onomatopoeic. Compare Polish ła.
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Interjection
lā
- lo!, oh!, ah!
- Enclitic particle used to emphasise interrogation, exclamation, entreaty, affirmation, negation]]
Derived terms
Descendants
Old French
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la
- the (feminine singular oblique definite article)
- the (feminine singular nominative definite article)
Inflection
Pronoun
la
- it (feminine singular object pronoun)
Descendants
Old Irish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From a form of Proto-Celtic *letos (“side”), from which leth, which could be related to *ɸletos (“side”). However, compare Latin latus. The sense “in the language of” is a semantic loan from Latin apud and is perhaps encountered only in glosses of the Latin construction.
Pronunciation
Preposition
la (with the accusative)
- with
- belonging to
- among
- in the language of
- in the opinion of
- by (indicating the agent of a passive verb)
For quotations using this term, see Citations:la.
Inflection
Derived terms
Combinations with a definite article:
- lassin (masculine and feminine singular)
- lassa (neuter singular)
- lasna (plural)
Combinations with a possessive determiner:
- lam (“with my”)
- lat (“with your sg”)
- lïa (“with his/her/its/their”)
- lïar (“with our”)
Combinations with a relative pronoun:
Descendants
- Irish: le
- Manx: lesh
- Scottish Gaelic: le
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “la”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) [1909] D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, translation of Handbuch des Alt-Irischen (in German), →ISBN, pages 272–73, 523; reprinted 2017
Old Occitan
Etymology
From Latin illa(m).
Article
la (masculine lo)
- the; feminine singular definite article
Descendants
Polish
Pronunciation
- (Greater Poland):
- (Western Greater Poland) IPA(key): /ˈla/
- (Central Greater Poland) IPA(key): /ˈla/
Preposition
la
- (Central Greater Poland, Western Greater Poland) alternative form of dla
Further reading
- Oskar Kolberg (1877) “la”, in “Rzecz o mowie ludu wielkopolskiego”, in Zbiór wiadomości do antropologii krajowéj (in Polish), volume 1, III (Materyjały etnologiczne), page 19
- Oskar Kolberg (1877) “la”, in “Rzecz o mowie ludu wielkopolskiego”, in Zbiór wiadomości do antropologii krajowéj (in Polish), volume 1, III (Materyjały etnologiczne), page 27
Portuguese
Pronunciation
Pronoun
la
- alternative form of a (third-person feminine singular objective pronoun) used as an enclitic and mesoclitic following a verb form ending in a consonant (-z, -r and -s, but not -m); the consonant is elided and the preceding vowel takes an accent if necessary
Romagnol
Article
la
- feminine of e’ (“the”)
Romanian
Alternative forms
- ла (la) (Transnistria (Moldova))
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/
- Rhymes: -a
Etymology 1
From Latin illac.
Preposition
la (+accusative)
- at, in
- to, towards
Etymology 2
From Latin lavāre, from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- (“to wash”). The form la developed from an older lăa, which itself is from an older lăua. The Transylvanian variant lăia is derived from one.
Alternative forms
Verb
a la (third-person singular present lă, past participle lăut) 1st conjugation
- (uncommon) to wash (especially the head)
- Synonyms: se spăla, scălda, îmbăia
Conjugation
Derived terms
Related terms
Samoan
Noun
la
- sun
Santa Catarina Albarradas Zapotec
Noun
la
- name
References
- Basic Vocabulary, page 63
Sassarese
Alternative forms
- -lla (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is stressed)
- -ra (pronoun, enclitic, used when previous syllable is unstressed)
Etymology
From Latin illa, feminine of ille (“that”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/, (after a word ending in a vowel) /ra/
Article
la f sg (plural li, masculine lu)
- the (feminine singular)
Usage notes
- Becomes l' before a vowel.
Inflection
Pronoun
la f (plural li, masculine lu)
- (followed by chi) that
- her (accusative)
- it (accusative)
References
- Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, 2nd edition, Sassari: Edes
Sicilian
Etymology 1
From the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Article
la f sg (m lu, plural li)
- (feminine singular definite article) the
- Synonym: a
Usage notes
- This article is nowadays an obsolete variant, unlike its illiquid counterpart a. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
- Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
- Its use is however almost undisputed before nouns (or nominalized forms of other parts of speech, most often adjectives) that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'. Otherwise, illiquid definite articles are phonetically absorbed by the following noun. I.e: l'arancina (liquid) and ârancina (illiquid).
Inflection
Etymology 2
From the apheresis of Vulgar Latin *illa, from Latin illam, from illa.
Alternative forms
- -la (enclitic)
- a (illiquid form)
Pronunciation
Pronoun
la f sg (plural li, masculine lu)
- (accusative) her
- Synonym: a
- La canusci? ― Do you know her?
- (accusative) it, this or that thing
- Synonym: a
- Quannu ti la desi. ― When I gave it to you.
Usage notes
- This pronoun is now an obsolete variant. It is currently used only in some restricted areas where it is still withheld in conversational communications.
- Today it is mostly used in crystallized contexts, such as singing, poetry or sayings and proverbs. In all these cases this definite article is more euphonetic than the variants, now predominant, which have undergone the lenition of the initial liquid consonant.
- Its use is however almost undisputed before words that begin with vowels. In this case the form is an apocopic l'.
Southern Ndebele
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronoun
la
- these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la/ [la]
-
- Rhymes: -a
- Syllabification: la
Etymology 1
From Old Spanish ela, from Latin illa(m), feminine singular of ille.
Article
la f sg (plural las, masculine el, masculine plural los)
- feminine singular definite article; the
Pronoun
la
- accusative of ella, ello (when the antecedent's implied gender is feminine), and usted (when referring to a woman); her, it, you (formal)
- impersonal neuter pronoun (accusative) in certain colloquial phrases: it, this
Usage notes
- Sometimes used where English would prefer a possessive: tengo algo en la bolsa (literally “I have something in the bag”) as opposed to tengo algo en mi bolsa (“I have something in my bag”). This is especially true with body parts and with articles of clothing or similar accessories.
- Where a feminine noun begins with stressed (h)a-, though not common, el is used instead: el alma, el águila, el hacha. (The article remains la where an adjective intervenes between the article and the noun: la majestuosa águila.) The plural remains las.
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
Noun
la m (plural las)
- (music) la (sixth note of the scale)
- (music) A (the musical note or key)
See also
Further reading
- “la”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
Anagrams
Sumerian
Romanization
la
- romanization of 𒆷 (la)
Swahili
Etymology 1
From Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.
Pronunciation
- (Unguja standard) IPA(key): /lɑ/ (with stress on preceding syllable)
Verb
-la (infinitive kula)
- to eat
- (by extension) to consume, to eradicate
Conjugation
Derived terms
- Verbal derivations:
- Applicative: -lia
- Causative: -lisha (“to feed”)
- Passive: -liwa
- Stative: -lika (“be edible”)
- Other formations: -la chumvi nyingi (“to live a long life (idiomatic)”), -la fedha, -la hasara, -la njama, -la rushwa, -la yamini
- Nominal derivations:
- chakula (“food”)
- mla (“eater”)
- mlo (“meal”)
- ulaji (“eating”)
Etymology 2
From Arabic لَا (lā).
Pronunciation
- (Unguja standard) IPA(key): /ˈlɑ/
Interjection
la
- no
See also
Etymology 3
See -a.
Pronunciation
- (Unguja standard) IPA(key): /lɑ/
Particle
la
- ji class(V) inflected form of -a
Swedish
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /lɑː/
- Rhymes: -ɑː
Verb
la
- past indicative of lägga
Etymology 2
Clipping of earlier fälle and fuller. Listed in a dictionary from the 1800s, and believed to have existed for longer.
Pronunciation
Adverb
la (not comparable)
- (dialectal, Gothenburg, Västergötland) synonym of väl
References
Anagrams
Tagalog
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /la/ [lɐ]
- Rhymes: -a
- Syllabification: la
Etymology 1
Interjection
la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)
- used in directing an animal to stop, especially carabaos and cattle
See also
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Spanish la, from Latin labii.
Noun
la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)
- la (the note 'A')
Etymology 3
Influenced by Baybayin character ᜎ (la).
Noun
la (Baybayin spelling ᜎ)
- the name of the Latin-script letter L/l, in the Abakada alphabet
- Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) el, (in the Abecedario) ele
See also
Further reading
- “la”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
Tetum
Adverb
la
- not
Tsafiki
Pronoun
la
- I; the first-person singular masculine pronoun; the first-person singular pronoun used by adult men
Coordinate terms
- čiʰké (first-person singular feminine pronoun, first-person singular pronoun used by adult women)
- če (first-person singular pronoun used by children)
- čiʰke-lá (first-person plural pronoun)
References
- The Languages of the Andes (2004, Willem F. H. Adelaar, Pieter C. Muysken)
Turkish
Alternative forms
Interjection
la
- (dialectal) ulan
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [laː˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [laː˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [laː˧˧]
Etymology 1
Verb
la • (羅, 囉)
- to cry, to shout
- (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) to reprimand, to scold
- Synonyms: mắng, quát
- bị vợ la ― to be scolded by wife
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 騾 (“mule”, SV: loa).
Noun
(classifier con) la • (騾)
- horse–donkey hybrid; mule or hinny
See also
Votic
Alternative forms
Etymology
From laskõa. Compare Estonian las.
Pronunciation
- (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA(key): /ˈlɑ/, [ˈɫɑ]
- Rhymes: -ɑ
- Hyphenation: la
Particle
la
- let (with a verb); forms a first-person or third-person imperative.
Usage notes
- Usually used with the indicative present personal forms of verbs. The verb may also be inflected in the negative to create a negative imperative.
- The person who is allowed to do something may be placed between la and the verb.
- The third-person imperatives using la (e.g. la teeb) are more common than the forms using -ko(d) (tehko).
- Forming second-person imperatives with la is theoretically possible, but practically never done; the inflected imperative forms are used instead.
References
- Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) “la”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn
Walloon
Etymology
From Latin illac.
Pronunciation
Adverb
la
- there
Synonyms
Antonyms
Wolof
Pronoun
la
- you (second-person singular object pronoun)
See also
Xhosa
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronoun
la
- these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.
Xokleng
Etymology
From Proto-Southern Jê *ra (“sun”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈla]
Noun
la
- sun
Yatzachi Zapotec
Noun
la
- name
Yoruba
Etymology 1
Proposed to have derived from Proto-Yoruboid *lá. Possibly cognate with Proto-Bantu *-dáada
Pronunciation
Verb
lá
- to dream
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Proposed to have derived from Proto-Yoruboid *lá
Pronunciation
Verb
lá
- to lick, including with one's finger
- Synonym: pọ́n lá
- to become worn out
Derived terms
Etymology 3
Pronunciation
Verb
là
- to be wealthy; to become wealthy, to become rich
Derived terms
Etymology 4
Pronunciation
Verb
là
- to dilute a liquid
- Synonym: fi omi lú
Derived terms
Etymology 5
Pronunciation
Verb
là
- to shine like the moon/sun/light, to glow, to radiate
- òòrùn-ún là ― The sun shone
Etymology 6
Pronunciation
Verb
là
- to survive
Derived terms
Etymology 7
Pronunciation
Verb
là
- to cut, to divide, to separate, to slice
Derived terms
Zulu
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Pronoun
la
- these; class 6 proximal demonstrative.
Inflection
References
- C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “la”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “la (2)”
Source: wiktionary.org