# -ai
## French
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin -āvī.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /e/

### Suffix

-ai
* forms the first-person singular past historic indicative form of an -er verb

## Hungarian
### Etymology

-a (possessive suffix) +‎ -i (possessive plural)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɒji]

### 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 [formal] houses”), az ön házai, a maga házai (“your [formal] 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

* Category:Hungarian noun forms
* Appendix:Hungarian possessive suffixes

## Italian
### Etymology 1

From Latin -āvī, via -āī. Example: Italian lodai, from Latin laudāvī.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈaj/
* Rhymes: -aj
* Hyphenation: -ài

#### 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

* -erai

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /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

* -ia, IA

## Japanese
### Romanization

-ai
* Rōmaji transcription of あい

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* -ae (obsolete)

### 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

#### Derived terms
## Welsh
### Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle Welsh -ei

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ai̯/

#### 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”)

##### Usage notes

The obsolete agentive and instrumental senses trigger fortition of the final consonant of the stem.

### Etymology 2
#### Alternative forms

* (South Wales) (third-person singular conditional): -sai

#### Pronunciation

* (North Wales, standard) IPA: /ai̯/
** (North Wales, colloquial) IPA: /ɛ/, /a/
* (South Wales, standard) IPA: /ai̯/
** (South Wales, colloquial) IPA: /ɛ/

#### 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