Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
-n
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Remove ads
See also: -ń and Appendix:Variations of "n"
Languages (27)
Remove ads
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English -n, from Old English -n, rare alternative form of Old English -en (“-en”). More at -en.
Suffix
-n
Etymology 2
Etymology tree
Middle English -n
English -n
Suffix
-n
Etymology 3
From Middle English -n, -en, from Old English -n, -en and Old Norse -inn, both from Proto-Germanic *-anaz, *-inaz, past participle ending of strong verbs. Cognate with Dutch -en, German -en, Swedish -en, Icelandic -inn.
Suffix
-n
- Alternative form of -en (past participle ending).
Derived terms
Remove ads
Azerbaijani
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- Postvocalic form of -il.
Derived terms
See -il.
Basque
Alternative forms
- -en (see usage notes)
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Pronoun
-n
- what, which, that
- Eman didazun liburua irakurtzen ari naiz. ― I'm reading the book that you gave me.
- Esaten dizudana egia da. ― What I'm telling you is true.
- Used to form indirect questions.
- Ez dakit nor zaren. ― I don't know who you are.
Usage notes
The form taken by this clitic depends on the ending of the verbal form to which it is attached.
- In verb forms ending with -ke, the result is -keen.
- naiteke (“I can be”) + -n → naitekeen (“which I can be”).
- In verb forms ending with -n (excluding second-person singular informal feminine forms, see below), the ending doesn't change.
- nintzen (“I was”) + -n → nintzen (“which I was”).
- In verb forms ending with -t, the result is -dan.
- dakit (“I know it”) + -n → dakidan (“which I know”).
- In second-person singular informal forms, the endings in -k or -n become -an and -nan respectively.
- In verb forms ending in -u where the ending is not related to the -gu, -zu person markers, the result is -uen.
- ditu (“he has them”) + -n → dituen (“which he has”).
- In auxiliary forms ending in -a the ending becomes -en.
- dira (“they are”) + -n → diren (“which they are”).
- All other forms ending in a vowel take the suffix -n and those ending in -z the variant -en.
Declension
This pronoun needs an inflection-table template.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “adizkiaren forma-aldaketak, aditz laguntzailea + menderagailuak (-(e)n, -(e)la, -(e)lako...) elartzean”, in Euskara Batuaren Eskuliburua [Handbook of Standard Basque], Euskaltzaindia, 2023
Bavarian
Etymology
From Middle High German -en, a merger of various infinitive forms in Old High German. Cognates include German -en, -n and Luxembourgish -en.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- Used to form verbs.
Derived terms
Beja
Suffix
-n
- 1st-person plural possessive suffix: our
See also
Remove ads
Chuukese
Suffix
-n
- alternative form of -en
Emilian
Pronunciation
Pronoun
-n (adverbial)
- (enclitic, after a vowel) alternative form of in
- Manjēn un pōk! ― Eat some of it! (imperative, plural)
Esperanto
Etymology
From Ancient Greek -ν (-n) (masculine and feminine accusative ending) and/or German -en (masculine accusative ending).
Suffix
-n
- accusative ending
- ending indicating destination: in the direction of, and arriving at
- fridujo / ŝi metos la botelojn da lakto en la fridujon
- refrigerator / she will put the bottles of milk in(to) the refrigerator
Remove ads
Finnish
Etymology 1
From Proto-Finnic *-n, conflated from Proto-Uralic *-n (genitive suffix) and from Proto-Uralic *-m (accusative suffix).
Suffix
-n
- Used to form the genitive case.
- Used to form the accusative case in the singular.
- Näin tytön. ― I saw a/the girl.
- Tapasin poikani eilen. ― I met my son yesterday.
Usage notes
- (genitive):
- See the appendix on Finnish nominal cases for more information on how the genitive case is used.
- Attached to the weak stem (the stem with the weak grade, except for words with inverse gradation).
- When possessive suffixes are used, the genitive suffix is replaced by the possessive suffix, but the genitive stem is used nonetheless.
- taloni ― my house, tyttösi ― your daughter, kätensä ― his/her hand
- (accusative):
- See the appendix on Finnish nominal cases for more information on how the accusative case is used.
- The genitive singular and accusative singular have become identical in modern Finnish (they have undergone syncretism), but from a diachronic standpoint they are distinct suffixes. The object of a transitive verb may look also like the nominative but is still called the accusative in traditional grammars (see also Appendix:Finnish nominal cases#Accusative). There's also the partial object, which uses the partitive case. For the accusative forms of personal pronouns and the interrogative pronoun ken, see -t.
- -t is used for the accusative plural, which is always identical in form to the nominative plural.
Etymology 2
From Proto-Finnic *-n, probably of the same origin as the genitive suffix (see -n, etymology 1). The instructive singular only exists for a few nouns in modern Finnish (such as jalan from jalka); the case is usually used in the plural (-in).
Suffix
-n
- Used to form the instructive case, usually only in the plural.
- Pääsin ojan yli kuivin jaloin.
- I could cross the ditch with dry feet.
Usage notes
- See the appendix on Finnish nominal cases for more information on how the instructive case is used.
- The only occasion (in Standard Finnish) where this suffix is used with a possessive suffix — without being to be translated — is the idiom käydä päinsä (“to be acceptable”) (the instructive plural of pää + possessive suffix -nsa).
Etymology 3
From Proto-Finnic *-n, from Proto-Uralic *-m, probably connected to the first-person singular personal pronoun minä.
Suffix
-n
- (personal) the first-person singular suffix for verbs
See also
Further reading
- Wikipedia article on Finnish grammar
Etymology 4
Suffix
-n
- alternative form of -ne (diminutive nominal suffix)
Remove ads
Garo
Suffix
-n
- emphasis marker
- Uan re·angaha
- He did go away
- Napbabo, da·on!
- Come in, right now!
German
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- alternative form of -en
Usage notes
- Used after -er, -el except in adjectives, where it is uncommon. Also used after vowels and vowel + -r, -l, but chiefly restricted to dated, poetic, or colloquial usage (except in Herrn, sein, tun).
- The use after reduced -e (as in Affe → Affen) is more often interpreted in such a way that -e is deleted before the suffix -en, because the same happens before other suffixes (cf. Äffin, Äffchen). However, it may also be interpreted as -e + -n.
Remove ads
Hopi
Postposition
-n
- like, as (often attached to pronouns).
Hungarian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix
-n (superessive case suffix)
- on. Forms the superessive case from nouns, adjectives, participles, and certain pronouns.
Usage notes
- (superessive case suffix) Variants:
See also
1Ő and őt refer to human beings; the forms below them might be construed likewise.
Forms in parentheses are uncommon. All Hungarian pronouns / edit this template
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Suffix
-n
- (deadjectival adverb-forming suffix) Added to an adjective to form an adverb.
- (denumeral and depronominal adverb-forming suffix) Added to a numeral to form an adverb.
- mindnyája (“all of us/you/them”, obsolete) → mindnyájan (“all of us/you/them”, as an adverb, compare “in full”)
Usage notes
- (deadjectival adverb-forming suffix) Variants:
- -n is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.
- -an is added to most back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -on is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -en is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant, as well as some front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Their original word-final vowel may be lost (e.g. könnyű) or supplemented with a consonant (e.g. bő, hű).
- (denumeral and depronominal adverb-forming suffix) Variants:
- -n is added to some (very few) words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.
- -an is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant
- -en is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant, as well as some front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Their original word-final vowel may be lost (e.g. kettő).
Derived terms
Etymology 3
Suffix
-n
- (personal suffix, chiefly dialectal or archaic) Forms the indefinite third-person singular suffix (currently only in the imperative mood as part of -jen, formerly also occurring in the indicative).
Usage notes
See also
Ido
Etymology
Suffix
-n
- suffix forming accusative
Usage notes
The accusative ending in Ido is only required if the speaker breaks the subject–object word order in Ido, one can not use the accusative ending if the word order is followed. E.g.
- La hundo chasas la skurelo. ― The dog chases the squirrel.
- La skurelon chasas la hundo. ― The dog chases the squirrel.
Ingrian
Suffix
-n
- alternative spelling of -nna
Usage notes
- May trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.
Inflection
References
Japanese
Romanization
-n
Mokilese
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *-ña (used to mark third person singular inalienable possession)
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- used to form the construct state of inalienably possessed nouns
- marks a third person singular possessor of inalienably possessed nouns
See also
Northern Sami
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Proto-Samic *-mē, from Proto-Uralic *-ma. Cognate with Finnish -ma.
Suffix
-n (with odd-syllable stems -eapmi)
- Forms verbal nouns from verbs.
Usage notes
- This suffix triggers the strong grade on a preceding stressed syllable.
Inflection
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Proto-Samic *-një.
Suffix
-n
- Forms instrument nouns from verbs.
Usage notes
- This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable.
Inflection
Derived terms
Etymology 3
From Proto-Samic *-nē, from Proto-Uralic *-na. Cognate with Finnish -na.
Suffix
-n
- The ending of the essive case.
Usage notes
- This suffix triggers the strong grade on a preceding stressed syllable.
Etymology 4
From Proto-Samic *-më. Cognate with the first element of the Finnish fourth infinitive -mi-nen ~ -mi-se-.
Suffix
-n
- The ending of the past participle.
Usage notes
- This suffix triggers the strong grade on a preceding stressed syllable.
Ojibwe
Final
-n
- nominalizer
Derived terms
- atoobaan (“large container for liquid”)
See also
Suffix
-n
- A suffix denoting the plural of an inanimate noun
- A suffix denoting the obviative of an animate noun
- A suffix denoting the second-person singular imperative of an animate intransitive verb (vai)
- A suffix denoting the first-, second- or third-person singular to singular object form of an animate intransitive verb with an object (vai+o)
- A suffix denoting the first-, second- or third-person singular to singular object form of a Type 3 transitive inanimate verb (vti3)
- A suffix denoting the second-person singular to singular or plural object imperative of a Type 3 transitive inanimate verb (vti3)
- A suffix denoting the first-, second- or third-person singular to singular object form of a Type 4 transitive inanimate verb (vti4)
- A suffix denoting the first-person singular to second-person singular form of a transitive animate verb (vta) with an -aw or Cw ending
See also
References
- The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/n-final
Pitjantjatjara
Pronoun
-n (second person singular nominative, bound form of nyuntu)
- you (singular)
Usage notes
Bound pronouns can be used instead of the regular "long form" pronouns. They act as clitics that attach to the last word of the first noun phrase in the sentence, or the conjunctions ka or munu if present.
Related terms
Quechua
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- Indicates third-person singular possessive.
- wasi (“house”) → wasin (“his/her/its house”)
- Third-person singular subject.
- (Cuzco-Collao) alternative spelling of -m
See also
Romanian
Preposition
-n
- Contracted form of în "in" used after vowel.
Somali
Suffix
-n
- Added to nouns to denote a specific or particular example
Swedish
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n
- Suffix for singular definite form of common nouns, especially those ending with a vowel or with an unstressed -el, -er or -or. See also -en
- Suffix for plural indefinite form of neuter nouns, if they end in a vowel. See also -t, -en.
- A version of the -en of the fourth conjugation past participles. This allomorph is used only before the suffix -a, which marks for plural or definiteness. The -na of these participle forms may also be seen described as one morpheme.
- Suffix which creates nouns out of certain verbs, usually denoting a result of an action. See also -an
Tlingit
Etymology
From Proto-Na-Dene *-ł, which sonorantized to pre-Tlingit *-l before nasalizing.
Noun
-n
- A progressive suffix.
References
- Jeff Leer (2010), “The palatal series in Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit, with an overview of the basic sound correspondences”, in Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska: The Dene-Yeniseian, Fairbanks, Alaska: University of Alaska Press, page 176
Turkish
Suffix
-n
Zazaki
Suffix
-n
- Suffix which creates nouns out of certain verbs, usually denoting a result of an action. See also -an
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads