ei

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ei"

Languages (50)

Catalan • Classical Nahuatl • Dutch • Estonian • Fala • Faroese • Finnish • Galician • German • Gothic • Icelandic • Ingrian • Italian • Japanese • Karelian • Kott • Latin • Latvian • Limburgish • Livonian • Livvi • Malasanga • Mandarin • Mbya Guarani • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Middle High German • Middle Scots • Mizo • Murui Huitoto • North Frisian • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old High German • Old Saxon • Papiamentu • Portuguese • Romanian • Sabu • Sardinian • Scots • Tedim Chin • Tlingit • Veps • Votic • Welsh • Ye'kwana • Zou • Zyphe

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Page categories

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈe̞j]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈej]

Interjection

ei

1. hey (exclamation to get attention)

Further reading

• “ei”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “ei”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Classical Nahuatl

Numeral

ei

1. obsolete spelling of ēyi

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛi̯/, (Netherlands) [ɛi̯], (East and West Flanders, The Hague) [ɛː]

• Audio (Netherlands):

  (file)

• Audio (Netherlands):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ei
• Rhymes: -ɛi̯
• Homophones: ij, IJ, -ij

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch ei, from Old Dutch *ei, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją.

Noun

ei n (plural eieren, diminutive eitje n)

1. egg

   Ik heb een ei gebakken voor het ontbijt. ― I fried an egg for breakfast.

   Pasen is een feest waarbij veel eieren worden geschilderd. ― Easter is a festival where many eggs are painted.

   In deze doos zitten twaalf eieren. ― In this box, there are twelve eggs.

2. female gamete [From 1230]

Derived terms

• blij ei
• de kip met de gouden eieren slachten
• duizendjarig ei
• een appel en een ei
• eendenei
• ei van Columbus
• eicel
• eidooier
• eierbal
• eierdop
• eieren voor zijn geld kiezen
• eiergeel
• eiergerecht
• eierkoek
• eierkoker
• eierkool
• eierlanding
• eierlepel
• eierlopen
• eiermuts
• eiersalade
• eierstok
• eierwarmer
• eigeel
• eigerecht
• eikapsel
• eileg
• eileider
• eisprong
• eitand
• eivorm
• eivormig
• eiwit
• het hele eiereneten
• kievitsei
• kippenei
• koek en ei
• op eieren lopen
• paasei
• struisvogelei
• van die boer geen eieren
• vogelei
• voor een appel en een ei
• windei

Descendants

• Afrikaans: eier
• Berbice Creole Dutch: airi
• Jersey Dutch: āi
• Negerhollands: ee, eiu, eyu, eju

Etymology 2

From the digraph itself.

Noun

ei m or f (plural ei's, diminutive eitje n or ei'tje n)

1. The digraph ei.

   Synonym: korte ei (as distinct from ij)

Anagrams

• IE, Ie, ie, 'ie

Estonian

Etymology

From the Proto-Finno-Ugric negative verb stem *e- ~ *ä- ~ *a-. Cognates include Finnish ei and Northern Sami ii.

Interjection

ei

1. no

Antonyms

• jaa, jah

Adverb

ei (not comparable)

1. don't, doesn't, not: used in negative forms of non-imperative verbs. Ma ei tea. I don't know. (Compare: Ma tean. I know.)

Usage notes

The verb follows the word ei.

In the present tense indicative, the form of the verb coincides with the imperative of the second person singular. In past tenses indicative, the form of the verb is active past participle. In the conditional mood, the form of the verb coincides with third person singular conditional in the present tense or the past tense. In the indirect mood, the form of the verb is the indirect form.

Derived terms

• eitama

Fala

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese eu, from Inherited from Late Latin eo, from Classical Latin egō̆.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/
• Rhymes: -ei̯
• Syllabification: ei

Pronoun

ei m sg or f sg

1. First person singular nominative pronoun; I

See also

Fala personal pronouns

			nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
singular	first person		ei	me, -mi		mi
	second person		tú	te, -ti		ti
	third person	m	el	le, -li	uLV, oM	el
		f	ela		a	ela
plural	first person	common	nos	musL nusLV nos, -nusM		nos
		m	noshotrusM			noshotrusM
		f	noshotrasM			noshotrasM
	second person	common	vos	vusLV vos, -vusM		vos
		m	voshotrusM			voshotrusM
		f	voshotrasM			voshotrasM
	third person	m	elis	le, -li	usLV, osM	elis
		f	elas		as	elas
third person reflexive			—	se, -si		sí

Dialects:  ^L Lagarteiru   ^M Mañegu   ^V Valverdeñu

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021), Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web), 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN, page 121

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse eigi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ai]

Adverb

ei

1. not

   Synonym: ikki

   grát ei ― do not weep

   ei og ikki ― both ... and

Finnish

Etymology

The indicative forms are from Proto-Finnic *e-, from Proto-Uralic *e- (negative verb stem). The imperative forms are from Proto-Finnic *älä-, from the Proto-Finno-Ugric negative imperative verb stem *älä- ~ *elä-.

Details and cognates

Noteworthy forms include eivät (replacing earlier evät by influence from the third-person singular ei). For more forms, see the Proto-Finnic and Proto-Uralic pages.

Cognates for the indicative forms include Estonian ei, Karelian ei, Livonian ä’b, Veps ei, Northern Sami ii, Skolt Sami ij, Erzya а- (a-), э- (e-), и- (i-), Eastern Mari ы- (y-), Udmurt уг (ug), Komi-Zyrian оз (oz), Northern Mansi [script needed] (ä-), Forest Enets [script needed] (i-), Northern Selkup [script needed] (aša) (Taz) and Kamassian ей (ej). Cognates for the imperative forms include Estonian ära, Northern Sami ale, Kildin Sami ель (jel’), Erzya иля (iľa).

Not related to Swedish ej, Icelandic ei, Old Norse eigi, despite the similarity; the Finnic and Norse terms are false cognates.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈe̞i̯]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ei
• Syllabification^(key): ei
• Hyphenation^(key): ei

Verb

ei (third-person singular indicative)

1. (auxiliary) The negative verb or negation verb; not, be not, do not, etc. [with connegative]

   En ole käynyt siellä. ― I have not been there.

   Hän ei ole kotona. ― She isn't home.

   Etkö tiedä? ― Don't you know?

   Älä koske siihen! ― Don't touch that!

Usage notes

• With certain conjunctions, contractions may be used (e.g. miksi + ei → miksei). In some cases, like ellei and jollei, the independent conjunction has fallen out of use, but the contractions still remain in use. For other cases, the contractions are optional, but commonly used. When the contraction is used, the negative verb may effectively shift ahead in the clause:

  En tiedä, miksi hän ei tullut. → En tiedä, miksei hän tullut.

  I don't know why he didn't come.

Grammar

• The negation verb is used with the connegative form of the main verb.
• In the active voice, the verb ei is inflected in person and mood (only for the imperative, in all other moods the indicative forms are used).
  • In the indicative mood and present tense (including for the auxiliary olla in the perfect tense), the connegative form is identical to the second-person singular imperative.
  • In the indicative mood and past tense (including for the auxiliary olla in the pluperfect tense and the main verb in the perfect and pluperfect tenses), the connegative form is the past active participle (-nut / -nyt).
  • In the conditional and potential moods, the connegative ends with the mood markers -isi- and -ne- (without the personal ending), respectively.
  • In the imperative mood, the connegative form is the same as the affirmative form for the second-person singular, while for the other forms a form ending in -ko / -kö is used.
• In the passive voice, the third-person singular ei (or älköön for the imperative mood) is used.
  • In the present tense, the connegative form is the impersonal or passive form without the final -an / -än (indicative), -in (conditional), -en (potential) and -on / -ön (imperative).
  • In the past tense (including the perfect and pluperfect tenses), the connegative form is the past passive participle (-ttu / -tty).
• The total object in the negative is always in the partitive case, not the accusative case (whether that be the nominative, genitive or a special form):

  Näen koiran. → En näe koiraa. ― I see a dog. → I don't see a dog. (accusative → partitive)

  Näen naiset. → En näe naisia. ― I see the women. → I don't see the women. (accusative → partitive)

  Näen sinut. → En näe sinua. ― I (can) see you. → I don't see you. (accusative → partitive)

An example of a full paradigm of active forms

• Indicative:

• Hän näkee. → Hän ei näe.

  He sees. / He does see. → He doesn't see.

• Hän näki. → Hän ei nähnyt.

  He saw. / He did see. → He didn't see.

• Hän on nähnyt. → Hän ei ole nähnyt.

  He has seen. → He hasn't seen.

• Hän oli nähnyt. → Hän ei ollut nähnyt.

  He had seen. → He hadn't seen.

• Conditional:

• Hän näkisi. → Hän ei näkisi.

  He would see. → He wouldn't see.

• Hän olisi nähnyt. → Hän ei olisi nähnyt.

  He would have seen. → He wouldn't have seen.

• Imperative:

• Näe! → Älä näe!

  See! → Don't see!

• Potential:

• Hän nähnee. → Hän ei nähne.

  He probably sees. → He probably doesn't see.

• Hän lienee nähnyt. → Hän ei liene nähnyt.

  He probably has seen. → He probably hasn't seen.

An example of a full paradigm of passive forms

• Indicative:

• Hänet nähdään. → Häntä ei nähdä.

  He is seen. → He isn't seen.

• Hänet nähtiin. → Häntä ei nähty.

  He was seen. → He wasn't seen.

• Hänet on nähty. → Häntä ei ole nähty.

  He has been seen. → He hasn't been seen.

• Hänet oli nähty. → Häntä ei ollut nähty.

  He had been seen. → He hadn't been seen.

• Conditional:

• Hänet nähtäisiin. → Häntä ei nähtäisi.

  He would be seen. → He wouldn't be seen.

• Hänet olisi nähty. → Häntä ei olisi nähty.

  He would have been seen. → He wouldn't have been seen.

• Imperative (the second form, perfect imperative, is rare):

• Nähtäköön! → Älköön nähtäkö!

  Let (it) be seen! → Don't let (it) be seen!

• Oltakoon nähty! → Älköön oltako nähty.

  Let (it) have been seen! → Don't let (it) have been seen!

• Potential:

• Hänet nähtäneen. → Häntä ei nähtäne.

  He probably is seen. → He probably isn't seen.

• Hänet lienee nähty. → Häntä ei liene nähty.

  He probably has been seen. → He probably hasn't been seen.

Conjugation

• The negation verb has no infinitive form.
• Indicative, conditional and potential moods use the indicative forms (stem e-), for which the verb is conjugated only in person (the moods are distinguished by the connegative form used).
• In the imperative mood the negation verb has the stem äl-. As with all verbs, the first-person plural imperative is formal or dated, while the third-person imperative (both singular and plural) is dated.
• An archaic optative mood exists and is used mainly in poetry.

Inflection of ei
person	indicative mood	imperative mood	optative mood
1st sing.	en	—	—
2nd sing.	et	älä	(ällös)
3rd sing.	ei	älköön	(älköön)
1st plur.	emme	älkäämme	(älköömme)
2nd plur.	ette	älkää	(älköötte)
3rd plur.	eivät	älkööt	(älkööt)

Derived terms

• ehkei
• ehtyä
• ei-
• ei lainkaan
• ei ollenkaan
• eih
• eikä
• eiköhän
• eittämättä
• eittää
• ellei
• empiä
• jollei
• jottei
• miksei
• miltei
• muttei
• vaikkei

compounds

• ei-ihminen
• ei-kenenkään-maa
• ei-kokeellinen
• ei-negatiivinen
• ei-toivottu
• ei-verbaalinen
• ei-välttämätön

Related terms

• epä-
  • evätä

Interjection

ei

1. no (used to show disagreement, negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition)

   Onko hauki lintu? Ei, se on kala.

   Is a pike a bird? No, it is a fish.

   Haluaisitko lisää? — Ei, en halua.

   Would you like some more? — No, I do not.

Usage notes

• When used as a response on its own, the interjection is inflected for person just like the verb. However, if it is used as an emphatic preceding an inflected negative verb, it may be left as ei (as seen in the usage example above).
• In computing, ei is ubiquitous as the usual translation for English no (e.g. as a dialog button), as most computer systems do not provide the option for a separate translation for each query. This is relevant for dialogs that e.g. use second-person singular personal forms ("do you want to..." = haluatko...), which grammatically speaking should use en (“I do not”), but often just use ei.

Antonyms

• (echo answer; using the verb in the positive)
• kyllä
• (colloquial) joo, juu

Noun

ei

1. a no (negative answer)
2. NOT (logic gate or connector)

Usage notes

• (NOT): Often spelled in capital letters (EI).

Declension

• (a no):

Inflection of ei (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
nominative		ei	eit
genitive		ein	eiden eitten
partitive		eitä	eitä
illative		eihin	eihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ei	eit
accusative	nom.	ei	eit
	gen.	ein
genitive		ein	eiden eitten
partitive		eitä	eitä
inessive		eissä	eissä
elative		eistä	eistä
illative		eihin	eihin
adessive		eillä	eillä
ablative		eiltä	eiltä
allative		eille	eille
essive		einä	einä
translative		eiksi	eiksi
abessive		eittä	eittä
instructive		—	ein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ei (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative eini eini accusative nom. eini eini gen. eini genitive eini eideni eitteni partitive eitäni eitäni inessive eissäni eissäni elative eistäni eistäni illative eihini eihini adessive eilläni eilläni ablative eiltäni eiltäni allative eilleni eilleni essive einäni einäni translative eikseni eikseni abessive eittäni eittäni instructive — — comitative — eineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative eisi eisi accusative nom. eisi eisi gen. eisi genitive eisi eidesi eittesi partitive eitäsi eitäsi inessive eissäsi eissäsi elative eistäsi eistäsi illative eihisi eihisi adessive eilläsi eilläsi ablative eiltäsi eiltäsi allative eillesi eillesi essive einäsi einäsi translative eiksesi eiksesi abessive eittäsi eittäsi instructive — — comitative — einesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative eimme eimme accusative nom. eimme eimme gen. eimme genitive eimme eidemme eittemme partitive eitämme eitämme inessive eissämme eissämme elative eistämme eistämme illative eihimme eihimme adessive eillämme eillämme ablative eiltämme eiltämme allative eillemme eillemme essive einämme einämme translative eiksemme eiksemme abessive eittämme eittämme instructive — — comitative — einemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative einne einne accusative nom. einne einne gen. einne genitive einne eidenne eittenne partitive eitänne eitänne inessive eissänne eissänne elative eistänne eistänne illative eihinne eihinne adessive eillänne eillänne ablative eiltänne eiltänne allative eillenne eillenne essive einänne einänne translative eiksenne eiksenne abessive eittänne eittänne instructive — — comitative — einenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative einsä einsä accusative nom. einsä einsä gen. einsä genitive einsä eidensä eittensä partitive eitään eitänsä eitään eitänsä inessive eissään eissänsä eissään eissänsä elative eistään eistänsä eistään eistänsä illative eihinsä eihinsä adessive eillään eillänsä eillään eillänsä ablative eiltään eiltänsä eiltään eiltänsä allative eilleen eillensä eilleen eillensä essive einään einänsä einään einänsä translative eikseen eiksensä eikseen eiksensä abessive eittään eittänsä eittään eittänsä instructive — — comitative — eineen einensä

• (NOT): Not inflected. If inflection is necessary, it is used as the first component in a compound, such as EI-portti (“NOT gate”), and portti is then inflected.

Further reading

• “ei”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈej]

Interjection

ei

1. gee up

   Synonym: arre

   Antonym: xo

2. hey

   Synonyms: eh, oi

References

• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “ei”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “ei”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “ei”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

German

Etymology

For the “caressing” sense compare Dutch aaien.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aɪ̯/

Interjection

ei

1. whoa, hey (expression of surprise)

   Synonyms: ach, oh, huch, hui, hey

2. (childish, parentese, often reduplicated as ei ei) said when patting or caressing a person or animal

Derived terms

• ei machen, ei ei machen (“to pat, caress”)

Gothic

Romanization

ei

1. romanization of 𐌴𐌹

Icelandic

Etymology 1

From Old Norse ei. A clipping of eigi, from Proto-Germanic *ni aiw-gin (“never”), from *ne, *ni (“not”) + *aiw (“always, for ever”) + *-gin. Not related to Finnish ei (“no”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈeiː]
• Rhymes: -eiː
• Homophones: ey, Ey

Adverb

ei

1. (archaic, poetic) not

   Synonyms: eigi, ekki

   Örvæntið ei!

   Despair not!

   Ég veit ei hvað skal segja.

   I know not what to say.

Derived terms

• eður ei
• gleym-mér-ei

Etymology 2

See e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛːɪ]
• Rhymes: -ɛːɪ

Noun

ei

1. dative singular indefinite of e

References

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), “ei”, in Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *e-, from the Proto-Uralic *e-. Cognates include Finnish ei and Estonian ei.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈe̞i̯]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈe̞i̯]
• (Hevaha) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈe̞i̯]
• Rhymes: -ei̯
• Hyphenation: ei

Particle

ei

1. no

Antonyms

• niin, ja

Verb

ei

1. not
   • 1936, N. A. Iljin and V. I. Junus, Bukvari iƶoroin șkouluja vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 63:

     Linnuil ono nälkä, evät rooka saa.

     The birds are hungry, they don't get food.

Usage notes

• ei is a defective verb: It is only inflected for person, and has a distinct imperative series.

Grammar

• In the indicative, conditional, imperative and potential used with a connegative form of the main verb:
  • In the present indicative the connegative is formally identical to the imperative singular:

    hää ei taho ― she doesn't want

    höö evät taho ― they don't want

  • In the imperfect indicative, the connegative is formally identical to the past active participle (placed in the nominative singular in the singular, nominative plural in the plural):

    hää ei tahtont ― she didn't want

    höö evät tahtoneet ― they didn't want

  • In the conditional the connegative is formally identical to the third-person singular conditional form:

    hää ei tahtois ― she wouldn't want

    höö evät tahtois ― they wouldn't want

  • In the imperative, the connegative is formed by replacing the imperative endings of the verb by the element -ko:

    hää elköö tahtoko! ― may she not want!

    höö elkööt tahtoko! ― may they not want!

  • The second-person singular of the imperative takes a distinct connegative, which is formally identical to the present indicative connegative:

    elä taho! ― do not want!

  • In the potential, the connegative is formed by replacing the connegative endings of the verb by the element -ne:

    hää ei tahtone ― she probably won't want

    höö evät tahtone ― they probably won't want

• For the impersonal forms, the third-person singular (ei / elköö) is used together with an impersonal connegative:

  ei tahota ― it isn't wanted

  ei tahottu ― it wasn't wanted

  ei tahottais ― it woudn't be wanted

  elköö tahottako ― may it not be wanted

  ei tahottane ― it probably won't be wanted

• When used to negate an infinitive, adverb, noun, etc., the negative verb agrees with the subject of the sentence:

  hää herviijaa ei ehtiä ― he is afraid to not make it in time

  höö herviijaat evät ehtiä ― they are afraid to not make it in time

Conjugation

Inflection of ei
	indicative	imperative
1st singular	en	-
2nd singular	et	elä
3rd singular	ei	elköö
1st plural	emmä	-
2nd plural	että	elkää
3rd plural	evät	elkööt
impersonal	ei	elköö
*) The interrogative is formed by adding the suffix -k (-kä?) or -kse to the indicative.

References

• V. I. Junus (1936), Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[5], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 128
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 29
• Arvo Laanest (1997), Isuri keele Hevaha murde sõnastik, Eesti Keele Instituut, page 24
• Olga I. Konkova; Nikita A. Dyachkov (2014), Inkeroin Keel: Пособие по Ижорскому Языку‎^[6], →ISBN, page 15

Italian

Etymology 1

Syncopated form of elli (“he”), from Vulgar Latin *illi, from Latin ille (“that”).

Alternative forms

• e'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈe.i/, (before a verb) /e.i/
• Rhymes: -ei
• Hyphenation: é‧i, (before a verb) e‧i

Pronoun

ei m

1. (poetic, archaic, after the verb) alternative form of egli

Etymology 2

Syncopated form of elli (“they”), from Latin illī (“those”).

Alternative forms

• e'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈe.i/, (before a verb) /e.i/
• Rhymes: -ei
• Hyphenation: é‧i, (before a verb) e‧i

Pronoun

ei m pl

1. (archaic) alternative form of elli

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.i/
• Rhymes: -ɛi
• Hyphenation: è‧i

Verb

ei

1. (archaic) alternative form of ebbi: first-person singular past historic of avere
   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto I”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 28–30; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Poi ch’èi posato un poco il corpo lasso, ¶ ripresi via per la piaggia diserta, ¶ sì che ’l piè fermo sempre era ’l più basso.

     After my weary body I had rested, ⁠the way resumed I on the desert slope, ⁠so that the firm foot ever was the lower.

Japanese

Romanization

ei

1. Rōmaji transcription of えい
2. Rōmaji transcription of エイ

Karelian

Regional variants of ei

North Karelian (Viena)	ei
South Karelian (Tver)	ei

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *e-. Cognates include Finnish ei and Veps ei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/
• Hyphenation: ei

Verb

ei

1. not

Conjugation

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

References

• A. V. Punzhina (1994), “ei”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
• P. Zaykov; L. Rugoyeva (1999), “ei”, in Карельско-Русский словарь (Северно-Карельские диалекты) [Karelian-Russian dictionary (North Karelian dialects)], Petrozavodsk, →ISBN

Kott

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *ej (“pine tree”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛj/ ~ /ej/

Noun

ei (plural en)

1. pine tree

Etymology 2

CHYD lists this term as inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *ɯj (“cry, voice, call; call, shout”, noun, infinitive verb); while SLDB lists it under Proto-Yeniseian *ej (“tongue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛj/ ~ /ej/

Noun

ei (plural êjaŋ)

1. sound, voice

Further reading

• Matthias Alexander Castrén, Versuch Einer Jenissei-Ostjakischen Und Kottischen Sprachlehre: Nebst Aus Den Genannten Sprachen, St. Petersburg: Leopold Voss Publisher, 1858, page 199
• Werner, Heinrich (2002), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der Jenissej-Sprachen, volume 1, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 261, 272
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2003), Röhrborn, Klaus, Schellbach-Kopra, Ingrid, editors, M. A. Castrén und die Jenissejistik: Die Jennisej-Sprachen des 19. Jahrhunderts (Veröffentlichungen des Societas Uralo-Altaica; 62) (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 123, 165

Latin

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɛi̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɛi̯]

Interjection

ei

1. alternative form of hei (“expression of grief or fear”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• eī̆:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈe.iː], [ˈe.ɪ]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɛː.i]
• ēi:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈeːj]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɛj]

Pronoun

eī̆ or ēi

1. inflection of is:
   1. dative masculine/feminine/neuter singular
   2. nominative masculine plural

Alternative forms

• aeī (Merovingian, hypercorrection)

Latvian

Interjection

ei

1. used to stimulate somebody's attention
2. used to express pleasure, surprise or admiration

Limburgish

Alternative forms

• Éï (Eupen)

Etymology

From Middle Dutch ei, from Old Dutch *ei, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛi̯/, [ɛːi̯]
• Hyphenation: ei
• Rhymes: -ɛi̯

Noun

ei n

1. egg

Livonian

Verb

ei

1. first/third-person singular past indicative of īedõ

Livvi

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ei. Cognates include Finnish ei and Estonian ei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/
• Hyphenation: ei
• Rhymes: -ei̯

Verb

ei

1. not

Conjugation

Inflection of ei
	indicative	imperative
1st singular	en	-
2nd singular	et	älä
3rd singular	ei	älgäh
1st plural	emmo	älgiämmö
2nd plural	etto	älgiä
3rd plural	ei	äldähes

References

• N. Gilojeva; S. Rudakova (2009), Karjalan kielen Livvin murdehen algukursu [Beginners' course of Karelian language's Livvi dialect]‎^[7] (in Livvi), Petrozavodsk, →ISBN, page 20
• Tatjana Boiko (2019), “ei”, in Suuri Karjal-Venʹalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Karelian-Russian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 38

Malasanga

Noun

ei

1. fire

Further reading

• Ross, Malcolm (1988), Proto Oceanic and the Austronesian Languages of Western Melanesia (Pacific Linguistics; C-98)‎^[8], Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University

Mandarin

Romanization

ei

1. nonstandard spelling of ēi
2. nonstandard spelling of ěi
3. nonstandard spelling of èi

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.

Mbya Guarani

Noun

ei

1. honey

Middle Dutch

Alternative forms

• ey

Etymology

From Old Dutch *ei, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Noun

ei n

1. egg

Inflection

Strong neuter noun

	singular	plural
nominative	ei	eier, eiere
accusative	ei	eier, eiere
genitive	eis	eier, eiere
dative	eie	eieren

Descendants

• Dutch: ei
  • Afrikaans: eier
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: airi
  • Jersey Dutch: āi
  • Negerhollands: ee, eiu, eyu, eju
• Limburgish: ei, Éï

Further reading

• “ei”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “ei”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Noun

ei

2. alternative form of ey (“egg”)

Noun

ei

2. alternative form of eye (“eye”)

Determiner

ei

2. (dialectal, West Midlands) alternative form of eni (“any”)

Alternative forms

• ai

References

• “ei, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 March 2026.

Middle High German

Etymology

Inherited from Old High German ei, from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈei̯/

Noun

ei n

1. egg

Declension

Declension of ei (strong neuter with plural in -er)

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	daȥ	ei	diu	eiger, eier
genitive	eines	dës	eiges, eies	dër	eiger, eier
dative	eime	dëm	eige, eie	dën	eigern, eiern
accusative	ein	daȥ	ei	diu	eiger, eier

Descendants

• Alemannic German:
  • Swabian: Oi
• Bavarian: Oa
  • Mòcheno: oi
• Central Franconian: Ei, Ää, Aai
  • Luxembourgish: Ee
• German: Ei
• Vilamovian: e
• Yiddish: איי (ey)

References

• Benecke, Georg Friedrich; Müller, Wilhelm; Zarncke, Friedrich (1863), “ei”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel.

Middle Scots

Noun

ei

1. alternative form of ee (“eye”)

Mizo

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ʔay.

Verb

ei

1. to eat

Further reading

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “ei”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

Murui Huitoto

ei
Root	Classifier
ei-	—

Etymology

Cognate with Minica Huitoto ei.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛi̯]
• Hyphenation: ei

Root

ei

1. mother

Noun

ei

1. synonym of eiño
   • 2008 [1978], Huitoto Murui Bible, 2nd edition, Mateo 1:3, page 5:

     Iaɨmaiaɨ mɨcorɨ eidɨ Tamar mɨcorɨ.

     The mother of the late two of them was the late Tamara.

2. vocative of eiño

Declension

Declension of ei

	singular	plural	kinship plural
absolutive	ei	eiyaɨ	eitɨaɨ
nominative	eidɨ	eiyaɨdɨ	eitɨaɨdɨ
accusative	eina	eiyaɨna	eitɨaɨna
dative/locative	eimo	eiyaɨmo	eitɨaɨmo
ablative	eimona	eiyaɨmona	eitɨaɨmona
instrumental	eido	eiyaɨdo	eitɨaɨdo
causal	eiri	eiyaɨri	eitɨaɨri
privative	einino	eiyaɨnino	eitɨaɨnino
sequential	einona	eiyaɨnona	eitɨaɨnona

Derived terms

• eiño

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[9] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 75
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017), A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[10], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 125

North Frisian

Alternative forms

• ai (Mooring)
• ek (Sylt)

Etymology

From Old Norse eigi.

Adverb

ei

1. (Föhr-Amrum) not

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse einn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æɪ̯/

Article

ei

1. feminine singular of en

Pronoun

ei

1. feminine singular of en

Adverb

ei

1. (archaic) not

Synonyms

• (not): ikke

Verb

ei

1. imperative of eie

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛ̝ɪ̯ː]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse einn.

Article

ei f (masculine ein, neuter eit)

1. a, an (indefinite article)

   Ei ny bok.

   A new book.

Pronoun

ei

1. feminine singular of ein

Etymology 2

From Middle Norwegian eigh, from Old Norse eigi.

Adverb

ei

1. not

   Synonyms: ikkje, kje

References

• “ei” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• “ei”, in Norsk Ordbok: Ordbok over det Norske Folkemålet og det Nynorske Skriftmålet (in Norwegian Nynorsk), Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, 1950–2016, →ISBN.

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibilities include:

• Borrowed from Arabic هَا (hā, dialectally hê).
• Inherited from Latin ex.
• Inherited from Latin ecce.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈej/
• Rhymes: -ej

Adverb

ei

1. here is, here are
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 147 (facsimile):

     eimeaca eimaca

     «ei-me aca; ei-m'aca!»

     "Here I am, here I am!"

Descendants

• Galician: eis
• Portuguese: ei, eis

Old High German

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm. Akin to Old English ǣġ, Old Norse egg.

Further Indo-European cognates include Latin ōvum and Ancient Greek ᾠόν (ōión)

Noun

ei n

1. (zoology) egg

Descendants

• Middle High German: ei
  • Alemannic German:
    • Swabian: Oi
  • Bavarian: Oa
    • Mòcheno: oi
  • Central Franconian: Ei, Ää, Aai
    • Hunsrik: Eu
    • Luxembourgish: Ee
  • German: Ei
  • Vilamovian: e
  • Yiddish: איי (ey)

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• eig, egg

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *aij, from Proto-Germanic *ajją, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Noun

ei n

1. egg

Declension

ei (neuter ja-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	ei	ei
accusative	ei	ei
genitive	eies	eiō
dative	eie	eium
instrumental	—	—

Descendants

• Middle Low German: ei, egg, eig
  • Low German:
    • German Low German: Ei

      Westphalian:

      Lippisch: Egg

      Märkisch: Ägg

      Ravensbergisch: Åich

      Sauerländisch: Ai

      Westmünsterländisch: Äi

    • Plautdietsch: Ei

Papiamentu

Etymology

Derived from Portuguese eis.

Pronoun

ei

1. there

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈej/ [ˈeɪ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɐj/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɐj/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈej/
  • (Central Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈej/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈe/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Adverb

ei (not comparable)

1. apocopic form of eis; used preceding the pronouns lo, la, los or las

Etymology 2

Interjection

ei!

1. hey (exclamation to get attention)

Further reading

• “ei”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “ei”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjej/
• Rhymes: -ej
• Hyphenation: ei

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin illī, nominative masculine plural of ille.

Pronoun

ei m pl (third-person plural, feminine equivalent ele)

1. (nominative form) they (used for an all-male or mixed-sex group)

   Synonym: (polite form) dumnealor

Declension

Declension of ei

	stressed	unstressed
nominative	ei
accusative	ei	îi
dative	lor	le
genitive	lor
possessive forms
	singular	plural
masculine	lor	lor
neuter		lor
feminine	lor
reflexive forms
	stressed	unstressed
accusative	sine	se
dative	sieși	își

Pronoun

ei m (stressed accusative form of ei)

1. (direct object, preceded by preposition, such as "pe", "cu", "la", or "pentru") them (all-male or mixed-sex group)

Related terms

• el (third-person masculine singular)
• ea (third-person feminine singular)
• ele (third-person feminine plural)

See also

Romanian personal pronouns

number	person		nominative	accusative	dative	accusative	dative
				stressed		unstressed
singular
	1st		eu	mine	mie	mă	îmi
	2nd		tu, dumneata1, dumneavoastră2	tine, dumneata1, dumneavoastră2	ție, dumitale1, dumneavoastră2	te, vă2	îți, vă2
	3rd	m	el, dumnealui2	e, dumnealui2	lui, dumnealui2	îl	îi
		f	ea, dumneaei2		ei, dumneaei2	o
plural
	1st		noi		nouă	ne
	2nd		voi, dumneavoastră2		vouă, dumneavoastră2	vă
	3rd	m	ei, dumnealor2		lor, dumnealor2	îi	le
		f	ele, dumnealor2			le

¹ Semi-polite.
² Polite.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin illaei.

Pronoun

ei f (genitive form of ea, masculine equivalent lui, plural lor)

1. her

   Synonym: său

   Ai cartea ei?

   Do you have her book?

Declension

When it means her, ei is invariable – it stays the same no matter the gender, number (singular/plural) or case of the thing that is possessed.

Pronoun

ei f (stressed dative form of ea, masculine equivalent lui, plural lor)

1. to her

   Synonym: (unstressed form) îi

Sabu

ei

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ.

Noun

ei

1. water (clear liquid H₂O)

References

• ABVD
• Comparative Austronesian Dictionary

Sardinian

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ei/

Adverb

ei

1. yes

References

• “ei”, in Ditzionàriu in línia de sa limba e de sa cultura sarda [Online Dictionary of the Sardinian Language and Culture] (in Sardinian, Italian, and English), Autonomous Region of Sardinia [Sardinian: Regione Autonoma della Sardegna]

Scots

Noun

ei (plural een)

1. (Southern Scots) an eye.

Pronoun

ei

1. (Southern Scots, personal) he (alternative form of hei)

Tedim Chin

Pronoun

ei

1. we

References

• Zomi Ordbog based on the work of D.L. Haokip

Tlingit

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eː/

Letter

ei (upper case Ei)

1. (US) A letter of the Tlingit alphabet, written in the Latin script.

   Synonym: è

See also

• Canada:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, À à,  â, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dł dł, Dz dz, E e, É é, È è, Ê ê, G g, Gw gw, Gh gh, Ghw ghw, H h, I i, Í í, Ì ì, Πî, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Kh kh, Khw khw, Khʼ khʼ, Khʼw khʼw (L l), Ł ł, Łʼ łʼ (M m), N n (O o), S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, Ù ù, Û û, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, Xh xh, Xhw xhw, Xhʼ xhʼ, Xhʼw xhʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ), ․
• US:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, Aa aa, Áa áa, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dz dz, E e, É é, Ee ee, Ée ée, Ei ei, Éi éi, G g, Gw gw, G̱ g̱, G̱w g̱w, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Ḵ ḵ, Ḵw ḵw, Ḵʼ ḵʼ, Ḵʼw ḵʼw, L l, Lʼ lʼ (Ḻ ḻ, M m), N n (O o), Oo oo, Óo óo, S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, X̱ x̱, X̱w x̱w, X̱ʼ x̱ʼ, X̱ʼw x̱ʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ, Y̱ y̱), ․

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *e-. Cognates include Finnish ei.

Verb

ei

1. not; expresses negation.

Inflection

Inflection of ei
	indicative	imperative
1st singular	en	—
2nd singular	ed	ala
3rd singular	ei	algha
1st plural	em	algam
2nd plural	et	algat
3rd plural	ei	algha

References

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “не, ни”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[11], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Votic

Etymology

Compare Russian эй (ej), Finnish hei, Ingrian hei.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivčülä) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈei̯]
• (Jõgõperä) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈei̯]
• (Central Votic) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯/, [ˈei̯]
• Rhymes: -ei̯
• Hyphenation: ei

Interjection

ei

1. hey

References

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “ei”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language]‎^[12], 2nd edition, Tallinn

Welsh

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh y, from Proto-Brythonic *eið, from Proto-Celtic *esyo m and *esyās f; compare Old Irish a (“his, her, its, their”) and Sanskrit अ॒स्य (asyá, “his, its”) and अ॒स्यास् (asyā́s, “her”).

Alternative forms

• ’i (after vowels)
• ’w (after i)

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /ei̯/
  • (colloquial) IPA^(key): /iː/, /ɪ/
• Homophone: eu
• Rhymes: -ei̯

Determiner

ei

1. his, its (with reference to a masculine noun; triggers soft mutation of following consonant)

   Gwelir y thema dro ar ôl tro yn ei gerddi a’i emynau.

   The theme is seen repeatedly in his poems and his hymns.

2. her, its (with reference to a feminine noun; triggers aspirate mutation of following consonant and h-prothesis of a following vowel)

   Gwelir y thema dro ar ôl tro yn ei cherddi a’i hemynau.

   The theme is seen repeatedly in her poems and her hymns.

Pronoun

ei

1. him, it (with reference to masculine nouns; as object of a verbal noun; triggers soft mutation of following consonant)
   • 18th century, Wil Hopcyn, “Bugeilio’r gwenith gwyn”:

     Myfi’n bugeilio’r gwenith gwyn,
     Ac arall yn ei fedi.

     Me watching the white wheat,
     And another reaping it.

2. her, it (with reference to feminine nouns; as object of a verbal noun; triggers aspirate mutation of following consonant and h-prothesis of a following vowel)
   • Traditional, “Milgi, milgi”:

     Ar ben y bryn mae sgwarnog fach, ar hyd y nos mae'n pori
     A’i chefen brith a’i bola bola gwyn yn hidio dim am filgi.

     On top of the hill there's a little hare, all night long she grazes
     With her speckled back and her white white belly without taking any heed of any greyhound.

Usage notes

• In formal Welsh, masculine ef or feminine hi is added after the noun or verbnoun which ei precedes to indicates emphasis on the determiner or pronoun. In colloquial Welsh, the masculine takes e or o (southern and northern forms respectively) after a consonant and fe or fo (southern and northern) after a vowel, whereas the feminine takes hi, but is not necessarily an indicator of emphasis. Here, it is often included with the determiner and always included with the pronoun. The exception to the latter case is in passive constructions employing cael, where no addition is found.
• In formal Welsh, the contraction 'i is a valid form of ei found after mostly functional vowel-final words. In colloquial Welsh, ei is often contracted to 'i after almost any vowel-final word. The exception is both forms of the language is after the preposition i (“to, for”), after which ei contracts to 'w. (Contraction to 'w after wedi is sometimes encountered but considered non-standard.)
• Pronomial ei and 'i can occur before any verbal noun. Before a verb, pronomial 'i is found only in formal language after certain vowel-final preverbal particles. See entry for 'i for more information.
• The colloquial pronunciation /iː/, /ɪ/ is the original pronunciation, as shown by the Middle Welsh form y. The more careful pronunciation /ei̯/ is a later spelling pronunciation.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ei̯/

Verb

ei

1. second-person singular future of mynd (also present tense in the literary language)

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “ei”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Ye'kwana

Variant orthographies

ALIV	ei
Brazilian standard	ei
New Tribes	ei

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ej]

Etymology 1

Verb

ei

1. (intransitive, agentive) to be

Usage notes

Many forms of this verb are irregular. Some are based on a root ei ~ e', some on a ~ aa, some on a'ja, and some on ööne ~ wene:

• ei ~ e' is used with most tense/aspect/mood markers and all adverbial and nominal derivatives of the verb.
• a ~ aa is used for the nonpast form, question forms, and two third-person forms na'ñojo and naichü.
• a'ja is used for past imperfectives.
• ööne ~ wene is used for the permanent aspect; this is the only verb in the language that has such an aspect.

The verb also takes an irregular suffix -ya in place of the ordinary recent/distant past perfective suffix -i. Similarly, the plural form of the same suffix is -yato rather than -icho.

This verb can be used as an auxiliary to form various constructions, making it possible to express tense/aspect/mood for constructions made with non-finite verb forms by putting the relevant markers on the copula instead.

Etymology 2

Verb

ei

1. (transitive) to seek, to look for

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011), “a'ja, ei, ka, ma, na, öönene, wa, weneene”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[13], Lyon, pages 215–216, 238–239
• Hall, Katherine (2007), “wenēne”, in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors, The Intercontinental Dictionary Series‎^[14], Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published 2021
• Hall, Katherine (2007), “wenɲə”, in Mary Ritchie Key & Bernard Comrie, editors, The Intercontinental Dictionary Series‎^[15], Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, published 2021

Zou

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔéi̯]
• Hyphenation: ei

Pronoun

éi

1. we (inclusive)

See also

Zou personal pronouns

	singular			plural
	I	II	III	I incl.	I excl.	II	III
subject/object	kéi	náng	amà	éi	kóu kóuté	nóu nóuté	amóu amàté
indirect object	éi	néi
verbal concord	ka	na	a	i	ka	na	a

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔéi̯]
• Hyphenation: ei

Particle

éi

1. Used to mark polar questions.

Usage notes

• Used when the subject of the sentence is singular. With plural subjects, uói is used instead.

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʔéi̯]
• Hyphenation: ei

Pronoun

éi

1. indirect object of kéi: to me

See also

Zou personal pronouns

	singular			plural
	I	II	III	I incl.	I excl.	II	III
subject/object	kéi	náng	amà	éi	kóu kóuté	nóu nóuté	amóu amàté
indirect object	éi	néi
verbal concord	ka	na	a	i	ka	na	a

References

• Philip Thangliènmâng (2010), Minimal dictionary and Self-tutor Functional Grammar in Zo-English-Hindi, New Delhi: Zoculsin, →ISBN, page 2
• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou (PhD thesis), Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40

Zyphe

Verb

ei

1. to be salty

References

• Samson Alexander Lotven (2021) The Sound Systems of Zophei Dialects and Other Maraic Languages (Dissertation)‎^[16]