le

See also: Appendix:Variations of "le"

Languages (60)

English

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Afar • Albanian • Aragonese • Bangi • Bole • Bourguignon • Breton • Chavacano • Chinese • Cornish • Corsican • Dalmatian • Danish • Emilian • Fala • Franco-Provençal • French • Friulian • Fula • Galician • Garifuna • Hungarian • Ido • Interlingua • Irish • Italian • Japanese • Ladino • Malay • Maltese • Mandarin • Mauritian Creole • Meriam • Middle French • Neapolitan • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old French • Old Polish • Palula • Pnar • Romanian • Samoan • Scottish Gaelic • Serbo-Croatian • Slovene • Southern Ndebele • Spanish • Swahili • Swedish • Tarantino • Tetela • Tungag • Turkish • Vietnamese • Welsh • Xhosa • Yoruba • Zulu

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Page categories

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French le (“the”). Popularized especially by the expression le sigh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (especially US) IPA^(key): /leɪ/
• (rare) IPA^(key): /liː/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ə, -eɪ, -iː
• Homophones: luh (with /ə/), lay, lei, ley (with /eɪ/ and pane-pain merger), lea, Lea, Lee, leigh, Leigh, li (with /iː/)

Article

le

1. (informal, humorous) the

   If you tickle me again, I'ma kick you in le balls.

   • 1949, Michael Maltese, For Scent-imental Reasons, spoken by Penelope Pussycat:

     Le mew. Le purr.

   • 1996 September 28, Game Freak, Pokémon Blue, Nintendo, level/area: S.S. Anne:

     Waiter: 'Bonjour! I am le waiter on this ship! [...] Ah! Le strong silent type!'

   • 2001 June 24, LaManna, “My Weekend...”, in alt.punk‎^[8] (Usenet):

     […] upon arrival, le girlfriend realizes she has left her ID back at my house (a 1 1/2 hour roundtrip on the Metro), […]

   • 2002 December 27, Amelia, “Re: Neat things SANTA brought me...”, in alt.fashion‎^[9] (Usenet):

     And then le boyfriend perks up and names around 8 different brands (Stila, MAC, Becca, Nars etc..) - I was *SO* proud of him!! :)

   • 2003 January 10, johnny dupe (quoting nowhere man), “Re: I can walk with jezus...”, in alt.fan.wings‎^[10] (Usenet):

     That was always OUR song (me and le girlfriend of the time).

   • 2012 October 1, Miranda Kenneally, Stealing Parker, Sourcebooks, Inc., →ISBN, page 63:

     That's when Waitress Seductress Extraordinaire comes back and gets our order. […] "We're sharing an order of à la Appalachia, he says, handing over the menus and turning his focus back to me. Le waitress stomps off. I ask, "Why are they called that?" "Because when they've got the fries stacked up they're higher than a mountain range." I groan and touch my stomach. "You're funny," he says, his eyes twinkling.

Usage notes

• Usually marks the speaker as pretending to be stereotypically French. For additional jocular effect, may be used where neither English nor French would place a definite article.
• Occasionally used with no association to French stereotypes, usually in certain online communities. In this context, initially associated with rage comics, with perceived overuse by apparent newcomers or outsiders (e.g. Redditors posting on 4chan) leading to lasting ironic and caricatural use. See also muh or -ino.

Derived terms

• le sigh

See also

• moi
• ze

Etymology 2

borrowed from Old French lez (“side”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə/, /li/, (sometimes) /leɪ/

Preposition

le

2. (obsolete) Next to, near (still used in some place names).

   Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham near an old Roman road.

   Dalton-le-Dale, Hetton-le-Hole, Witton-le-Wear

Anagrams

• -el, EL, El, el

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈle/ [ˈlɛ]
• Hyphenation: le

Verb

lé

1. (transitive) have

Conjugation

Conjugation of le (irregular)
		1st singular	2nd singular	3rd singular		1st plural	2nd plural	3rd plural
				m	f
present indicative I	V-affirmative	liyóh	litóh	léh	léh	linóh	litoonúh	loonúh
	N-affirmative	liyó	litó	lé	lé	linó	litón	lón
	negative	máliyo, máyyu	málito, mántu	máli	máli	málino, mánnu	máliton	málon
present indicative II		affirmative present indicative I + imperfective of én
past indicative I		lúk + perfective of én
past indicative II		lúk + perfective of sugé
present potential	affirmative	liyóm takkéh	litóm takkéh	lém takkéh	lém takkéh	linóm takkéh	litoonúm takkéh	loonúm takkéh
past conditional	affirmative	lúk + past conditional of sugé
		-h converb	-k converb	-in(n)uh converb	infinitive
		líh	lúk	línnuh	líyya

Derived terms

• ellé
• lih
• luk

References

• E. M. Parker; R. J. Hayward (1985), An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN, page 284

Albanian

Etymology 1

Jussive particle le (“let”) corresponds with 2nd person/singular Aorist form of Albanian lë (“to let/leave (go/behind)”); le (“you let/left (go/behind)”). From Proto-Albanian *laide (“let”). Identical to Baltic permissive and optative particles Latvian lai (“to let”), Lithuanian lai̇̃, Old Prussian -lai.

Cognate to Albanian lihem (“to be left; allowed”) (Standard & Tosk), Gheg Albanian lêhem, lêhna, lêhëm, lêna, lîhna, lîhëm, lîna (passive forms of active lë).

Verb

le (aorist láshë, participle lënë)

1. second-person singular aorist active indicative of lë
2. second-person singular aorist passive indicative of lihem

Particle

le (+)

1. (jussive) let

   Jussive modal particle used before verbs. A gentle way to express orders, instructions or to ask for approval/permission. Jussive construction:

   1. jussive particle → le (“let”)

   2. + subjunctive particle → të (“it”)

   3. + → subjunctive verb form (present, imperfect, perfect or past perfect). See also (*) for irregular verbs.

   Examples: third-person singular present active jussive of marr:

   le (“let”) + të + marrë (“take”)

   le të marrë ― let it take

   third-person singular present passive jussive of merrem:

   le (“let”) + të + merret (“deal (with)”)

   le të merret ― let it deal (with)

   third-person singular present active jussive of shkoj:

   le (“let”) + të + shkojë (“go”)

   le të shkojë ― let him go

   third-person plural present active jussive of shkoj:

   le (“let”) + të + shkojnë (“go”)

   le të shkojnë ― let them go

   third-person singular present active jussive of flas:

   le (“let”) + të + flasë (“talk; speak”)

   le të flasë ― let him talk

   third-person plural present active jussive of flas:

   le (“let”) + të + flasin (“talk; speak”)

   le të flasin ― let them talk

   (*) Irregular verb:

   indicative/present → subjunctive/present

   është (“is”) → jetë (“be”)

   Example: third-person singular present active jussive of jam:

   le (“let”) + të (“it”) + jetë (“be”)

   le të jetë ― let it be

2. (subjunctive) + që (“that”) → subjunctive: not only that; if only; would that

   Le që... ― Not only that...

3. (Gheg, subjunctive) → mostly + se (“that”) instead of që (“id”): not only that; if only; would that

   Le se... ― Not only that...

See also

• do, do të
• le të, le që, le se
• të, se, që

Further reading

• Oda Buchholz, Wilfried Fiedler, Gerda Uhlisch (2000), Langenscheidt Handwörterbuch Albanisch, Langenscheidt Verlag, →ISBN, page 273 (juss. particle ¹le / ²le (+ që) → subjunc. / verb ³le 2nd p./sg. aor. of lë)
• [11] jussive particle le (engl. let) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)
• [12] conjugation active verb lë (e kryera e thjeshtë (engl. Aorist): 1st/sg) lashë; (2nd/sg) le; (3rd/sg) la; (1st/pl) lamë; (2nd/pl) latë; (3rd/pl) lanë) • Fjalor Shqip (Albanian Dictionary)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Albanian *laida, an ostensibly o-grade thematic present from the root *leyd- (“to let go, release”).

Verb

le needs inflection

1. (dialectal) to give birth, bear

   Synonyms: lej, lind

   lehet ― is born

   u le ― to be born

Related terms

• lej, lind

References

• Orel, Vladimir (1998), “lej”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden; Boston; Cologne: Brill, →ISBN, page 217
• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 56: “nascere” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin ille (“that one”).

Pronoun

le

1. (to) him (indirect object)

Synonyms

• li

Bangi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́, a variant of Proto-Bantu *-dɪ́a.

Verb

le

1. to eat

Bole

Pronoun

lè

1. (interrogative) what?

References

• Gimba, Alhaji M.; Ali, Malam B.; Bah, Madu (2009), Schuh, Russell G., editor, Bole-English-Hausa Dictionary‎^[13], 2nd edition, Potiskum: Ajami Press, page 86

Bourguignon

Alternative forms

• lou

Etymology

From Latin ille.

Article

le (alternative form lou, feminine lai, plural les)

1. the

Breton

Noun

le ? (plural leou)

1. vow

Chavacano

Pronoun

le

1. (enclitic) alternative form of ele

Chinese

Etymology

Clipping of English lesbian, in turn from Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lésbos).

Noun

le

1. (Mainland China, Internet slang) lesbian
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:le.

Cornish

Etymology 1

From Middle Cornish le, from Proto-Brythonic *lleɣ, from Proto-Celtic *legyom. Cognate to Welsh lle and Breton lec'h.

Noun

le m (plural leow)

1. place, location, venue

   Pur vysi yw an le ma der an hav.

   This place is very busy through the summer.

2. space, seat

   Eus le yn an park kerri na?

   Is there a space in that car park?

   Res yw dhywgh ragerghi le rag an kyttrin leel.

   You need to book a seat for the local bus.

3. situation

Derived terms

• dhe bub le (“all directions”)
• entra dhe neb le, entra yn neb le (“enter some place”, verb)
• le may, le mayth (“where”)
• lea (“place, position, install”, verb)
• leel (“local”)
• leelieth (“localism”)
• neb le (“anywhere, somewhere”)
• pub le (“everywhere”)
• py le pynag (“wherever”)
• y'n kynsa le (“primarily”)
• yn neb le (“anywhere”)

Adverb

yn le

1. instead, in place of

Etymology 2

From Middle Cornish le, from Proto-Brythonic *llaɣü (comparative of *llaɣw), from Proto-Celtic *lagyūs (comparative of *legus). Cognate with Welsh llai.

Adjective

le

1. comparative degree of byghan — smaller

   Synonym: byghanna

   Antonym: brassa

2. fewer, less

Derived terms

• lehe (“lessen, reduce”, verb)
• leheans (“reduction”)
• moy po le (“more or less”)
• yeth le-usys (“minority language”)

Adverb

le

1. fewer, less

Corsican

Etymology

From Latin illae, feminine plural of ille (“that”), from Old Latin olle. Cognates include Italian le (“the, them”) and French les (“the, them”).

Article

le

1. archaic form of e

Pronoun

le

1. archaic form of e

References

• https://infcor.adecec.net/

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin illae, nominative feminine plural of ille.

Article

le f pl

1. the

Related terms

• el
• la
• i

Danish

En le – a scythe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [leˀ]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse lé (“scythe”), from Proto-Germanic *lewô, cognate with Norwegian ljå and Swedish lie.

Noun

le c (singular definite leen, plural indefinite leer)

1. scythe (farm tool)

Inflection

Declension of le

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	le	leen	leer	leerne
genitive	les	leens	leers	leernes

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlæja, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, cognate with English laugh and German lachen.

Verb

le (imperative le, present ler, past lo, past participle leet or let)

1. to laugh (show mirth by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face and emission of sounds)

Conjugation

Conjugation of le

active passive infinitive le les present ler les past lo — imperative le — participle present leende past (have / havde) leet or let gerund leen

See also

• le on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da
• Le (flertydig) on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

References

• “le” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “le” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Emilian

Alternative forms

• lî (Bologna)
• lée (Carpi)
• lìe (Comacchio)
• lié (Ferrara)
• lê (Modena, Unified)
• lē (Modena, Reggio Emilia, alternative orthography)
• lè (Piacenza)

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin illaei, a regularization of earlier Latin illī.

Pronunciation

• (Parma) IPA^(key): [ˈlɛ˧]

  (traditional) IPA^(key): [ˈle]

Pronoun

le (Parma)

1. disjunctive form of la, third-person singular feminine pronoun, she, her
2. Polite form of ti (when referring to a woman), You

References

• https://flippingbooks.comune.parma.it/Libri/Capacchi_Dizionario%20vol.%201/files/assets/basic-html/index.html#249

Fala

Etymology

Inherited from Latin illī.

Pronoun

le

1. Third person dative pronoun; to him, to her, to it, to them

Usage notes

• Takes the form -li when suffixed to an impersonal verb form.

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 187

Franco-Provençal

Determiner

le (ORB, broad)

1. alternative form of lo

Pronoun

le (ORB, broad)

1. alternative form of lo

References

• le [1] in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• le in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.

Proto-Italic *olnos

Old Latin olle

Latin ille

Old French le

Middle French le

French le

From Middle French le, from Old French le, from Latin illum, by dropping il- and -m. Latin illum is the accusative singular of ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə/
• (before a word starting with a vowel) IPA^(key): /l‿/

  • Audio:

    (file)

• (Paris) IPA^(key): /lø/
• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): /l(ə)/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ə

Article

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les, prevocalic masculine or feminine singular l')

1. the (definite article)

   Le livre est sur la table. ― The book is on the table.

2. (before parts of the body) the; my, your, etc.

   Il s’est cassé la jambe. ― He has broken his leg.

3. (before units) a, an, per

   cinquante kilomètres à l’heure ― fifty kilometres an hour

   trois dollars le morceau ― three dollars per piece

4. (before dates) on

   Je suis née le 1er juillet 1967. ― I was born on July 1, 1967.

Usage notes

• In some contexts, le has no direct English equivalent, and therefore it is not translated.

  Before abstract nouns

  L'amour est aveugle. ― Love is blind.

  Before names of most countries, many regions, and other place names (including names of lakes and streets)

  Je vais visiter le Canada l'année prochaine, surtout l'Ontario et le Québec.

  I will be visiting Canada next year, especially Ontario and Quebec.

  La place Rouge se trouve au cœur de Moscou.

  Red Square is located in the heart of Moscow.

• Le generally becomes elided as l’ before a vowel or an unaspirated h.

  l’amour ― love

  l’endroit ― the place

  l’homme ― the man

• Le is not elided before onze, onzième, huit, huitième and words derived from them, as well as before un when it refers to the numeral 1.
• When the article le is preceded by the prepositions de or à, *de le or *à le is not used (except dialectally); instead, it is contracted into du or au, respectively. Likewise, *de les and *à les are replaced by des and aux (except dialectally). However, la may be preceded by de and à.

  Il a une cicatrice au visage. ― He has a scar on the face. / He has a scar on his face.

• *De le and *à le become de l' and à l' respectively in front of a vowel or an unaspirated h.

Pronoun

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

1. (direct object) him, her, it, them

   Où est Malik ? Je ne le vois pas. ― Where is Malik? I don't see him.

   Mon sac ? Je vais le mettre dans la voiture. ― My bag? I'm going to put it in the car.

   Je pense que je les aime tous. ― I think I like them all.

2. replaces the argument of a copular verb, especially être; often not translated in English

   Je suis petit et lui, il l’est aussi. ― I am small and he is too

   Elle est moins timide qu'elle ne le semble. ― She is less shy than she appears.

   Je ne suis pas né Lyonnais : je le suis devenu. ― I wasn't born a Lyonnais; I became one.

Usage notes

• Unlike the definite article le, the pronouns le and les may be preceded by the prepositions de and à.

  Je cherchais à le voir. ― I was trying to see him.

• The second pronominal sense is invariable for gender or number.

Derived terms

• à le
• de le

Related terms

French personal pronouns

number	person	gender	nominative (subject)	accusative (direct complement)	dative (indirect complement)	locative (at)	genitive (of)	disjunctive (tonic)1	emphatic reflexive
singular	first	—	je, j’	me, m’		—	—	moi	moi-même
	second	—	tu	te, t’		—	—	toi	toi-même
	third	masculine	il2	le, l’	lui	y	en	lui	lui-même
		feminine	elle	la, l’				elle	elle-même
		indeterminate	on3, l’on (formal), ce4, c’, ça	—	—	—	—	—	—
		reflexive	—	se, s’5		—	—	soi	soi-même
plural	first	—	nous	nous		—	—	nous	nous-mêmes
	second6	—	vous	vous		—	—	vous	vous-mêmes, vous-même6
	third	masculine	ils7	les	leur	y	en	eux7	eux-mêmes7
		feminine	elles					elles	elles-mêmes

¹ The disjunctive (tonic) forms are also used after an explicit preposition (de/d’, à, pour, chez, dans, vers, sur, sous, ...), instead the accusative, dative, genitive, locative, or reflexive forms, where a preposition is implied.
² Il is also used as an impersonal nominative-only pronoun.
³ On can also function as a first person plural (although agreeing with third person singular verb forms).
⁴ The nominal indeterminate form ce (demonstrative) can also be used with the auxiliary verb être as a plural, instead of the proximal or distal gendered forms.
⁵ The reflexive third person singular forms (se or s’) for accusative or dative are also used as third person plural reflexive.
⁶ Vous is also used as the polite singular form, in which case the plural disjunctive tonic vous-mêmes becomes singular vous-même.
⁷ Ils, eux and eux-mêmes are also used when a group has a mixture of masculine and feminine members.

Further reading

• “le”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Friulian

Pronoun

le (third person feminine direct object)

1. her

Related terms

• jê
• i

Fula

Particle

le

1. (Pular, Maasina) as for, truly

   Aan le?

   And as for you?

   (Maasina)

   O yahii le!

   He really left!

   (Pular)

References

• Oumar Bah, Dictionnaire Pular-Français, Avec un index français-pular, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2014.
• Richard Smith, Urs Niggli, Dictionnaire fulfulde - anglais - français, Webonary.org, SIL International, 2016.

Galician

Verb

le

1. inflection of ler:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Garifuna

Article

le

1. masculine definite article

   Mutu le ― The man

Antonyms

• to

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -lɛ

Adverb

le (comparative lejjebb)

1. down

Usage notes

This term may also be part of the split form of a verb prefixed with le-, occurring when the main verb does not follow the prefix directly. It can be interpreted only with the related verb form, irrespective of its position in the sentence, e.g. meg tudták volna nézni (“they could have seen it”, from megnéz). For verbs with this prefix, see le-; for an overview, Appendix:Hungarian verbal prefixes.

Further reading

• le 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.

Anagrams

• el

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/, /lɛ/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian le.

Article

le (plural)

1. the (used only when there is no other sign of plurality, for example with nominalized adjectives)

   Yen pomi, prenez le bona e lasez le mala.

   Here's apples, take the good ones and leave the bad ones.

See also

• la

Etymology 2

From l +‎ -e.

Noun

le (plural le-i)

1. The name of the Latin script letter L/l.

See also

• Latin script letter names: literi: a · be · ce · che · de · e · fe · ge · he · i · je · ke · le · me · ne · o · pe · que · re · se · she · te · u · ve · we · xe · ye · ze ^[edit]

Interlingua

Article

le

1. the

Usage notes

• de le is contracted into del.
• a le is contracted into al.

Pronoun

le m (plural les)

1. him (direct object)

   Io le appella mi amico. ― I call him my friend.

Irish

Alternative forms

• lé (superseded)

Etymology

From a conflation of two Early Modern Irish prepositions:

1. re (“to”), from Classical Gaelic re, from Middle Irish ri, fri, from Old Irish fri, from Proto-Celtic *writ- (compare Welsh wrth, prefix gwrth-), from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”) (compare Latin versus (“against”)).
2. le (“with”), from Old Irish la, from Proto-Celtic *let-, from Proto-Celtic *letos (“side”) (compare leath, Welsh lled).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lʲe/, /lʲə/
• (Aran) see: lé

Preposition

le (plus dative, triggers h-prothesis, before the definite article leis)

1. with

   le héadach ― with clothing

2. used in conjunction with the copula particle is and a noun to indicate possession

   Is liomsa an hata.

   The hat is mine; the hat belongs to me.

   Is le Cáit an peann luaidhe.

   The pencil is Cáit’s; the pencil belongs to Cáit.

3. (in conjunction with the copula particle is and an adjective) in the opinion of, in the consideration of

   Is beag liom an cheist.

   The issue is unimportant to me/in my opinion.

4. to (indicating purpose; in this sense triggering eclipsis of vowel-initial verbal nouns)

   rud le n-ithe ― something to eat

   oiriúnach le n-ól ― fit to drink

   ró-the le n-ól ― too hot to drink

   Cé mhéad atá le n-íoc?

   How much does it cost?

   (literally, “How much is to pay?”)

5. to (after a verb of speaking)
6. by (indicating the creator of a work, e.g. a book)
7. in order to

   Synonyms: chun, d'fhonn

   le rud a dhéanamh ― in order to do a thing

Inflection

Inflection of le

	Person:		simple	emphatic
singular	first		liom	liomsa
	second		leat	leatsa
	third	m	leis	leis-sean
		f	léi	léise
plural	first		linn	linne
	second		libh	libhse
	third		leo	leosan

Quotations

• Níl sé ina lá (Irish traditional song):

  Is é dúirt sí liom “ní bhfaighidh tú deor.
  Buail an bóthar is gabh abhaile.”

  And what she said to me was, “you won’t get a drop.
  Hit the road and go home.”

Derived terms

• abair le
• ar olca le
• dar le
• i dtaca le
• i mborr le
• in éineacht le
• le chéile
• le thine
• maidir le

See also: Category:Irish phrasal verbs formed with "le"

See also

Irish preposition contractions

	contracted with							copular forms
base form	an (“the sg”)	na (“the pl”)	mo (“my”)	do (“your”)	a (“his, her, their; which (present)”)	ár (“our”)	ar (“which (past)”)	before a consonant	before a vowel
									present/future	past/conditional
de (“from”)	den	de na desna*	de mo dem*	de do ded*, det*	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
do (“to, for”)	don	do na dosna*	do mo dom*	do do dod*, dot*	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
faoi (“under, about”)	faoin	faoi na	faoi mo	faoi do	faoina	faoinár	faoinar		faoinarb	faoinarbh
i (“in”)	sa, san	sna	i mo im*	i do id*, it*	ina	inár	inar		inarb	inarbh
le (“with”)	leis an	leis na	le mo lem*	le do led*, let*	lena	lenár	lenar		lenarb	lenarbh
ó (“from, since”)	ón	ó na ósna*	ó mo óm*	ó do ód*, ót*	óna	ónár	ónar		ónarb	ónarbh
trí (“through”)	tríd an	trí na	trí mo	trí do	trína	trínár	trínar		trínarb	trínarbh

*dialectal

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “le”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 634; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “le”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “le”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/
• Rhymes: -e
• Hyphenation: le

Etymology 1

From Latin illas, which is the accusative plural feminine of ille. Cognate with Sicilian li~i.

Article

le f pl (singular la)

1. the

Usage notes

• Contrary to la, le does not elide before words that begin with a vowel:

  le amiche ― (the female) friends

Inflection

Italian definite articles

	singular	plural
masculine	il lo (l')	i gli
feminine	la (l')	le

Pronoun

le f pl (masculine li, singular la)

1. (accusative) them (third-person plural feminine)

   Le ho viste. ― I saw them.

Usage notes

• Never elides.
• Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).

Alternative forms

• -le (enclitic)

See also

Italian personal pronouns

			nominative		atonic (clitic)11						tonic12
					accusative / dative-reflexive	accusative	dative		locative	partitive	prepositional-reflexive	oblique
singular
	first		io		mi, m', -mi, me9				―		―	me
	second		tu		ti, t', -ti, te9							te
	second formal / polite5		Lei, Ella8		―	La, -La, L'	Le, -Le					Lei
	third	m	lui, egli,8 ello,8 elli,3, 8 esso8		si,6 s', -si, se,9 ci13	lo, l', -lo, il4	glie9	gli, -gli, il4	ci, c', vi,1 v'1	ne, n'	sé	lui, esso8
		f	lei, ella,8 essa8			la, l', -la		le, -le, gli,2 -gli2				lei, essa8
plural
	first		noi		ci, c', -ci, ce,9 ne,4 n'4				―		―	noi
	second		voi, Voi7		vi, Vi,7 v', V',7 -vi, -Vi,7 ve9							voi, Voi7
	second formal / polite5		Loro		―	Le, -Le	Loro10					Loro
	third	m	loro	elli,3, 8 ellino,4, 8 eglino,4, 8 essi8	si, s', -si, se9	li, -li	loro,10 gli,2 -gli,2 glie9		ci, c', vi,1 v'1	ne, n'	sé	loro	essi8
		f		elle,3, 8 elleno,4, 8 esse8		le, -le							elle,8 esse8

¹ Formal.
² Informal.
³ Archaic.
⁴ Obsolete or literary.
⁵ Grammatically third person forms used semantically in the second person as a formal or polite way of addressing someone (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
⁶ Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
⁷ Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).
⁸ Traditional grammars still indicate the forms egli (animate), ello / ella (animate), esso / essa and their plurals as the nominative forms of the third person pronouns; outside of very formal or archaizing contexts, all such forms have been replaced by the obliques lui, lei, loro.
⁹ Forms used when followed by a third-person direct object proclitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
¹⁰ Used after verbs.
¹¹ Unstressed forms, stand alone forms are found proclitically (except dative loro / Loro), others enclitically (-mi, -ti, etc.).
¹² Disjunctive, emphatic oblique forms used as direct objects placed after verbs (or before them, chiefly in literary Italian), in exclamations, along prepositions (prepositional) and some adverbs (come, quanto, etc.); also used with a to create alternative emphatic dative forms.
¹³ Only in "ci si", replaces indefinite si (“one”) before reflexive si (“oneself”).

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin *illae, a nonstandard form of Latin illī (dative singular of illa). The ae in illae is modelled under influence of the dative case for first-declension feminine nouns, e.g. Classical Latin puellae. Cognate with Sicilian ci.

Pronoun

le f (plural gli)

1. (dative) her, to her

   Synonym: (informal) gli

   Le ho detto che la amo. ― I told her that I love her.

   Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave her the letter.

2. (dative) you, to you (term of respect)

   Non le ho detto il mio nome. ― I didn't tell you my name.

   Le ho dato la lettera. ― I gave you the letter.

Usage notes

• In formal writing, when le is used as term of respect it is usually capitalised/capitalized as Le to avoid confusion with le (“her”).
• In informal contexts often replaced with gli, especially in spoken language.
• Becomes glie when followed by a third person direct object clitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
• Never elides.

Alternative forms

• Le

See also

Italian personal pronouns

			nominative		atonic (clitic)11						tonic12
					accusative / dative-reflexive	accusative	dative		locative	partitive	prepositional-reflexive	oblique
singular
	first		io		mi, m', -mi, me9				―		―	me
	second		tu		ti, t', -ti, te9							te
	second formal / polite5		Lei, Ella8		―	La, -La, L'	Le, -Le					Lei
	third	m	lui, egli,8 ello,8 elli,3, 8 esso8		si,6 s', -si, se,9 ci13	lo, l', -lo, il4	glie9	gli, -gli, il4	ci, c', vi,1 v'1	ne, n'	sé	lui, esso8
		f	lei, ella,8 essa8			la, l', -la		le, -le, gli,2 -gli2				lei, essa8
plural
	first		noi		ci, c', -ci, ce,9 ne,4 n'4				―		―	noi
	second		voi, Voi7		vi, Vi,7 v', V',7 -vi, -Vi,7 ve9							voi, Voi7
	second formal / polite5		Loro		―	Le, -Le	Loro10					Loro
	third	m	loro	elli,3, 8 ellino,4, 8 eglino,4, 8 essi8	si, s', -si, se9	li, -li	loro,10 gli,2 -gli,2 glie9		ci, c', vi,1 v'1	ne, n'	sé	loro	essi8
		f		elle,3, 8 elleno,4, 8 esse8		le, -le							elle,8 esse8

¹ Formal.
² Informal.
³ Archaic.
⁴ Obsolete or literary.
⁵ Grammatically third person forms used semantically in the second person as a formal or polite way of addressing someone (with the first letter frequently capitalised as a sign of respect, and to distinguish them from third person subjects). Unlike the singular forms, the plural forms are mostly antiquated terms of formal address in the modern language, and second person plural pronouns are almost always used instead.
⁶ Also used as indefinite pronoun meaning “one”, and to form the passive.
⁷ Formal (capitalisation optional); in many regions, can refer to just one person (compare with French vous).
⁸ Traditional grammars still indicate the forms egli (animate), ello / ella (animate), esso / essa and their plurals as the nominative forms of the third person pronouns; outside of very formal or archaizing contexts, all such forms have been replaced by the obliques lui, lei, loro.
⁹ Forms used when followed by a third-person direct object proclitic (lo, la, li, le, or ne).
¹⁰ Used after verbs.
¹¹ Unstressed forms, stand alone forms are found proclitically (except dative loro / Loro), others enclitically (-mi, -ti, etc.).
¹² Disjunctive, emphatic oblique forms used as direct objects placed after verbs (or before them, chiefly in literary Italian), in exclamations, along prepositions (prepositional) and some adverbs (come, quanto, etc.); also used with a to create alternative emphatic dative forms.
¹³ Only in "ci si", replaces indefinite si (“one”) before reflexive si (“oneself”).

Anagrams

• el

Japanese

Romanization

le

1. Rōmaji transcription of れ゚
2. Rōmaji transcription of レ゚

Ladino

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish le, from Latin illī, dative of ille.

Pronoun

le m or f by sense (Hebrew spelling לי)

1. (to) him, (for) him; dative of el
   • 2007, Hernán Rodriguez Fisse, “Alkunya Rodrik o Rodriguez”, in El Amaneser, section 27:

     En 1923, se modernizo la identidad de las personas, pero a unos ermanos de mi Papu le metieron en el nufus la alkunya Rodrik, i a la otra mitad de la famiya, la alkunya Rodriges.

     People’s identities were modernised in 1923, but like some of my grandfather’s brothers they put him on the Rodrik surname identity card, and as for my family’s other half, the surname Rodriges.

2. (to) her, (for) her; dative of eya
3. (to) it, (for) it; dative of eyo

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlə/ [ˈlə]

Particle

le

1. (colloquial) alternative form of -lah
   • 2025 January 7, @Muhdsyukreyy, X‎^[14] (post), archived from the original on 7-2-2026:

     tak lama apa tu? cakap biar le habis.

     What do you mean by 'soon'? If you want to talk, please finish your sentence.

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic لَا (lā). Cognate with Hebrew לא (lō).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛː/
• Rhymes: -ɛː

Adverb

le

1. no

   Synonym: leqq (colloquial)

Related terms

• bla
• la

See also

• forsi (“maybe”)
• iva (“yes”)

Mandarin

Romanization

le (le⁵ / le⁰, Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄜ)

1. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 了
2. Hanyu Pinyin reading of 餎 / 饹

le

1. nonstandard spelling of lē
2. nonstandard spelling of lè

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.

Mauritian Creole

Etymology

From French le.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lø/, /le/

Article

le

1. (definite) the (used only to say the date)

References

• Baker, Philip; Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. (1987), Diksiyoner kreol morisyeṅ [Mauritian Creole Dictionary] (in French and English), Paris: L'Harmattan, →ISBN, page 194

Meriam

Etymology

From Rotuman.

Noun

le

1. person

Middle French

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.

Proto-Italic *olnos

Old Latin olle

Latin ille

Old French le

Middle French le

From Old French le, from Latin illum.

Article

le m (feminine la, masculine and feminine plural les)

1. the

Descendants

• French: le

Neapolitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/

Pronoun

le

1. alternative form of 'e

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hlé.

Adjective

le (indeclinable)

1. lee or leeward (side)

Noun

le n

1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
2. shelter

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”).

Verb

le (imperative le, present tense ler, passive -, simple past lo, past participle ledd, present participle leende)

1. to laugh

References

• “le” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, from the Proto-Indo-European root *klel-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Akin to English laugh.

Alternative forms

• læ, læja (archaic or obsolete)

Verb

le (present tense ler, past tense lo, supine ledd or lett, past participle ledd, present participle leande, imperative le)

1. (intransitive) to laugh

Derived terms

• dumle
• forle
• gaple
• hegrele
• hånle
• skamle
• småle
• storle

Related terms

• latter
• løye
• lått

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlé. Akin to English lee.

Noun

le n (definite singular leet, indefinite plural le, definite plural lea)

1. lee (sheltered or leeward side)
2. shelter

Adjective

le (indeclinable)

1. lee or leeward (side)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

le

1. imperative of lea

Anagrams

• el

Old French

Alternative forms

• lo (9th century in The Sequence of Saint Eulalia and 10th century in La Vie de Saint Léger)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.

Proto-Italic *olnos

Old Latin olle

Latin ille

Old French le

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *illu, from Latin illum and illud.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lə/

Article

le

1. the (masculine singular oblique definite article)
2. (Old Picard, Anglo-Norman) the (feminine singular definite article)

Usage notes

When coming after en, the two words combine into el.

Inflection

Old French definite articles

	Case	masculine	feminine
singular	subject	li	la, le 1
	oblique	le 1	la 1
plural	subject	li	les
	oblique	les	les

¹ These singular forms elide to l' before a vowel or non-aspirate h.

Pronoun

le

1. it (masculine singular object pronoun)

Descendants

• Middle French: le
  • French: le

Anagrams

• el

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *le.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /lʲɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /lʲɛ/

Conjunction

le

1. but
   • 1874-1891 [15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[15], [16], [17]}, volume XXII, page 60:

     *Nyą raczy mą zapomneczi, le mą raczy szobe przypyszaczy

     [Nie raczy mię zapomnieci, le mię raczy sobie przypisaci]

2. only
   • 1874-1891 [Middle of the 15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[18], [19], [20]}, volume XXII, page 235:

     Bo yako gymyenya wyeloscz a czczi tego swyata nabiczye cziny ludzi nadąte a pischne, tako potąpyenye a vbostwo, le skromne, czini vbogye duchem

     [Bo jako jimienia wielość a czci tego świata nabycie czyni ludzi nadęte a pyszne, tako potępienie a ubostwo, le skromne, czyni ubogie duchem]

3. that is, namely
   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[21], page 546:

     Gorze temv, lye duschy y czyalv ktorego..., yen nye zdradzyl

     [Gorze temu, le duszy i ciału [ktorego] [tego]..., jen mnie zdradził]

   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[22], page 599:

     Iesus... dluzey począl szye modlycz, lye przeto dluzey szye modly, yze blyzey ku smyerczy ydzye

     [Jesus... dłużej począł sie modlić, le przeto dłużej sie modli, iże bliżej ku śmierci idzie]

Related terms

conjunction

• ale

Descendants

• Middle Polish: le

References

• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “le”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Palula

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

Determiner

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. that, this (agr: dist fem / dist non-nom masc)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[23], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

Determiner

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. those, these (agr: dist)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[24], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

Pronoun

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. that one
2. it
3. she (dist fem nom)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[25], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le, ɽe/

Pronoun

le (demonstrative, Perso-Arabic spelling لےۡ)

1. those ones
2. these ones
3. they (dist nom)

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “le”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[26], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Pnar

Pnar cardinal numbers

<  2	3	4  >
Cardinal : le     Ordinal : wa le

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *laːj. Cognate with Khasi lai. Compare Proto-Palaungic *ləʔɔːj (whence Blang [La Gang] lɔ́j) and Car Nicobarese lōe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/

Numeral

le

1. (cardinal number) three

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin illīs, dative common plural of ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e

Pronoun

le m (unstressed dative form of ei)

1. (indirect object, third-person masculine plural) to them (all-male or mixed group)

Pronoun

le f (unstressed dative form of ele)

1. (indirect object, third-person feminine plural) to them (all-female group)

Pronoun

le m (unstressed accusative form of ele)

1. (direct object, third-person feminine plural) them (all-female group)

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.

Samoan

Article

le

1. the (the definite article)

Usage notes

Only in the singular. Sometimes used where the indefinite article would be used in English.

See also

• se

References

• Milner, G.B. (1993), Samoan Dictionary, Auckland: Polynesian Press, →ISBN, page 104

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish la. Cognates include Irish le and Manx lesh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/, /lɛ/, /lə/
• Hyphenation: le

Preposition

le (+ dative, no mutation, before the definite article leis)

1. with
2. by (indicates the creator of a work, or the person that does or causes something)
3. down

   Thuit e leis a' chreig. ― He fell down the rock.

   deòir a' ruith leis a h-aodann ― tears running down her face

Usage notes

• When referring to being with people, còmhla ri is preferred to le by many speakers.

Inflection

Personal inflection of le

	Person:		simple	emphatic
singular	first		leam	leamsa
	second		leat	leatsa
	third	m	leis	leis-san
		f	leatha	leathase
plural	first		leinn	leinne
	second		leibh	leibhse
	third		leotha	leothasan

Possessive declension of le

		singular	plural
first person		lemL	lerN
second person		ledL	lurN
third person	m	le aL	lenN, lemN 1)
	f	le aH

^L Triggers lenition; ^H Triggers H-prothesis;
^N Triggers eclipsis; ¹⁾ Used before b-, f-, m- or p-

Serbo-Croatian

Adverb

le (Cyrillic spelling ле)

1. (archaic) only
   • 1556, Hanibal Lucić, U vrime ko čisto:

     Nego se varteći dugo tuj zamani,
     Goro, le htih reći, zbogome ostani.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms

• samo, tek

Slovene

Etymology

Possibly related to Slovak len and Pannonian Rusyn лєм (ljem). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛ́/

Adverb

lȅ

1. only, merely, just
   • 2024, Raiven, “Veronika”:

     Tvojo resnico le ona ve.

     Only she knows your truth.

Further reading

• “le”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2026

Southern Ndebele

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

le

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

le

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin illī, dative of ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le/ [le]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Syllabification: le

Pronoun

le m or f by sense

1. to him, for him; dative of él

   Mi mamá va a escribirle una carta.

   My mom is going to write him a letter.

2. to her, for her; dative of ella

   Le dio un beso a Ana.

   He gave Ana a kiss.

3. to it, for it; dative of ello

   ¡Ponle esfuerzo!

   Put some effort into it!

4. to you, for you (formal); dative of usted

   ¿A usted le gustan los caballos?

   Do you like horses?

5. (leísmo, dialectal, Spain) you (formal); accusative of usted

   Synonyms: lo, la

   José, ¿le puedo ayudar?

   José, can I help you?

   Ana, ¿necesita que le ayude en algo?

   Ana, do you need me to help you with anything?

6. (leísmo, dialectal, Spain) him; accusative of él

   Synonym: lo

   Él es mi amigo, le conozco desde pequeño.

   He is my friend, I know him since he was little.

   ¿Te gusta mi auto? Le compré con mis ahorros. [proscribed]

   Do you like my car? I bought it with my savings.

7. (leísmo, dialectal, Spain, proscribed except in impersonal sentences with "se") it; accusative of ello

   Synonym: lo

8. (leísmo, dialectal, Spain, proscribed except in impersonal sentences with "se") her; accusative of ella

   Synonym: la

   Se le conoce como la Reina del Pop. [non-proscribed]

   They know her as the Queen of Pop.

   Ayer le vi cenando en un restaurante. [proscribed]

   Yesterday I saw her dining at a restaurant.

Usage notes

• Generally, in standard Spanish, le is used for indirect objects (an exception is impersonal sentences with se, see senses 7 & 8) and lo, la, los and las are used for direct objects. However, speakers from Spain often confuse these in various ways. Some speakers use le for direct objects (senses 5-8). This is known as leísmo ("le-ism"). Only leísmo of masculine animate objects (senses 5 & 6) is accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy. Fewer speakers use lo and la for indirect objects (called loísmo and laísmo). This is proscribed.
• Note that when a sentence contains a noun that is an indirect object, a redundant indirect object le (or its plural form les) is also required; for example yo le daré el libro a Jorge (literally “I will give him the book to Jorge”), where him/le corresponds to Jorge. This type of pronoun is obligatory. Both of the object pronouns le and les become se when followed by the direct object lo/la/los/las; hence, yo se lo daré (“I will give it to him/her/them”) rather than *yo le/les lo daré.

Pronoun

le gender-neutral

1. (gender-neutral, neologism) to them, for them (singular); dative of elle

   Le diré que te llame.

   I will tell them to call you.

2. (gender-neutral, neologism) to them, for them (singular); accusative of elle

   Le llamaré.

   I will call them.

See also

Spanish personal pronouns

number	person			Nominative	Disjunctive	Dative	Accusative	Comitative
singular	1st			yo	mí	me		conmigo
	2nd	fam.		tú1, vos2	ti1, vos2	te		contigo
		m	for.	usted		le, se4	lo	—
		f					la
	3rd	m		él		le, se4	lo
		f		ella			la
		n		ello6			lo
plural	1st	m		nosotros		nos
		f		nosotras
	2nd	m	fam.5	vosotros		os
		f		vosotras
		m	for.	ustedes		les, se4	los
		f					las
	3rd	m		ellos		les, se4	los
		f		ellas			las
Reflexive				—	sí	se		consigo

1. Tuteo
2. Voseo
3. If le or les precedes lo, la, los, or las in a clause, it is replaced with se (e.g. se lo dije instead of *le lo dije).
4. Used primarily in Spain.
5. Only used in certain circumstances and rarely as a subject pronoun.

Further reading

• “le”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “leísmo”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española]; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2023, →ISBN

Swahili

Pronunciation

• (Unguja standard) IPA^(key): /lɛ/

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

Adjective

-le (declinable)

1. that (distal demonstrative adjective)

Inflection

Inflected forms of -le

Noun class	singular	plural
m-wa class(I/II)	yule	wale
m-mi class(III/IV)	ule	ile
ji-ma class(V/VI)	lile	yale
ki-vi class(VII/VIII)	kile	vile
n class(IX/X)	ile	zile
u class(XI)	ule	see n(X) or ma(VI) class
pa class(XVI)	pale
ku class(XVII)	kule
mu class(XVIII)	mle

See also

• hii
• hiyo

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

-le

1. subjunctive stem of -la (“to eat”)

Swedish

en leende flicka [a smiling girl]

en smiley som ler med ögonen / en smiley med leende ögon [a smiley smiling with its eyes / a smiley with smiling eyes]

Etymology

From Old Swedish lēia, lea, from Old Norse hlæja (“to laugh”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eː

Verb

le (present ler, preterite log, supine lett, imperative le)

1. to smile

   Hon log brett

   She smiled broadly

   Hon log sarkastiskt

   She smiled sarcastically

   1. to grin (when more or less interchangeable with smile – for example of a more "genuine" or "beautiful" grin – compare flina and flin)
      • 1996, Drängarna [The Farmhands], “Kung över ängarna [King of [over] the Meadows]”, in Fint vettö [vettu] [Nice Y'know]‎^[27]:

        Jag lägger mig i gräset ner. Ligger still och bara ler. Slumrar till och snarkar tyst. Drömmer om en kvinnas byst. Då ser jag nån som emot mig går, liderlig med utsläppt hår. Hon är vacker som en dag. I samma stund så vaknar jag. Svär [bit hard to make out the S] ett tag men tänker sen: Hon kommer nog till mig inatt igen. Ännu lyser solen stark i skog och mark.

        I lie down in the grass ["Jag lägger mig ner i gräset" is the usual word order. Ner (“down”) can be skipped]. [I] lie still and just grin [or smile]. [I] doze off and snore quietly. [I] dream of a woman's bosom. Then I see someone walking towards me ["Då ser jag nån som går emot mig" is the usual word order], lustful [in an unrestrained manner – old-fashioned – often used to imply "lecherous," but also more generally] with her hair let down [with out-released hair]. She is pretty as a picture ["beautiful as a day" – idiom]. At that moment [in the same moment] I wake up. [I] swear for a bit but then [I] think: She will probably come to me tonight again ["Igen inatt" is a more common word order in Swedish as well]. The sun still shines bright ["yet shines (V2 word order) the sun strong" – could be translated as "still the sun shines bright" to match, but sounds less awkward in Swedish] in woods and fields ["forest and (wild) land" – idiomatic]. [Could also be put in the present continuous. Matches the intuition in Swedish with the [I]s. See the usage notes for -r.]

      Han log från ena örat till det andra

      He was grinning from ear to ear

2. (obsolete) to laugh

   Synonym: skratta

Conjugation

Conjugation of le (class 6 strong)

	active		passive
infinitive	le		les
supine	lett		letts
imperative	le		—
imper. plural1	len		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	ler	log	les	logs
ind. plural1	le	logo	les	logos
subjunctive2	le	loge	les	loges
present participle		leende
past participle		—

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• småle

Related terms

• leende
• löje

See also

• dra på smilbanden
• flina
• smila
• småle

References

• “le”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “le”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

• e.l., el, el.

Tarantino

Alternative forms

• l'

Article

le m pl or f pl

1. the

Tetela

Preposition

le

1. in
2. of
3. to
4. upon

Tungag

Preposition

le

1. from

Further reading

• Lesley Fast (1990), Tungak Grammar Essentials‎^[28], Ukarumpa: Summer Institute of Linguistics, page 33

Turkish

Noun

le

1. The name of the Latin script letter L/l.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) harf; a, be, ce, çe, de, e, fe, ge, yumuşak ge, he, ı, i, je, ke, le, me, ne, o, ö, pe, re, se, şe, te, u, ü, ve, ye, ze

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [lɛ˧˧]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Vietic *k-lɛː (“bamboo”). Doublet of tre.

Noun

le (classifier cây)

1. a plant in the rice family, which grows in forests and has a shape similar to bamboo

Etymology 2

Noun

le • (离, 𪅆) (phonemic reduplicative le le) (classifier con)

1. (obsolete) lesser whistling duck
   • Nam Giao cổ kim lý hạng ca dao chú giải 南交古金里巷歌謠註解 ("Old and new folk-ballads from the hamlets and alleys in Nanjiao, annotated and explained"), 151a

     𡥵𪅆奴𣵰𡥵𪂮奴𱝩

     Con le nó lặn; con cò nó bay.

     The lesser whistling duck dives; the stork flies.

Derived terms

• le nâu

Etymology 3

Verb

le

1. (Central Vietnam, Southern Vietnam) alternative form of lè (“to loll (tongue); to put out”)

Etymology 4

Adverb

le

1. (rare) alternative form of lè (“very”)

Etymology 5

Conjunction

le • (離, 离)

1. (archaic) but; however

Derived terms

• song le

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leː/
• Rhymes: -eː

Noun

le

1. soft mutation of lle

Adverb

le

1. (South Wales, colloquial) where

   Le ma'r tŷ bach?

   Where' the loo?

Synonyms

• ble
• (North Wales, colloquial) lle

Mutation

Mutated forms of lle

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
lle	le	unchanged	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Xhosa

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lé]

Pronoun

lé

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lé]

Pronoun

lé

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

Yoruba

Pronunciation

• (low-tone): IPA^(key): /lè/
• (mid-tone): IPA^(key): /lē/
• (high-tone): IPA^(key): /lé/

Etymology 1

Verb

lè

1. (auxiliary, defective) to be able, can, to be possible

   Ó lè gbọ́ Yorùbá. ― She can understand Yoruba.

Derived terms

• ìlè (“ability”)

Etymology 2

Verb

le

1. to be hard in texture, to be difficult

   Iṣẹ́ náà le bí ojú ẹja. ― The work is as hard as a fish's eye.

2. (idiomatic) to be healthy, to be in good health

   Synonym: yá

   ṣe ará le o? ― Are you in good health?

Synonyms

Yoruba varieties and languages: le (“to be difficult, hard”)
view map; edit data
Language family	Variety group	Variety/language	Subdialect	Location	Words
Proto-Itsekiri-SEY	Southeast Yoruba	Eastern Àkókó	Ọ̀bà	Ọ̀bà Àkókó	ni, le
		Ìjẹ̀bú			ni
			Ìjẹ̀bú	Ìjẹ̀bú Òde	ni
			Rẹ́mọ	Ẹ̀pẹ́	ni
				Ìkòròdú	ni
				Ṣágámù	ni
		Ìkálẹ̀ (Ùkálẹ̀)			ni, le
			Òkìtìpupa		ni, le
		Oǹdó			ni
			Oǹdó		ni
		Usẹn			le
			Usẹn		le
	Ìtsẹkírì				ni
		Ìwẹrẹ			ni
	Olùkùmi				ni
		Ugbódù			ni
Proto-Yoruba	Central Yoruba	Èkìtì	Èkìtì	Àdó Èkìtì	le
				Òdè Èkìtì	le
				Ìfàkì Èkìtì	le
			Àkúrẹ́	Àkúrẹ́	le
	Northwest Yoruba	Àwórì			le
			Èbúté Mẹ́tà		le
		Èkó			le
			Èkó		le
		Ìbàdàn			le
			Ìbàdàn		le
		Ìbàràpá			le
			Igbó Òrà		le
		Ìbọ̀lọ́			le
			Òṣogbo (Òsogbo)		le
		Ìlọrin			le
			Ìlọrin		le
		Oǹkó	Òtù		le
			Ìwéré Ilé		le
			Òkèhò		le
			Ìsẹ́yìn		le
			Ṣakí		le
			Tedé		le
			Ìgbẹ́tì		le
		Ọ̀yọ́			le
			Ọ̀yọ́		le
		Standard Yorùbá	Nàìjíríà		le
			Bɛ̀nɛ̀		le
	Northeast Yoruba/Okun	Owé			le
			Kabba		le
	Ede languages/Southwest Yoruba	Ifɛ̀	Akpáré		le
			Atakpamɛ		le
			Est-Mono		le
			Tchetti (Tsɛti, Cɛti)		le
Note: This amalgamation of terms comes from a number of different academic papers focused on the unique varieties and languages spoken in the Yoruboid dialectal continuum which extends from eastern Togo to southern Nigeria. The terms for spoken varieties, now deemed dialects of Yorùbá in Nigeria (i.e. Southeast Yorùbá, Northwest Yorùbá, Central Yorùbá, and Northeast Yorùbá), have converged with those of Standard Yorùbá leading to the creation of what can be labeled Common Yorùbá (Funṣọ Akere, 1977). It can be assumed that the Standard Yorùbá term can also be used in most Nigerian varieties alongside native terms, especially amongst younger speakers. This does not apply to the other Nigerian Yoruboid languages of Ìṣẹkírì and Olùkùmi, nor the Èdè Languages of Benin and Togo.

Derived terms

• eré-ìmárale (“exercise”)
• kára ó le (“A Yoruba greeting meaning, may you always be in good health!”)
• líle (“to be hard”)

Etymology 3

Verb

le

1. to have a strong taste

   Ọtí yìí le. ― This beer is strong.

Derived terms

• ale
• lekó

Etymology 4

Verb

le

1. to have an erection (of the penis)

Derived terms

• ìle (“erection”)

Etymology 5

Verb

lé

1. (transitive) to exceed in number
2. to yield interest

Derived terms

• èlé (“interest”)

Etymology 6

Verb

lé

1. (intransitive) to appear distinctly

Derived terms

• Alébíoṣù (“A Yoruba nickname meaning, "One that appears very distinctly like the moon."”)
• léfòó

Etymology 7

Preposition

lé

1. on, on top of, after

   Wọ́n bí Àlàbá lé Ìdòwú. ― Alaba was born right after Idowu.

Usage notes

When a word is homophonous with the verb 'lé'; it always occurs in a non-V1 position.

Derived terms

• gbẹ́kẹ̀lé (“to trust”)

Etymology 8

Verb

lé

1. (transitive) to pursue, to chase

   Wọ́n lé e nílèékulèé, òun náà sàsàákúsàá. ― They pursued him relentlessly, and he also ran relentlessly.

Derived terms

• ìlé

Etymology 9

Verb

lé

1. (transitive) to become swollen

   Synonyms: ré, wú

Derived terms

• ìlé

Zulu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlé/

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

le

1. these; class 4 proximal demonstrative.

Inflection

Stem -lé (locative kule)

full form	lé
locative	kule
copulative	yile
Possessive forms
	modifier	substantive
class 1	wale	owale
class 2	bale	abale
class 3	wale	owale
class 4	yale	eyale
class 5	lale	elale
class 6	ale	awale
class 7	sale	esale
class 8	zale	ezale
class 9	yale	eyale
class 10	zale	ezale
class 11	lwale	olwale
class 14	bale	obale
class 15	kwale	okwale
class 17	kwale	okwale

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

le

1. this; class 9 proximal demonstrative.

Inflection

Stem -lé (locative kule)

full form	lé
locative	kule
copulative	yile
Possessive forms
	modifier	substantive
class 1	wale	owale
class 2	bale	abale
class 3	wale	owale
class 4	yale	eyale
class 5	lale	elale
class 6	ale	awale
class 7	sale	esale
class 8	zale	ezale
class 9	yale	eyale
class 10	zale	ezale
class 11	lwale	olwale
class 14	bale	obale
class 15	kwale	okwale
class 17	kwale	okwale

References

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “le”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “le (2)”