-ait
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French -oit, an irregular development from second and third conjugation ending Latin -ēbat and fourth conjugation ending Latin -iēbat (note the dropping of -a- is irregular). Possibly due to the influence by the third-person singular subjunctive imperfect suffixes -ât, -ît, -ût (with a circumflex preceding -t) whose regularly drops -e- in unstressed positions.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛ/
Audio (France (Agen)): (file) - Homophones: -ais, -aient, -er (some speakers), -é (some speakers)
Suffix
-ait (non-lemma form of verb-forming suffix)
- forms the third-person singular imperfect indicative form of a verb