Initial articles by language

Updated 05/2020

Initial articles are normally deleted from certain access points; when this is true, they are deleted whether in the nominative case or in some case other than the nominative.

It is necessary to recognize initial articles, distinguishing them as necessary from other words that happen to be spelled the same as articles (cf. The English, Portuguese, etc., article "a" and the French, Italian, etc., preposition "à" or "a"; or languages that use the same form both for an indefinite article (comparable to English "a") and the number "one.")

Such words when not serving as initial articles are retained.

Also retained are plural indefinites, whether they have the form of articles (Portuguese "umas," Spanish "unos," et.) Or not (English "some," French "des," Italian "qualche," etc.)

Below is a list of initial articles.

List of initial articles

Article	Language(s)
a	English, Gallegan, Hungarian, Portuguese, Romanian, Scots, Yiddish
a'	Gaelic
al	Romanian
al-	Arabic, Baluchi, Brajui, Panjabi (Perso-Arabic script), Persian, Turkish, Urdu (N.B. "al-" is meant to cover all the spellings in romanization, e.g., "as"in "as-sijill")
am	Gaelic
an	English, Gaelic, Irish, Scots, Yiddish
an t-	Gaelic, Irish
ane	Scots
ang	Tagalog
ang mga	Tagalog
as	Gallegan, Portuguese
az	Hungarian
bat	Basque
bir	Turkish
d'	English
da	Shetland English
das	German
de	Danish, Dutch, English, Friesian, Norwegian, Swedish
dei	Norwegian
dem	German
den	Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish
der	German, Yiddish
des	German
det	Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
di	Yiddish
die	Afrikaans, German, Yiddish
dos	Yiddish
e	Norwegian
‘e	Friesian
een	Dutch
eene	Dutch
egy	Hungarian
ei	Norwegian
ein	German, Norwegian
eine	German
einem	German
einen	German
einer	German
eines	German
eit	Norwegian
el	Catalan, Spanish
el-	Arabic
els	Catalan
en	Catalan, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
et	Danish, Norwegian
ett	Swedish
eyn	Yiddish
eyne	Yiddish
gl'	Italian
gli	Italian
ha-	Hebrew
hai	Classical Greek, Greek
he	Hawaiian
	Classical Greek, Greek
he-	Hebrew
heis	Greek
hen	Greek
hena	Greek
henas	Greek
het	Dutch
hið	Icelandic
hin	Icelandic
hina	Icelandic
hinar	Icelandic
hinir	Icelandic
hinn	Icelandic
hinna	Icelandic
hinnar	Icelandic
hinni	Icelandic
hins	Icelandic
hinu	Icelandic
hinum	Icelandic
hi	Icelandic
ho	Classical Greek, Greek
ho-	Hebrew
hoi	Classical Greek, Greek
i	Italian
ih'	Provençal
il	Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc
il-	Maltese
in	Friesian
it	Friesian
ka	Hawaiian
kay	Tagalog
ke	Hawaiian
l'	Catalan, French, Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc
l-	Maltese
la	Catalan, Esperanto, French, Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc, Spanish
las	Provençal/Langue d'oc, Spanish
le	French, Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc
les	Catalan, French, Provençal/Langue d'oc
lh	Provençal/Langue d'oc
lhi	Provençal/Langue d'oc
li	Provençal/Langue d'oc
lis	Provençal/Langue d'oc
lo	Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc, Spanish
los	Provençal/Langue d'oc, Spanish
lou	Provençal/Langue d'oc
lu	Provençal/Langue d'oc
mga	Tagalog
	Tagalog
mia	Greek
‘n	Afrikaans, Dutch, Friesian
na	Gaelic, Hawaiian, Irish
na h-	Gaelic, Irish
nang	Tagalog
ni	Tagalog
nina	Tagalog
‘o	Neopolitan
o	Gallegan, Hawaiian, Portuguese, Romanian
os	Portuguese
‘r	Icelandic
‘s	German
sa	Tagalog
sa mga	Tagalog
si	Tagalog
siná	Tagalog
‘t	Dutch, Friesian
ta	Classical Greek, Greek
tais	Classical Greek
tas	Classical Greek
	Classical Greek
	Classical Greek, Greek
	Classical Greek, Greek
the	English
to	Classical Greek, Greek
	Classical Greek
tois	Classical Greek
ton	Classical Greek, Greek
	Classical Greek, Greek
tou	Classical Greek, Greek
um	Portuguese
uma	Portuguese
umas	Portuguese
un	Catalan, French, Italian Provençal/Langue d'oc, Romanian, Spanish
un'	Italian
una	Catalan, Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc, Spanish
unas	Spanish
une	French
unei	Romanian
unes	Catalan
unha	Gallegan
uno	Italian, Provençal/Langue d'oc
unos	Spanish
uns	Provençal/Langue d'oc
unui	Romanian
us	Provençal/Langue d'oc
y	Welsh
ye	English
yr	Welsh