-сте
Ukrainian
Alternative forms
- -сьте (-sʹte)
Etymology
Contraction of Proto-Slavic *este, second-person plural of *byti. Previously marked the perfect aspect, as in Old Church Slavonic. Cognate with Polish -ście, which is also used with former l-participles to form the past tense.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ stɛ]
Verb
-сте • (-ste) (clitic)
- (dialectal) Used with past plural forms of imperfective (rarely perfective) verbs, marking them as second-person plural.
- 1900, Vasyl Stefanyk, Камінний хрест [The Stone Cross], Lviv, published 1942:
- Дєкую вам файно, ґазди і ґаздині, шо-сте ні мали за ґазду, а мою за ґаздиню…
- Djekuju vam fajno, gazdy i gazdyni, šo-ste ni maly za gazdu, a moju za gazdynju…
- I thank you much, gentlemen and ladies, for you have had me for a householder, and my [wife] for a householdress…
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Usage notes
- May be attached to any word in the sentence.
See also
- -сми (-smy) (1-st person singular)
- -смо (-smo) (1-st person plural)