-s

See also: -ś, -'s, and Appendix:Variations of "s"

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Page categories

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/ (after a voiceless consonant sound /p, t, k, f, θ/)
IPA^(key): /z/ (after a vowel sound or a voiced consonant sound /m, n, ŋ, b, d, ɡ, v, ð, l, ɹ/)
IPA^(key): /ɪz/ (after a sibilant consonant sound /s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/—usually written -es)
- (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /əz/
Homophones: -'s, 's

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English -s, -es, from Old English -as, nominative-accusative plural ending of masculine a-stem (i.e. strong) declension nouns, from Proto-West Germanic *-ōs, from Proto-Germanic *-ōs, *‑ōz, from Proto-Indo-European *-es, *-oes (plural endings). The spread of this ending in later Middle English was once argued to have been the result of Anglo-Norman influence; however, -as was already the most common Old English plural marker (used in approximately 40% of Old English nouns), and was initially more common in the North of England where French influence was weakest, only later gradually spreading south, replacing the usual southern plural ending -en. Cognate with Scots -s (plural ending), Saterland Frisian -s (plural ending), West Frisian -s (plural ending), Dutch -s (plural ending), Low German -s (plural ending), Danish -er (plural ending), Swedish -r, -ar, -or (plural ending), Icelandic -ar (plural ending), Gothic -𐍉𐍃 (-ōs, nominative plural ending of a-stem masculine nouns). Not directly related to German -er (plural ending) which has a different origin.

Suffix

-s

Used to form regular plurals of nouns.
one computer → five computers; Kennedy → Kennedys; hanger-on → hangers-on; lapful → lapfuls; cul-de-sac → cul-de-sacs; standby → standbys; push-up → push-ups; gin and tonic → gin and tonics; pair → pairs; beef → beefs
Used to form many pluralia tantum (nouns that are almost or entirely without singular forms).
shorts

sunglasses
1. Forms names of sciences and fields of studies from adjectives (See Usage notes)
When appended to a number ending in at least one 0, expresses a range of numbers which share the digits before some or (usually) all of the 0s; frequently used for decades, centuries and temperatures.
We often look back on the 1960s [the years from 1960 to 1969] with rose-tinted glasses.

The Industrial Revolution went into full-swing during the 1800s [the years from 1800 to 1899 – but see usage notes].

The temperature today will be in the low 30s.

He placed in the 200s in the end.
- 2022 March 25, Sandee LaMotte, “Dangerous chemicals found in food wrappers at major fast-food restaurants and grocery chains, report says”, in CNN‎^[1]:
  High indicators of PFAS (in the 500s) were also found in a Chick-fil-A sandwich wrapper and in fiber bowls at Cava, a Mediterranean restaurant chain.
  Indicator levels in the 300s and 400s were found in a bag of cookies at Arby’s, bamboo paper plates at Stop & Shop, and in a bag for both cookies and French toast sticks at Burger King.
  Levels of PFAS indicators in the 200s were found in a Sweetgreen paper bag for focaccia, additional items at Cava, and in bags for french fries, cookies and Chicken McNuggets at McDonald’s.

Usage notes

(regular plurals): In semi-formal or formal contexts, where the plurality of a noun depends on some unknown aspect of the sentence, the s may be parenthesised: "The winner(s) will be invited to a prize ceremony."
(pluralia tantum): In this sense we can find some notable topics:
- branches of knowledge (biolistics, (astro/aero/bio/electro/micro)ballistics, chromatics, cynegetics, ecdotics, eidetics, exoterics, irenics, poliorcetics), related to the suffixes -ics and -istics
  - especially those dealing with language (graphematics, graphemics, graphetics, phonematics, phonetics)
- garments and clothes, including symmetric accessories (dungarees, knickerbockers, pedal pushers, Ray-Bans, tartans)
- games and sports (conkers, Deaflympics, Olympics, Paralympics, pigeonholes, tiddlywinks)
- medical conditions (cataracts, flaps)
- geograhical groups (Sundas, Urals)
- concepts in Law (mends, torts)
(number): Decades formed with -s are usually pronounced as if they were written as two separate numbers. For example, 1970s is read as nineteen-seventies, as if it were written as 19 70s, not as *nineteen-hundred seventies or *one thousand nine hundred and seventies.
(number): When the number before the -s ends in more than one zero, there is ambiguity about the range of numbers that is meant. For example, 1800s could mean "the years from 1800 to 1899; the entire 19th century" or "the years from 1800 to 1809; the first decade of the 19th century". The intended meaning can usually be derived from context.

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -s (regular plural)

Descendants

→ Cantonese: -s
→ Japanese: ズ (-zu)
→ Malayalam: -സ് (-sŭ)
→ Swedish: -s
→ Tagalog: -s
→ Welsh: -s

Translations

The translations below are a guide only. See individual words for precise translations.

regular plurals of nouns

Amharic: -ዎች (-woč)
Arabic: ـَانِ du (-āni) (dual), ـَيْنِ du (-ayni) (dual), ـُونَ (-ūna), ـِينَ (-īna), ـَات (-āt)
Azerbaijani: -lar (az), -lər (az)
Basque: -ak (eu), -ok
Burmese: -တို့ (-tui.) (plural marker for nouns or pronouns), -များ (-mya:), -တွေ (-twe) (literary, non-mandatory)
Catalan: -s (ca), -es
Chinese:
Mandarin: 們 / 们 (zh) (men) (plural marker for humans, non-mandatory)
Cornish: -ow, -yow
Danish: -er (da), -e
Dutch: -en (nl), -s (nl)
Esperanto: -j (eo)
Estonian: -d (et)
Finnish: -t (fi)
French: -s (fr), -x (fr)
Galician: -s, -es, -is
Georgian: -ები (-ebi)
German: -e (de), -en (de), -er (de), -s (de)
Greek: -αίοι m pl (-aíoi), -ήδες m pl (-ídes), -άδες m pl or f pl (-ádes), -ες (el) m pl or f pl (-es), -ές (el) m pl or f pl (-és), -οι m pl or f pl (-oi), -οί m pl or f pl (-oí), -ούδες m pl or f pl (-oúdes), -ηδες m pl or n pl (-ides), -α (el) n pl (-a), -ατα n pl (-ata), -ά (el) n pl (-á), -έδες n pl (-édes), -η (el) n pl (-i), -ή (el) n pl (-í), -ια (el) n pl (-ia)
Guarani:
Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} -kuéra (gn), ^{(please verify)} -nguéra (gn)
Hanunoo: mga
Hebrew: ־ִים m pl (-im), ־ֵי m pl (-ey) (construct state), ־וֹת f pl (-ot), ־ִין (he) m pl (-in)
Hungarian: -k (hu), -ak, -ok (hu), -ek, -ök
Icelandic: -a, -ar
Ido: -i
Irish: -anna, -acha, -a, -e, -í, -te, -taí, -tí, -aigh, -ta
Italian: -i (it), -e (it)
Japanese: 達 (ja) (たち, tachi), 等 (ja) (ら, ra), 供 (ja) (ども, domo) (plural markers for humans, non-mandatory)
Kannada: -ಗಳು (-gaḷu) ( for everything except for humans ), -ರು (-ru) ( for humans )
Kazakh: -лар (-lar), -лер (-ler), -тар (-tar), -тер (-ter), -дар (-dar), -дер (-der)
Khakas: -лар (-lar), -лер (-ler), -нар (-nar), -нер (-ner), -тар (-tar), -тер (-ter)
Korean: -들 (-deul) (non-mandatory), -네 (-ne) (plural markers for humans)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: -an (ku)
Latin: -ī m pl, -ae f pl, -a n pl
Latvian: -s
Lithuanian: -s
Malayalam: -കൾ (-kaḷ)
Manx: -yn, -aghyn, -jyn
Nahuatl:
Classical Nahuatl: -h, -tin, -meh
Nigerian Pidgin: -s
Norwegian:
Bokmål: -er (no)

Nynorsk: -er
Nupe: -zhì
Old Tupi: -etá
Persian: ـها, ـهایی, ـهان
Portuguese: -s (pt), -es (pt), -ns, -is (pt), -ãos, -ões (pt), -ães (pt)
Romanian: -i, -e, -uri, -le
Russian: (the plural form depends on the declension type)
Spanish: -s (es), -es (es)
Sundanese: -ar-, -al-, ar-, -arar- (non-mandatory, non-productive)
Swahili: wa-, mi-, ma-, vi-
Swedish: -ar (sv) -er (sv) -or (sv) -r (sv) -n (sv)
Tagalog: mga (tl)
Thai: พวก (th) (pûuak), เหล่า (th) (lào), ทั้งหลาย (th) (táng-lǎai) (non-mandatory, non-productive)
Tibetan: ཚོ (tsho), རྣམས (rnams) (literary), དག (dag) (literary)
Turkish: -ler (tr), -lar (tr)
Tuvan: -лар (-lar), -лер (-ler), -нар (-nar), -нер (-ner), -тар (-tar), -тер (-ter), -дар (-dar), -дер (-der)
Vietnamese: những (vi), các (vi), mấy (vi)
Welsh: -aid, -aint, -au, -ed, -edd, -en (cy), -i, -iaid, -iau, -ion, -od, -oedd, -on, -s, -ydd (cy), -yr, -ys
Yakut: -лар (-lar), -лэр (-ler), -лор (-lor), -лөр (-lör), -дар (-dar), -дэр (-der), -дор (-dor), -дөр (-dör), -тар (-tar), -тэр (-ter), -тор (-tor), -төр (-tör), -нар (-nar), -нэр (-ner), -нор (-nor), -нөр (-nör)

Etymology 2

From Middle English -(e)s (third-person singular ending), from Northumbrian Old English -es, -as (third-person singular endings). Gradually replaced the older -eth, from Old English -(e)þ, -aþ, during the Middle English and Early Modern English periods.

It is predominantly believed that -(e)s is identical to the Old English second-person singular ending -es, -est (cf. archaic Modern English -est, as in thou singest). The use for the third-person singular would have been caused by speakers of Old Norse who switched to speaking English and confounded the endings due to analogy with their native tongue. In Old Norse, the second and third person singular indicative forms were identical (e.g. þú masar, hann masar; þú þekkir, hann þekkir; etc.).

An alternative theory sees the shift from /θ/ in -eth to /s/ (later /z/) in -(e)s as a mere phonetic simplification due to the frequency of the ending, but the objection to this is that no such development can be observed anywhere else in English. Nevertheless the relative similarity in sound between both forms may have facilitated the spread of -es.

Suffix

-s

Used to form the third-person singular indicative present tense of verbs.
to eat → he eats
(nonstandard, dialectal) Used in various other indicative present tenses
I likes what I likes

Usage notes

As in modern nonstandard varieties, the -s suffix can be used to mark the third-person plural in Early Modern English. However, it is less common than the modern standard zero ending, and is frequently only found in restricted contexts; for instance, Shakespeare only uses it where a plural subject has "singular" semantics.^[1]

References

^ Herbert Schendl (2000), “The third person present plural in Shakespeare’s First Folio: A case of interaction of morphology and syntax?”, in Words: Structure, meaning, function. A festschrift for Dieter Kastovsky, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyte, pages 263-276

Etymology 3

From Middle English -es, from Old English -es, the masculine and neuter genitive singular ending of strong nouns. More at -'s.

Suffix

-s

Used in the formation of certain English adverbs.
‎forward + ‎-s → ‎forwards

‎downward + ‎-s → ‎downwards

‎alway + ‎-s → ‎always

‎sometime + ‎-s → ‎sometimes

‎betime + ‎-s → ‎betimes

‎while + ‎-s → ‎whiles

‎betide + ‎-s → ‎betides

‎toward + ‎-s → ‎towards

‎beside + ‎-s → ‎besides

‎evening + ‎-s → ‎evenings

‎unaware + ‎-s → ‎unawares

‎Sunday + ‎-s → ‎Sundays

‎night + ‎-s → ‎nights

Derived terms

-st

Etymology 4

A variant spelling of -'s, partly an archaism, partly by dropping the apostrophe.

Alternative forms

-'s (on pronouns; now nonstandard)
-es (obsolete)

Suffix

-s

(on pronouns) Possessive marker, indicating that an object belongs to the word bearing the marker.
hers; its; ones (now one’s); theirs

(neopronouns): eirs; hirs; pers; thons; xyrs; zirs
(on nouns, now nonstandard) Alternative form of -'s.
devils doorbell; dogs-bane; St. Marys; (obsolete) kings

Usage notes

In most cases where -s is found nowadays as a possessive case marker, it is a simple misspelling of -'s. However, possessive determiners derived from personal pronouns use -s (e.g., its, not it's). The same is true of pronouns derived from possessive determiners (e.g., theirs, not their's). The possessive form of who takes -se (whose, not who's).
Bare -s is used in some business names that derive from possessive family names, e.g., Barclays and Harrods, but compare Sainsbury’s; compare Wikipedia's article on possessives in business names. In speech, /z/ (or /s/) is sometimes added to business names which have neither -s nor -'s in writing, resulting in s-forms.
Sometimes used in place names; e.g., Harpers Ferry (formerly spelled “Harper’s Ferry”), Queens County (note that the former name of County Laois was officially “Queen’s County”, however, the apostrophe-less spelling is well-attested).

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -s (possessive pronoun)

theirs

English terms suffixed with -s (possessive)

English terms suffixed with -s (patronymic)

Etymology 5

Modern sense in slang [circa 1936]. According to OED, a colloquial clipping of the hypocoristic diminutive suffix -sy. As AHD writes, -sy itself usually being informal, ironic and/or jocular, and possibly a combination of -s (“plural marker”) and conflation of -y as adjectival with its sense as a diminutive suffix (e.g., puppy, kitty), the latter notion probably from Scots.

Suffix

-s

(informal, colloquial, sometimes humorous) Hypocoristic suffix
Babs; moms; pops; homes; toots

Derived terms

Related terms

-sies

Etymology 6

Derived from 's.

Verb

-s (clitic)

(Internet slang, informal) Alternative spelling of 's.
whats he talking about

Derived terms

Unsorted:

English terms suffixed with -s

cos

Dix

es

GGs

has

its

KBs

nos

Afrikaans

Etymology 1

Inherited from Dutch -st.

Suffix

-s (plural -ste)

appended to the stem of a verb, this suffix yields a verbal noun
‎dien + ‎-s → ‎diens

Etymology 2

Inherited from Dutch -s (a suffix for forming plurals).

Suffix

-s

Used to form regular plurals of nouns that end in certain suffixes or syllables, such as -el, -er, -en, -em, -eur, -aar, -aard, diminutive -ie, etc.
‎redakteur + ‎-s → ‎redakteurs
Used to form irregular plurals of many other nouns, chiefly of foreign origin.
‎ateljee + ‎-s → ‎ateljees

Etymology 3

Inherited from Dutch -s, from the genitive case of Dutch masculine and neuter nouns and adjectives, Middle Dutch -s, -es, from Old Dutch -es, -is, from Proto-Germanic *-as, *-is.

Suffix

-s

Used to form the partitive form of the adjective
nuut → iets nuuts

groot → niks groots nie

Etymology 4

Inherited from Dutch -s, from earlier -sch, from Middle Dutch -sch, from Old Dutch -isc, from Proto-West Germanic *-isk, from Proto-Germanic *-iskaz, from Proto-Indo-European *-iskos.

Suffix

-s

Used to form adjectives of characteristic from nouns.
‎winter (“winter”) + ‎-s → ‎winters (“wintery”)

‎spel (“game”) + ‎-s → ‎speels (“playful”)
Used to form adjectives or language names from place names.
‎Engeland (“England”) + ‎-s → ‎Engels (“English”)

‎Finland (“Finland”) + ‎-s → ‎Fins (“Finnish”)

Albanian

Etymology

Possibly akin to Old Armenian -իչ (-ičʻ), both reconstructible to a tentative Proto-Indo-European *-ikʷyo-s, from Proto-Indo-European * kʷey- (“to gather”),^[1]^[2] whence also Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō, “to do”), Sanskrit चिनोति (cinóti, “to arrange, pile up”).

Suffix

-s

Forms agent nouns.
Synonym: -ar

Usage notes

Becomes -ës after consonants.
When attached to o- or ua-stem verbs the stem and the suffix merge into -ues in the modern standard, following Gheg practice, while traditionally made -onjës following Tosk practice.
Similarly, when attached to e- or ye-stem verbs they give rise to -yes in Gheg and the modern standard, while -enjës in Tosk and the old standard.

Derived terms

Albanian terms suffixed with -s (agent)

References

^ Matzinger, J. (2016), Die sekundären nominalen Wortbildungsmuster im Altalbanischen bei Gjon Buzuku: Ein Beitrag zur altalbanischen Lexikographie (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →JSTOR, page 167
^ Hyllested, A.; Joseph, B. D. (2022), “Albanian”, in Olander, T., editor, The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 228

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Old Catalan -s, from Latin -os, -es (accusative plural).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [s]

Suffix

-s

Used to form the regular plurals of most masculine nouns and adjectives.
Coordinate term: -es

‎cap + ‎-s → ‎caps

‎fred + ‎-s → ‎freds

Chinese

Etymology

Borrowed from English -s (“plural suffix”).

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Suffix

-s

(Hong Kong Cantonese, neologism, humorous or sarcastic, rare, written only) Used to emphasise that there are multiple instances of the noun
有車s有樓s／有车s有楼s [Cantonese] ― jau⁵ ce¹ jau⁵ lau^4-2 [Jyutping] ― to own cars and flats

Usage notes

May be repeated to further emphasise the number of instances of the noun.

有樓sss／有楼sss [Cantonese] ― jau⁵ lau^4-2 [Jyutping] ― to own many flatsss

References

Victor Chan Haw Fung (1999), Hong Kong English and the Internet (Unpublished MA dissertation), page 40: “Some of these words have plural forms like leng luis in (example 13).”

Czech

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ s]

Particle

-s

alternative form of -si
contraction of auxiliary jsi
Cos to provedla? ― What did you do?

Danish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse -s, originally the genitive singular ending of a-stem nouns. Cognate with Swedish -s.

Particle

-s

Used to form genitive/possessive phrases, attached to the last word in a noun phrase.
Danmarks dronning ― the Queen of Denmark

Københavns snefald ― snowfall in Copenhagen

Dutch

Etymology 1

Unknown. Not present in Old Dutch, which used -a from Proto-Germanic *-ōz as the plural ending. Possibly spread from Middle Low German -s, -es, from Old Saxon -os, -as, from Proto-Germanic *-ōs. Further etymology is unknown, but cognate with Old English -as (English -s).

Suffix

-s pl

Used to form regular plurals of nouns that end in certain suffixes or syllables, such as -el, -er, -en, -em, -eur, -aar, -aard, diminutive -je, etc.
‎bodem + ‎-s → ‎bodems
Used to form irregular plurals of many other nouns, chiefly of foreign origin.
‎telefoon + ‎-s → ‎telefoons

Usage notes

Nouns ending in unstressed -e generally have a plural in -s and one in -n (ziekte > ziektes, ziekten). Individual words, however, allow just one of the two ways.
Most words of Latin origin ending in -um are pluralized with the suffix -s (museum > museums) or by replacing -um with -a (> musea). The latter tends to be preferred in formal style.

Etymology 2

From the genitive case of masculine and neuter nouns and adjectives, Middle Dutch -s, -es, from Old Dutch -es, -is, from Proto-Germanic *-as, *-is.

Suffix

-s

(archaic, except in fixed expressions) Used to form the genitive case of (strong) masculine and neuter nouns.
tijd → de tand des tijds
Used to form the genitive case of proper nouns and some pronouns.
Pieter → Pieters jas

iemand → iemands jas
Used to form the partitive form of the adjective
lief → iets liefs

Derived terms

Dutch terms suffixed with -s

Etymology 3

From earlier -sch, from Middle Dutch -sch, from Old Dutch -isc, from Proto-West Germanic *-isk, from Proto-Germanic *-iskaz (from which also -isch via German), from Proto-Indo-European *-iskos.

Suffix

-s

Used to form adjectives of characteristic from nouns or verbs.
‎winter (“winter”) + ‎-s → ‎winters (“wintery”)

‎spelen (“to play”) + ‎-s → ‎speels (“playful”)
Used to form adjectives or language names from names of nations or countries.
‎Engeland (“England”) + ‎-s → ‎Engels (“English”)

‎Finland (“Finland”) + ‎-s → ‎Fins (“Finnish”)

Etymology 4

Developed from the use of genitive suffix -s to form adverbial phrases of time or modality.

Suffix

-s

Used to form some adverbs
‎ander (“other”) + ‎-s → ‎anders (“otherwise”)

‎zelf (“self”) + ‎-s → ‎zelfs (“even”)

‎maandag (“Monday”) + ‎-s → ‎'s maandags (“on Monday”)

‎willend (“wanting”) + ‎-s → ‎willens (“intentionally”)

Usage notes

The adverbial/adjectival -s combines with other suffixes like:

Derived terms

Etymology 5

From earlier forms such as -sz, -se, -sen; all ultimately from the patronymic use of zoon with a connecting genitival interfix -s-. Bare -s as a patronymic may also represent an underlying patronymic use of dochter, as in the name Neeltje Jansdochter, which could reduce to Neeltje Jans by simple elision of -dochter. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term, particularly:

Suffix

-s

Used to form patronymic surnames.

Alternative forms

-sz, -se, -sse, -sen, -ssen

Derived terms

More at the pages of the various alternative forms listed above, such as -sen.

Dutch terms suffixed with -s (patronymic)

Estonian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *-isa. Related to Finnish -isa, Ingrian -isa, Votic -sa.

Suffix

-s (genitive -sa, partitive -sat, comparative -sam, superlative kõige -sam)

creates adjectives from nouns
‎au (“honour”) + ‎-s → ‎aus (“honest”)

‎ilu (“beauty”) + ‎-s → ‎ilus (“beautiful”)

‎lõbu (“pleasure”) + ‎-s → ‎lõbus (“fun”)

Inflection

Declension of -s (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-sad
accusative	nom.	-s
accusative	gen.	-sa
genitive		-sa	-sate
partitive		-sat	-said
illative		-sasse	-satesse -saisse
inessive		-sas	-sates -sais
elative		-sast	-satest -saist
allative		-sale	-satele -saile
adessive		-sal	-satel -sail
ablative		-salt	-satelt -sailt
translative		-saks	-sateks -saiks
terminative		-sani	-sateni
essive		-sana	-satena
abessive		-sata	-sateta
comitative		-saga	-satega

Derived terms

Estonian terms suffixed with -s (adjectival)

aus

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *-nci.

Suffix

-s (genitive -nda, partitive -ndat)

forms ordinal numbers from cardinal numbers
‎kolm (“three”) + ‎-s → ‎kolmas (“third”)

‎kuus (“six”) + ‎-s → ‎kuues (“sixth”)

Inflection

Declension of -s (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-ndad
accusative	nom.	-s
accusative	gen.	-nda
genitive		-nda	-ndate
partitive		-ndat	-ndaid
illative		-ndasse	-ndatesse -ndaisse
inessive		-ndas	-ndates -ndais
elative		-ndast	-ndatest -ndaist
allative		-ndale	-ndatele -ndaile
adessive		-ndal	-ndatel -ndail
ablative		-ndalt	-ndatelt -ndailt
translative		-ndaks	-ndateks -ndaiks
terminative		-ndani	-ndateni
essive		-ndana	-ndatena
abessive		-ndata	-ndateta
comitative		-ndaga	-ndatega

Derived terms

Estonian terms suffixed with -s (ordinal)

nullis

Finnish

Etymology 1

Contracted from the second-person singular pronoun sa, sä (sinä in modern standard language), but no longer tied to being used in second-person.

Particle

-s (enclitic particle, informal or familiar)

Makes commands or requests more persuasive.
1. Appended to a second-person imperative to give a command or request a slightly rude or impatient tone—the tone may vary depending on the verb and other particles used.
  Kuules nyt! (addressing one person. quite an established expression of frustration, speaker very impatient) ― Now do listen!
  
  Kuulkaas nyt! (addressing many people, same tone as above) ― Now do listen!
  
  Tees nämä tehtävät. (addressing one person, tone less impatient) ― Go do these tasks.
2. Appended to a second-person imperative with the particle -pa/-pä to give a command or request a slightly more persuasive or inspiring tone.
  Laitapas lautaset pöytään. ― Hey, go put the plates on the table.
3. Appended to the impersonal indicative present form to soften the command or request or to make it more persuasive.
  Tehdääs tämä huomenna. ― Let's go do this tomorrow.
Softens questions.
1. Softens questions, such as when the speaker expects the person addressed to know the answer.
  Mikäs se Suomen pääkaupunki olikaan? ― What was Finland's capital again?
  
  Kukas heistä olikaan sinun lapsesi? ― Which of them was your child again?
  
  Eikös Saara opiskele oikeustieteitä? ― Saara studies law, doesn't she?
2. Appended to an interrogative suffix -ko/-kö in order to bring the conversation partner or a person outside the conversation, talked about, emotionally closer to the #speaker, or to create familiarity into the conversation; also to express that closeness or familiarity—translation in English tends to vary; in some cases corresponds to tag questions.
  Jaksatkos sinä? ― You sure you can make it?

Usage notes

When directly attached to forms ending in -n (e.g. impersonal/passive forms), the -n is dropped (e.g. miten → mites).
When attached to imperative forms, the gemination is often ignored, unless another enclitic is also used before -s, like with -pas. Thus laitas /lɑi̯tɑs/, but laitapas /lɑi̯tɑpːɑs/. It may resurface before a vowel, however: laitas auto /lɑi̯tɑs(ː) ɑuto/

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -s (clitic)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *-s, from Proto-Finno-Permic *-kse (compare Erzya and Moksha -кс (-ks, nominalizing suffix)).

Suffix

-s

Forms some nouns.
‎jalka (“foot”) + ‎-s → ‎jalas (“runner, skid”)

‎liha (“meat”) + ‎-s → ‎lihas (“muscle”)
Forms fractional numbers from ordinal numbers.
‎kolmas + ‎-s → ‎kolmannes

Usage notes

(fraction): Usually used when the numerator is one (one third, one fourth, etc.) See the usage notes under osa for more.

Declension

Inflection of -s (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		-s	-kset
genitive		-ksen	-sten -ksien
partitive		-sta	-ksia
illative		-kseen	-ksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-kset
accusative	nom.	-s	-kset
accusative	gen.	-ksen	-kset
genitive		-ksen	-sten -ksien
partitive		-sta	-ksia
inessive		-ksessa	-ksissa
elative		-ksesta	-ksista
illative		-kseen	-ksiin
adessive		-ksella	-ksilla
ablative		-kselta	-ksilta
allative		-kselle	-ksille
essive		-ksena	-ksina
translative		-kseksi	-ksiksi
abessive		-ksetta	-ksitta
instructive		—	-ksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -s (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-kseni	-kseni
accusative	nom.	-kseni	-kseni
accusative	gen.	-kseni	-kseni
genitive		-kseni	-steni -ksieni
partitive		-stani	-ksiani
inessive		-ksessani	-ksissani
elative		-ksestani	-ksistani
illative		-kseeni	-ksiini
adessive		-ksellani	-ksillani
ablative		-kseltani	-ksiltani
allative		-kselleni	-ksilleni
essive		-ksenani	-ksinani
translative		-ksekseni	-ksikseni
abessive		-ksettani	-ksittani
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksesi	-ksesi
accusative	nom.	-ksesi	-ksesi
accusative	gen.	-ksesi	-ksesi
genitive		-ksesi	-stesi -ksiesi
partitive		-stasi	-ksiasi
inessive		-ksessasi	-ksissasi
elative		-ksestasi	-ksistasi
illative		-kseesi	-ksiisi
adessive		-ksellasi	-ksillasi
ablative		-kseltasi	-ksiltasi
allative		-ksellesi	-ksillesi
essive		-ksenasi	-ksinasi
translative		-kseksesi	-ksiksesi
abessive		-ksettasi	-ksittasi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksemme	-ksemme
accusative	nom.	-ksemme	-ksemme
accusative	gen.	-ksemme	-ksemme
genitive		-ksemme	-stemme -ksiemme
partitive		-stamme	-ksiamme
inessive		-ksessamme	-ksissamme
elative		-ksestamme	-ksistamme
illative		-kseemme	-ksiimme
adessive		-ksellamme	-ksillamme
ablative		-kseltamme	-ksiltamme
allative		-ksellemme	-ksillemme
essive		-ksenamme	-ksinamme
translative		-kseksemme	-ksiksemme
abessive		-ksettamme	-ksittamme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksenne	-ksenne
accusative	nom.	-ksenne	-ksenne
accusative	gen.	-ksenne	-ksenne
genitive		-ksenne	-stenne -ksienne
partitive		-stanne	-ksianne
inessive		-ksessanne	-ksissanne
elative		-ksestanne	-ksistanne
illative		-kseenne	-ksiinne
adessive		-ksellanne	-ksillanne
ablative		-kseltanne	-ksiltanne
allative		-ksellenne	-ksillenne
essive		-ksenanne	-ksinanne
translative		-kseksenne	-ksiksenne
abessive		-ksettanne	-ksittanne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksensa	-ksensa
accusative	nom.	-ksensa	-ksensa
accusative	gen.	-ksensa	-ksensa
genitive		-ksensa	-stensa -ksiensa
partitive		-staan -stansa	-ksiaan -ksiansa
inessive		-ksessaan -ksessansa	-ksissaan -ksissansa
elative		-ksestaan -ksestansa	-ksistaan -ksistansa
illative		-kseensa	-ksiinsa
adessive		-ksellaan -ksellansa	-ksillaan -ksillansa
ablative		-kseltaan -kseltansa	-ksiltaan -ksiltansa
allative		-kselleen -ksellensa	-ksilleen -ksillensa
essive		-ksenaan -ksenansa	-ksinaan -ksinansa
translative		-ksekseen -kseksensa	-ksikseen -ksiksensa
abessive		-ksettaan -ksettansa	-ksittaan -ksittansa
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksineen -ksinensa

Inflection of -s (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		-s	-kset
genitive		-ksen	-sten -ksien
partitive		-stä	-ksiä
illative		-kseen	-ksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-kset
accusative	nom.	-s	-kset
accusative	gen.	-ksen	-kset
genitive		-ksen	-sten -ksien
partitive		-stä	-ksiä
inessive		-ksessä	-ksissä
elative		-ksestä	-ksistä
illative		-kseen	-ksiin
adessive		-ksellä	-ksillä
ablative		-kseltä	-ksiltä
allative		-kselle	-ksille
essive		-ksenä	-ksinä
translative		-kseksi	-ksiksi
abessive		-ksettä	-ksittä
instructive		—	-ksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -s (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-kseni	-kseni
accusative	nom.	-kseni	-kseni
accusative	gen.	-kseni	-kseni
genitive		-kseni	-steni -ksieni
partitive		-stäni	-ksiäni
inessive		-ksessäni	-ksissäni
elative		-ksestäni	-ksistäni
illative		-kseeni	-ksiini
adessive		-kselläni	-ksilläni
ablative		-kseltäni	-ksiltäni
allative		-kselleni	-ksilleni
essive		-ksenäni	-ksinäni
translative		-ksekseni	-ksikseni
abessive		-ksettäni	-ksittäni
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksesi	-ksesi
accusative	nom.	-ksesi	-ksesi
accusative	gen.	-ksesi	-ksesi
genitive		-ksesi	-stesi -ksiesi
partitive		-stäsi	-ksiäsi
inessive		-ksessäsi	-ksissäsi
elative		-ksestäsi	-ksistäsi
illative		-kseesi	-ksiisi
adessive		-kselläsi	-ksilläsi
ablative		-kseltäsi	-ksiltäsi
allative		-ksellesi	-ksillesi
essive		-ksenäsi	-ksinäsi
translative		-kseksesi	-ksiksesi
abessive		-ksettäsi	-ksittäsi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksemme	-ksemme
accusative	nom.	-ksemme	-ksemme
accusative	gen.	-ksemme	-ksemme
genitive		-ksemme	-stemme -ksiemme
partitive		-stämme	-ksiämme
inessive		-ksessämme	-ksissämme
elative		-ksestämme	-ksistämme
illative		-kseemme	-ksiimme
adessive		-ksellämme	-ksillämme
ablative		-kseltämme	-ksiltämme
allative		-ksellemme	-ksillemme
essive		-ksenämme	-ksinämme
translative		-kseksemme	-ksiksemme
abessive		-ksettämme	-ksittämme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksenne	-ksenne
accusative	nom.	-ksenne	-ksenne
accusative	gen.	-ksenne	-ksenne
genitive		-ksenne	-stenne -ksienne
partitive		-stänne	-ksiänne
inessive		-ksessänne	-ksissänne
elative		-ksestänne	-ksistänne
illative		-kseenne	-ksiinne
adessive		-ksellänne	-ksillänne
ablative		-kseltänne	-ksiltänne
allative		-ksellenne	-ksillenne
essive		-ksenänne	-ksinänne
translative		-kseksenne	-ksiksenne
abessive		-ksettänne	-ksittänne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ksensä	-ksensä
accusative	nom.	-ksensä	-ksensä
accusative	gen.	-ksensä	-ksensä
genitive		-ksensä	-stensä -ksiensä
partitive		-stään -stänsä	-ksiään -ksiänsä
inessive		-ksessään -ksessänsä	-ksissään -ksissänsä
elative		-ksestään -ksestänsä	-ksistään -ksistänsä
illative		-kseensä	-ksiinsä
adessive		-ksellään -ksellänsä	-ksillään -ksillänsä
ablative		-kseltään -kseltänsä	-ksiltään -ksiltänsä
allative		-kselleen -ksellensä	-ksilleen -ksillensä
essive		-ksenään -ksenänsä	-ksinään -ksinänsä
translative		-ksekseen -kseksensä	-ksikseen -ksiksensä
abessive		-ksettään -ksettänsä	-ksittään -ksittänsä
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-ksineen -ksinensä

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -s (nominal)

-os

-us

-ska

Etymology 3

From Proto-Finnic *-nci, from Proto-Uralic *-mte.

Suffix

-s

Forms ordinal numbers from cardinal numbers, or ordinal pronouns.
‎moni + ‎-s → ‎mones

Usage notes

Added to the genitive singular (weak grade) stem.

Declension

Inflection of -s (Kotus type 45*J/kahdeksas, nt–nn gradation)
nominative		-s	-nnet
genitive		-nnen	-nsien
partitive		-tta	-nsia
illative		-nteen	-nsiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-nnet
accusative	nom.	-s	-nnet
accusative	gen.	-nnen	-nnet
genitive		-nnen	-nsien
partitive		-tta	-nsia
inessive		-nnessa	-nsissa
elative		-nnesta	-nsista
illative		-nteen	-nsiin
adessive		-nnella	-nsilla
ablative		-nnelta	-nsilta
allative		-nnelle	-nsille
essive		-ntena	-nsina
translative		-nneksi	-nsiksi
abessive		-nnetta	-nsitta
instructive		—	-nsin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -s (Kotus type 45*J/kahdeksas, nt–nn gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-nteni	-nteni
accusative	nom.	-nteni	-nteni
accusative	gen.	-nteni	-nteni
genitive		-nteni	-nsieni
partitive		-ttani	-nsiani
inessive		-nnessani	-nsissani
elative		-nnestani	-nsistani
illative		-nteeni	-nsiini
adessive		-nnellani	-nsillani
ablative		-nneltani	-nsiltani
allative		-nnelleni	-nsilleni
essive		-ntenani	-nsinani
translative		-nnekseni	-nsikseni
abessive		-nnettani	-nsittani
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntesi	-ntesi
accusative	nom.	-ntesi	-ntesi
accusative	gen.	-ntesi	-ntesi
genitive		-ntesi	-nsiesi
partitive		-ttasi	-nsiasi
inessive		-nnessasi	-nsissasi
elative		-nnestasi	-nsistasi
illative		-nteesi	-nsiisi
adessive		-nnellasi	-nsillasi
ablative		-nneltasi	-nsiltasi
allative		-nnellesi	-nsillesi
essive		-ntenasi	-nsinasi
translative		-nneksesi	-nsiksesi
abessive		-nnettasi	-nsittasi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntemme	-ntemme
accusative	nom.	-ntemme	-ntemme
accusative	gen.	-ntemme	-ntemme
genitive		-ntemme	-nsiemme
partitive		-ttamme	-nsiamme
inessive		-nnessamme	-nsissamme
elative		-nnestamme	-nsistamme
illative		-nteemme	-nsiimme
adessive		-nnellamme	-nsillamme
ablative		-nneltamme	-nsiltamme
allative		-nnellemme	-nsillemme
essive		-ntenamme	-nsinamme
translative		-nneksemme	-nsiksemme
abessive		-nnettamme	-nsittamme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntenne	-ntenne
accusative	nom.	-ntenne	-ntenne
accusative	gen.	-ntenne	-ntenne
genitive		-ntenne	-nsienne
partitive		-ttanne	-nsianne
inessive		-nnessanne	-nsissanne
elative		-nnestanne	-nsistanne
illative		-nteenne	-nsiinne
adessive		-nnellanne	-nsillanne
ablative		-nneltanne	-nsiltanne
allative		-nnellenne	-nsillenne
essive		-ntenanne	-nsinanne
translative		-nneksenne	-nsiksenne
abessive		-nnettanne	-nsittanne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntensa	-ntensa
accusative	nom.	-ntensa	-ntensa
accusative	gen.	-ntensa	-ntensa
genitive		-ntensa	-nsiensa
partitive		-ttaan -ttansa	-nsiaan -nsiansa
inessive		-nnessaan -nnessansa	-nsissaan -nsissansa
elative		-nnestaan -nnestansa	-nsistaan -nsistansa
illative		-nteensa	-nsiinsa
adessive		-nnellaan -nnellansa	-nsillaan -nsillansa
ablative		-nneltaan -nneltansa	-nsiltaan -nsiltansa
allative		-nnelleen -nnellensa	-nsilleen -nsillensa
essive		-ntenaan -ntenansa	-nsinaan -nsinansa
translative		-nnekseen -nneksensa	-nsikseen -nsiksensa
abessive		-nnettaan -nnettansa	-nsittaan -nsittansa
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsineen -nsinensa

Inflection of -s (Kotus type 45*J/kahdeksas, nt–nn gradation)
nominative		-s	-nnet
genitive		-nnen	-nsien
partitive		-ttä	-nsiä
illative		-nteen	-nsiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-s	-nnet
accusative	nom.	-s	-nnet
accusative	gen.	-nnen	-nnet
genitive		-nnen	-nsien
partitive		-ttä	-nsiä
inessive		-nnessä	-nsissä
elative		-nnestä	-nsistä
illative		-nteen	-nsiin
adessive		-nnellä	-nsillä
ablative		-nneltä	-nsiltä
allative		-nnelle	-nsille
essive		-ntenä	-nsinä
translative		-nneksi	-nsiksi
abessive		-nnettä	-nsittä
instructive		—	-nsin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -s (Kotus type 45*J/kahdeksas, nt–nn gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-nteni	-nteni
accusative	nom.	-nteni	-nteni
accusative	gen.	-nteni	-nteni
genitive		-nteni	-nsieni
partitive		-ttäni	-nsiäni
inessive		-nnessäni	-nsissäni
elative		-nnestäni	-nsistäni
illative		-nteeni	-nsiini
adessive		-nnelläni	-nsilläni
ablative		-nneltäni	-nsiltäni
allative		-nnelleni	-nsilleni
essive		-ntenäni	-nsinäni
translative		-nnekseni	-nsikseni
abessive		-nnettäni	-nsittäni
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntesi	-ntesi
accusative	nom.	-ntesi	-ntesi
accusative	gen.	-ntesi	-ntesi
genitive		-ntesi	-nsiesi
partitive		-ttäsi	-nsiäsi
inessive		-nnessäsi	-nsissäsi
elative		-nnestäsi	-nsistäsi
illative		-nteesi	-nsiisi
adessive		-nnelläsi	-nsilläsi
ablative		-nneltäsi	-nsiltäsi
allative		-nnellesi	-nsillesi
essive		-ntenäsi	-nsinäsi
translative		-nneksesi	-nsiksesi
abessive		-nnettäsi	-nsittäsi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntemme	-ntemme
accusative	nom.	-ntemme	-ntemme
accusative	gen.	-ntemme	-ntemme
genitive		-ntemme	-nsiemme
partitive		-ttämme	-nsiämme
inessive		-nnessämme	-nsissämme
elative		-nnestämme	-nsistämme
illative		-nteemme	-nsiimme
adessive		-nnellämme	-nsillämme
ablative		-nneltämme	-nsiltämme
allative		-nnellemme	-nsillemme
essive		-ntenämme	-nsinämme
translative		-nneksemme	-nsiksemme
abessive		-nnettämme	-nsittämme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntenne	-ntenne
accusative	nom.	-ntenne	-ntenne
accusative	gen.	-ntenne	-ntenne
genitive		-ntenne	-nsienne
partitive		-ttänne	-nsiänne
inessive		-nnessänne	-nsissänne
elative		-nnestänne	-nsistänne
illative		-nteenne	-nsiinne
adessive		-nnellänne	-nsillänne
ablative		-nneltänne	-nsiltänne
allative		-nnellenne	-nsillenne
essive		-ntenänne	-nsinänne
translative		-nneksenne	-nsiksenne
abessive		-nnettänne	-nsittänne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		-ntensä	-ntensä
accusative	nom.	-ntensä	-ntensä
accusative	gen.	-ntensä	-ntensä
genitive		-ntensä	-nsiensä
partitive		-ttään -ttänsä	-nsiään -nsiänsä
inessive		-nnessään -nnessänsä	-nsissään -nsissänsä
elative		-nnestään -nnestänsä	-nsistään -nsistänsä
illative		-nteensä	-nsiinsä
adessive		-nnellään -nnellänsä	-nsillään -nsillänsä
ablative		-nneltään -nneltänsä	-nsiltään -nsiltänsä
allative		-nnelleen -nnellensä	-nsilleen -nsillensä
essive		-ntenään -ntenänsä	-nsinään -nsinänsä
translative		-nnekseen -nneksensä	-nsikseen -nsiksensä
abessive		-nnettään -nnettänsä	-nsittään -nsittänsä
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	-nsineen -nsinensä

Derived terms

Etymology 4

From Proto-Finnic *-s, either reduced from *-kse (translative ending): *-kse > *-ks > *-s, or alternatively from Proto-Uralic *-s (compare Erzya -с (-s) in эйс (ejs, “into”)).

Suffix

-s

Forms lative adverbs.
‎ala- (“below, down, lower”) + ‎-s → ‎alas (“down”)

Derived terms

Etymology 5

From apocope of the final vowel of -ssa, -ssä.

Suffix

-s

(case suffix, colloquial or dialectal) alternative form of -ssa (inessive)

French

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle French -s, from Old French -s, from Latin -os, -es (accusative plural).

Pronunciation

Silent, except in liaison environments, when it may be pronounced /z‿/. This liaison is usual in adjectives, but fairly rare in nouns.
Irregularly pronounced /s/ in tous (“all”) when used as a pronoun.
Audio (liaison): (file)

Suffix

-s

Used to form the regular plurals of most nouns and adjectives.
‎homme + ‎-s → ‎hommes

‎bon + ‎-s → ‎bons
Used to form the irregular plurals of a few nouns and adjectives in -au, -eu (which regularly add -x) and in -al (which regularly make -aux).
‎landau + ‎-s → ‎landaus

‎bleu + ‎-s → ‎bleus

‎carnaval + ‎-s → ‎carnavals

Usage notes

In modern French, usage of -s for plurals of most nouns and adjectives whose singulars end in -al, -au, -eu is proscribed in favor of -x, despite -s being an option in old French.

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle French -s, from Old French -s, from Latin -es, -is (second-person singular).

The spread of this suffix to the first-person singular started out from Old French verbs whose stems happened to end in a sibilant, most notably the regular conjugation in -ir, e.g., je fenis, tu fenis (from Vulgar Latin fin-isc-o, fin-isc-is). In later Old French, final /s/ was only pronounced in liaison and in pausa. This weakened the distinction in those verbs which had originally had -s in the second-person only, but by analogy now began to take it in the first-person as well. The grammarians later on standardised the usage, prescribing -s in some cases and rejecting it in others.

Pronunciation

Silent, except in liaison environments, when it may be pronounced /z‿/. This liaison is optional after full vowels (as in tu dois). After silent -e- (as in tu aimes) it is rare and often discouraged.

Suffix

-s

Used to form the second-person singular of most verb conjugations.
Used to form the first-person singular of some verb conjugations.

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle High German -es, from Old High German [Term?].

Alternative forms

-es
-ens (proper nouns ending with a sibilant consonant; dated)
-' (proper nouns ending with a sibilant consonant)
-'s (common nouns; now proscribed)
-'s (proper nouns; correct in certain cases, but often seen as a misspelling)

Suffix

-s

used to form the genitive singular of most masculine nouns, neuter nouns, and proper nouns of all genders

Usage notes

The formation of the strong genitive singular (in -s, -es, or no ending) may be of some difficulty both for learners and native speakers.

Only one form is possible in some nouns:

Nouns in unstressed -as, -es,- is, -os, -us remain unchanged (except those in -nis, which make -nisses).
Other nouns in -s, -ß, -x, -z take -es.
Nouns ending in a vowel or in unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er, -or, -um take -s. (Only those in a diphthong or in -h allow -es, alternatively.)
Nouns forming their plural in -s take the same ending also in the genitive singular. (Apparent exceptions will generally have an alternative plural in -e.)

Otherwise, both forms are usually correct, but certain tendencies can be observed:

The es-form is strongly preferred in a number of frequently used monosyllables, to the degree that the s-form may even sound odd. No hard rule can be given to identify these nouns; they include e.g. Land, Mann, Weg, etc.
The es-form is also preferred, for euphonic reasons, in words ending in certain clusters like -pf, -sch, -st.
Most other monosyllables have no clear preference.
The s-form is usually preferred in polysyllables, regardless of their being simple or compound and regardless also of stress patterns.

Note, finally, that there is a fairly strong tendency for proper nouns (used with the article) and for newer or less common loanwords to remain unchanged in the genitive singular.

Etymology 2

Probably derived from the genitive -s (etymology 1), but developed into a noun-forming suffix in German Low German and Central German dialects.

Suffix

-s m

used to form instance nouns from verb stems
‎klacken + ‎-s → ‎Klacks

‎schnappen + ‎-s → ‎Schnaps
(regional) used to form paragogic byforms of nouns describing a mass
‎Zeug + ‎-s → ‎Zeugs

‎Pampe + ‎-s → ‎Pamps

Usage notes

Most common for imitative or other sound-representing verbs, though it can be ambiguous whether the -s is the noun suffix or the result of a deverbal from -sen.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Middle Low German [Term?]. Reinforced by the fact that French and English also use -s as a plural suffix.

Alternative forms

-'s (now proscribed)
-ens (family names ending with a sibilant consonant)

Suffix

-s

Used to form the plurals of some nouns.
Used to form the plurals of personal names, particularly family names.

Usage notes

The plural ending -s is most typical of loanwords (as in Schals, Parfüms, Videos), though there is a tendency for naturalised loanwords to switch to -e or -en (compare Generäle, Lifte, Pizzen with older Generals, Lifts, Pizzas). Conversely, -s is also used in a certain number of native words (as in Fräuleins, Mädels, Uhus). Moreover, it is the most productive plural marker in contemporary German, typically used to pluralise initialisms (LKWs), neologisms (Honks), and words that do not otherwise have a common plural form (Streits).

Etymology 4

Derived from the genitive -s (etymology 1), originally as an adverbial genitive (compare e.g. eines Tages).

Suffix

-s

Used to form adverbs from nouns:
‎der Tag (“the day”) + ‎-s → ‎tags (“in the daytime”)

‎die Nacht (“the night”) + ‎-s → ‎nachts (“by night”)

‎der Anfang (“the beginning”) + ‎-s → ‎anfangs (“initially”)
Sometimes used to form adverbs from adjectives:
‎bereit (“ready”) + ‎-s → ‎bereits (“already”)

‎link (“left”) + ‎-s → ‎links (“on the left”)

Hungarian

Etymology

Presumably can be traced back to a Proto-Uralic *-ć suffix.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ʃ]
Audio: (file)

Suffix

-s

(adjective-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an adjective meaning "having something, a quality"; sometimes referred to as ornative.
‎só (“salt”) + ‎-s → ‎sós (“salty”)
(noun-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an occupation or a collective noun.
‎hajó (“ship”) + ‎-s → ‎hajós (“sailor”)
(number-forming suffix) Added to a cardinal number to form a digit or figure, cf. the relevant template.
‎nulla (“zero”) + ‎-s → ‎nullás (“the digit or figure 0”)
(frequentative suffix, obsolete) Forms verbs with repetitive meaning. In today's Hungarian language, it is completely obsolete, and its old derivatives are also obscured, e.g. olvas (“to read”), keres (“to seek”), futos (“to run around”).

Usage notes

(all senses) Variants:
-s is added to words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-. Final -e changes to -é-.

-os is added to some back-vowel words ending in a consonant

-as is added to other back-vowel words ending in a consonant

-es is added to unrounded (and some rounded) front-vowel words ending in a consonant

-ös is added to most rounded front-vowel words ending in a consonant

Derived terms

-us

Hungarian adjectives suffixed with -s

0-s

References

^ -s in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN. (See also its 2nd edition.)

Icelandic

Etymology

Inherited from Old Norse -s, originally the genitive singular ending of a-stem nouns and adjectives.

Suffix

-s

genitive singular ending of most strong masculine nouns
Synonym: -ar

‎fiskur m (“fish”) + ‎-s → ‎fisks

‎jökull m (“glacier”) + ‎-s → ‎jökuls

‎svefn m (“sleep”) + ‎-s → ‎svefns
genitive singular ending of a few strong feminine nouns
‎hús n (“house”) + ‎-s → ‎húss

‎vitni n (“witness”) + ‎-s → ‎vitnis
genitive singular masculine/neuter strong of -ur (most adjectives)
‎góður (“good”) + ‎-s → ‎góðs

‎latur (“lazy”) + ‎-s → ‎lats

Ingrian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *-ssa. Cognates include Finnish -ssa and Estonian -s.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-sːɑ/, [-s̠ːɑ], /-sːæ/, [-s̠ːæ]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-ʃ]

Suffix

-s

Used to form the inessive case; in, inside

Usage notes

May trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.

Inflection

Possessive forms of -s
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	-ssaan	-ssamme
2nd person	-ssaas	-ssanne
3rd person	-ssaa	-ssasse

Etymology 2

From Proto-Finnic *-nci, from Proto-Uralic *-mte. Cognates include Finnish -s and Estonian -s.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-s̠]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-ʃ]

Suffix

-s

Used to form ordinal numbers from cardinal numbers; -th

Declension

Declension of -s (type 2/kolmas, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	-s	-nnet
genitive	-nnen	-nsiin
partitive	-ttä	-nsiä
illative	-ntee	-nsii
inessive	-nnees	-nsiis
elative	-nnest	-nsist
allative	-nnelle	-nsille
adessive	-nneel	-nsiil
ablative	-nnelt	-nsilt
translative	-nneks	-nsiks
essive	-ntennä, -nteen	-nsiinnä, -nsiin
exessive¹⁾	-nnent	-nsint
¹⁾ obsolete ^) the accusative* corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) ^) the comitative** is formed by adding the suffix -ka^? or -kä^? to the genitive.

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *-ci, from Proto-Uralic *-ti. Cognates include Finnish -si.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-s̠]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-ʃ]

Suffix

-s

(obsolete) Used to mark the possession of the second person singular; thy, your
- 1936, D. I. Efimov, Lukukirja: Inkeroisia alkușkouluja vart (ensimäine osa), Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:
  Niin mamallees i saoki.
  Just say so to your mother.

Usage notes

May trigger vowel elongation of the preceding vowel.

Inflection

Possessive forms of -s
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	-n	-mme
2nd person	-s	-nne
3rd person	-V	-sse

Etymology 4

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *-s. Cognates include Finnish -s.

Pronunciation

(Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-s̠]
(Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-s/, [-ʃ]

Suffix

-s

(no longer productive) Used to form nouns from other nouns
‎ohja (“rein”) + ‎-s → ‎ohjas (“rein”)

Declension

(back-vocalic)

Declension of -s (type 2/petos, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	-s	-kset
genitive	-ksen	-ksiin
partitive	-sta, -st	-ksia
illative	-ksee	-ksii
inessive	-ksees	-ksiis
elative	-ksest	-ksist
allative	-kselle	-ksille
adessive	-kseel	-ksiil
ablative	-kselt	-ksilt
translative	-kseks	-ksiks
essive	-ksenna, -kseen	-ksinna, -ksiin
exessive¹⁾	-ksent	-ksint
¹⁾ obsolete ^) the accusative* corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) ^) the comitative** is formed by adding the suffix -ka^? or -kä^? to the genitive.

(front-vocalic)

Declension of -s (type 2/petos, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	-s	-kset
genitive	-ksen	-ksiin
partitive	-stä, -st	-ksiä
illative	-ksee	-ksii
inessive	-ksees	-ksiis
elative	-ksest	-ksist
allative	-kselle	-ksille
adessive	-kseel	-ksiil
ablative	-kselt	-ksilt
translative	-kseks	-ksiks
essive	-ksennä, -kseen	-ksinnä, -ksiin
exessive¹⁾	-ksent	-ksint
¹⁾ obsolete ^) the accusative* corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) ^) the comitative** is formed by adding the suffix -ka^? or -kä^? to the genitive.

Derived terms

Ingrian terms suffixed with -s

References

V. I. Junus (1936), Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[2], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 43

Karelian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Finnic *-ci, from Proto-Uralic *-ti. Cognates include Finnish -si.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Suffix

-s

Used to mark the possession of the second person; thy, your
jalka (“leg”) → jalkas (“your leg(s)”)

Derived terms

Category Karelian terms suffixed with -s not found

References

P. M. Zaykov (1999), Грамматика Карельского языка (фонетика и морфология) [Grammar of the Karelian language (phonetics and morphology)] (in Russian), →ISBN, page 47

Kashubian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe

Proto-Indo-European *ís

Proto-Indo-European *ḱís

Proto-Balto-Slavic *śís

Proto-Slavic *sьder.

Kashubian -s

Derived from Proto-Slavic *sь.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Suffix

-s

attached to pronouns with an indefinite meaning; some-
‎chto (“who”) + ‎-s → ‎chtos (“someone”)

Derived terms

Kashubian terms suffixed with -s

cos

Latin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-European *-s. Cognate with Ancient Greek -ς (-s).

Suffix

-s

suffix marking the nominative singular form of non-neuter nouns and adjectives in declensions other than the first.

Usage notes

The suffix appears most obviously in the third declension, as in urbs. Stem-final consonants are often modified or deleted before the suffix: for example, ‎lēg- (“law”) + ‎-s → ‎lēx (“law”, nominative singular) and ‎dent- (“tooth”) + ‎-s → ‎dēns (“tooth”, nominative singular). Etymologically, the Latin third declension includes both original consonant-stem nouns and i-stem nouns, but these two classes are not consistently distinguished in the nominative singular. Many nominative forms that originally ended in *-is were shortened by syncope or analogy (e.g. *ǵénh₁tis > gēns), while some nominative forms of original consonant-stem nouns had -is added by analogy (e.g. *ḱwṓ and *h₂yéwHō were replaced in Latin with canis and iuvenis, respectively). The ending -s usually does not appear in the nominative singular of n-stem, r-stem, or l-stem nouns. Most non-neuter n-stems instead drop the -n- and take the ending -ō̆ in the nominative singular (such as homō̆, hominis or carō̆, carnis); a smaller set end in -n in the nominative singular (as in tībīcen, tībīcinis); -s appears only in a handful of exceptional nouns such as canis, iuvenis, sanguī̆s. R-stem and l-stem nouns (such as āctor, cōnsul) normally have nominative singular forms ending in -r or -l respectively. Latin nominative singular forms that end in -ns, -rs or -ls are derived by consonant cluster simplification from stems ending in -t(i)- or -d(i)- (e.g. mōns, montis; pars, partis; puls, pultis).

Second declension non-neuter nominative singular forms originally ended in the suffix -s preceded by the Indo-European thematic vowel *-o-. Because of vowel reduction, Proto-Italic *-os developed regularly to Classical Latin -us, which is often interpreted as a nominative suffix of its own (an example of rebracketing) rather than a sequence of stem-final vowel + -s. Likewise, in the fourth declension and fifth declension, -s is always preceded by the characteristic vowels of these declensions (-u- and -ē- respectively), with the result that -us and -ēs are frequently regarded as nominative singular suffixes for these declensions.

The suffix -s generally appears only on non-neuter nominative/vocative forms, but it is found in the neuter nominative/vocative/accusative singular of third declension adjectives "of one termination". From an etymological perspective, third-declension neuter nouns such as genus, generis that end in -s in the nominative singular alternating with -r- in oblique forms do not end in this suffix: rather, they are derived from stems that originally ended in the consonant *s (which was changed to -r- by rhotacism when followed by a suffix starting with a vowel).

Derived terms

Low German

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Low German -es, from Old Saxon -es, the masculine and neuter genitive singular ending of strong nouns.

Suffix

-s

(archaic) Used to form the genitive case of (strong) masculine and neuter nouns.
(rare) Used to form the genitive case of proper nouns.
Used to form the partitive form of the adjective
groot → wat groots
Used to form adverbs
Nacht → nachts

Lushootseed

Suffix

-s

his, hers, theirs

Manx

Alternative forms

-ish, -sh

Etymology

From Old Irish -sa (first person singular) and -su (second person singular).

Suffix

-s

-self (emphatic)

Usage notes

Added to prepositional pronouns (ending in a broad consonant) to add emphasis:
- Used in first-person singular: (e.g., lhiams).
- Used in second-person singular: (e.g., orts).

Middle English

Etymology 1

Suffix

-s

alternative form of -es (plural suffix)

Etymology 2

Suffix

-s

alternative form of -es (genitive suffix)

Etymology 3

Suffix

-s

alternative form of -es (adverbial suffix)

Middle Welsh

Etymology

From oblique forms of Proto-Celtic *es, *sindos, *sondos. Cognate with Old Irish -us and s- (third-person feminine singular and all genders plural affixed pronoun).

Suffix

-s

him, her, it, them

Usage notes

Suffixed to particles and conjunctions.

Derived terms

Middle Welsh terms suffixed with -s

canis

Mohawk

Suffix

-s

habitual verb suffix
1. in verbal nouns: -er
2. in adjectival verbs, indicates that the subject is not singular

References

Nora Deering; Helga H. Delisle (1976), Mohawk: A teaching grammar (preliminary version), Quebec: Manitou College, page 439

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From English -s.

Suffix

-s

Used to form plurals of nouns; -s.

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Samic *-s.

Suffix

-s

Forms nouns indicating a material.
Forms collective numbers from ordinal numbers, indicating a group.
‎golbma (“three”) + ‎-s → ‎golmmas (“trio; group of three”)

Usage notes

This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable in the nominative singular and essive, and the strong grade in the other forms.

Inflection

Odd, no gradation

Nominative

-s

Genitive

-sa

Singular

Plural

Nominative

-s

-sat

Accusative

-sa

-siid

Genitive

-sa

Illative

Locative

Comitative

Essive

Possessive forms
	Singular	Dual	Plural
1st person	-san	-seamẹ	-seamẹt
2nd person	-sat	-seattẹ	-seattẹt
3rd person	-sis	-seaskkạ	-seasẹt

Derived terms

Northern Sami terms suffixed with -s (material)

bánis

Northern Sami terms suffixed with -s (collective)

Etymology 2

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

Suffix

-s

Forms adverbs of manner from adjectives.
‎buorre (“good”) + ‎-s → ‎būres (“well”)

Usage notes

This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable.

Derived terms

Northern Sami terms suffixed with -s (manner adverb)

bures

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Samic *-ksë. Cognate with the Finnish translative ending -ksi.

Suffix

-s

Forms adverbs indicating direction or a span of time.
‎davvi (“north”) + ‎-s → ‎davás (“northwards”)

‎dálvi (“winter”) + ‎-s → ‎dálvvás (“for the winter”)

Usage notes

This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable.

Derived terms

Northern Sami terms suffixed with -s (direction adverb)

agás

davás

dálvvás

Etymology 4

From a merger of two older case endings:

Inessive, Proto-Samic *-snē. Cognate with Finnish -ssa.
Elative, Proto-Samic *-stē. Cognate with Finnish -sta.

Suffix

-s

The ending of the locative singular case.

Usage notes

This suffix triggers the weak grade on a preceding stressed syllable.

When possessive suffixes are attached, the suffix reverts to its earlier form -st- (for even-syllable stems) or -stti- (for odd-syllable stems).

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Inherited from Danish -s, from Old Norse -sk, a grammaticalisation of Proto-Germanic *sek (reflexive pronoun).

Suffix

-s

Attached to the infinitive of a verb to form the synthetic passive form (used as infinitive and present tense).
‎kaste (“to throw”) + ‎-s → ‎kastes (“to be thrown; am/are/is thrown”)

‎slå (“to hit”) + ‎-s → ‎slås (“to be hit; am/are/is hit”)
(chiefly in deponent verbs) Attached to some other verb forms.
finnes (“to be there”), fins (“is there”), fantes (“was there”), har funnes (“has been there”)

Usage notes

Simple past forms of normal passives (which are possible in Danish and even entirely usual in Swedish) are generally considered obsolete and nonstandard in Bokmål. However, in some verbs whose simple pasts end in -e, one may still encounter such forms; for example, bygdes (“was built”), kaltes (“was called”), søktes (“was sought”).

Etymology 2

Inherited from Danish -s, from Old Norse -s, originally the genitive-singular ending of (masculine and neuter) a-stem nouns.

Particle

-s

's; used to form genitive (possessive) phrases.
mine barns klær ― my children’s clothes

Usage notes

The reason for considering this a particle rather than a suffix is the same as in English, namely that it always attaches to the last word of a noun phrase, not necessarily that word which refers to the possessor. For example: mannen i gatas mening (“the man in the street’s opinion”), where the possessor is obviously mannen (“the man”), but the noun phrase is mannen i gata and therefore the genitive marker attaches to gata (“the street”). While there is no fundamental rule that suffixes cannot behave this way, no other suffix does in the Germanic languages.
When the word already ends in a sibilant, only an apostrophe is added: hus > hus’. It is incorrect to use an apostrophe before the -s. When the word ends in the neuter definite suffix -et, the silent ⟨t⟩ becomes audible: huset [ˈhʉːsə] > husets [ˈhʉːsəts].
The genitive is very frequent in written Bokmål (more so than in English). In colloquial speech it is much rarer and even almost entirely avoided by some speakers (similarly to German, but unlike Danish and Swedish).

Ojibwe

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Algonquian *-ehs. Cognate to Plains Cree -is.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Suffix

-s

Diminutive suffix for small animals
Affective suffix for kinship terms

Derived terms

Ojibwe terms suffixed with -s

namegos

zhingos

References

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/s-final

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *-issju, *-ussju, from Proto-Germanic *-isjō, *-usjō.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Suffix

-s

(often affects the value or quality of preceding consonants, may or may not cause i-mutation) Feminine noun suffix forming nouns from adjectives and verbs
‎milde (“gentle, mild”) + ‎-s → ‎milts (“mercy”) (earlier milds)

‎līþe (“gentle, limber”) + ‎-s → ‎liss (“grace”) (earlier liþs)

‎cweþan (“to say, speak”) + ‎-s → ‎cwiss (“a saying”) (earlier cwiþs)

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	-s	-sa, -se
accusative	-se	-sa, -se
genitive	-se	-sa
dative	-se	-sum

Old French

Alternative forms

-z (for most words that do not end in -e)

Suffix

-s

indicates a nominative singular of a masculine noun or adjective
indicates an oblique plural of a masculine noun or adjective
indicates a (nominative or oblique) plural of a feminine noun or adjective

Descendants

Middle French: -s
- French: -s

Pipil

Suffix

-s

(no longer productive) Forms nouns from verbs, indicating the activity of the verb

Synonyms

Portuguese

Pronunciation

(Portugal, Northeast Brazil, Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʃ/
(Central-South Brazil) IPA^(key): /s/

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

-es (after certain consonants and nasal vowels)

Suffix

-s (non-lemma form of noun-forming suffix or adjective-forming suffix)

used to form the regular plural of nouns and adjectives, especially those that end in vowels
- 2007, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e as Relíquias da Morte [Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows] (Harry Potter; 7), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 308:
  Você notou os cabelos dela, são negros e brilhantes e macios...
  Did you notice her hair, it's dark and bright and soft...

Usage notes

-s vs. -es vs. non-use:

After l ([ɫ] [l], [w]), -s is used and the l is replaced with i ([j]): pastel → pastéis, capital → capitais,
- A scattering of exceptions have or allow -es after l, the most common being mal → males
- After stressed il, -s is used and the l is dropped: hostil → hostis, canil → canis
- After unstressed il, the ending becomes -eis: réptil → répteis, projétil → projéteis
- In sporadic and strongly proscribed Brazilian usage, the same rules are applied to words that end in a vowel + u or o ([w]): degrau → * degrais, troféu → * troféis
After s:
- -es if the word is stressed in the last syllable: convés → conveses, anis → anises
- not used otherwise: status → status, íris → íris
after m, -s is used and the m becomes n; this is an orthographic process, since in both cases the final consonant marks vowel nasalisation: dom → dons
after n, either, but -es is more common in dialects where it is produced as /n/ rather than vowel nasalisation: hífen → hifens or hífenes
after r and z, -es is used
after vowels and semivowels, -s is used
- the plural of words ending in -ão can be -ões (by far the most common), -ãos (usually masculines with a feminine in -ã) or -ães (only a handful of words)
loanwords usually follow the same rules: mouse → mouses, ópera → óperas
- in recent English loanwords ending in r, and occasionally in loans from other languages, -s is used: player → players
- unadapted loanwords ending in unusual consonants usually take -s or no morpheme: ankh → ankhs, flood → floods, spam → spam or spams
- rarely, and often alongside a regular form, the plural from the original language is used: campus → campi (also campus), mafioso → mafiosi (more commonly mafiosos), gol → gols (very rarely goles or gois)
- after x, Hellenisms and Latinisms are usually unchanged (following the rule for words ending in s), but sometimes have -es and the x becomes c (/s/), especially in Brazilian Portuguese: tórax → tórax, clímax → clímax or clímaces
more often than not, surnames do not take an extra morpheme in the plural; when they do, they are usually Portuguese surnames with recognisable Portuguese morphemes: o Ferreira → os Ferreira or os Ferreiras
names of peoples that do not contain Portuguese endings usually do not take the plural morpheme: polaco → polacos; ashanti → ashanti or ashantis (less common)

In informal varieties of Brazilian Portuguese, a noun phrase may take a single plural marker, usually in the article. For example, “the big houses” may be as casa grande where standard Portuguese requires as casas grandes. This usage is very widespread, however, it is proscribed and generally regarded as unacceptable in formal contexts and in serious writing.

In some words that end in O and have a stressed /o/ in the penult, the stressed vowel becomes /ɔ/ in the plural. See Category:Portuguese nouns with metaphony.

Colloquial Brazilian Portuguese allows /j/ to be added before /s/ in words stressed in their final syllables. This is blocked by morpheme boundaries, such that nós (“we”) may be pronounced /nɔjs/, but nós (“knots”) can only be pronounced as /nɔs/. vocês and colloquial forms cês and ocês are an exception to this rule, and can be pronounced /voˈsejs/. Note that this process is usually avoided in formal speech.

Etymology 2

Suffix

-s

(Brazil, slang) used to form slangier forms of certain words
‎foi mal (“sorry”) + ‎-s → ‎foi mals (“soz”)

‎grande coisa (“big deal”) + ‎-s → ‎grandes coisa (“biggie”)

‎valeu (“thank you”) + ‎-s → ‎valeus (“thanks”)

Quechua

Alternative forms

-si (after consonants)
-sh

Suffix

-s

Evidential suffix, second-hand information. Indicates that the speaker has not directly experienced the information at hand; hearsay
Qusqumantas kanki. ― (They say that) you are from Cusco.

Inisqa qayna ñañantas watukusqan. ― Inez visited her sister yesterday (so I heard).

Spanish

Etymology

Derived from the Latin accusative plural endings (-ās, -ōs, -ēs).

Suffix

-s

Used to form the regular plural of nouns and adjectives which end in vowels.
‎amigo (“friend”) + ‎-s → ‎amigos (“friends”)

‎cocina (“kitchen”) + ‎-s → ‎cocinas (“kitchens”)

Related terms

-es

Swedish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Swedish -s, from Old Norse -s, originally the genitive singular ending of a-stem nouns. Cognate with Danish -s. The frequent use of the suffix in written and modern colloquial Swedish is possibly the result of foreign influence, either Latin or Middle Low German.

Suffix

-s (clitic)

Used to form genitive phrases, attached to the last word in a noun phrase.

Related terms

-s-

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Norse -sk, a grammaticalisation of Proto-Germanic *sek (reflexive pronoun).

Suffix

-s

(productive) Used to form the passive voice of verbs.
Bilen kör. ― The car drives.

Bilen körs. ― The car is (being) driven.

Bilen körde. ― The car drove.

Bilen kördes. ― The car was (being) driven.

Bilen har kört. ― The car has driven. (For illustration. Would sound a bit odd in most contexts, like in English.)

Bilen har körts. ― The car has been driven.

Grisen äter. ― The pig eats.

Grisen äts. ― The pig is (being) eaten.
- 1995, Peter Grönvall, Maria Rådsten, Nanne Grönvall, “Det vackraste [The Most Beautiful Thing ["thing" from being nominalized]]”‎^[3]performed by Cecilia Vennersten:
  Det är en rikedom att få älska och att älskas.
  It is a great wealth to get to love and to be loved.
(chiefly unproductive) Used to form the middle (reflexive and reciprocal) voice of verbs.
Jag mötte honom. ― I met him.

Vi möttes. ― We met up. (literally, “We met each other.”)

Han slog mig. ― He hit me.

Vi slogs. ― We fought. (literally, “We hit each other.”)
(by extension) Used with certain transitive verbs, but without an object, to indicate a habitual or natural action.
Var försiktig! Hästen sparkas. ― Be careful! The horse kicks [has a disposition to kick].

Hunden bits. ― The dog bites [habitually].

Han knuffas mycket. ― He pushes people a lot.

Usage notes

Until the middle of the 20th century, the variant suffix -es was used to mark the present passive of all -er verbs of the second and fourth conjugations. This usage is mostly considered archaic today, but -es is still used for -er verbs whose stems end in s.
See also vara (“be”), which forms a passive voice for states or completed actions.
Verbs with the suffix -s that are not passive (including those in 2 and 3 above) are called deponent verbs. In such cases, the passive reading is often also possible. For example, vi slogs might also mean “we were hit” and hunden bits might mean “the dog is bitten”. However, such readings would be unintuitive unless suggested by the context.

Etymology 3

Mostly from English -s.

Suffix

-s

(chiefly colloquial, often proscribed) Used to form the plural form of some words, mostly loanwords
‎partner + ‎-s → ‎partners

‎fan + ‎-s → ‎fans

‎taco + ‎-s → ‎tacos

Etymology 4

Originally from Old Swedish -s, a genitive suffix. Many of the examples are later analogically derived from each other.

Suffix

-s

Used to derive some adverbs from nouns or adjectives
‎söndag (“Sunday”) + ‎-s → ‎i söndags (“last Sunday”)
(colloquial) Used to form an adverbial participle from a present participle in -ande, -ende
‎skrattande (“laughing”) + ‎-s → ‎skrattandes

Hon gick bort skrattandes. ― She went away laughing.

Alternative forms

-as, -se, -es

Derived terms

-s

-as

-se

-es

References

-s in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Tagalog

Etymology

Etymology tree

Old English -as

Middle English -es

English -sbor.

Tagalog -s

Borrowed from English -s, from Middle English -es, from Old English -as.

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /s/ [s]

Suffix

-s (Baybayin spelling ᜐ᜔) (slang, generally humorous)

suffix added in slang, especially in place of reduplication
‎pwede + ‎-s → ‎pweds

Derived terms

Welsh

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English -s.

Pronunciation

(North Wales) IPA^(key): /s/
(South Wales) IPA^(key): /s/, /z/

Suffix

-s

Used to form plural nouns.
Synonyms: -aid, -aint, -au, -ed, -edd, -en, -i, -iaid, -iau, -ion, -od, -oedd, -on, -ydd, -yr, -ys

‎bàth (“bath”) + ‎-s → ‎baths (“baths”)

‎tomato (“tomato”) + ‎-s → ‎tomatos (“tomatoes”)

‎gwdihŵ (“owl”) + ‎-s → ‎gwdihŵs (“owls”)

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -s

Etymology 2

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só (“that”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /s/

Pronoun

-s

(literary, otherwise obsolete) him, her, it, them
Nis gwelais erioed.
I never saw him/her/it/them.

Dyna ymadrodd nas clywir yn aml.
That is a phrase which is not often heard.
(literally, “There is a phrase which one does not hear [it] often.”)

Nid yw iaith yn fyw onis defnyddir.
The language is not alive unless it is used. (literally, “…unless one uses it.”)
- 1588, Y Beibl cyssegr-lan, 1 Corinthians 2:7,8:
  Eithr yr ydym ni yn llefaru doethineb Duw mewn dirgelwch, sef y ddoethineb guddiedig, yr hon a ragordeiniodd Duw cyn yr oesoedd i’n gogoniant ni: yr hon nid adnabu neb o dywysogion y byd hwn: oherwydd pes adwaenasent, ni chroeshoeliasent Arglwydd y gogoniant.
  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Usage notes

Found only in formal language after certain vowel-final preverbal particles, such as ni, na, oni and pe. After other vowel-final preverbal particles, such as fe, a and y, singular 'i and plural 'u are used instead.

Derived terms

os (“if”)

References

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

[1] Herbert Schendl (2000), “The third person present plural in Shakespeare’s First Folio: A case of interaction of morphology and syntax?”, in Words: Structure, meaning, function. A festschrift for Dieter Kastovsky, Berlin: Mouton de Gruyte, pages 263-276

[2] Matzinger, J. (2016), Die sekundären nominalen Wortbildungsmuster im Altalbanischen bei Gjon Buzuku: Ein Beitrag zur altalbanischen Lexikographie (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, →JSTOR, page 167

[3] Hyllested, A.; Joseph, B. D. (2022), “Albanian”, in Olander, T., editor, The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 228

[4] -s in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN. (See also its 2nd edition.)

[1]

[1]

[2]

[1]

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Suffix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Suffix

Usage notes

See also

References

Etymology 3

Suffix

Derived terms

Etymology 4

Alternative forms

Suffix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Etymology 5

Suffix

Derived terms

Related terms

Etymology 6

Verb

Derived terms

Afrikaans

Etymology 1

Suffix

Etymology 2

Suffix

Etymology 3

Suffix

Etymology 4

Suffix

Albanian

Etymology

Suffix

Usage notes

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Catalan

Etymology

Pronunciation

Suffix

Chinese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Suffix

Usage notes

References

Czech

Pronunciation

Particle

Danish

Etymology

Particle

Dutch

Etymology 1

Suffix

Usage notes

Etymology 2

Suffix

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Suffix

Etymology 4

Suffix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Etymology 5

Suffix

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Estonian

Etymology 1