Where does “j'ai” come from?
j'ai (French) comes from French je, from Middle French je, from Old French je, from Vulgar Latin eo, from Latin egō, from Proto-Italic egō, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.
Ancestry of “j'ai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | je | I |
| 2 | Middle French | je | Alternative form of ie |
| 3 | Old French | je | I |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | eo | I go, I move; I advance, I proceed, I progress; I... |
| 5 | Latin | egō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | egō | I |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |