basic irish: a grammar and workbook - readers stuffz

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BASIC IRISH A GRAMMAR AND WORKBOOK

Basic Irish A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible referencegrammar and related exercises in a single volume

This workbook presents twenty-five individual grammar points in realisticcontexts providing a grammatical approach which will allow students notalready familiar with these structures to become accustomed to their useGrammar points are followed by examples and exercises allowing studentsto reinforce and consolidate their learning

Basic Irish provides an ideal introduction to the modern language withinsights into the related culture For use in the classroom or for theindependent learner this workbook enables the student to communicateaccurately and effectively in a wide variety of situations

Key features include

bull Irish to English and English to Irish glossaries

bull useful exercises with full answer key

bull focused practice on each grammar point

Basic Irish is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners and alsofor students with some knowledge of the language

Nancy Stenson is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Minnesotawhere she has taught both linguistics and Irish-language classes

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Other titles available in the Grammar Workbook series are

Basic CantoneseIntermediate Cantonese

Basic ChineseIntermediate Chinese

Basic GermanIntermediate German

Basic Italian

Basic PolishIntermediate Polish

Basic RussianIntermediate Russian

Basic SpanishIntermediate Spanish

Basic WelshIntermediate Welsh

Titles of related interest published by Routledge

Intermediate Irish A Grammar and Workbook (forthcoming 2008)By Nancy Stenson

Colloquial Irish (forthcoming 2008)By Thomas Ihde Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew John Gillen and Maire Ni Neachtain

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BASIC IRISHA GRAMMAR ANDWORKBOOK

Nancy Stenson

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First published 2008by Routledge2 Park Square Milton Park Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canadaby Routledge270 Madison Ave New York NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group an informa business

copy 2008 Nancy Stenson

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronicmechanical or other means now known or hereafter inventedincluding photocopying and recording or in any informationstorage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataStenson Nancy

Basic Irish a grammar and workbookNancy Stensonp cm

1 Irish languagendashGrammar I TitlePB1223S74 20074916prime282421ndashdc22 2007023597

ISBN10 0ndash415ndash41041ndashX (pbk)ISBN10 0ndash203ndash92737ndash0 (ebk)

ISBN13 978ndash0ndash415ndash41041ndash0 (pbk)ISBN13 978ndash0ndash203ndash92737ndash3 (ebk)

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9

1011

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2011

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3011

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4011

123

41111

This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2007

ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis or Routledgersquoscollection of thousands of eBooks please go to wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo

ISBN 0-203-92737-0 Master e-book ISBN

CONTENTS

Introduction vii

Unit 1 Spelling and pronunciation 1

Unit 2 Word order and simple sentences 9

Unit 3 Initial mutations lenition 17

Unit 4 Other mutations 23

Unit 5 Nouns and articles 31

Unit 6 Noun classes and cases 41

Unit 7 Personal names 53

Unit 8 Place-names 61

Unit 9 Prepositions I 67

Unit 10 Basic numbers 77

Unit 11 Verbs I Present tense of regular verbs 83

Unit 12 Verbs II Future tense of regular verbs 91

Unit 13 Verbs III Past tense 99

Unit 14 Irregular verbs I 107

Unit 15 Irregular verbs II 117

Unit 16 The verb biacute 125

Unit 17 The copula is 135

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Unit 18 Other copula structures 145

Unit 19 Verbal nouns I 151

Unit 20 Verbal nouns II 159

Unit 21 Adjectives 169

Unit 22 Pronouns 177

Unit 23 Prepositions II More prepositional pronouns 185

Unit 24 Possession and ownership 193

Unit 25 Verbal adjectives and the present perfect 203

IrishndashEnglish and EnglishndashIrish glossaries 211

vi Contents

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INTRODUCTION

Study of Irish is on the increase around the world sometimes in quiteunexpected places as a former student of mine learned when a child sellingpostcards at Angkor Wat addressed him in Irish after learning he was fromDublin Formal classes are becoming available in growing numbers butmany learners still must study independently or in small study groupsmainly with other learners While several texts are now on the market nomatter what their organizing principle (grammar conversation culture)learners of Irish always report a desire for more opportunities to practicethe language forms the need is particularly acute for those studying withoutthe help of a fluent teacher This workbook and its companion volumeIntermediate Irish are intended to help meet that need

This is not meant to be a self-contained course or reference grammarboth of which are readily available elsewhere Rather it is intended toaccompany and supplement whatever course materials an individual orclass is using Each unit summarizes a grammatical point which can beaccessed whenever needed even if the structure is presented across severallessons of a textbook the relevant unit and its exercises can be used eachtime the point comes up in lessons For certain grammatical features andidioms I also discuss aspects of usage that are often assumed withoutexplanation in other materials I have tried at least in early units to limitvocabulary to common words often introduced early in beginning texts butinevitably there will be some that are new to users so a glossary is providedat the back of each book

Every effort has been made to keep technical jargon to a minimum butsome terms are needed for efficient reference to particular structures Wherepossible I have tried not to assume knowledge of grammatical terminologybut to clarify meanings through examples or explicit definitions Howeverfamiliarity with a few common grammatical terms is assumed for examplenoun verb adjective singularplural subject predicate and object Readerswho are not comfortable with these terms may consult other reference worksfor guidance

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One complication to the study of Irish is the great dialect diversity foundacross Gaeltacht (predominately Irish-speaking) communities Each of thethree major provinces where Irish is still spoken at the community level ndashUlster Connacht and Munster ndash differ noticeably from one another not only in pronunciation but also in some vocabulary word formation(morphology) and occasionally even sentence structure Each provincecontains several Gaeltacht areas described briefly here from north to southIn Ulster several Gaeltachtaiacute are found in County Donegal among themareas around the villages of Gaoth Dobhair Rinn na Feirste and GleannCholm Cille In addition a growing community of Irish speakers can befound in Northern Ireland especially in Belfast Their speech has manyfeatures in common with that of the Donegal communities but has somecharacteristics of its own as well Connacht dialects are found in twocounties Mayo and Galway with the largest Gaeltacht region both in areaand in population being the Connemara region of County Galway and theadjacent coastal communities to the west of Galway City known as CoisFharraige Small Gaeltachtaiacute in County Mayo are found on Achill Islandin Tuar Mhiacutec Eacuteadaigh and on the Iorras (Erris) peninsula Southern dialectsare found in three counties of Munster Kerry (especially the DinglePeninsula or Corca Dhuibhne) Cork (Baile Bhuacuteirne and Cape ClearIsland) and Waterford (Ring or an Rinn) Each has its own identifiablefeatures especially in pronunciation but all resemble each other more thanthey resemble the more northern dialects In addition County Meath in theprovince of Leinster has two Gaeltacht communities created in the mid-twentieth century by moving people from the coastal areas Irish hassurvived best there in the community of Raacuteth Cairn where all the originalsettlers came from villages in County Galway so the Irish spoken there isfor all practical purposes the same as that of Connemara Finally there is an Official Standard known in Irish as the Caighdeaacuten (these terms willbe used interchangeably here) designed to standardize written Irish for usein publication and in schools

It should be noted that unlike standard English the Official Standarddoes not represent a colloquial dialect actually spoken by native speakersRather it combines elements of the three major regional varieties for officialuse It is worth knowing and recognizing the standard forms which areencountered frequently in publications but they should not be taken as inany way superior to or more correct than the colloquial usage found in theGaeltacht regions Current practice in Irish teaching and in the media seemsto be favouring greater acceptance of colloquial variation Those interestedin speaking the language are therefore advised to pick one regional varietyand to aim for competence in that while learning to recognize alternativeforms as well For consistency in the early learning stages these books willpresent standard forms for the most part following the practice of mostpublished learning materials However certain non-standard forms which

viii Introduction

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have widespread currency will occasionally be provided as alternativesSince the Caighdeaacuten takes no stand on pronunciation when pronunciationis mentioned in the lessons reference will be to the regional variety withthe largest population that of Connemara County Galway (in Connacht)The last few units of Intermediate Irish address some of the more salientaspects of Irish dialect variation so that learners may begin to acquirefeatures of the variety they are most interested in learning after they havebecome comfortable with the basics

Many people have helped in the completion of these books I would liketo thank Sophie Oliver and Ursula Mallows for their editorial advice andsupport throughout the process I am grateful to the Dublin Institute forAdvanced Studies (School of Celtic Studies) for financial support towardthe writing of the book and to Liam Breatnach Jim Flanagan MalachyMcKenna and Daacuteithiacute Sproule for assistance with details of dialect variationNumerous Irish learners and teachers have read drafts of the material andhave offered suggestions that have greatly improved the final productThanks for their feedback to Don Crawford Will Kenny Ann MulkernMary Roguski (and her students) Nicholas Wolf and especially to DaacuteithiacuteSproule for his eagle eye and professional knowledge of the CaighdeaacutenFinally I am grateful to all my students over the years whose struggles andsuccesses in learning Irish and questions about grammar and usage werethe inspiration for this work

Introduction ix

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UNIT ONESpelling and pronunciation

One of the greatest challenges of Irish is learning to navigate the spellingsystem Irish spelling is actually more systematic than English but theletters are pronounced differently enough to require careful attention anda willingness to abandon onersquos assumptions about soundndashspelling relation-ships Once a student learns to do that the system becomes accessible andlearning can progress reasonably quickly The following overview providesa start but it is important to realize that the process of adjusting to Irish spelling will necessarily be a gradual one There are also significantdifferences depending on the dialect being learned so listening to nativespeakers is important Pronunciations given here are those of Connacht(specifically Connemara County Galway) the variety with the largestnumber of speakers

Alphabet and pronunciation

Irish is written with the same alphabet as English but normally only thefollowing letters are used a b c d e f g h i l m n o p r s t u Otherletters appear occasionally in English loanwords especially j and v (egjab lsquojobrsquo voacuteta lsquovotersquo also sometimes spelled bhoacuteta)

Consonants

For the most part consonants have about the same values as in English withone major difference in Irish each consonant letter (except h) representstwo distinct sounds called lsquobroadrsquo and lsquoslenderrsquo Roughly speaking inaddition to the regular positions of the tongue and mouth for each consonantthe middle of the tongue raises slightly toward the roof of the mouth withoutactually touching for slender consonants while broad consonants involveraising the very back of the tongue slightly and rounding the lips Broadand slender consonants are distinguished in writing by the adjacent vowels

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according to the spelling rule lsquoslender with slender broad with broadrsquoSlender consonants are always adjacent to the slender vowels e or i broadconsonants are preceded or followed by a o or u Consonant sequences areeither all slender or all broad In the examples below slender consonantsare underlined The contrasting broad consonants are boldface vowels arepronounced alike in both words except for some length differences Extravowels in one of each pair signal quality of the adjacent consonant

Slender Broadb biacute buiacutec ciuacutein cuacutel

craic bacd daide tada

baacuteid baacutedf fiche faoig aige ag a

giall gaoll leacuteine laem miacuten maoin

ainm anamn niacute naoi

ciuacuteine guacutenap peann paacuter caoirigh caora

doirse dorass siacute suiacutet tiubh tuacute

ait at

When the sequences ll and nn are slender they sound as if a y or i werefollowing them in English spelling as in words like lsquocanyonrsquo lsquoonionrsquo orlsquobilliardsrsquo When broad they are held longer than single consonants

Slender Broadll aacuteilleacht allasnn bainne banna

Vowels

Because only some vowels of Irish spellings are actually pronounced whileothers just signal consonant quality (broad or slender) many Irish wordscontain sequences of two to three vowels which may represent only onesound Learning which vowels are pronounced and which simply markconsonant quality is one of the major challenges of mastering Irish spelling

2 Unit 1 Spelling and pronunciation

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Long and short vowels differ in Irish The former are held slightly longerwith tenser mouth muscles Unstressed short vowels are very short indeedsounding something like lsquouhrsquo Vowels appearing alone (and stressed ifshort) are pronounced as in the following examples which should be takenonly as approximations

a asal as in English lsquofatherrsquodath

aacute taacute as in English lsquolawrsquobaacuted

e te as in English lsquobedrsquoceist (The letter e never occurs before consonants where

itrsquos usually spelled ei)eacute meacute as in English lsquodayrsquo

geacutear (eacute also is spelled eacutea or eacutei before a consonantdepending on its quality)

i file as in English lsquofishrsquofir

iacute fiacuterinne as in English lsquofearrsquoriacute

o doras as in English lsquotoughrsquoposta

oacute poacutesta as in English lsquoboatrsquoochtoacute

u fusa as in English lsquoputrsquocur

uacute cuacuter as in English lsquodorsquotuacute

Vowels marked with an accent called siacuteneadh fada or just fada are longAny vowel + fada is pronounced and vowels next to it can be assumed tomark neighbouring consonants

eaacute Seaacutenaacutei aacuteit all pronounced like aacuteeaacutei Sheaacuteineacutea Seacuteamas pronounced like eacuteeacutei ceacuteimuiacute suiacuteoiacute croiacuteaiacute sceacutealaiacute all pronounced like iacuteuiacute buiacuteuiacuteo buiacuteochas


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oacutei broacuteige pronounced like oacuteuacutei cuacuteisiuacute siuacutel all pronounced like uacuteiuacutei ciuacutein

Certain unaccented spelling sequences also automatically represent longvowels as the following examples illustrate

bull Vowels followed by n nn ll rr rd or m are pronounced long (unlessanother vowel follows)

Like aacute crannamcarrardmallgeallceann

Like iacute i or io tinntintetimpisteimcionn

Like uacute o (before nn m only) tonnLom

bull The sequence ae(i) is pronounced like eacute tae Gaeilge traeinbull Ao and aoi are pronounced like iacute saor naoibull The sequence eo(i) is pronounced like oacute leor

ceoEoin

Other vowel sequences are pronounced as single short vowels For exampleea eai (unless followed by the double consonants noted above) and ai atthe beginning of a word are usually pronounced approximately like the ain English lsquohatrsquo

beanfearseaiceacuteadaisteach


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In addition the following rules apply

ai after a consonant is pronounced like a bainiscailiacuten

io is pronounced like i fiosoi is pronounced like e(i) toil

oireadui is pronounced like i uisce

fuiliu is pronounced like u fliuch

Some sequences called diphthongs are pronounced separately but forma single syllable The main examples are ia and ua which sound like Englishee-uh or oo-uh

bia ciallnua tuath

Other diphthongs are less clear in spelling Before the consonant sequencesnoted above (nn ll rr m or one of these plus another consonant) thespelling o in Connacht (and a in Munster) can be pronounced as [au] thesound spelled ow in English as in lsquocowrsquo The sequences abh and amh areoften pronounced this way too

poll donn bordceann (in Munster)gabha abhainn samhradh

Similarly the sequences adh agh (also aigh aidh) are pronounced in themiddle of words as [ai] the so-called English lsquolong irsquo as in lsquokitersquo

adharc cladhairecaighdeaacuten aghaidh

Some frequently used words are exceptions to the rules given above eg

ea beag lsquosmallrsquo ndash more like English lsquobegrsquo than lsquobagrsquoeo seo lsquothisrsquo

eochair lsquokeyrsquo ndash short rather than long o

oi oileaacuten lsquoislandrsquo ndash more like i than e

Each dialect has its own distinctive characteristics so it is essential tolisten to the regional variety you are interested in learning to pick up precisepronunciation The rules above are merely guidelines to be refined as youprogress


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Stress

In most cases the stressed syllable in a word is the first one

aifreann eilifinthata duine

A few exceptions are found in all dialects In addition to isolated words likearaacuten lsquobreadrsquo usually pronounced araacuten exceptions include a set of time andplace adverbs beginning with unstressed a (sometimes i) eg

anois now anseo hereamaacuterach tomorrow inniu today

and most others with related meanings Two very common words withexceptional stress are ataacute lsquowhich isrsquo pronounced ataacute and amhaacutein lsquoonersquo

In addition in the dialects of Munster the accent is on the second(sometimes even third) syllable in words where that syllable has a long vowelor ends in -ach although it is on the first syllable in Connacht and Ulster

cailiacuten girl (elsewhere pronounced cailiacuten)amadaacuten fool (elsewhere amadaacuten)salach dirty (elsewhere salach)

Unstressed vowels

Unaccented short vowels are generally reduced in pronounciation (as inEnglish) to a sound that can be represented as lsquouhrsquo As the underlined vowelsin the English words lsquosofarsquo lsquotelephonersquo lsquoverifyrsquo lsquooctopusrsquo are all pronouncedapproximately alike despite different spellings so are the following vowelsin most Irish dialects plaacuteta tine mo ceimic

When one word ends in a short vowel and the next starts with one onlyone of them is usually pronounced The vowel omitted is usually theunstressed one most often the last vowel of the first word If both areunstressed then since both are pronounced alike it is impossible to tellwhich is lost but only one vowel is normally heard Thus

duine aisteach is pronounced duinrsquo aisteachcoacuteta Eacuteibhliacuten is pronounced coacutetrsquo Eacuteibhliacutenduine ataacute is pronounced duine rsquotaacute (or duinrsquo ataacute)

Other rules

A few other pronunciations arenrsquot reflected in spelling When the letter nfollows a consonant it is often pronounced as r in Connacht and UlsterSo Northerners pronounce words like cnoc mnaacute as croc mraacute


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Another common pattern adds a vowel between sequences of l r n andanother consonant although therersquos no vowel in the spelling Words likegorm borb dealbh dealg ainm sound as if they have two syllables

Exercises

1 For each of the following words identify which consonants are broadand which are slender by underlining the slender consonants

1 baacuted leithsceacuteal paacuteipeacutear2 duine boacute buiacute3 baacuteisteach beo biacute4 diacutereach scriacuteobh Seaacuten5 freagra Bairbre doacutethain6 caoi Briacuted saoire7 ceist abair gloine

2 Mark the long vowels in the following words (not every word has a longvowel)

1 baacuted crann baile cailiacuten2 min tinn cor carr3 fear feacutear fearr muacuter4 cur doras doacutechas tae5 ceol moacuter poll dall6 amadaacuten siacuteos saor mo

3 Circle reduced vowels in the following words (not every word has one)

1 cailiacuten amadaacuten coacuteta2 baile eochair foraois3 colaacuteiste focloacuteir Protastuacutenach4 dathanna fothadaacuten ime5 cosuacuteil ceacuteile ceacuteiliacute6 eochair Sasanach ceolmhar7 imir boacutethar bobaruacuten

4 In each phrase below cross out the vowel that would be dropped inspeech Try pronouncing the phrases Remember long vowels (aacute etc)are never dropped even if unstressed eg duine ard

1 daoine eile 3 Donncha Oacute Briain2 Uacutena ataacute orm 4 Taacute an oiacuteche ann


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5 Taacute timpiste ann 13 seomra Uacutena6 Taacute seacute anseo anois 14 Faacuteilte isteach7 feirmeoiriacute anseo 15 Dia anseo8 Taacute fear eile ansin 16 Taacute rudaiacute eile ann9 duine ar bith 17 Ceacuten Beacutearla ataacute ar

10 Taacute meacute ag imeacht 18 oiacuteche aacutelainn11 mise agus tusa 19 baile in Eacuteirinn12 saacutesta anois 20 Niacutel sise ann

5 In the words below only the pronounced vowels are given Check spacesif an extra vowel is needed to signal consonant quality (slenderconsonants are underlined) Not every space will require an additionalvowel (For a further challenge choose which vowel would fit the spacendash answers will give the correct vowel) Eg Aacute n e rarr Aacuten e (answer willread Aacuteine)

1 C a tr iacute n a 6 ma st i r2 t iacute 7 t iacute3 m a ll 8 m a ll4 b aacute d oacute r a cht 9 s i m uacute l5 c a nn 10 s ao rs e

Answers to exercises

1 1 baacuted leithsceacuteal paacuteipeacutear 2 duine boacute buiacute 3 baacuteisteach beo biacute 4 diacutereachscriacuteobh Seaacuten 5 freagra Bairbre doacutethain 6 caoi Briacuted saoire 7 ceistabair gloine

2 1 baacuted crann baile cailiacuten 2 min tinn cor carr 3 fear feacutear fearr muacuter4 cur doras doacutechas tae 5 ceol moacuter poll dall 6 amadaacuten siacuteos saor mo

3 1 cailiacuten amadaacuten coacuteta 2 baile eochair foraois 3 colaacuteiste focloacuteirProtastuacutenach 4 dathanna fothadaacuten ime 5 cosuacuteil ceacuteile ceacuteiliacute 6 eochairSasanach ceolmhar 7 imir boacutethar bobaruacuten

4 1 daoine eile 2 Uacutena ataacute orm 3 Donncha Oacute Briain 4 Taacute an oiacuteche ann 5 Taacute timpiste ann 6 Taacute seacute anseo anois 7 feirmeoiriacute anseo 8 Taacute fear eileansin 9 duine ar bith 10 Taacute meacute ag imeacht 11 mise agus tusa 12 saacutestaanois 13 seomra Uacutena 14 Faacuteilte isteach 15 Dia anseo 16 Taacute rudaiacute eileann 17 Ceacuten Beacutearla ataacute ar 18 oiacuteche aacutelainn 19 baile in Eacuteirinn 20 Niacutelsise ann

5 1 Caitriacuteona 2 tiacute 3 mall 4 baacutedoacuteireacht 5 ceann 6 maacuteistir 7 tuiacute 8 meall9 suimiuacuteil 10 saoirse


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UNIT TWOWord order and simple sentences

Normal word order in basic Irish sentences is verbndashsubjectndashobject Theaction or event described is mentioned first and then the individualsinvolved In contrast English usually puts the verb in the middle

Irish EnglishV S O S V OCheannaigh Maacuteire carr Maacuteire bought a carFeiceann an t-eacutean thuacute The bird sees youImreoidh siad caacutertaiacute They will play cardsThit meacute I fell

As the last example shows some events have only one participant (thesubject) the verb still comes first in Irish If there are three participants thethird (indirect object) is preceded by a preposition and follows the other two

Thug Maacuteire carr do Liam Maacuteire gave a car to LiamDrsquoinis Maacuteime sceacuteal do Niamh Mommy told Niamh a story

If the direct object is expressed by a pronoun that pronoun usually willcome last Subjects even pronouns immediately follow the verb Noticeagain the differences between Irish and English order

Thug Maacuteire do Liam eacute Maacuteire gave it to LiamThug siacute carr dom She gave me a carThug siacute dom eacute She gave it to me

Some subject pronouns are built into the verb as suffixes In these casesthere is no separate pronoun the object immediately follows the verb If there is no object or other information expressed the verb and its suffixalone may form a complete sentence Verb forms will be covered in detailin later units

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Feicim Briacuted I see BriacutedImreoimid caacutertaiacute We will play cardsThiteadar They fell

A sentence may include additional information about time place otherpeople or things involved This usually follows the verb and any subject orobject nouns Place usually precedes time

Cheannaigh meacute carr i nGaillimh I bought a car in GalwayThit meacute inneacute I fell yesterdayCheannaigh meacute carr i nGaillimh I bought a car in Galway

inneacute yesterday

Object pronouns still tend to come last

Feiceann an t-eacutean anois thuacute The bird sees you nowFeicim ar an mbord eacute I see it on the table

The verb biacute lsquobersquo

The present tense of the verb biacute lsquobersquo is taacute Like other verbs its subjectimmediately follows it and then a third element (the predicate) whichcannot be another noun (see Unit 17 for linking nouns with lsquobersquo) but canbe a prepositional phrase or a place adverb or a descriptive adjective (orphrase)

Taacute meacute in Eacuteirinn I am in IrelandTaacute Briacuted i Sasana Briacuted is in EnglandTaacute siad anseo They are hereTaacute an leabhar ansiuacuted The book is over thereTaacute Liam tinn Liam is sickTaacute carranna daor Cars are expensive

Taacute (or its negative niacutel) can signal existence as well In this case the thirdposition is filled by ann unless a specific place is mentioned Such sentencesare usually translated by lsquothere isrsquo or lsquothere arersquo but lsquoexistrsquo may be used aswell

Taacute dea-aimsir agus drochaimsir Therersquos good weather and bad ann weather

Niacutel aonbheannaigh ann Unicorns donrsquot existNiacutel a leitheacuteid de rud ann Therersquos no such thing

10 Unit 2 Word order and simple sentences

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If a specific location is named this replaces ann in the same position

Taacute go leor rudaiacute anseo There are many things hereTaacute uacutella ar an mbord There are apples on the tableTaacute baacuteisteach san iarthar Therersquos rain in the west

Ann can be considered equivalent to lsquotherersquo but appears at the end of thesentence instead of the beginning and is used only when no other locationis mentioned It can also be used as a pronoun-like form to indicate alocation that has already been mentioned in a previous sentence In thiscase it can be translated as lsquotherersquo or left untranslated

Taacute Peige ag an scoil agus taacute Bairbre ann freisinPeggy is at the school and Barbara is (there) too

Niacutel Briacuted anseo ach taacute Liam annBriacuted isnrsquot here but Liam is

Although English can just leave lsquoisrsquo at the end of a sentence some locationword must be included in Irish ann is the default place-filler

In the usage of lsquopreviously mentioned locationrsquo ann appears in sentenceswith other verbs as well

Chuaigh meacute go Baile Aacutetha Cliath agus cheannaigh meacute carr annI went to Dublin and I bought a car there

Noun phrases

Phrases consisting of nouns and modifiers also differ in order from EnglishThe article anna lsquothersquo precedes nouns as in English but adjectives (descrip-tive words) usually follow

an fear the man na daoine the peoplean fear moacuter the big man na daoine oacutega the young peopleleabhar a book an carr the carleabhar maith a good book an carr daor the expensive car

Possessive pronouns most numbers and some words expressing quantityprecede the noun as in English but other quantity expressions follow Sodo the demonstratives seo lsquothisrsquo sin lsquothatrsquo and uacuted lsquothat (farther away)rsquo


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Preceding

mo charr my car a siopa her shoptriacute uacutell three apples naoi siopa nine shopsneart uacutell plenty of apples cuacutepla uacutell a couple of applesbeirt chailiacuten two girls roinnt tithe some housesdoacutethain bia enough food gach fear every manlsquochuile laacute every day

Following

duine amhaacutein one person bean eacuteigin some womancailiacuten aacuteirithe a certain girl na tithe seo these housesan carr seo this car an siopa sin that shopna daoine uacuted those people na buachailliacute uilig all the boys

The phrase go leor lsquomany enoughrsquo can come either before or after the noun

go leor daoinedaoine go leor many people

Adjectives immediately follow nouns before any demonstratives or quantitywords in the phrase

an teach moacuter sin that big housecailiacuten deas aacuteirithe a certain nice girl

The demonstratives seo sin uacuted always occur with the article as aboveDemonstratives donrsquot have separate plurals but the form of the article (andthe noun itself) indicates whether a phrase is singular or plural

an teach seo this housena tithe seo these houses

Numbers may occur with or without the article and also with demon-stratives and possessives ordered as follows

na triacute uacutell the three applesna triacute uacutell seo these three applesa triacute uacutell her three apples

Some quantity words that follow nouns may allow a preceding article withthem

na tithe breaacutetha uilig all the fine houses


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Adjectives can themselves be qualified by words that generally precedethem

reacuteasuacutenta maith reasonably goodcineaacutel tinn somewhat sickuafaacutesach daor awfully expensiveiontach deas amazingly (ie very) nice

Exercises

1 Rearrange the words in each line below into an Irish sentence

1 dom Seacuteamas blaacutethanna thug2 bia mbord an taacute ar go leor3 nua teach in cheannaigh inneacute Briacuted Albain4 mo chara inniu taacute anseo5 moacuter sin an Maacuteirtiacuten thoacuteg teach

2 1 Combine words from the lists of adjectives and nouns to make fifteenmeaningful phrases

Adjectives Nounsmoacuter duinebeag teachmaith carrte cailiacutenfuar buachailldeas laacutedaor leabhariontach samhradhbocht uacutellaacutelainn bia

2 Now add one or more of the following to the phrases constructedabove as is appropriate

an cuacutepla seoeacuteigin amhaacutein sin

3 Add ann to the sentences where it is needed It is not necessary in everysentence Where ann is not required just add appropriate punctuation

1 Taacute mise anseo ach niacutel sise2 Taacute bord anseo ach niacutel uacutella


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3 Taacute daoine eile saacutesta4 Niacutel rud ar bith anois5 Niacutel Briacuted naacute Maacuteirtiacuten anseo6 Niacutel eacutean anseo ach taacute uacutella7 Taacute Briacuted anseo agus taacute siacute tinn8 Taacute Liam i nGaillimh agus taacute Maacuteire freisin9 Taacute scoil anseo ach niacutel duine ar bith

10 Niacutel Maacuteirtiacuten naacute fear eile

4 Translate the following

1 I bought three books yesterday2 Peige is in Ireland and Maacuteire is in Scotland now3 That big book is expensive4 A couple of small girls fell here They are sick now5 I see lots of people at the shop every day6 The shop is big and there is good food there7 Liam told Orla one good story8 Caacuteit went to school here9 The day is cold and there are no birds

10 The nice girl is awfully sick


1 1 Thug Seacuteamas blaacutethanna dom 2 Taacute bia go leor ar an mbordTaacute go leorbia ar an mbord 3 Cheannaigh Briacuted teach nua in Albain inneacute 4 Taacute mochara anseo inniu 5 Thoacuteg Maacuteirtiacuten an teach moacuter sin

2 1 Sample answers duine moacuter duine bocht teach daor teach iontachbuachaill maith buachaill deas carr moacuter carr beag carr daor laacute maithlaacute te laacute fuar laacute iontach leabhar moacuter leabhar maith samhradh tesamhradh aacutelainn uacutell deas uacutell iontach bia maith bia fuar bia deas etc2 Sample answers an duine moacuter cuacutepla duine bocht an teach daor sinteach iontach amhaacutein an buachaill maith an buachaill deas seo an carrmoacuter sin carr beag eacuteigin an carr maith carr daor amhaacutein an laacute maithcuacutepla laacute te an laacute fuar seo an leabhar moacuter sin leabhar maith amhaacuteincuacutepla samhradh te an samhraidh aacutelainn a uacutell deas uacutell iontach amhaacuteinan bia maith seo an bia fuar sin an bia deas etc

3 1 Taacute mise anseo ach niacutel sise ann 2 Taacute bord anseo ach niacutel uacutella ann 3 Taacutedaoine eile saacutesta 4 Niacutel rud ar bith anois ann (or Niacutel rud ar bith ann anois)5 Niacutel Briacuted naacute Maacuteirtiacuten anseo 6 Niacutel eacutean anseo ach taacute uacutella ann 7 Taacute Briacutedanseo agus taacute siacute tinn 8 Taacute Liam i nGaillimh agus taacute Maacuteire ann freisin


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(or freisin ann) 9 Taacute scoil anseo ach niacutel duine ar bith ann 10 NiacutelMaacuteirtiacuten naacute fear eile ann

4 1 Cheannaigh meacute triacute leabhar inneacute 2 Taacute Peige in Eacuteirinn agus taacute Maacuteire inAlbain anois 3 Taacute an leabhar moacuter sin daor 4 Thit cuacutepla cailiacuten beag anseoTaacute siad tinn anois 5 Feicim go leor daoine [or lsquodaoine go leorrsquo] ag ansiopa lsquochuile laacute [or lsquogach laacutersquo] 6 Taacute an siopa moacuter agus taacute bia maith ann 7 Drsquoinis Liam sceacuteal maith amhaacutein do Orla 8 Chuaigh Caacuteit ar scoil anseo9 Taacute an laacute fuar agus niacutel eacutean ar bith ann 10 Taacute an cailiacuten deas uafaacutesachtinn


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UNIT THREEInitial mutations lenition

Initial mutations characteristic of all Celtic languages change the firstsound of a word in certain contexts Mutations may be caused by particularwords or particles a specific grammatical structure or a combination of thetwo Mutations are so common in Irish that hardly a sentence can be foundwithout at least one and often several Mutations primarily affect consonantsbut a couple of changes affect words beginning with vowels Not everyconsonant undergoes mutation but if a consonant is affected it is affectedthe same way in every case where the mutation applies The next two unitswill describe mutation processes beginning with lenition in this unit

Lenition

The most common mutation is lenition (sometimes inaccurately calledaspiration) which affects nine consonants in a wide range of settingsLenition is marked in spelling by adding h after the affected consonant Thechanges to pronunciation all involve weakening the pronounced consonantin some way often by letting the air flow through the mouth more freelywhile producing the consonant Specific changes are as follows

Original Spelling change Pronunciation Examplesconsonant original (lenited)b bh v or w baacuten (bhaacuten)c ch x (as in Bach) coacuteta (choacuteta)d dh (softer than ch) dubh (dhubh)f fh silent fuinneog (fhuinneog)g gh gaoth (ghaoth)m mh v or w maacutethair (mhaacutethair)p ph f poacuteca (phoacuteca)s sh h sagart (shagart)t th h teach (theach)

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The alternate pronunciations of lenited b and m depend in part on theregional variant spoken For some dialects the pronunciation is alwaysclosest to v in both cases In others the pronunciation v is used when theconsonant is slender or followed by another consonant and w is foundwhen a broad consonant is followed by a vowel

Pronounced like v Pronounced like w

bhean bhuachaillbhruacuteigh bhuanmhill mholmhnaacute mhaacutethair

It will be noticed that lenited consonants also appear occasionally in themiddle and at the end of some words Pronunciations in these positions aregenerally the same as in initial position except as noted below There issome regional variation in the pronunciation of consonants mid-word andword-finally best learned by listening to native speakers

At the end of a word th is silent (except in Donegal) unless the nextword begins with a vowel in which case h is heard

maith culaithbith anraithrith saacuteith

Final dh and gh are generally silent in the regions north of the Shannonbut in the south (Munster) they may be pronounced as g especially whenslender

samhraidhfeicfidheacuteirighamuigh

In the middle of a word they are usually pronounced somewhat likeEnglish y and often combine with adjacent vowels to form a diphthong ai(described in Unit 1) Likewise broad bh or mh combine with a as thediphthong au The English borrowings below show the Irish and Englishspelling equivalents (same pronunciation) in italics

praghas pricedabht doubt

18 Unit 3 Initial mutations lenition

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Lenition contexts

Common uses of lenition include the following

bull Marking verbs for tenseTitim I fall Thit meacute I fellGlan eacute Clean it Ghlan siacute eacute She cleaned it

bull Negative verbsFeicim I see Niacute fheicim I donrsquot see

bull Signalling gender of nounsan buachaill the boy an bhean the womanan crann the tree an chlann the family

bull Agreement of adjectives with feminine nounslaacute maith a good day oiacuteche mhaith a good night

bull Following various particlesteach amhaacutein one house triacute theach three housesa carr her car a charr his carag Gearoacuteid by Gearoacuteid oacute Ghearoacuteid from Gearoacuteid

These and other uses of lenition will be introduced in later units as theycome up

Blocking of lenition

When s (broad or slender) is followed by one of the consonants p t c fm it is not lenited Compare the following with the lenited examples above

Scaip siad They scatteredNiacute stopann seacute He doesnrsquot stopan scian mhaith the good knifetriacute sciorta three skirtsoacute Stiofaacuten from Stiofaacuten

Itrsquos also blocked when the word that should be affected follows a wordthat ends in a consonant produced with the tongue in the same place in themouth Thus t d and s are not lenited after the definite article an evenwhen other consonants would be For example

an bhean bheag the small woman BUT an tiacuter bheag the small countryan ghloine mhoacuter the big glass an deoch mhoacuter the big drink


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Feminine nouns are lenited after an lsquothersquo but although tiacuter and deoch arefeminine (shown by the lenited adjectives) t and d arenrsquot lenited becausethey follow n produced with the tongue in the same position Lenition ofs is also blocked after an but another mutation may apply (see Unit 4)Other words which prevent lenition of t d s include ceacutead lsquofirstrsquo and aguslsquoandrsquo

Exercises

1 Underline the consonants below which can be affected by lenition

b c d f g h l m n p r s t

2 Make each of the following commands into a past-tense statement toindicate you performed the action by leniting the consonant of the verb(if possible) and adding the pronoun meacute lsquoIrsquo after the verb Eg Suighsiacuteos rarr Shuigh meacute siacuteos

1 Seas 11 Miacutenigh an cheist2 Bris an chailc 12 Duacuten an doras3 Scriacuteobh litir 13 Triail eacute4 Leacuteigh an leabhar 14 Buail isteach5 Ceannaigh bia 15 Lean an muacuteinteoir6 Gearr an t-araacuten 16 Nigh do laacutemha7 Poacutes Liam 17 Muacutech an tine8 Tosaigh 18 Glan an teach9 Siuacuteil 19 Rith

10 Caith eacute 20 Duacuteisigh

3 For each of the following feminine nouns add the definite article an lsquothersquoand lenite the intial consonant of the noun where appropriate

1 tine 11 cailleach2 fuinneog 12 speacuteir3 leacuteine 13 Gaeltacht4 traein 14 oifig5 braacuteilliacuten 15 pian6 deirfiuacuter 16 mil7 nead 17 cnaacutemh8 aois 18 beach9 grian 19 fiacuterinne

10 maacuteistreaacutes 20 reacutealtoacuteg


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4 Negate the following sentences by adding niacute and leniting the verb wherepossible

1 Feicim Seaacuten2 Siuacutelann seacute3 Imreoidh siad caacutertaiacute4 Ritheann siacute gach laacute5 Glanann siacute tithe6 Scriacuteobhaim7 Creidim eacute8 Deacuteanann siacute iarracht9 Leacuteann siad filiacuteocht

10 Tiocfaidh tuacute

5 Translate

1 her house2 his son3 his book4 He walked5 from Briacuted6 three trees7 from Liam8 I donrsquot understand9 I wrote

10 three houses


1 b c d f g h l m n p r s t

2 1 Sheas meacute 2 Bhris meacute an chailc 3 Scriacuteobh meacute litir 4 Leacuteigh meacute anleabhar 5 Cheannaigh meacute bia 6 Ghearr meacute an t-araacuten 7 Phoacutes meacute Liam8 Thosaigh meacute 9 Shiuacuteil meacute 10 Chaith meacute eacute 11 Mhiacutenigh meacute an cheist12 Dhuacuten meacute an doras 13 Thriail meacute eacute 14 Bhuail meacute isteach 15 Leanmeacute an muacuteinteoir 16 Nigh meacute mo laacutemha 17 Mhuacutech meacute an tine 18 Ghlanmeacute an teach 19 Rith meacute 20 Dhuacuteisigh meacute

3 1 an tine 2 an fhuinneog 3 an leacuteine 4 an traein 5 an bhraacuteilliacuten 6 andeirfiuacuter 7 an nead 8 an aois 9 an ghrian 10 an mhaacuteistreaacutes 11 anchailleach 12 an speacuteir 13 an Ghaeltacht 14 an oifig 15 an phian 16 anmhil 17 an chnaacutemh 18 an bheach 19 an fhiacuterinne 20 an reacutealtoacuteg


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4 1 Niacute fheicim Seaacuten 2 Niacute shiuacutelann seacute 3 Niacute imreoidh siad caacutertaiacute 4 Niacuteritheann siacute gach laacute 5 Niacute ghlanann siacute tithe 6 Niacute scriacuteobhaim 7 Niacute chreidimeacute 8 Niacute dheacuteanann siacute iarracht 9 Niacute leacuteann siad filiacuteocht 10 Niacute thiocfaidh tuacute

5 1 a teach 2 a mhac 3 a leabhar 4 Shiuacuteil seacute 5 oacute Bhriacuted 6 triacute chrann 7 oacute Liam 8 Niacute thuigim 9 Scriacuteobh meacute 10 triacute theach


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UNIT FOUROther mutations

Several less widespread mutations are illustrated in this unit

Eclipsis

Eclipsis affects only the consonants below at the beginning of words It ismarked in writing by placing the consonant representing the new pronun-ciation in front of the original consonant

Original Spelling change Pronunciation Examplesconsonant original (eclipsed)

b mb m bord (mbord)c gc g cailiacuten (gcailiacuten)d nd n duine (nduine)f bhf v or w Frainc (bhFrainc)g ng gaoth (ngaoth)p bp b poacuteca (bpoacuteca)t dt d teach (deteach)

The pronunciation of bhf follows the pattern described in Unit 3 for lenitedb and m The pronunciation of ng is like the same sequence in English lsquosingrsquo

Like lenition eclipsis of t d is blocked after an or any other wordsending in the consonants t d n

Eclipsis also prefixes n- to words beginning with a vowel (unless theeclipsing word itself ends in an n)

seacht n-eacutean seven birds BUT in Eacuteirinn in Ireland

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Eclipsis contexts

Common triggers of eclipsis include

bull various preverbal particles

An bhfeiceann tuacute eacute Do you see itSiacutelim go gcloisim ceol I think I hear music

bull the numbers 7ndash10

seacht dteach seven houses

bull plural possessives

aacuter gcairde our friendsa gcarr their car

bull the preposition i(n) lsquoinrsquo

i bPaacuteras in Parisi nGaillimh in Galway

In some dialects the sequence of a preposition + definite article (an) alsocauses eclipsis on the following noun (see Unit 9)

h-prefixation

When a word starts with a vowel and follows certain unstressed particleswhich end in a vowel an h is prefixed to the second word in both pronun-ciation and spelling separating the two vowels

an oifig the office na hoifigiacute the officesbean aacutelainn a beautiful woman taacute siacute go haacutelainn she is beautiful

The particles which cause h-prefixation have no effect on words beginningwith a consonant that is they are non-leniting non-eclipsing particlesParticles which lenite a following consonant do not cause h-prefixation evenif they end in a vowel

Vowel Consonant

triacute uacutell three apples triacute theach three housesa ainm his name a phoacuteca his pocketna huacutella the apples na tithe the housesgo haacutelainn beautiful go maith gooda hainm her name a carr her car

24 Unit 4 Other mutations

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t-prefixation to consonants

The only consonant affected by this mutation is s both broad and slenderIn many environments where lenition is expected but blocked after amatching consonant usually n (Unit 3) an s will be replaced in pronuncia-tion by t (broad or slender to match the original) written before it Mostfrequently this includes masculine nouns in the genitive case and femininenouns in the non-genitive (Unit 6)

an siopa the shop doras an tsiopa the door of the shopan sagart the priest teach an tsagairt the priestrsquos house

sraacuteid (fem) a street an tsraacuteid the street

There is no prefixation of t if the s is followed by any of the consonants ct p m f

an strainseacuteir the stranger ainm an strainseacuteara the strangerrsquos namespeacuteir (fem) sky an speacuteir the sky

t-prefixation to vowels

A different configuration prefixes t to words beginning with vowels In thiscase the t is separated from the word it is attached to in spelling by a hyphenThis mutation takes place only on singular masculine nouns after an lsquothersquoThe pronunciation of t is broad in words beginning with a o or u andslender in words beginning with i or e

athair father an t-athair the fatheruisce water an t-uisce the waterim butter an t-im the butter

This mutation does not apply to genitive (possessive) forms of masculinenouns nor to any feminine nouns

an t-uisce the water blas an uisce the taste of the waterabhainn river an abhainn the river


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Summary table of initial mutations

Lenition Eclipsis tS t-vowel h-vowelNouns afteran fem fem masc

masc mascgenitive genitive

na

i(n)

2ndash6

7ndash10

Adjectivesafter noun femgo

Verbs past

after go

an

niacute

Exercises

1 Write in the lenited and eclipsed forms of each of the followingconsonants If a mutation does not apply to a particular consonant justdraw a line in the space

Consonant Lenited Eclipsedb ____________ ____________c ____________ ____________d ____________ ____________f ____________ ____________g ____________ ____________h ____________ ____________l ____________ ____________m ____________ ____________n ____________ ____________p ____________ ____________r ____________ ____________s ____________ ____________t ____________ ____________

2 How are each of the spellings above pronounced


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3 Add the numbers 3 (+ lenition) and 9 (+ eclipsis) to each of the followingnouns along with the appropriate mutation Try pronouncing the phrasesyou have written

1 teach triacute_______ naoi _______2 carr triacute_______ naoi _______3 scian triacute_______ naoi _______4 bord triacute_______ naoi _______5 siopa triacute_______ naoi _______6 caacuterta triacute _______ naoi _______7 leabhar triacute _______ naoi _______8 fuinneog triacute _______ naoi _______9 eacutean triacute _______ naoi _______

10 baile triacute _______ naoi _______11 doras triacute _______ naoi _______12 hata triacute _______ naoi _______13 guacutena triacute _______ naoi _______14 poacuteca triacute_______ naoi _______15 maidin triacute_______ naoi _______

4 Before a consonant the preposition i lsquoinrsquo causes eclipsis Before a vowelit becomes in With this information insert the following place-nameswith appropriate changes into the sentence frame Taacute siad in __________

1 Baile Aacutetha Cliath 11 Gaillimh2 Sasana 12 Corcaigh3 Duacuten na nGall 13 Eacuteirinn4 Ceanada 14 Texas5 Port Laacuteirge 15 Meiriceaacute6 Londain 16 Boston7 Nua-Eabhrac 17 Paacuteras8 Glinsce 18 Tiobraid Aacuterann9 Ciarraiacute 19 Droichead Aacutetha

10 Albain 20 Beacuteal Feacuteirste

5 Put the article an with the nouns below adding the appropriate mutationsNouns are identified by gender Try pronouncing each phrase as well

Masculine Femininedoras boacutecnoc seachtainteach tineguacutena oifigathair cathair


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plaacuteta gloineuncail maacutethairsagart pianlaacute fuinneogoileaacuten irissneachta baacuteisteach

6 Place an h or a t as appropriate in front of the word-initial vowels belowIf no addition is needed leave the phrase unchanged

1 na uacutella2 an uacutell3 go aacutelainn4 bean aacutelainn5 an uncail6 an aintiacuten7 na aintiacuteniacute8 an abhainn9 na aibhneacha

10 go olc11 go iontach12 an im13 an eitleaacuten14 na eochracha15 an athair

7 Translate the following phrases into Irish

1 Do you understand2 five plates3 the poor woman4 I donrsquot see5 eight horses6 the street7 my good car8 houses on a hill9 The island is beautiful

10 two dresses


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1 Consonant Lenited Eclipsed

b bh mbc ch gcd dh ndf fh bhfg gh ngh ndash ndashl ndash ndashm mh ndashn ndash ndashp ph bpr ndash ndashs sh ndasht th dt

2 bh pronounced w or v mb pronounced m mh pronounced w or vch pronounced x (as in loch) gc pronounced g dh pronounced ndpronounced n ph pronounced f bp pronounced b fh not pronouncedbhf pronounced v or w gh pronounced ng pronounced (as inlsquosingrsquo) sh pronounced h th pronounced h dt pronounced d

3 1 teach triacute theach naoi dteach 2 carr triacute charr naoi gcarr 3 scian triacutescian naoi scian 4 bord triacute bhord naoi mbord 5 siopa triacute shiopa naoisiopa 6 caacuterta triacute chaacuterta naoi gcaacuterta 7 leabhar triacute leabhar naoi leabhar8 fuinneog triacute fhuinneog naoi bhfuinneog 9 eacutean triacute eacutean naoi n-eacutean 10 baile triacute bhaile naoi mbaile 11 doras triacute dhoras naoi ndoras 12 hatatriacute hata naoi hata 13 guacutena triacute ghuacutena naoi nguacutena 14 poacuteca triacute phoacutecanaoi bpoacuteca 15 maidin triacute mhaidin naoi maidin

4 1 Taacute siad i mBaile Aacutetha Cliath 2 Taacute siad i Sasana 3 Taacute siad i nDuacuten nanGall 4 Taacute siad i gCeanada 5 Taacute siad i bPort Laacuteirge 6 Taacute siad i Londain7 Taacute siad i Nua-Eabhrac 8 Taacute siad i nGlinsce 9 Taacute siad i gCiarraiacute 10 Taacutesiad in Albain 11 Taacute siad i nGaillimh 12 Taacute siad i gCorcaigh 13 Taacute siadin Eacuteirinn 14 Taacute siad i dTexas 15 Taacute siad i Meiriceaacute 16 Taacute siad i mBoston17 Taacute siad i bPaacuteras 18 Taacute siad i dTiobraid Aacuterann 19 Taacute siad i nDroicheadAacutetha 20 Taacute siad i mBeacuteal Feacuteirste

5 Masculine an doras an cnoc an teach an guacutena an t-athair an plaacuteta ant-uncail an sagart an laacute an t-oileaacuten an sneachtaFeminine an bhoacute an tseachtain an tine an oifig an chathair an ghloinean mhaacutethair an phian an fhuinneog an iris an bhaacuteisteach


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6 1 na huacutella 2 an t-uacutell 3 go haacutelainn 4 bean aacutelainn 5 an t-uncail 6 an aintiacuten7 na haintiacuteniacute 8 an abhainn 9 na haibhneacha 10 go holc 11 go hiontach12 an t-im 13 an t-eitleaacuten 14 na heochracha 15 an t-athair

7 1 An dtuigeann tuacute 2 cuacuteig phlaacuteta 3 an bhean bhocht 4 Niacute fheicim 5 ochtgcapall 6 an tsraacuteid 7 mo charr maith 8 tithe ar chnoc 9 Taacute an t-oileaacutengo haacutelainn 10 dhaacute ghuacutena


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UNIT FIVENouns and articles

Nouns undergo mutation following the definite article depending on acombination of factors including the gender and number of the noun andits role in the sentence The first two factors will be discussed here and thethird in Unit 6

Gender and number

All Irish nouns belong inherently to one of two lsquogenderrsquo classes masculineor feminine Usually when a noun refers to a person or animal thegrammatical gender will match the biological sex but there are exceptionsFor example stail lsquostallionrsquo is a grammatically feminine noun whereas cailiacutenlsquogirlrsquo is grammatically masculine Applied to inanimate objects or abstractconcepts such as tables land chess pieces or freedom gender is arbitraryand must simply be learned with the noun Rarely the gender of a few nounsmay vary across dialects of Irish (we use the Official Standard here)

Pronouns referring to humans follow biological gender Pronounsreferring to animals and inanimate objects follow the grammatical gender

Noun Pronoun English usage

buachaill (masc) boy seacute heteach (masc) house seacute itcailiacuten (masc) girl siacute shestail (fem) stallion siacute he itbean (fem) woman siacute sheboacute (fem) cow siacute she itleaba (fem) bed siacute it

In many dialects feminine pronouns are also used for vehicles (and afew other words) regardless of gender

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Number varies depending on intended meaning Most nouns referringto things that can be counted have separate singular and plural formsNouns referring to substances such as money sand water and other liquidsor to abstract concepts like integrity knowledge and freedom donrsquotgenerally have plural forms In this respect Irish is like English

Gender can sometimes be predicted from the form of a noun but notalways Nouns ending in a broad consonant are often masculine and thoseending in a slender consonant are often feminine

Masculine Feminine

cupaacuten cup cill churchyardceann head cathair citycat cat suacuteil eyeboacutethar road deoir drop tear

But there are important exceptions

Masculine Feminine

im butter clann familycailiacuten girl laacutemh hand

Nouns ending in -ach may be either masculine (eg eacuteadach lsquoclothrsquo) orfeminine (eg bratach lsquoflagrsquo)

Certain endings are consistently associated with particular gendersincluding the following

Masculine Feminine

Nouns ending in

-iacuten caipiacuten cap -oacuteg-eog fuinneog window-oacuteir-eoir muacuteinteoir teacher -lann leabharlan library-acht acht act law -acht Gaeltacht(one syllable) (two + syllables)-eacuteir buacuteisteacuteir butcher -aacuteil caacuteil reputation-aacuten cupaacuten cup -iacutel feadaiacutel whistling-a maacutela bag -iacuteocht filiacuteocht poetry-adh geimhreadh winter-aire iascaire fisherman

In other cases no pattern is obvious and gender must simply be memorized

32 Unit 5 Nouns and articles

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Plural forms

Irish plurals are quite variable Forms vary from region to region as well asfrom noun to noun and the processes are sometimes quite complex soplurals are best learned with each noun Standard plurals are provided indictionaries Only a brief overview of the most common patterns will begiven here

Many nouns ending in a short vowel (usually a or e) form their pluralby adding the suffix -iacute If the final vowel of the singular is e it is droppedfrom spelling

Nouns ending with -iacuten -oacuteir and -eacuteir and a few others also add -iacute in theplural

Singular Plural

pionta piontaiacute pint(s)siopa siopaiacute shop(s)cluiche cluichiacute game(s)cailiacuten cailiacuteniacute girl(s)muacuteinteoir muacuteinteoiriacute teacher(s)buacuteisteacuteir buacuteisteacuteiriacute butcher(s)rud rudaiacute thing(s)

Nouns ending in a long i sound whether spelled as -iacute or as -aoi oftenadd -the in the plural

dliacute dliacutethe law(s)croiacute croiacutethe heart(s)draoi draoithe druid(s)

Many masculine nouns ending in a broad consonant form their pluralsby making the consonant slender If the vowel of the word is a (or ea) itmay change to an i in the plural For example

Singular Plural

fear fir manmenpeann pinn pen(s)baacuted baacuteid boat(s)sagart sagairt priest(s)eitleaacuten eitleaacutein airplane(s)seacuteipeacuteal seacuteipeacuteil chapel(s)


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Nouns ending in -ach and referring to nationalities plus a few otherschange -ach to -aigh in the plural

Singular Plural

Eacuteireannach Eacuteireannaigh Irish peopleGearmaacutenach Gearmaacutenaigh German(s)leathanach leathanaigh page(s)

Others change -ach to -aiacute instead (masculine nouns) or add -a (femininenouns)

eacuteadach eacuteadaiacute clothclothescailleach cailleacha old womanwomencurach curacha curragh(s) (a kind of boat)

One of the commonest endings for other nouns (regardless of gender) is -(e)acha

Singular Plural

cathaoir cathaoireacha chair(s)claacuter claacuteracha board(s) program(s)teanga teangacha tongues

Another is -(e)anna Nouns adding this suffix are almost all singlesyllables

Singular Plural

bus busanna bus(es)carr carranna car(s)lao laonna calfcalvesduais duaiseanna prize(s)blaacuteth blaacutethanna flower(s)ceacuteim ceacuteimeanna step(s)

The ending -a is found on all nouns that end with -eog -oacuteg as well asmany monosyllables ending in a broad consonant

fuinneog fuinneoga window(s)cearc cearca hen(s)cos cosa footfeet

Several words for body parts have plurals like that of cos eg laacutemh boscluas


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The suffix -ta pluralizes many nouns ending in l or n some ending in ruse -tha

sceacuteal sceacutealta storystoriessaol saolta lifelivesroacuten roacutenta seal(s)

scoacuter scoacutertha score(s)muacuter muacutertha shower(s)

When a two-syllable noun ending in r or l takes a suffix a short vowelin the last syllable may drop out Common examples include

Singular Plural

boacutethar boacuteithre road(s)fiacal fiacla toothteethlitir litreacha letter(s)athair aithreacha father(s)

Other changes of vowel or consonant quality may accompany certainplural forms (as in boacutethar above) and there is much dialect variationregarding details A few irregular plurals will be introduced in the next lessonalong with other irregularities

The article

There is no indefinite article (like English lsquoarsquo lsquoanrsquo) in Irish

cailiacuten girl a girlbaacuted boat a boat

The only article is the definite article roughly equivalent to English the Ithas two forms

an is used for all singular nouns except feminine nouns inthe genitive case

na is used for all plural nouns and for feminine nouns in thegenitive case (see Unit 6)

an baacuted the boat na baacuteid the boatsan cailiacuten the girl na cailiacuteniacute the girls


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The article is used somewhat more widely in Irish than its Englishequivalent being found for example with the names of certain countriesand languages and in other cases where English has no article

an Fhrainc Francean Ghaeilge Irish (language)an cheimic chemistryan Chaacuteisc Easteran pholaitiacuteocht politicsan diacutefhostaiacuteocht unemploymentan broacuten sorrow

Various consonant mutations are linked to the use of the article in particulargender + case combinations These are discussed more specifically belowand in Unit 6

Mutations after the article

As a general rule the definite article has opposite effects for the twogenders Singular masculine nouns beginning with a consonant have nomutations after the article an when they are the subject or object of a verbNouns beginning with a vowel take a t- prefix

an siopa the shop an t-uisce the wateran cailiacuten the girl an t-uncail the unclean cluiche the game an t-oibriacute the workeran bus the bus an t-ainm the namean duine the person

In contrast first consonants of feminine singular nouns are lenited andt is prefixed to s while vowels are unaffected

an tsaoire the holidayan tsliacute the way

an bhraacuteilliacuten the sheetan bhoacute the cowan tine the fire (t d unlenited after n)an gheacute the goosean fheacuteile the festival

an aiste the essayan oiacuteche the night


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Masculine and feminine nouns are affected identically in the pluralgender of plural nouns is irrelevant to the mutation process The pluralarticle for both genders and all cases is na which prefixes h to vowels butdoes not affect consonants (except in the genitive plural see Unit 6)

Masculine Feminine

na hainmneacha the names na hoiacutecheanta the nightsna cailiacuteniacute the girls na braacuteilliacuteniacute the sheetsna busanna the buses na geacuteanna the geesena cluichiacute the games na feacuteilte the festivalsna daoine the people na tinte the firesna siopaiacute the shops na slite the ways

Exercises

1 For each of the following masculine nouns add the definite article andany appropriate mutations

1 doras 11 fear2 oileaacuten 12 leabhar3 cailiacuten 13 athair4 teach 14 eitleaacuten5 uisce 15 im6 duine 16 carr7 bord 17 sagart8 ainm 18 gairdiacuten9 uncail 19 madra

10 paacuteipeacutear 20 eolas

2 For each of the following feminine nouns add the article and anyappropriate mutations

1 tine 11 seachtain2 bean 12 eochair3 farraige 13 deoch4 boacute 14 pingin5 Gaeilge 15 miacute6 oifig 16 abhainn7 sraacuteid 17 fuinneog8 maidin 18 baacuteisteach9 aois 19 suacuteil

10 scian 20 caora


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3 Make the following nouns plural following the patterns given in thelesson Look them up in a dictionary if you are uncertain of the form ormeaning

1 bealach 11 sceacuteal2 spuacutenoacuteg 12 maacutethair3 braacuteilliacuten 13 cupaacuten4 feirmeoir 14 bileog5 scoil 15 aois6 uimhir 16 Sasanach7 cnoc 17 garda8 paacuteirc 18 traein9 cuileog 19 loch

10 mac 20 nuachtaacuten

4 Make the following nouns singular

1 fir 11 francaigh2 caiple 12 siacuteolta3 dearthaacuteireacha 13 madraiacute4 muca 14 cathracha5 leabhair 15 bratacha6 faacuteinniacute 16 cinn7 seachtainiacute 17 sagairt8 ceolta 18 doirse9 uaireanta 19 linbh

10 cairde 20 geacuteanna

5 Identify the gender of the following nouns using the principles of formand meaning given in the lesson

1 toradh 11 leabharlann2 spuacutenoacuteg 12 siopa3 foirgneamh 13 baacutedoacuteir4 athair 14 tarbh5 maacutethair 15 boacute6 fuacht 16 margadh7 spideog 17 ciontacht8 feacuteiriacuten 18 iriseoir9 broacuteg 19 stoca

10 potaire 20 eacuteigeandaacuteil


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1 1 an doras 2 an t-oileaacuten 3 an cailiacuten 4 an teach 5 an t-uisce 6 an duine7 an bord 8 an t-ainm 9 an t-uncail 10 an paacuteipeacutear 11 an fear 12 anleabhar 13 an t-athair 14 an t-eitleaacuten 15 an t-im 16 an carr 17 an sagart18 an gairdiacuten 19 an madra 20 an t-eolas

2 1 an tine 2 an bhean 3 an fharraige 4 an bhoacute 5 an Ghaeilge 6 an oifig7 an tsraacuteid 8 an mhaidin 9 an aois 10 an scian 11 an tseachtain 12 aneochair 13 an deoch 14 an phingin 15 an mhiacute 16 an abhainn 17 anfhuinneog 18 an bhaacuteisteach 19 an tsuacuteil 20 an chaora

3 1 bealaiacute 2 spuacutenoacutega 3 braacuteilliacuteniacute 4 feirmeoiriacute 5 scoileanna 6 uimhreacha7 cnoic 8 paacuteirceanna 9 cuileoga 10 mic 11 sceacutealta 12 maacuteithreacha 13 cupaacutein 14 bileoga 15 aoiseanna 16 Sasanaigh 17 gardaiacute 18 traenacha19 lochanna 20 nuachtaacutein

4 1 fear 2 capall 3 dearthaacuteir 4 muc 5 leabhar 6 faacuteinne 7 seachtain 8 ceol 9 uair 10 cara 11 francach 12 siacuteol 13 madra 14 cathair 15 bratach16 ceann 17 sagart 18 doras 19 leanbh 20 geacute

5 1 toradh M 2 spuacutenoacuteg F 3 foirgneamh M 4 athair M 5 maacutethair F 6 fuacht M 7 spideog F 8 feacuteiriacuten M 9 broacuteg F 10 potaire M 11 leabharlannF 12 siopa M 13 baacutedoacuteir M 14 tarbh M 15 boacute F 16 margadh M 17 ciontacht F 18 iriseoir M 19 stoca M 20 eacuteigeandaacuteil F


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UNIT SIXNoun classes and cases

In Irish as in many languages nouns may change form according to theirfunction in a phrase or sentence The different functions are known as casesThis unit describes the main case forms of Irish and how they are used andintroduces the details of Irish noun declension

Case

Compared with many related languages contemporary Irish has relativelyfew distinct case forms Most historical forms have merged into just two inthe modern language the common case and the genitive case The commoncase is the unmarked form of the noun as listed in dictionaries it is usedwhen the noun or the phrase it is in is the subject or object of the verb Themain function of the genitive case is to mark a possessor of some other noun (the role filled by rsquos in English) with secondary functions such as identifying parts of a larger whole typically expressed by lsquoofrsquo or itsequivalent in other languages or sometimes by an adjective (eg lsquowoodentablersquo) Genitive nouns are always part of a larger phrase with a relation tosome other noun

Subject Taacute an cailiacuten oacuteg The girl is youngObject Feicim an cailiacuten I see the girlGenitive Feicim cara an chailiacuten I see the girlrsquos friend

Taacute cara an chailiacuten oacuteg The girlrsquos friend is young

When a phrase includes a genitive noun the article an appears only oncein Irish before the second possessor noun although it might be used twicein the English translation doras an tiacute lsquothe door of the housersquo More generallywhenever a noun is marked with a possessor it will never also have an articlebefore it even if its English equivalent does

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coacuteta Bhriain Brianrsquos coatmo choacuteta my coatboacutethar Chorcaigh the road to Cork (literally lsquoof Corkrsquo)

As a rule of thumb whenever a phrase contains two or more nouns in arow the last one will be in the genitive form

In addition to marking possession and similar relations to another noun(eg part-whole origin material function etc) the genitive case is foundfollowing verbal nouns in progressive constructions (such as lsquoeating meatrsquocf Unit 19) after certain prepositions to be introduced in Intermediate Irishand after quantity words such as roinnt lsquosomersquo neart lsquoplentyrsquo moacuteraacuten lsquomuchrsquoetc Many English compound nouns take the form of genitive phrases inIrish eg oifig an phoist lsquopost officersquo

Forms of the genitive case (the declension classes)

In addition to the two genders Irish nouns can be grouped into five classes(declensions) which differ in the way their genitive case is formed Theprincipal forms for singular nouns in each class are described below Pluralnouns will be discussed later

The first declension

The first declension consists of masculine nouns ending in a broad consonantThese form their genitive by making the final consonant slender Sometimesa vowel also changes (ea to i ia to eacutei) Final -ch becomes -igh

fear a man fir of a maniasc fish eacuteisc of fishsagart a priest sagairt of a priestcupaacuten a cup cupaacutein of a cupeacuteadach a cloth eacuteadaigh of a cloth

The second declension

Second-declension nouns are mostly feminine ending in a consonant theyadd the suffix -e in the genitive and slenderize final broad consonants Theending -(e)ach on nouns of this class changes to -(a)iacute in the genitive Vowelchanges similar to those in the first declension may apply

ceacuteim a step ceacuteime of a stepsraacuteid a street sraacuteide of a streetfuinneog a window fuinneoige of a windowcloch a stone cloiche of a stone

42 Unit 6 Noun classes and cases

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baacuteisteach rain baacuteistiacute of rainpian pain peacuteine of pain

The third declension

Third-declension nouns may be masculine or feminine The class includesnouns ending in various suffixes including -oacuteir -eacuteir aacuteil uacuteil -acht amongothers The genitive form broadens final slender consonants and adds -a

ceacht a lesson ceachta of a lessonrud a thing ruda of a thingbliain a year bliana of a yearbaruacuteil an opinion baruacutela of an opinionmuacuteinteoir a teacher muacuteinteora of a teacherfeoil meat feola of meat

The fourth declension

The fourth declension includes most nouns with a final vowel plus a fewothers including all those ending in -iacuten They may be feminine or (moreoften) masculine and do not change form in the genitive

cailiacuten a girl cailiacuten of a girlbaile a town baile of a townuncail an uncle uncail of an unclebia food bia of food

The fifth declension

The fifth declension contains a small set of (mostly feminine) nouns endingin vowels or slender consonants Their various genitive forms all end in abroad consonant either suffixed or formed by broadening the final slenderconsonant or both An unstressed short vowel may be dropped before l orr when a suffix is added

abhainn a river abhann of a riverathair a father athar of a fathercomharsa a neighbor comharsan of a neighborcara a friend carad of a friendbeoir beer beorach of beercathaoir a chair cathaoireach of a chaircathair a city cathrach of a city

There are minor variations within each class usually involving vowelchanges These can be learned for individual nouns as they are encountered


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Case and the definite article

The mutations introduced in Unit 5 apply to nouns in the common casefollowing the article anna When a genitive noun follows an article themutations are generally the opposite of those in the common case Examplesin this section are all of the fourth declension (genitive doesnrsquot change form)so as to focus attention on the mutations associated with the article Thesemutations are the same for all nouns

An doesnrsquot change the form of masculine genitive nouns but prefixes t before s and lenites other consonants (except t d) But t- is not prefixedto vowels in the genitive case The common case forms from Unit 5 arerepeated here to show the contrast with the genitive

Common Genitive

an siopa fear an tsiopa the man of the shop the shopkeeperan seomra doras an tseomra the door of the room

an cailiacuten ainm an chailiacuten the girlrsquos namean bus uimhir an bhus the number of the busan duine ainm an duine the personrsquos name (t d unlenited after n)

an t-uisce blas an uisce the taste of the wateran t-uncail ainm an uncail the unclersquos name

The feminine singular genitive article is na It does not affect consonantsbut prefixes h to vowels Note the contrasts with the common forms fromUnit 5

Common Genitive

an tsaoire daacuteta na saoire the date of the holidayan tsliacute eolas na sliacute knowledge of the way

an bhraacuteilliacuten dath na braacuteilliacuten the colour of the sheetan tine teas na tine the heat of the firean fheacuteile laacute na feacuteile the day of the festival

an oiacuteche laacuter na hoiacuteche the middle of the night


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Genitive plurals

In the genitive plural all nouns are eclipsed after na (with n- before vowels)

Masculine Feminine

laacuter na gcluichiacute the middle of laacuter na bhfeacuteilte the middle of the games the festivals

caint na speech of the teas na dtinte the heat of the ndaoine people fires

amchlaacuter na the timetable fad na n-aistiacute the length of the mbusanna of the buses essays

doirse na siopaiacute the doors of eolas na slite knowledge of the the shops ways

Genitive case forms are also simpler for plural nouns than for singularnouns In all declension classes except the first eclipsis after na is the onlydifference from the common plural form The nouns themselves donrsquotchange

na daoine the people caint na ndaoine the speech of the peoplena cailiacuteniacute the girls aois na gcailiacuteniacute the age of the girlscailiacuteniacute girls ainmneacha cailiacuteniacute girlsrsquo namesna siopaiacute the shops doirse na siopaiacute the doors of the shops

In the first declension the genitive plural is the same as the commonsingular whereas the genitive singular slenderizes a final consonant in thegenitive plural it remains broad

Singular Plural

Common baacuted baacuteid boatGenitive baacuteid baacuted

When nouns of this class form the plural with a suffix rather than aslenderized consonant most use the same plural form for the genitive

Singular Plural

Common boacutethar boacuteithre roadGenitive boacutethair boacuteithre

A few nouns with the plural suffix -a (-aiacute in some dialects) areexceptional their genitive plural is identical to the common singular


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Singular Plural

Common uacutell uacutella appleGenitive uacuteill uacutell

First-declension nouns ending in -ach (plural -aiacute) are the same in thegenitive plural nouns which change ach to aigh have a genitive plural likethe common singular

Singular Plural

Common eacuteadach eacuteadaiacute cloth clothesGenitive eacuteadaigh eacuteadaiacute

Common Sasanach Sasanaigh EnglishmanGenitive Sasanaigh Sasanach

A few feminine second-declension nouns mostly words for body partsalso have a genitive plural identical to the standard singular common form

laacutemh handcluas earcnaacutemh bonecos footbos palm of handbroacuteg shoe

Irregular nouns

Many nouns with irregular genitive case forms also have irregular pluralsthese are shown below Where a genitive plural is not listed it is the sameas the common plural Only bean lsquowomanrsquo has a separate genitive plural form

Com Sing Com Pl Gen Sing Gen Pl

bean a woman mnaacute women mnaacute of a woman ban of womenteach a house tithe houses tiacute of a housedia a god deacuteithe gods deacute of a godlaacute a day laethanta days lae of a dayleaba a bed leapacha beds leapa of a beddeoch a drink deochanna drinks diacute of a drinkdeirfiuacuter a sister deirfiuacuteracha sisters deirfeacutear of a sistermiacute a month miacuteonna months miacuteosa of a montholann wool ndash olla of wooltalamh land tailte lands talaimh taluacuten (equally acceptable)

of land


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Double genitives

Sometimes a noun may be followed by a series of two (or more) possessivenouns In these cases only the last noun of the sequence (the one after thearticle) is genitive in form but the initial consonant is lenited on any nounfunctioning as a possessor

obair bhean an tiacute the work of the landladydath theach Sheaacutein the colour of Seaacutenrsquos houseseoladh oifig an phoist the address of the post office

Exercises

1 Change each article + noun sequence below from common case togenitive case inserting it into the larger phrase provided by the nounand making any necessary mutations and changes to the article Thegender of each noun (except those beginning with t d sp st sc) will berevealed by the mutation or absence of mutation in the common casegiven For these particular nouns the only change will be in the articleandor mutation

1 ainm ___________________ an cailiacutenan maacuteistiran t-uncailan aintiacutenan filean madraan seanduinean bhanaltra

2 dath ____________________ an ealaan busan bhoacutean siopaan ghloinean caacutertaan briacutestean fharraige

3 i laacuter _____________________ an seomraan oiacutechean cluichean fheacuteilean baile


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an traacutethnoacutenaan tsaoirean gairdiacuten

4 blas ___________________ an t-uiscean beacuteilean t-uncailan caacutecaan tsuacutean siciacutenan piontaan bia

5 ar son ____________________ an Ghaeilgean tslaacuteintean bhanphrionsaan Beacutearlaan t-ainman beathaan tsaoirsean teanga

2 Make each of the following phrases (article + noun) plural All thesenouns form their plural by adding the suffix -iacute or replacing e with it Donot change the noun that precedes the article

1 praghas an phionta2 suacuteile an chailiacuten3 an eala4 an fharraige5 muintir an tsiopa6 doirse na hoifige7 obair an fhile8 laacuter an chluiche9 an tseachtain

10 dath an bhalla11 an t-iascaire12 ainm an iascaire13 dath an gheata14 obair na banaltra15 deireadh an teacutearma16 dath an mhadra17 laacuter na farraige18 fad an dreacuteimire19 laacuter na seachtaine20 ainm an phaacuteiste


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3 Give the genitive form of the following nouns Their declension class isgiven in parentheses

1 sagart (1) 11 im (2)2 Gaeltacht (3) 12 duine (4)3 bord (1) 13 rud (3)4 fuinneog (2) 14 maacutethair (5)5 traein (5) 15 teach (Irr)6 Sasanach(1) 16 tae (4)7 capall (1) 17 oifig (2)8 aintiacuten (4) 18 araacuten (1)9 cluas (2) 19 scriacutebhneoir (3)

10 leaba (Irr) 20 bliain (3)

4 Convert the following phrases to the genitive case making appropriatemutations as well as changing the form of the noun where necessary Thegender of the noun is identified to assist with the mutations

Masculine Feminine

1 an carr 11 an chathaoir2 an teach 12 an aacuteit3 na fir 13 na mnaacute4 an t-oileaacuten 14 an tsraacuteid5 an siopa 15 na hoifigiacute6 na huacutellaiacute 16 an phluid7 an buachaill 17 an tiacuter8 an bus 18 an bhoacute9 an t-aonach 19 na broacutega

10 na dochtuacuteiriacute 20 an Ghaeltacht

5 Insert the word in parentheses into the larger phrase changing it to thegenitive form

1 (an ubh) Naacute biacute ag briseadh ___________________________2 (an mhiacute) Bhiacute siad anseo i laacuter _________________________3 (cloigeann) Taacute tinneas _____________________ orm4 (na paacuteistiacute) Taacute Maacuteire ag duacuteiseacht _______________________5 (an doras) Taacute dath __________________________ go haacutelainn6 (an t-airgead) An bhfuil tuacute ag comhaireamh __________________7 (na coinnle) Taacute meacute ag lasadh ________________________8 (an muacuteinteoir) Sin eacute teach ___________________________9 (an oifig) Duacuten doras _____________________ maacutes eacute do thoil eacute

10 (an tseachtain) Beidh muid ag caitheamh ______________ i Londain


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11 (na gasuacuteir) Sin eacute seomra _________________________12 (an cat) Taacute cos __________________ briste13 (an tsiopadoacuteireacht) Taacute meacute ag deacuteanamh ______________________14 (an t-im) Taacute praghas _______________________ roacute-ard15 (an cogadh) Bhiacute siad i Sasana tar eacuteis ______________________16 (an samhradh) Bhiacute siacute anseo ag tuacutes _________________________17 (an Ghaeilge) Taacute siad ag obair ar son ________________________18 (an aacuteit) Taacute muintir _______________________ saacutesta19 (an chathair) Taacute siacute ina coacutenaiacute i laacuter _______________________20 (an fhiacuterinne) Taacute meacute ag inseacht ________________________

6 Combine a word from List A with a phrase (changed to its genitive form)from List B to make ten meaningful phrases eg teach an iascaire

A Bteach t-iascairefear an duinedoras an bailesiopa an siopadath Peigelaacuter an bhoacutepraghas an biaboacutethar an Ghaeltachtmuintir an ruacutenaiacuteblas an oiacutecheobair an bhanaltraos comhair an bainnecarr an beacuteilemaacutethair Maacuteirtiacuten

na paacuteistiacutena daoinean t-uisce

7 Translate the following phrases using genitive phrases

1 the fishermanrsquos boat 11 a rainy day2 for the sake of the nation 12 after the dinner3 making the meals 13 the priest of the parish4 the door of the school 14 the meaning of the words5 learning French 15 the beginning of the year6 winter weather 16 the people of the Gaeltacht7 the middle of the day 17 in front of the shop8 the taste of the meat 18 cleaning the house9 the light of the moon 19 the boyrsquos sister

10 my friendrsquos car 20 milking the cow


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1 1 ainm an chailiacuten ainm an mhaacuteistir ainm an uncail ainm na haintiacuten ainman fhile ainm an mhadra ainm an tseanduine ainm na banaltra 2 dathna heala dath an bhus dath na boacute dath an tsiopa dath na gloine dath anchaacuterta datha an bhriacuteste dath na farraige 3 i laacuter an tseomra i laacuter na hoiacutechei laacuter an chluiche i laacuter na feacuteile i laacuter an bhaile i laacuter an traacutethnoacutena i laacuter nasaoire i laacuter an ghairdiacuten 4 blas an uisce blas an bheacuteile blas an uncail blasan chaacuteca blas na suacute blas an tsiciacuten blas an phionta blas an bhia 5 ar sonna Gaeilge ar son na slaacuteinte ar son na banphrionsa ar son an Bheacutearlaar son an ainm ar son an bheatha ar son na saoirse ar son na teanga

2 1 praghas na bpiontaiacute 2 suacuteile na gcailiacuteniacute 3 na healaiacute 4 na farraigiacute 5 muintir na siopaiacute 6 doirse na n-oifigiacute 7 obair na bhfiliacute 8 laacuter na gcluichiacute9 na seachtainiacute 10 dath na mballaiacute 11 na hiascairiacute 12 ainm na n-iascairiacute13 dath na ngeataiacute 14 obair na mbanaltraiacute 15 deireadh na dteacutearmaiacute 16dath na madraiacute 17 laacuter na bhfarraigiacute 18 fad na ndreacuteimiriacute 19 laacuter naseachtainiacute 20 ainm na bpaacuteistiacute

3 1 sagairt 2 Gaeltachta 3 boird 4 fuinneoige 5 traenach 6 Sasanaigh 7 capaill 8 aintiacuten 9 cluaise 10 leapa 11 ime 12 duine 13 ruda 14 maacutethar15 tiacute 16 tae 17 oifige 18 araacutein 19 scriacutebhneora 20 bliana

4 1 an chairr 2 an tiacute 3 na bhfear 4 an oileaacutein 5 an tsiopa 6 na n-uacutell 7 an bhuachalla 8 an bhus 9 an aonaigh 10 na ndochtuacuteiriacute 11 nacathaoireach 12 na haacuteite 13 na mban 14 na sraacuteide 15 na n-oifigiacute 16 napluide 17 na tiacutere 18 na boacute 19 na mbroacuteg 20 na Gaeltachta

5 1 (an ubh) Naacute biacute ag briseadh na huibhe 2 (an mhiacute) Bhiacute siad anseo i laacuterna miacuteosa 3 (cloigeann) Taacute tinneas cloiginn orm 4 (na paacuteistiacute) Taacute Maacuteireag duacuteiseacht na bpaacuteistiacute 5 (an doras) Taacute dath an dorais go haacutelainn 6 (ant-airgead) An bhfuil tuacute ag comhaireamh an airgid 7 (na coinnle) Taacute meacuteag lasadh na gcoinnle 8 (an muacuteinteoir) Sin eacute teach an mhuacuteinteora 9 (anoifig) Duacuten doras na hoifige maacutes eacute do thoil eacute 10 (an tseachtain) Beimidag caitheamh na seachtaine i Londain 11 (na gasuacuteir) Sin eacute seomra nangasuacuter 12 (an cat) Taacute cos an chait briste 13 (an tsiopadoacuteireacht) Taacute meacuteag deacuteanamh na siopadoacuteireachta 14 (an t-im) Taacute praghas an ime roacute-ard15 (an cogadh) Bhiacute siad i Sasana tar eacuteis an chogaidh 16 (an samhradh)Bhiacute siacute anseo ag tuacutes an tsamhraidh 17 (an Ghaeilge) Taacute siad ag obair arson na Gaeilge 18 (an aacuteit) Taacute muintir na haacuteite saacutesta 19 (an chathair) Taacutesiacute ina coacutenaiacute i laacuter na cathrach 20 (an fhiacuterinne) Taacute meacute ag insint na fiacuterinne

6 Sample answers (others possible) teach na banaltra teach na ndaoinesiopa an bhaile siopa Mhaacuteirtiacuten blas an bhia blas an bhainne muintir


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an bhaile muintir Mhaacuteirtiacuten dath na boacute dath an tsiopa laacuter na hoiacuteche laacuteran tsiopa laacuter an bhaile doras an tsiopa muintir an iascaire obair an ruacutenaiacuteobair Pheige obair na banaltra obair na bpaacuteistiacute blas an bheacuteile blas anuisce

7 1 baacuted an iascaire 2 ar son an naacuteisiuacutein 3 ag deacuteanamh na mbeacuteiliacute 4 dorasna scoile 5 ag foghlaim Fraincise 6 aimsir geimhridh 7 laacuter an lae 8 blasna feola 9 solas na gealaiacute 10 carr mo charad 11 laacute baacuteistiacute 12 tar eacuteis andinneacuteir 13 sagart an pharoacuteiste 14 ciall na bhfocal 15 tuacutes na bliana 16 muintir na Gaeltachta 17 os comhair an tsiopa 18 ag glanadh an tiacute19 deirfiuacuter an bhuachalla 20 ag bleaacuten na boacute


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UNIT SEVENPersonal names

Irish surnames are in some ways quite different from those found in theEnglish-speaking world and the structure of names in Irish further illustratesthe grammar covered in recent units This unit introduces Irish surnamesand the ways they differ from their anglicized forms

Menrsquos surnames

The Irish patronymic system of assigning surnames after onersquos father orother ancestor is one of the oldest in Europe going back 1000 years Themajority of traditional surnames begin with one of the prefixes Mac (lsquosonrsquo)or OacuteUa (lsquodescendantrsquo lsquograndsonrsquo) The given name which follows is in thegenitive case Mac Neacuteill is literally lsquoson of Niallrsquo and Oacute Neacuteill is lsquodescendantof Niallrsquo Some names can be preceded by either Mac or Oacute while otherstend to favor one prefix or the other Some common patronymic names aregiven below with common anglicized versions that may be better knownoutside Ireland Some anglicizations omit the prefix others retain it

Mac Donncha McDonagh Oacute Donncha (Orsquo)DonahueMac Briacutede McBride Oacute Flaithearta (Orsquo)FlahertyMac Carthaigh McCarthy Oacute Conchuacuteir OrsquoConnorMacThiarnaacutein McKiernan Oacute Murchuacute MurphyMac Suibhne (Mc)Sweeney Oacute Broin ByrneMac Bhloscaidh McCloskey Oacute hEadhra OrsquoHaraMac Eochaidh (Mc)Keogh Oacute Cathasaigh (Orsquo)Casey

Nowadays surnames are transmitted from generation to generationunchanged so Seaacuten Mac Neacuteillrsquos father would not necessarily have beennamed Niall but some ancestor probably was

Other patronymic names refer to the profession or religious affiliationof the ancestor

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Irish English Translation

Mac an Bhaird Ward son of the bard (poet)Mac an tSaoi McGinty son of the wise manMac Gabhann McGowan Smith son of the blacksmithMac Giolla Easpaig Gillespie son of the devotee of the bishop

Surnames with Giolla and also those beginning with Maol often refer tofollowers of particular churchmen or saints

Mac Giolla Phaacutedraig Kilpatrick Oacute Maoil Chiaraacutein MulkernMac Giolla Phoacuteil Guilfoyle Oacute Maoil Eoin Malone

A very few Irish names have no prefix Among the best known are

Breatnach Walsh (lsquoWelshmanrsquo) or BranaghSeoighe JoyceCaomhaacutenach Kavanagh

Finally a number of names brought in by the Normans are French inorigin but they have been thoroughly gaelicized and are now as Irish asany others Some were gaelicized using the Mac prefix often anglicized asFitz- from the French equivalent fils but others retained the French formde which also refers to lineage

Mac Gearailt Fitzgerald de Buacuterca BourkeMac an Riacute Fitzroy King de Paor Power

de Bruacuten Browne

All names can be converted to nouns ending in -ach The prefix isdropped and the definite article is used The effect is the same as referringto a person by his surname only in English

an Flaitheartach Oacute Flaithearta OrsquoFlahertyan Suibneach Mac Suibhne Sweeneyan Seoigheach Seoighe Joycean Buacutercach de Buacuterca Bourke

Womenrsquos surnames

Women of course are not sons or grandsons of anyone Accordinglytraditional versions of their names do not include the prefixes Mac or OacuteInstead they use a feminine form Nic or Niacute derived from the phrases Iniacuteon

54 Unit 7 Personal names

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Mhic and Iniacuteon Uiacute lsquodaughter of MacOacutersquo The feminine prefixes cause lenitionof the name that follows but unlike the prefix Oacute Niacute does not prefix h tovowels Here are the female versions of the names given above

Nic Dhonncha McDonagh Niacute Dhonncha (Orsquo)DonahueNic Bhriacutede McBride Niacute Fhlaithearta Orsquo FlahertyNic Carthaigh McCarthy Niacute Chonchuacuteir OrsquoConnorNic Thiarnaacutein (Mc)Kiernan Niacute Mhurchuacute MurphyNic Shuibhne (Mc)Sweeney Niacute Bhroin BrennanNic Bhloscaidh McCloskey Niacute Eadhra OrsquoHaraNic Eochaidh (Mc) Keogh Niacute Chathasaigh (Orsquo)Casey

Names without prefixes are also lenited when used by women but theNorman names beginning with de do not change they are identical for menand women

Bhreatnach WalshSheoighe JoyceChaomhaacutenach Kavanagh

Traditionally women did not change their names upon marriage Inrecent times under English influence some women have taken theirhusbandsrsquo names in which case the titles Bean Mhic and Bean Uiacute (lsquoWifeof MacOacutersquo) are used Bean is sometimes dropped

Aiacutene (Bean) Mhic Dhonncha Mrs Aacuteine MacDonaghBriacuted (Bean) Uiacute Mhurchuacute Mrs Briacuted MurphyMaacuteire (Bean) de Bruacuten Mrs Maacuteire Browne

Local names

Since names in Ireland tend to be associated with particular regions itrsquoscommon to find several families with the same name in a single communityAnd since the same traditional given names tend to be favored in familyafter family (at least until quite recently) itrsquos quite likely that more thanone person with exactly the same name might live in a small Gaeltachtcommunity This is rarely a problem however because most people in suchcommunities are known locally not by their official surnames but by a localcommunity nickname or leasainm based on their fatherrsquos (or anotherrelativersquos) given name or on a particular personal characteristic Supposethat one family named Oacute Conaire has offspring named Paacutedraig BriacutedSeacuteamas and Liam while another Oacute Conaire family includes Seaacuten Paacutedraig


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Maacuteire and Briacuted (two Paacutedraig Oacute Conaires and two Briacuted Niacute Chonaires)Locally each group would be known by a different leasainm Say the fatherof the first group is named Seacuteamas and the father of the second group isColm Then the next generation might be known locally as follows

Children of Seacuteamas Oacute Conaire Children of Colm Oacute Conaire

Paacutedraig Sheacuteamais Paacutedraig ChoilmBriacuted Sheacuteamais Briacuted ChoilmSeacuteamas Sheacuteamais Maacuteire ChoilmLiam Sheacuteamais Seaacuten Choilm

The fatherrsquos name is in the genitive form and lenited after all first namesmale or female Some local names may go back two generations so onealso finds names such as Nan Phaacutedraig Choilmiacuten and Coacuteiliacuten PhaacutedraigChoilmiacuten real siblings whose father was Paacutedraig Choilmiacuten The formalsurname Oacute Conghaile (Niacute Chonghaile) would be rarely used in thecommunity Coacuteiliacutenrsquos children are known locally as Paacutedraig Choacuteiliacuten AacuteineChoacuteiliacuten etc while Nanrsquos (their cousins) are known by a name taken fromtheir fatherrsquos side of the family Paacutedraig Sheaacuteiniacuten Aacuteine Sheaacuteiniacuten etc So even where names are duplicated within a family the identities ofhouseholds are distinguished

Another relativersquos name is sometimes used especially if that relative hadan important role in the familyrsquos upbringing It may be a mother aunt oruncle or grandparent Thus womenrsquos names might appear in the leasainmfor particular families if for example they were raised primarily by awidowed mother named Maacuteiriacuten a family might be known as Briacuted MhaacuteiriacutenPaacutedraig Mhaacuteiriacuten etc

Finally some individuals have local names based on a particularcharacteristic ndash physical professional or geographical The following areexamples

Liam an Phoist Liam the post(man)Colm an Garda Colm the policemanPaddy an Veain Paddy the van (driver)Colm Dubh Black-haired ColmMaacuteire Chatach Curly-haired MaacuteirePaacutedraig Rath Cairn Paacutedraig from Rath Cairn

Outside the local setting both surname and local name may be used as inthe case of Seaacuten Baacuten Breathnach a well-known media personality butlocally the official surname is normally restricted to use in official contextsrather than everyday usage


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Vocative case

A vocative case survives in some names and is used when addressing peopledirectly (as opposed to referring to them as a third person) All names areintroduced by the particle a and the first consonant is lenited

a Sheaacutein Seaacutena Bhriacuted Briacuted

The names with distinct vocative forms are mainly menrsquos names ending ina broad consonant (first declension) which becomes slender in the vocativeform as Sheaacutein above Other examples

Common Vocative

Seacuteamas a SheacuteamaisTomaacutes a ThomaacuteisPeadar a PheadairDoacutenall a DhoacutenaillMiacutecheaacutel a Mhiacutechiacutel

Note the vowel change in the last example Womenrsquos names and menrsquosnames that donrsquot end in a broad consonant (eg Eacuteanna Diarmaid Paacutedraig)do not change in the vocative case apart from a and lenition of appropriateconsonants Occasionally common nouns (non-names) are used for directaddress (eg child son friends etc) in these instances the singular formof the vocative is generally identical to the genitive case for first-declensionnouns in other declensions it is identical to the common case

First-declension nouns with slender plurals take -a in the vocative pluralOther plurals arenrsquot distinct in the vocative

A fheara MenA chailiacuteniacute Girls

Exercises

1 The following are gaelicized versions of the names of some famousindividuals Can you anglicize the names to their better-known forms

1 Seacuteamas Seoighe2 Tomaacutes de Cruacuteis3 Dizzy Mac Giolla Easpaig4 Maacuteiriacuten Niacute Eadhra


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5 Piaras Oacute Brosnachaacutein6 Seaacuten Mac Gearailt Oacute Cinneacuteide7 Coinneach Breatnach8 Doacutenall Oacute Conaill9 Sineacutead Niacute Chonchuacuteir

10 Seacuteamas Oacute hEacuteanaiacute

2 Suppose each of the individuals listed in Exercise 1 had a sibling of theopposite sex named Maacuteire (or Seaacuten for brothers of the women on thelist) What would the siblingrsquos full name be in its Irish version

3 Give the feminine versions of the menrsquos surnames below and themasculine versions of the womenrsquos surnames

1 Oacute hEochaidh2 Niacute Bhaoill3 Nic Giolla Chriacuteost4 Mac Grianna5 Oacute Cathasaigh6 Niacute Uallachaacutein7 Oacute Gallchoacuteir8 de Faoite9 Baireacutead

10 Bean Uiacute Shuacuteilleabhaacutein

4 A family tree is given below for Maacuteirtiacuten Oacute Briain and his wife PeigeAnswer the questions about the family memberrsquos name or nickname(leasainm) as requested


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Paacuteidiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten3 Tomaacuteisiacuten

Bairbre

Caacuteit2 Donncha2 Paacuteidiacuten2

Maacuteire Maacuteirtiacuten4

Briacuted + Seacuteamaisin Mac NeacuteillCaacuteit1

Diarmaid UacutenaMaacuteirtiacuten2 Oacute Briain + Peige Niacute Cheallaigh

PaacutedraigPeigiacuten

Donncha1 Oacute Ceallaigh

For each individual listed provide the formal name and surname

1 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos father __________________________________2 Diarmaidrsquos son ____________________________________3 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos daughter (1) ______________________________________4 Mairtin2rsquos daughter (2) ______________________________________5 Briacutedrsquos uncle _________________________________________6 Peigiacutenrsquos uncle _____________________________7 Tomaacuteisiacutenrsquos daughter _____________________________________8 Briacutedrsquos son _____________________________________________9 Bairbrersquos father __________________________________________

10 Peigiacutenrsquos mother ________________________________

5 Based on the family tree in Exercise 4 what nickname would each ofthe following be known by locally Assume that the leasainm is basedon the fatherrsquos name unless the father is not listed in which case use themotherrsquos name or the nearest relativersquos

1 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos father __________________________________________2 Diarmaidrsquos son ___________________________________________3 Paacuteidiacutenrsquos son ___________________________________________4 Donncha1rsquos grandsons (2) ___________________________________5 Donncha1rsquos grandsons (2) ___________________________________6 Paacutedraigrsquos uncle _____________________________________7 Caacuteit1______________________________________8 Caacuteit2 ______________________________________9 Caacuteit2rsquos mother _____________________________________

10 Maacuteirtiacuten4 _________________________________11 Bairbrersquos first cousin (1) _________________________________12 Bairbrersquos first cousin (2) __________________________________13 Peigiacutenrsquos mother _______________________________________14 Tomaacuteisiacutenrsquos aunt ______________________________________15 Peige Niacute Cheallaigh __________________________________

6 Put each of the following words or phrases in the vocative case

1 daoine uaisle 11 amadaacuten2 Miacutecheaacutel 12 dochtuacuteir3 cailiacuten 13 diabhal4 Maime 14 Brian5 Briacuted 15 buachailliacute6 bean an tiacute 16 Peadar7 cairde 17 fir oacutega8 Seacuteamas 18 Dia9 creacuteatuacuteir 19 Diarmaid

10 Caitriacuteona 20 mac


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1 1 James Joyce 2 Tom Cruise 3 Dizzy Gillespie 4 Maureen OrsquoHara 5 Pierce Brosnan 6 John Fitzgerald Kennedy 7 Kenneth Branagh 8 Daniel OrsquoConnell 9 Sineacutead OrsquoConnor 10 Seacuteamus Heaney

2 1 Maacuteire Sheoighe 2 Maacuteire de Cruacuteis 3 Maacuteire Nic Giolla Easpaig 4 SeaacutenOacute hEadhra 5 Maacuteire Niacute Bhrosnachaacutein 6 Maacuteire (Nic Ghearailt) NiacuteChinneacuteide 7 Maacuteire Bhreatnach 8 Maacuteire Niacute Chonaill 9 Seaacuten Oacute Conchuacuteir10 Maacuteire Niacute Eacuteanaiacute

3 1 Niacute Eochaidh 2 Oacute Baoill 3 Mac Giolla Chriacuteost 4 Nic Grianna (lenitionblocked for consonant in same part of the mouth as preceding c) 5 NiacuteChathasaigh 6 Oacute hUallachaacutein 7 Niacute Ghallchoacuteir 8 de Faoite 9 Bhaireacutead10 Oacute Suacuteilleabhaacutein

4 1 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos father Maacuteirtiacuten Oacute Briain 2 Diarmaidrsquos son Maacuteirtiacuten Oacute Briain3 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos daughters Briacuted Niacute Bhriain 4 Caacuteit Niacute Bhriain 5 Briacutedrsquos uncleDiarmaid Oacute Briain 6 Peigiacutenrsquos uncle Tomaacuteisiacuten Oacute Briain 7 Tomaacuteisiacutenrsquosdaughter Bairbre Niacute Bhriain 8 Briacutedrsquos son Paacutedraig Mac Neacuteill 9 Bairbrersquosfather Tomaacuteisiacuten Oacute Briain 10 Peigiacutenrsquos mother Briacuted Niacute Bhriain (Briacuted BeanMhic Neacuteill)

5 1 Maacuteirtiacuten2rsquos father Maacuteirtiacuten Phaacuteidiacuten 2 Diarmaidrsquos son MaacuteirtiacutenDhiarmada 3 Paacuteidiacutenrsquos son Maacuteirtiacuten Phaacuteidiacuten 4 Donncha1rsquos grandsonsSeacuteamaisiacuten Mhaacuteirtiacuten and Tomaacuteisiacuten Mhairtiacuten 5 Donncha Uacutena and PaacuteidiacutenUacutena 6 Paacutedraigrsquos uncle Tomaacuteisiacuten Mhaacuteirtiacuten 7 Caacuteit1 Caacuteit Dhiarmada 8Caacuteit2 Caacuteit Mhaacuteirtiacuten 9 Caacuteit2rsquos mother Peige Dhonncha 10 Maacuteirtiacuten4Maacuteirtiacuten Phaacuteidiacuten 11 Bairbrersquos first cousins Paacutedraig Sheacuteamaisiacuten 12 PeigiacutenSheacuteamaisiacuten 13 Peigiacutenrsquos mother Briacuted Mhaacuteirtiacuten 14 Tomaacuteisiacutenrsquos aunt UacutenaDhonncha 15 Peige Niacute Cheallaigh Peige Dhonncha

6 1 a dhaoine uaisle 2 a Mhiacutechiacutel 3 a chailiacuten 4 a Mhaime 5 a Bhriacuted 6 abhean an tiacute 7 a chairde 8 a Sheacuteamais 9 a chreacuteatuacuteir 10 a Chaitriacuteona 11 a amadaacutein 12 a dhochtuacuteir 13 a dhiabhail 14 a Bhriain 15 a bhuachailliacute16 a Pheadair 17 a fheara oacutega 18 a Dhia 19 a Dhiarmaid 20 a mhac(Connemara) a mhic (elsewhere)


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UNIT EIGHTPlace-names

Like personal names Irish place-names typically come in both Irish andEnglish versions Most English versions of place-names rely on translit-eration (anglicizing the pronunciation and respelling it ignoring the meaningof the name)

Traditional Irish place-names are typically composed of phrases thatinclude a term referring to some geographical feature (a hill valley lakeetc) or architectural structure of note in the region (church castle fort)followed by a descriptive term or name The repeated use of certaingeographical terms gives Irish place-names their characteristic flavour

Baile lsquotown(land)rsquo lsquovillagersquo is one of the most common initial terms Itcombines with various other words

Adjectives An Baile Glas Ballyglass (lit green village)Names Baile an Fheirteacutearaigh Ballyferriter (lit Ferriterrsquos town)Other nouns Baile an Tobair Ballintober (lit town of the well)

A second noun in such cases is in the genitive case (see Unit 6) It maybe further modified leading to still longer names including most famouslythe Irish name of Dublin Baile Aacutetha Cliath lsquothe town of the ford of thehurdlesrsquo

Two other extremely common components of place-names are cilllsquochurchyardrsquo and aacuteth lsquofordrsquo

Cill Iacuteseal Killeeshill (lit low churchyard)Cill Bhriacutede Kilbride (lit Bridgetrsquos churchyard)Cill an Mhuilinn Killavullen (lit churchyard of the mill)Aacuteth Dara Adare (lit oak ford)Aacuteth na mBoacute Annamoe (lit ford of the cow)

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Two geographical elements may combine with each other

Baile Aacutetha Buiacute Athboy (lit town of the yellow ford)Beacuteal an Aacutetha Ballina (lit mouth of the ford)Droichead Aacutetha Drogheda (lit bridge of the ford)

Not every place-name has multiple words Single-word names occur eitherwith or without the article an

Luimneach LimerickGaillimh GalwayAn Cnoc KnockAn Daingean Dingle

As a result of recent legislation place-names in Gaeltacht areas arepresented on maps and road signs only in their Irish forms This policy hasbeen the source of some controversy however and the English versions ofplace-names are still known and used sometimes even by Irish speakers

Irish and English

English versions of the names above are based on transliteration thecommonest form of anglicization Although all the Irish names havemeanings they are not transparent in the transliterations Other names aretranslated directly into English preserving their meanings Some examplesfollow

Aacuteth Cinn HeadfordAacuteth an Mhuilinn MilfordBaile an Droichid BridgetownAn Charraig Dhubh Blackrock

Still others rely on a combination of transliteration and translation

Baile an Chaisleaacutein Ballycastle (caisleaacuten lsquocastlersquo)Aacuteth an Staing StoneyfordContae na hIarmhiacute County Westmeath (Iar lsquowestrsquo)Aacuteth na Sraacuteide Stratford

For some place-names the Irish and English versions seem to bear norelation to each other Baile Aacutetha Cliath lsquoDublinrsquo is one example Othersinclude

62 Unit 8 Place-names

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Port Laacuteirge WaterfordLoch Garman WexfordCill Mhantaacutein WicklowNeidiacuten KenmareCathair na Mart WestportCluain Charbhaacutein LouisburghAn Teach Doacuteite Maam Cross

Finally a few place-names are found only in their Irish version and arenot anglicized at all

Port Laoise Port LaoiseDuacuten Laoghaire Dun Laoghaire

Talking about place-names

In sentences place-names most often occur following prepositions such aslsquoinrsquo lsquoatrsquo lsquotorsquo lsquofromrsquo etc which may require initial mutation of the followingnoun sometimes different mutations depending on whether or not thename begins with an

In lsquoinrsquo is perhaps the most common preposition found with place-namesThe n drops out before a following consonant which undergoes eclipsis

in Eacuteirinn in Irelandin Aacuteth Cinn in Headfordi mBaile Aacutetha Cliath in Dublini nGaillimh in Galwayi gCiarraiacute in Kerryi nDroichead Aacutetha in Droghedai Sasana in England

When in precedes an the two words merge as the form sa This causeseclipsis in Connemara Irish and lenition in other dialects and applies inplace-names as well as other phrases

sa mBaile Glassa Bhaile Glas in Ballyglasssa gCarraig Dhubhsa Charraig Dhubh in Blackrock

To say where a person is from as lsquofrom out ofrsquo is used As does notmutate a following consonant but does cause eclipsis of words after an

as Baile Aacutetha Cliath from Dublinas Cill Briacutede from Kilbrideas an gCeathruacute Rua from Carraroe


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Motion toward a place is indicated by the compound preposition go dtiacutelsquoto towardsrsquo or go lsquoto tillrsquo If the place-name begins with an the compoundform is required These do not affect initial consonants but go prefixes hto vowels

go dtiacute an Cnoc to Knockgo dtiacute Gaillimh to Galwaygo Gaillimh to Galwaygo Droichead Aacutetha to Droghedago dtiacute Aacuteth na Sraacuteide to Stratfordgo hAacuteth na Sraacuteide to Stratford

Counties and provinces

Ireland is divided geographically into four provinces and thirty-two counties(twenty-six in the Republic and six in Northern Ireland) The provinces andthose counties containing Gaeltachtaiacute are given below

Na Cuacuteigiacute The Provinces

Cuacuteige Chonnacht ConnachtCuacuteige Laighean LeinsterCuacuteige Mumhan MunsterCuacuteige Uladh Ulster

Contaetha Counties

Ciarraiacute KerryCorcaigh CorkDuacuten na nGall DonegalGaillimh Galwayan Mhiacute MeathMaigh Eo MayoPort Laacuteirge Waterford

Exercises

1 Anglicize the following place-names (most are well-known town orcounty names)

1 Cill Dara 6 Duacuten na nGall2 Corcaigh 7 Cill Aacuteirne3 Maigh Eo 8 Traacute Liacute4 Baile Aacutetha Luain 9 Caiseal5 an Claacuter 10 Ciarraiacute


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2 Match the Irish and English names

Ballynahowen Beacuteal Aacutetha na SluaBelfast Caisleaacuten CnuchaDundalk Lios Duacuten BhearnaBallyhaunis Gleann Cholm CilleListowel Beacuteal Aacutetha hAmhnaisMaynooth Maigh CuilinnGlencolumkille Baile na hAbhannLisdoonvarna Cluain MealaMoycullen Cill DealgaBallinasloe Lios TuathailKildalkey Beacuteal FeirsteCastleknock Duacuten DealganClonmel Duacuten ChaoinInishowen Magh NuadDunquin Inis Eoghain

3 For each of the following place-names write the prepositions in as andgo before the name making appropriate mutations

1 Uachtar Ard 6 Tiobraid Aacuterann2 Fear Manach 7 Gaoth Dobhair3 Cill Chainnigh 8 Sligeach4 Beacuteal Feirste 9 Droichead Aacutetha5 Port Laoise 10 an Cnoc


1 1 Kildare 2 Cork 3 Mayo 4 Athlone 5 Clare 6 Donegal 7 Killarney8 Tralee 9 Cashel 10 Kerry

2 Ballynahowen Baile na hAbhann Belfast Beacuteal Feirste Dundalk DuacutenDealgan Ballyhaunis Beacuteal Aacutetha hAmhnais Listowel Lios TuathailMaynooth Maigh Nuad Glencolumbkille Gleann Cholm CilleLisdoonvarna Lios Duacuten Bhearna Moycullen Maigh Cuilinn BallinasloeBeacuteal Aacutetha na Slua Kildalkey Cill Dealga Castleknock Caisleaacuten CnuchaClonmel Cluain Meala Inishowen Inis Eoghain Dunquin Duacuten Chaoin

3 1 in Uachtar Ard as Uachtar Ard go hUachtar Ard 2 i bhFear Manachas Fear Manach go Fear Manach 3 i gCill Chainnigh as Cill Chainnighgo Cill Chainnigh 4 i mBeacuteal Feirste as Beacuteal Feirste go Beacuteal Feirste 5 i bPort Laoise as Port Laoise go Port Laoise 6 i dTiobraid Aacuterann asTiobraid Aacuterann go Tiobraid Aacuterann 7 i nGaoth Dobhair as Gaoth


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Dobhair go Gaoth Dobhair 8 i Sligeach as Sligeach go Sligeach 9 inDroichead Aacutetha as Droichead Aacutetha go Droichead Aacutetha 10 sa gCnocsaChnoc as an gCnoc go dtiacute an Cnoc


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UNIT NINEPrepositions I

Prepositions are the (typically) small words that precede a noun and signala relationship between it and something else in the sentence The relation-ship may be one of physical location or direction (lsquoonrsquo lsquounderrsquo lsquonearrsquo lsquobyrsquolsquofromrsquo) or something more abstract (eg lsquoofrsquo lsquoaboutrsquo lsquowithrsquo) Idiomatic usesof prepositions are common and rarely match from one language to thenext making them a particular challenge for learners In English we saylsquolisten torsquo someone but in Irish itrsquos eacuteisteacht le lsquolisten withrsquo

Irish has the additional complication of special pronominal endings onprepositions known as prepositional pronouns a pronoun object (eg lsquowithhimrsquo lsquoon itrsquo lsquoby usrsquo etc) is suffixed to the preposition in ways that are onlypartly predictable This unit introduces several Irish prepositions with theirpronoun forms along with some idioms involving prepositions

Prepositions and nouns

Each preposition may trigger a mutation on a following noun Whatmutation a noun undergoes if any depends on the specific prepositionwhether or not the noun is accompanied by an and what regional varietyis being spoken Seven common prepositions will be discussed in this unitThey are with their primary meanings ag lsquoatrsquo ar lsquoonrsquo le lsquowithrsquo in lsquoinrsquo dolsquoto forrsquo de lsquoof fromrsquo and faoi lsquounder aboutrsquo

When followed directly by a noun (without an article) each prepositionrequires a particular mutation on the noun that follows it Ag lsquoatrsquo and lelsquowithrsquo do not cause any mutation of consonants but le prefixes h to a wordbeginning with a vowel

ag doras an tiacute at the door of the houseag Aacuteras an Uachtaraacutein at the Presidentrsquos mansionle Brian with Brianle hAoife with Aoife

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Only one preposition i lsquoinrsquo causes eclipsis of a following noun as discussedin Unit 8 Before vowels it appears as in

i gCorcaigh in Corki Sasana in Englandin Eacuteirinn in Irelandin Albain in Scotlandin Aacuteras an Uachtaraacutein in the Presidentrsquos mansion

The remaining prepositions lenite the first consonant of a noun followingthem and have no effect on vowels Before a vowel or fh do and de contractto drsquo

ar bhord on a tablefaoi bhord under a tabledo Mhaacuteire to Maacuteirede Sheacuteamas offrom Seacuteamasar eitleaacuten on an airplanefaoi Aoife about Aoifedrsquo Eacuteamonn to Eacuteamonndrsquo Eacuteamonn of Eacuteamonn

In some fixed idiomatic phrases lenition is omitted Compare the firstexample above to ar bord lsquoaboard (a ship)rsquo Other examples include

ar faacuteil availablear buile angryar meisce drunkar ball in a while a while ago

Prepositions and articles

When the noun following the preposition has an article with it mutationpatterns change and the preposition itself may also change The preposition+ article combination sometimes forms contractions as shown below

No contraction ag an doras at the doorar an turas on the trip

Le + an = leis an leis an scian with the knifeLe + na = leis na leis na paacuteistiacute with the childrenFaoi + an = faoin faoin talamh under (the) groundFaoi + na = faoina faoi na sceacutealta about the storiesDe + an = den den duine from the person

68 Unit 9 Prepositions I

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Do + an = don don duine to the personIn + an = sa sa tiacuter in the countryIn + na = sna sna seomraiacute in the rooms

Dialects vary in the mutations found after preposition + article Ulsterdialects have the simplest system all singular nouns are lenited after anycombination of preposition + article In Connacht only don and den causelenition and all other combinations are followed by eclipsis In Munsterand in the Official Standard don den and sa lenite and the rest eclipse(As noted before t d s are unaffected after an) Consonants do not mutatein the plural and vowels never change

Ulster Connacht Munster

ar an bhord ar an mbord ar an mbord on the tablefaoin bhord faoin mbord faoin mbord under the tablesa bhosca sa mbosca sa bhosca in the boxdon bhuachaill don bhuachaill don bhuachaill to the boyden bhuachaill den bhuachaill den bhuachaill from the boy

Note that any mutation caused by the article alone is replaced by those notedabove when the article + noun follows a preposition For example lenitionof a feminine noun after an as in an bhean lsquothe womanrsquo is not retained ineclipsing prepositional phrases leis an mbean However when na prefixesh to a vowel this is retained in prepositional phrases

ar na hoileaacutein on the islands

Likewise prepositions do not alter the effect of the article on nounsbeginning with s feminine nouns retain the t prefix and masculine nounsdonrsquot change

an sagart leis an sagart with the priestan tsraacuteid ar an tsraacuteid on the street

Verb + preposition structures

Verbs frequently combine with prepositions in fixed ways to conveyparticular meanings In English one can ask something of someone ask forsomething ask about something and so on We listen to things but we lookat them In other languages including Irish the preposition that conveys acertain meaning may be different from that in English One cannot counton the basic meanings given above or on the English translations to


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determine which preposition goes with any given verb The list below givesa number of common verb + preposition combinations The Englishtranslation may use a different preposition or none at all

eacuteist le listen to breathnaigh (feacuteach) ar look atfan le wait for cuimhnigh ar rememberaontaigh le agree with iarr ar ask (a favor) ofcuidigh le help fiafraigh de ask (a question) oflabhair le speak towith inis do tell tocaint le talk towith lig do allow permitcaint faoi talk about maith do forgive

In other cases a verb and preposition combine to give a meaning that isdifferent from that of either part Some examples follow

buail le meet (buail = beat hit)buail faoi set about undertakeeacuteirigh as give up quit (eacuteirigh = rise)eacuteirigh le be successfulcuir le add to increase (cuir = put)deacutean ar head for (deacutean = make)tabhair faoi attempt (tabhair = give)

In the case of eacuteiriacute le the person who succeeds is the object of le thereis usually no noun in the subject slot or the subject is the thing at whichthe person succeeds

Drsquoeacuteirigh le Maacuteirtiacuten sa chomoacutertas Maacuteirtiacuten was successful in thecompetition

Go n-eacuteiriacute an boacutethar leat May you succeed on the road(Bon voyage)

A similar complexity is found with the verb taitin lsquoshinersquo plus le to expressthe meaning lsquoto likersquo The thing liked is the subject of the verb and theldquolikerrdquo is in the phrase with le The literal meaning is lsquoX pleases Yrsquo but theusual translation is lsquoY likes Xrsquo

Thaitin an ceol liom I liked the musicThaitin tuacute le Seacuteamas Seacuteamas liked you

Similarly teastaigh X oacute Y (literally lsquoX be lacking from Yrsquo) means lsquoYneedswants Xrsquo

Teastaiacuteonn airgead oacute Uacutena Una needs money


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Two of the above prepositions ar and faoi combine with the verb lsquoto bersquoto form useful idioms with verbal noun expressions following (see Unit 20)Again the English subject is the object of the Irish preposition

taacute ar must has totaacute faoi intends to plans to

Taacute ar Sheacuteamas obair anocht Seacuteamas has to work tonightTaacute faoi Mhaacuteiriacuten dul go Sasana Maacuteiriacuten intends to go to England

Taacute ar is also used to indicate something is the matter with the person namedas object of ar This usage usually takes the form of a question but notalways

Ceacuteard ataacute ort Whatrsquos the matter with youTaacute rud eacuteigin air inniu Something is bothering him today

Prepositional pronouns

Many prepositions including those presented in this unit have specialcombination forms that incorporate a pronoun object These may changethe form of the preposition itself when a pronoun ending is added and theendings are also only partly predictable In this unit we provide the pronounforms for three of the prepositions introduced above ag ar and le

ag ar leSingular

1 me agam orm liom2 you agat ort leat3 himit aige air leis

herit aici uirthi leacutei

Plural

4 us againn orainn linn5 you agaibh oraibh libh6 them acu orthu leo

Some patterning in these forms can help in learning and rememberingthem First- and second-person forms (lsquomersquo lsquoyoursquo lsquousrsquo) all consistently havethe same endings for each preposition endings which conveniently recallthe pronouns meacute tuacute sinn sibh only the third-person forms donrsquot resembleindependent pronouns and are less predictable in form


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Exercises

1 Place the nouns below after each of the prepositions ag ar de do faoiin le making the appropriate mutation where necessary

1 teach an phobail2 Peige3 Uncail Seaacuten4 muintir Chonamara5 Diarmaid6 bean an tiacute7 oifig an phoist8 Contae Chill Dara9 Feacuteile na Miacute

10 gasuacuteir mo charad

2 Fill in the blank in each sentence below with any phrase from the listthat makes sense make appropriate changes to the form of thepreposition as well as whatever mutation is required for the noun

an ceol an cailiacuten an muacuteinteoir an bord an bosca na gasuacuteir an leabaan chathaoir an bhanaltra an teach sin an t-ospideacuteal an leabhar anfear an baile moacuter na crainn an scoil na daoine uacuted an dochtuacuteir anGhaeltacht

1 Tabhair an leabhar do ________________2 Taacute an leabhar ar _________________3 Ar chuala tuacute an sceacuteal faoi _____________4 Taacute siacute ina coacutenaiacute in ________________5 Taacute leabhar nua ag _______________6 Taacute meacute ag eacuteisteacht le _________________7 Cuir i dtaisce eacute in _________________8 Ceacuteard a tharla do __________________9 Thaacuteinig meacute in eacuteineacht le ___________________

10 Bhiacute seacute ag __________________

3 Complete each sentence with the appropriate preposition in its correctform for the context

1 Bhuail meacute ________ mo chara inneacute2 Taacute Caitliacuten ag breathnuacute ______ an teilifiacutes3 Bhiacuteomar ag caint _____an muacuteinteoir ______ gceist4 Fiafraigh ______ Mhaacuteire caacute bhfuil an nuachtaacuten5 Thit an leabhar ______ bhord taacute seacute ________ an urlaacuter anois


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6 Thug meacute bronntanas ______ mrsquoaintiacuten7 Taacute cuid ______ na gasuacuteir tinn8 Taacute duine eacuteigin ______ an doras cloisim an cloigiacuten9 Taacute meacute ag fanacht ______ mo chairde

10 Ar mhaith leat eacuteisteacht _______ an gceol sin

4 Combine the preposition and pronoun in parentheses into a prepositionalpronoun form

1 Is maith le Peige feoil ach is fearr (le + iacute) ____________ iasc2 An bhfuil a fhios (ag + sibh) __________ an freagra3 Deacutean deifir taacute siad ag fanacht _______________ (le + muid)4 Niacute aontaiacuteonn duine ar bith _______________ (le + eacute)5 An bhfuil tuacute ag eacuteisteacht (le + iad) __________ sin6 Taacute an cailiacuten ciuacutein mar niacutel a fhios (ag + iacute) ________ an freagra7 Is cuma (le + meacute) ____________ caacute bhfuil seacute8 Cuir (ar + tuacute) ___________ do choacuteta9 Taacute Briacuted saacutesta (le + sibh) ______________

10 Bhiacute leacuteine dheas (ar + iacute) _____________ inneacute

5 Fill in the correct preposition in the pronoun form which refers to theunderlined noun

1 Tuigeann Seaacuten an cheist ach niacutel a fhios _______________ anfreagra

2 Taacute na pictiuacuteir seo go haacutelainn an bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh breathnuacute___________

3 Nuair a bhiacute meacute in Eacuteirinn chuidigh siad ________________4 Chuir meacute ceist ar na daoine sin ach niacute raibh a fhios

_____________5 Taacute a fhios ag an muacuteinteoir nach bhfuil na daltaiacute ag eacuteisteacht

____________6 Taacute ___________ dul a chodladh anois mar beidh meacute ag eacuteiriacute go

moch ar maidin7 Taacute an claacuter sin go maith is fiuacute breathnuacute ____________8 Nuair a bhiacute muid anseo cheana bhiacute na daoine uacuted ag caint

________9 Deir Peige go bhfuil _____________ imeacht anois

10 Bhiacute tuacute deireanach areacuteir bhiacute lsquochuile dhuine ag fanacht _______

6 Answer the questions using an appropriate prepositional pronoun form

1 An bhfuil paacuteistiacute ag Briacuted agus Maacuteirtiacuten2 An raibh tuacute ag eacuteisteacht leis an gceol sin


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3 An mbeidh tuacute ag cuidiuacute linn4 Ar chuala tuacute caint ar na ceoltoacuteiriacute sin5 An bhfuil eolas agat ar an aacuteit seo6 An labhroacuteidh sibh Fraincis le daoine as Quebec7 Nach bhfuil an ceart agam8 Ar bhuail tuacute le Peadar9 Ceacuteard ataacute ar an gcathaoir

10 Ceacuteard ataacute taobh leis an oifig


1 1 ag teach an phobail ar theach an phobail de theach an phobail dotheach an phobail faoi theach an phobail i dteach an phobail le teachan phobail 2 ag Peige ar Pheige de Pheige do Pheige faoi Pheige ibPeige le Peige 3 ag Uncail Seaacuten ar Uncail Seaacuten drsquoUncail SeaacutendrsquoUncail Seaacuten faoi Uncail Seaacuten in Uncail Seaacuten le hUncail Seaacuten 4 agmuintir Chonamara ar mhuintir Chonamara de mhuintir Chonamarado mhuintir Chonamara faoi mhuintir Chonamara i muintir Chonamarale muintir Chonamara 5 ag Diarmaid ar Dhiarmaid de Dhiarmaid doDhiarmaid faoi Dhiarmaid i nDiarmaid le Diarmaid 6 ag bean an tiacutear bhean an tiacute de bhean an tiacute do bhean an tiacute faoi bhean an tiacute i mbeanan tiacute le bean an tiacute 7 ag oifig an phoist ar oifig an phoist drsquooifig an phoistdrsquooifig an phoist faoi oifig an phoist in oifig an phoist le hoifig an phoist8 ag Contae Chill Dara ar Chontae Chill Dara de Chontae Chill Darado Chontae Chill Dara faoi Chontae Chill Dara i gContae Chill Darale Contae Chill Dara 9 ag Feacuteile na Miacute ar Fheacuteile na Miacute drsquoFheacuteile na MiacutedrsquoFheacuteile na Miacute faoi Fheacuteile na Miacute i bhFeacuteile na Miacute le Feacuteile na Miacute 10 aggasuacuteir mo charad ar ghasuacuteir mo charad de ghasuacuteir mo charad do ghasuacuteirmo charad faoi ghasuacuteir mo charad i ngasuacuteir mo charad le gasuacuteir mocharad

2 1 Tabhair an leabhar don chailiacutendon mhuacuteinteoirdo na gasuacuteirdonbhanaltradon fheardo na daoine uacuteddon dochtuacuteir 2 Taacute an leabhar aran mbordar an mboscaar an leabaar an gcathaoirar an leabhar (eile)3 Ar chuala tuacute an sceacuteal faoin gceolfaoin gcailiacutenfaoin muacuteinteoirfaoi nagasuacuteirfaoin mbanaltrafaoin teach sinfaoin ospideacutealfaoin leabharfaoinbhfearfaoin mbaile moacuterfaoin scoilfaoi na daoine uacutedfaoin dochtuacuteirfaoinnGaeltacht OR faoin cheolfaoin chailiacutenfaoin mhuacuteinteoirfaoinbhanaltra etc 4 Taacute siacute ina coacutenaiacute sa teach sinsan ospideacutealsa mbaile moacuterOR sa bhaile moacutersa scoilsa nGaeltacht OR sa Ghaeltacht 5 Taacute leabharnua ag an gcailiacutenag an muacuteinteoirag na gasuacuteirag an mbanaltraag anbhfearag na daoine uacutedag an dochtuacuteir OR ag an chailiacutenag anmhuacuteinteoirag na gasuacuteir ag an bhanaltra etc 6 Taacute meacute ag eacuteisteacht leis


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an gceolleis an gcailiacutenleis an muacuteinteoirleis na gasuacuteirleis an mbanaltraleis an bhfearleis na daoine uacutedleis an dochtuacuteir 7 Cuir i dtaisce eacute samboscasa teach sinsan ospideacutealsa leabharsa scoil OR sa bhoscasateach sin etc 8 Ceacuteard a tharla don cheoldon chailiacutendon mhuacuteinteoirdonbhorddon bhoscado na gasuacuteirdon leabadon chathaoirdon bhanaltradon teach sindon ospideacutealdon leabhardon fheardon bhaile moacuterdo nacrainndon scoildo na daoine uacuteddon dochtuacuteirdon Ghaeltacht 9 Thaacuteinigmeacute in eacuteineacht leis an gcailiacutenleis an muacuteinteoirleis na gasuacuteirleis anmbanaltraleis an bhfearleis na daoine uacutedleis an dochtuacuteir OR leis anchailiacutenleis an mhuacuteinteoirleis na gasuacuteirleis an bhanalra etc 10 Bhiacute seacuteag an gcailiacutenag an muacuteinteoirag an mbordag na gasuacuteirag an mbanaltraag an teach sinag an ospideacutealag an bhfearag an mbaile moacuterag nacrainnag an scoilag na daoine uacutedag an dochtuacuteir OR ag an chailiacutenagan mhuacuteinteoir etc

3 1 Bhuail meacute le mo chara inneacute 2 Taacute Caitliacuten ag breathnuacute ar an teilifiacutes 3 Bhiacuteomar ag caint leis an muacuteinteoir faoin gceist 4 Fiafraigh de Mhaacuteirecaacute bhfuil an nuachtaacuten 5 Thit an leabhar den bhord taacute seacute ar an urlaacuter anois6 Thug meacute bronntanas do mrsquoaintiacuten 7 Taacute cuid de na gasuacuteir tinn 8 Taacuteduine eacuteigin ag an doras cloisim an cloigiacuten 9 Taacute meacute ag fanacht le mochairde 10 Ar mhaith leat eacuteisteacht leis an gceol sin

4 1 Taithniacuteonn feoil le Peige ach is fearr leacutei iasc 2 An bhfuil a fhios agaibhan freagra 3 Deacutean deifir taacute siad ag fanacht linn 4 Niacute aontaiacuteonn duinear bith leis 5 An bhfuil tuacute ag eacuteisteacht leo 6 Taacute an cailiacuten ciuacutein mar niacutela fhios aici an freagra 7 Is cuma liom caacute bhfuil seacute 8 Cuir ort do choacuteta9 Taacute Briacuted saacutesta libh 10 Bhiacute leacuteine dheas uirthi inneacute

5 1 Tuigeann Seaacuten an cheist ach niacutel a fhios aige an freagra 2 Taacute na pictiuacuteirseo go haacutelainn an bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh breathnuacute orthu 3 Nuair a bhiacutemeacute in Eacuteirinn chuidigh siad liom 4 Chuir meacute ceist ar na daoine sin achniacute raibh a fhios acu 5 Taacute a fhios ag an muacuteinteoir nach bhfuil na daltaiacuteag eacuteisteacht leis (or leacutei) 6 Taacute orm dul a chodladh anois mar beidh meacuteag eacuteiriacute go moch ar maidin 7 Taacute an claacuter sin go maith is fiuacute breathnuacute air8 Nuair a bhiacute muid anseo cheana bhiacute na daoine uacuted ag caint linn 9 DeirPeige go bhfuil uirthi imeacht anois 10 Bhiacute tuacute deireanach areacuteir bhiacute lsquochuiledhuine ag fanacht leat

6 1 Taacute (or Niacutel) paacuteistiacute acu 2 BhiacuteNiacute raibh meacute ag eacuteisteacht leis 3 Beidhniacutebheidh meacute ag cuidiuacute libh 4 Chualaniacuteor chuala meacute caint orthu 5 Taacute Niacuteleolas agam uirthi 6 Labhroacuteimidniacute labhroacuteimid leo iacute 7 TaacuteNiacutel an ceartagat 8 Bhuailniacuteor bhuail meacute leis 9 Taacute leabharcatpaacuteipeacutear (or anythingelse) uirthi 10 Taacute siopa taobh leacutei


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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

UNIT TENBasic numbers

Irish numbers vary in form more than in many languages depending ontheir use The independent numbers below are used for simple countingwithout naming the thing counted

1 a haon 11 a haon deacuteag2 a doacute 12 a doacute dheacuteag3 a triacute 13 a triacute deacuteag4 a ceathair 14 a ceathair deacuteag5 a cuacuteig 15 a cuacuteig deacuteag6 a seacute 16 a seacute deacuteag7 a seacht 17 a seacht deacuteag8 a hocht 18 a hocht deacuteag9 a naoi 19 a naoi deacuteag

10 a deich 20 fiche

Used alone the numbers 1ndash19 are preceded by the particle a which prefixesan h- before vowels These forms are also used for doing arithmetic tellingtime addresses and telephone numbers room numbers and other lists whenthe number functions rather like a name to identify a particular exampleof a noun which precedes it

an Riacute Seoirse a triacute King George IIIbus a deich the number 10 busbus a haon the number 1 busleathanach a doacute page 2uimhir a hocht number 8

The same set of numbers is used for years these are usually expressedas in English by dividing the four digits into pairs naoi deacuteag cuacuteig deacuteaglsquonineteen fifteenrsquo The particle a is generally omitted unless the second

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number is under 10 in which case it is also separated from the first pair byagus lsquoandrsquo 1905 = naoi deacuteag agus a cuacuteig

The Irish word for lsquozerorsquo is naacuteidTo count particular objects and name the object as in lsquosix pagesrsquo lsquoten

busesrsquo etc the particle is omitted and some numbers change as follows

aon becomes amhaacutein (which bus amhaacutein one busfollows the noun)

doacute becomes dhaacute dhaacute leathanach two pagesceathair becomes ceithre ceithre laacute four days

Additionally the first consonant of the following noun is affected bymutation The numbers 2ndash6 cause lenition but 7ndash10 cause eclipsis (n- beforea vowel) Irish numbers also differ from English numbers in being followedby a singular noun rather than a plural (usually but see below)

dhaacute bhaacuted two boatsceithre theach four housesnaoi gcarr nine carsocht n-uacutell eight applesseach bhfarraige seven seasdeich mbus ten buses

Used alone before a noun aon means lsquoanyrsquo rather than lsquoonersquo Amhaacuteinis necessary to convey the numerical meaning Amhaacutein may be used aloneor combined with aon in which case the uniqueness or singularity of theitem is emphasized

aon bhaacuted any boatbaacuted amhaacutein one boataon bhaacuted amhaacutein one single boat or only one boat

For numbers above 10 a special word order applies when countingnamed objects In these cases the noun goes after the unit number andbefore the decimal Deacuteag is lenited to dheacuteag after a noun ending in a vowel

aon teach deacuteag eleven housestriacute fhuinneog deacuteag thirteen windowsseacute dhuine dheacuteag sixteen peopleseacht bplaacuteta dheacuteag seventeen platesnaoi n-uimhir deacuteag nineteen numbers

78 Unit 10 Basic numbers

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Special plurals

A few nouns appear in the plural form after the numbers 3ndash10 rather thanthe singular Most (not quite all) of these denote measurements of somesort However not every measure word is plural after numbers So thesenouns must just be learned as (somewhat patterned) exceptions Here arethe most common nouns with numerical plurals

Singular Numeral plural Meaning

bliain bliana yearceann cinn head oneorlach orlaiacute inchseachtain seachtainiacute weekslat slata yard rodtroigh troithe footuair uaire hour timeubh uibhe egg

Some of these plurals are not the normal plural forms of the nounsAlthough we say triacute bliana deich mbliana the usual plural lsquoyearsrsquo withoutnumbers is blianta as in blianta oacute shin lsquoyears agorsquo Similarly the normalplural of ubh is uibheacha uibhe is used only with numbers as is uaire(normally uaireanta) Others are the same with or without a number

The mutations of plural nouns after numbers are also slightly differentWhile the numbers 7ndash10 still cause eclipsis (and place n before vowels) thenumbers 3ndash6 do not lenite plurals but those that end in a vowel (triacute ceithreseacute) prefix h to nouns beginning with a vowel For example

triacute bliana three yearsceithre seachtainiacute four weekscuacuteig uaire five times or five hoursseacute huaire six timeshoursseacht n-uibhe seven eggsocht n-uaire eight hoursnaoi dtroithe nine feet (length)deich mbliana ten years

Nouns with more than one meaning may vary as to whether they arepluralized after numbers according to the meaning intended For instancecloch can mean lsquoa stone a rockrsquo or it can be a measure of weight Theseare counted differently

triacute chloch three rockstriacute clocha three stone (weight)


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Dialects vary regarding use of plurals after numbers In any given dialecta few other nouns may be plural in number phrases usually still within thegeneral category of measure words (eg lsquogallonrsquo in Connemara)

The plural form is never used after dhaacute lsquotworsquo even with these nouns buta few nouns have a special form with a slenderized consonant after dhaacutelaacutemh lsquohandrsquo dhaacute laacuteimh lsquotwo handsrsquo Similar forms are found after dhaacute forcos lsquofootrsquo bos lsquopalm of handrsquo cluas lsquoearrsquo and broacuteg lsquoshoersquo

One of the nouns most commonly found with numbers is ceannAlongside its basic meaning lsquoheadrsquo it is often used as a pronoun form likeEnglish lsquoonersquo a placeholder to avoid repeating the noun (lsquoI like this carbut not that onersquo) Since these numbers cannot appear in sentences withouta following noun ceanncinn must be used if one wants to avoid repeatingthe item being counted

Taacute cat amhaacutein againn taacute dhaacute cheann ag Briacuted taacute triacute cinn ag muintirSheaacutein ach taacute seacht gcinn ag na comharsana beacutealdoraisWe have one cat Briacuted has two Seacuteanrsquos family has three but the next-door neighbours have seven (lit two ones three ones seven ones)

It should be noted that ceann is not normally used in this way when countingpeople instead personal numbers or duine (for numbers above ten) areused these are described in a later unit

Time

The basic numbers 1ndash12 are used for telling the time often followed by thephrase a chlog lsquoorsquoclockrsquo

Taacute seacute a cuacuteig a chlog It is five orsquoclock

A chlog is used only for times on the hour the number alone is used tosignal half past the hour or with any mention of minutes before or afterthe hour

Taacute seacute leathuair tar eacuteis a triacute It is half past three

Tar eacuteis (in some dialects i ndiaidh) marks time between the hour andhalf hour Between the half hour and the next hour chun (in some dialectsdon or go dtiacute) is used Quarter hours are signalled by ceathruacute

Taacute seacute ceathruacute tar eacuteis a seacute It is a quarter past sixTaacute seacute deich noacuteimeacutead tar eacuteis a seacute It is ten past sixTaacute se cuacuteig noacuteimeacutead is fiche i ndiaidh a seacute It is twenty-five past six


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Taacute seacute fiche noacuteimeacutead chun a seacht It is twenty to sevenTaacute seacute ceathruacute don seacht It is a quarter to sevenTaacute seacute cuacuteig noacuteimeacutead go dtiacute a doacute It is five to two

Exercises

1 Do the arithmetic below writing out the answer in words

Eg 2 theach + 2 theach = ceithre theach

1 1 troigh + 4 troithe = __________________2 4 fhuinneog + 2 fhuinneog = ________________3 3 mhadra + 4 mhadra = _________________4 1 bliain + 2 bhliain = _______________________5 3 phlaacuteta + 5 phlaacuteta = _______________________6 8 dteach + dhaacute theach = ____________________7 4 dhoras + 5 dhoras = _______________________8 3 seachtainiacute + 4 seachtainiacute = __________________9 3 huibhe + 5 uibhe = ____________________

10 3 theanga ndash 2 theanga = ____________________11 8 gcarr ndash 4 charr = ______________________12 7 bpunt ndash 1 punt = ______________________13 8 madra ndash 5 mhadra = ___________________14 12 uair ndash 3 huaire = __________________15 9 bpiacuteosa ndash 4 phiacuteosa =________________

2 Write out in words how many of the following there are Do not writeout the noun but use ceanncinn as appropriate Eg sides on a rectangleceithre cinn

1 counties in Northern Ireland _______________________2 reindeer on Santarsquos sleigh________________________3 leaves on a shamrock __________________________4 planets in the solar system _________________________5 cups in a pint _______________________6 cups in a quart ______________________7 eggs in a dozen ________________________8 legs on a spider ____________________9 horns on a unicorn _____________________

10 events in a decathlon __________________________


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

3 Answer the following with an appropriate number Eg Ceacute hiacute BanriacuteonShasana Eiliacutes a Doacute

1 Comhair oacute 1 go dtiacute 102 Ceacuten t-am eacute meaacuten oiacuteche3 Ceacuten uimhir i Sraacuteid Downing a bhfuil Priacuteomh-Aire na Breataine

ann4 Ceacuten ceacht eacute seo5 Ceacuten cheist iacute seo6 Ceacuteard eacute 20ndash37 Comhair oacute 15 go dtiacute 20


1 1 cuacuteig troithe 2 seacute fhuinneog 3 seacht madra 4 triacute bliana 5 ocht bplaacuteta6 deich dteach 7 naoi ndoras 8 seacht seachtainiacute 9 ocht n-uibhe 10 teanga amhaacutein 11 ceithre charr 12 seacute phunt 13 triacute mhadra 14 naoin-uaire 15 cuacuteig phiacuteosa

2 1 seacute cinn 2 ocht gcinn 3 triacute cinn 4 naoi gcinn 5 dhaacute cheann 6 ceithrecinn 7 dhaacute cheann deacuteag 8 ocht gcinn 9 ceann amhaacutein 10 deich gcinn

3 1 a haon a doacute a triacute a ceathair a cuacuteig a seacute a seacht a hocht a naoi a deich 2 a doacute dheacuteag 3 uimhir a deich 4 ceacht a deich 5 ceist a cuacuteig 6 a seacht deacuteag 7 a cuacuteig deacuteag a seacute deacuteag a seacht deacuteag a hocht deacuteag anaoi deacuteag fiche


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

UNIT ELEVENVerbs I Present tense of regular verbs

Regular Irish verbs fall into two classes differing slightly in the endings theytake This unit introduces these classes through their present tense formswith guidelines for identifying the class of a given verb

First conjugation verbs

The verb stem is also the imperative singular this is how it is listed in mostcontemporary dictionaries (some older ones use the first-person form)Most first-conjugation verbs have one-syllable stems The exceptions are afew verbs with two syllables including English loans with the suffix -aacuteilExamples below show monosyllabic imperative stems and the pluralimperative (used for commands to more than one listener)

Singular Plural

lig ligigiacute let allowrith rithigiacute runfeic feicigiacute seeseas seasaigiacute standglan glanaigiacute cleanduacuten duacutenaigiacute closescriacuteobh scriacuteobhaigiacute write

The spelling variations in the plural forms in these examples are foundthroughout all the verb forms The plural ending -igiacute is added to verbs endingin a slender consonant and a is added to the spelling if the verb ends in abroad consonant Verbs pronounced with a final vowel are written with -igh in the singular this is dropped when the plural imperative (or any other)ending is added If the vowel is i it becomes long iacute when the igh is dropped(cf nigh)

111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

bruacuteigh bruacuteigiacute press pushdoacuteigh doacuteigiacute burnleacuteigh leacuteigiacute readnigh niacutegiacute wash

Two-syllable verbs (and occasionally one-syllable ones) broaden the lastconsonant before a suffix (spelled by dropping the preceding i)

saacutebhaacuteil saacutebhaacutelaigiacute savepeacuteinteaacuteil peacuteinteaacutelaigiacute painttaispeaacutein taispeaacutenaigiacute showsiuacuteil siuacutelaigiacute walk

A few exceptions retain the slender consonant when endings are added themost common such verb is tiomaacuteintiomaacuteinigiacute lsquodriversquo

Personal endings

Irish verbs vary by tense and person as to whether they use endings to marka pronoun subject or tense only The present tense is quite simple thegeneral tense suffix -ann is used for all persons (-eann after a slenderconsonant) and a separate noun or pronoun identifies the subject exceptin first-person forms All dialects mark the first-person singular subject (I)with a special personal ending Munster dialects and the Official Standardalso use an ending for the first-person plural (we) With a personal endingno pronoun is used

Singular Plural

glanaim I clean glanaimid we cleanglanann tuacute you clean glanann sibh you (pl) cleanglanann seacute he cleans glanann siad they cleanglanann siacute she cleans

feicim I see feicimid we seefeiceann tuacute you see feiceann sibh you (pl) seefeiceann seacute he sees feiceann siad they seefeiceann siacute she sees

bruacuteim I push bruacuteimid we pushbruacuteann tuacute you push bruacuteann sibh you (pl) push

niacutem I wash niacutemid we washniacuteonn tuacute you wash niacuteonn sibh you (pl) wash

(Note the spelling o to mark the broad nn when the preceding vowel is iacute)

84 Unit 11 Verbs I Present tense of regular verbs

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saacutebhaacutelaim I save saacutebhaacutelaimid we savesaacutebhaacutelann tuacute you save saacutebhaacutelann sibh you (pl) save

In the Irish of Connacht and Ulster the plural lsquowersquo ending is usuallyreplaced by the regular tense-only suffix -ann and a separate pronounusually muid (but a few regions use an older pronoun sinn)

glanann muid we cleanfeiceann muid we seeniacuteonn muid we wash

Some Munster dialects are particularly rich in suffixed forms using endingsin place of pronouns even where the Standard does not These forms willbe presented in Intermediate Irish

Second-conjugation verbs

The second verb class differs from the first in having mostly two-syllableimperative stems and long vowels in the endings The second syllable of theimperative singular in this class of verbs often ends in igh which is droppedwhen endings are added As usual the unpronounced letter a is addedbetween the suffix and a verb ending in a broad consonant

eacuteirigh eacuteiriacutegiacute riseimigh imiacutegiacute go departsocraigh socraiacutegiacute settle arrangeceannaigh ceannaiacutegiacute buy

If the second syllable (sometimes the first) ends in l r n an unstressed shortvowel in the second syllable is omitted when an ending is added unless lossof the vowel would produce a difficult-to-pronounce sequence of consonants(as in foghlaim)

oscail osclaiacutegiacute openimir imriacutegiacute playinis insiacutegiacute tellfoghlaim foghlaimiacutegiacute learn

Note the long vowel in -iacutegiacute contrasting with the first conjugation In thepresent tense likewise the suffixes are (a)iacutem(a)iacutemid for the first personsingularplural and -(a)iacuteonn for all other forms

ceannaiacutem I buy ceannaiacutemid we buyceannaiacuteonn tuacute you buy ceannaiacuteonn sibh you (pl) buy


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ceannaiacuteonn seacute he buys ceannaiacuteonn siad they buyceannaiacuteonn siacute she buys

imriacutem I play imriacutemid we playimriacuteonn tuacute you play

As in English the present tense usually refers to an action performedhabitually on a regular basis (Ithim iasc lsquoI eat fishrsquo) But with verbsexpressing perceptions and mental states (eg lsquoseersquo lsquothinkrsquo lsquobelieversquo) itcan refer to the moment of speech as well

Feicim Colm go minic I see Colm oftenFeicim Colm anois I see Colm now

Preverbal particles

To negate sentences ask questions and form subordinate clauses verbs arepreceded by one of a series of particles indicating the type of sentence Theseparticles are never stressed and cause mutations on the verb that followsthem Question and negative particles will be introduced here and the restin later units

A statement is negated by the particle niacute preceding a verb It causeslenition if the consonant can be lenited If not there is no change

Niacute fheicim duine ar bith I donrsquot see anybodyNiacute ghlanann Caitriacuteona a seomra Caitriacuteona doesnrsquot clean her roomNiacute leacuteann siad riamh They never readNiacute imriacutem caacutertaiacute I donrsquot play cardsNiacute itheann Brian feoil Brian doesnrsquot eat meat

Questions are formed by the particle an before verbs which causeseclipsis Often an is barely heard in casual speech or only the vowel is heardbefore a consonant but the eclipsis (or the sound of n before a vowel) signalsthe question

An bhfeiceann tuacute meacute Do you see meAn itheann siacute feoil Does she eat meatAn leacuteann siad moacuteraacuten Do they read muchAn scriacuteobhann tuacute litreacha Do you write letters

Negative questions (generally implying expectation of a lsquoyesrsquo answer) are formed with the eclipsing particle nach Nach also prefixes n- to a vowel


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Nach bhfeiceann tuacute meacute Donrsquot you see meNach n-itheann siacute feoil Doesnrsquot she eat meatNach nduacutenann siad an fhuinneog Donrsquot they close the windowNach leacuteann tuacute uacutersceacutealta Donrsquot you read novels

Negative commands are also expressed with a preverbal particle naacutewhich does not affect a consonant but prefixes h to a vowel

Fan ansin Stay thereNaacute fan ansin Donrsquot stay thereDuacuten an doras Close the doorNaacute duacuten an doras Donrsquot close the doorImigh Go away leaveNaacute himigh Donrsquot goOacutel an tae Drink the teaNaacute hoacutel an tae Donrsquot drink the tea

Exercises

1 Make the imperative verbs below plural

1 Rith2 Oscail an doras3 Ceannaigh bia anseo4 Nigh do laacutemha5 Naacute bris eacute sin6 Scriacuteobh litir dom7 Eacuteirigh anois8 Siuacuteil abhaile9 Naacute peacuteinteaacuteil an balla dearg

10 Criacuteochnaigh an obair

2 Insert a present-tense form of the imperative verb in parentheses intoeach sentence

1 (diacuteol) ___________________Stiofaacuten blaacutethanna2 (labhair) ___________________ muid Gaeilge3 (ith) ___________________na gasuacuteir uachtar reoite4 (oacutel) _____________________ mo mhaacutethair tae5 (imir) ____________________Liam peil6 (duacuteisigh) ______________________ siacute ag a hocht a chlog7 (ceannaigh) _________________ tuacute go leor bainne8 (parcaacuteil) _____________________siad anseo


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9 (leacuteigh) _________________ siad daacutenta le Nuala Niacute Dhomhnaill10 (buail) ______________________Peige agus Caitliacuten le cheacuteile gach

Satharn11 (tiomaacutein) __________________________Paacutedraig go dtiacute an oifig12 (foghlaim) _______________________siad go han-mhaith

3 Make the following sentences negative

1 Cuireann siacute geall ar na capaill2 Aithniacutem thuacute3 An gceannaiacuteonn Briacuted iasc go minic4 Caillim mo chuid eochracha go minic5 Oscail an fhuinneog6 Bearraim meacute feacutein gach maidin7 Reacuteitiacuteonn Caacuteit bia breaacute8 Fanaigiacute ansin9 An dtiomaacuteineann tuacute

10 Ligeann siad an cat amach

4 Convert the following statements to questions

1 Cleachtann sibh bhur gcuid Gaeilge rsquochuile laacute2 Niacute ghlanaim an t-urlaacuter go minic3 Cuireann madraiacute faitiacuteos ar Pheige4 Niacute chodlaiacuteonn tuacute go maith san oiacuteche5 Tuigeann siad an cheist6 Imriacuteonn na buachailliacute peil sa phaacuteirc sin7 Deacuteanann seacute obair mhaith8 Niacute imiacuteonn sibh abhaile go luath9 Leacuteann tuacute leabhair as Gaeilge

10 Breathnaiacuteonn siacute ar an gclaacuter sin go minic

5 In at least ten sentences describe a typical day from the time you getup until you go to bed

6 Translate

1 Maacuteire doesnrsquot eat meat and Nuala doesnrsquot eat fish2 Miacutecheaacutel drives to work but Maacuteirtiacuten walks3 It rains nearly every day4 Leaves fall from the trees every autumn5 I watch television at night and listen to the radio in the morning6 Do you read many novels7 Doesnrsquot she sing well8 I write to Briacuted every week but she doesnrsquot write back


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9 I buy food every Saturday morning10 Does your sister understand German


1 1 Rithigiacute 2 Osclaiacutegiacute an doras 3 Ceannaiacutegiacute bia anseo 4 Niacutegiacute bhur laacutemha5 Naacute brisigiacute eacute sin 6 Scriacuteobhaigiacute litir dom 7 Eacuteiriacutegiacute anois 8 Siuacutelaigiacute abhaile9 Naacute peacuteinteaacutelaigiacute an balla dearg 10 Criacuteochnaiacutegiacute an obair

2 1 Diacuteolann Stiofaacuten blaacutethanna 2 Labhraiacuteonn muid Gaeilge 3 Itheann na gasuacuteir uachtar reoite 4 Oacutelann mo mhaacutethair tae 5 Imriacuteonn Liam peil6 Duacuteisiacuteonn siacute ag a hocht a chlog 7 Ceannaiacuteonn tuacute go leor bainne 8 Parcaacutelann siad anseo 9 Leacuteann siad daacutenta le Nuala Niacute Dhomhnaill 10 Buaileann Peige agus Caitliacuten le ceacuteile 11 Tiomaacuteineann Paacutedraig go dtiacutean oifig 12 Foghlaimiacuteonn siad go han-mhaith

3 1 Niacute chuireann siacute geall ar na capaill 2 Niacute aithniacutem thuacute 3 Nach gceannaiacuteonnBriacuted iasc go minic 4 Niacute chaillim mo chuid eochracha go minic 5 Naacutehoscail an fhuinneog 6 Niacute bhearraim meacute feacutein gach maidin 7 Niacute reacuteitiacuteonnCaacuteit bia breaacute 8 Naacute fanaigiacute ansin 9 Nach dtiomaacuteineann tuacute 10 Niacute ligeannsiad an cat amach

4 1 An gcleachtann sibh bhur gcuid Gaeilge rsquochuile laacute 2 Nach nglanaiman t-urlaacuter go minic 3 An gcuireann madraiacute faitiacuteos ar Pheige 4 Nachgcodlaiacuteonn tuacute go maith san oiacuteche 5 An dtuigeann siad an cheist 6 Animriacuteonn na buachailliacute peil sa phaacuteirc sin 7 An ndeacuteanann seacute obair mhaith8 Nach n-imiacuteonn sibh abhaile go luath 9 An leacuteann tuacute leabhair as Gaeilge10 An mbreathnaiacuteonn siacute ar an gclaacuter sin go minic

5 Sample Eacuteiriacutem ag a hocht a chlog Toacutegaim ciothfholcadh Cuirim mo chuideacuteadaigh orm Ithim bricfeasta Siuacutelaim go dtiacute an oifig Ceannaiacutem cupaacutencaife ar an mbealach Leacuteim agus scriacuteobhaim ar feadh an lae Buailim lecara am loacutein Teacuteim abhaile ag 600 Reacuteitiacutem dinneacutear agus ithim eacute Leacuteimnoacute breathnaiacutem ar an teilifiacutes noacute teacuteim amach Teacuteim a chodladh timpeallmeaacuten oiacuteche

6 1 Niacute itheann Maacuteire feoil agus niacute itheann Nuala iasc 2 TiomaacuteineannMiacutecheaacutel ag obair ach siuacutelann Maacuteirtiacuten 3 Cuireann seacute baacuteisteach beagnachgach laacute 4 Titeann duilleoga oacute na crainn gach foacutemhar [or rsquochuile fhoacutemhar]5 Breathnaiacutem ar an teilifiacutes traacutethnoacutena agus eacuteistim leis an raidioacute ar maidin6 An leacuteann tuacute moacuteraacuten uacutersceacutealta 7 Nach gcanann siacute go maith 8 Scriacuteobhaimchuig Briacuted lsquochuile sheachtain ach niacute scriacuteobhann siacute ar ais 9 Ceannaiacutem biagach maidin Deacute Sathairn 10 An dtuigeann do dheirfiuacuter Gearmaacuteinis


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UNIT TWELVEVerbs II Future tense of regular verbs

The two verb classes also differ in the future tense The future suffix of first-conjugation verbs begins with f while the second-conjugation suffix beginswith oacuteeo

First-conjugation verbs

Verbs of the first conjugation form the future tense by adding the suffix -faidh to an imperative stem form ending in a broad vowel and -fidh to astem ending in a slender vowel

seas stand seasfaidh will standglan clean glanfaidh will cleanduacuten close duacutenfaidh will closescriacuteobh write scriacuteobhfaidh will writelig let allow ligfidh will allowrith run rithfidh will runfeic see feicfidh will see

Vowel-final stems again drop final -igh when the tense suffix is added and(pronounced) i becomes long The vowel of the stem form determineswhether the broad or slender version of the suffix is used

bruacuteigh press push bruacutefaidh will pushdoacuteigh burn doacutefaidh will burnleacuteigh read leacuteifidh will readnigh wash niacutefidh will wash

If the imperative stem is two syllables the last consonant becomes broad(drops the i in spelling) when endings are added as in the present tenseAgain tiomaacutein doesnrsquot broaden the n

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saacutebhaacutelfaidh will savetiomaacuteinfidh will drive


The second-conjugation future ends in -oacuteidh Final -igh is dropped beforeadding the ending If the first syllable of the verb ends in a slender consonantthe ending is -eoidh Note that length is not marked on o after e

ceannaigh buy ceannoacuteidh will buysocraigh settle arrange socroacuteidh will arrangeeacuteirigh rise eacuteireoidh will riseimigh go depart leave imeoidh will departfoghlaim learn foghlaimeoidh will learn

As in Unit 11 verbs containing l n or r lose an adjacent short vowel whenthe suffix is added If the consonants are originally of different qualitiesthe second changes to match the first as in oscail

oscail open oscloacuteidh will openimir play imreoidh will playinis tell inseoidh will tellseachain avoid seachnoacuteidh will avoid

Personal endings

A separate subject pronoun is used with most future-tense forms TheOfficial Standard (Caighdeaacuten) uses the suffix -mid (replacing the dh) in thefirst-person plural but separate pronouns are used for all other forms InConnacht and Ulster the separate pronoun muid replaces the first-person-plural ending as well

Caighdeaacuten Munster Connacht Ulster

seasfaimid seasfaidh muid we will standrithimid rithfidh muid we will runceannoacuteimid ceannoacuteidh muid we will buyimreoimid imreoidh muid we will play

Some Munster speakers use endings in place of many other personalpronouns these will be discussed in Intermediate Irish but will not beintroduced here

92 Unit 12 Verbs II Future tense of regular verbs

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Letrsquos

Future-tense forms in the first-person plural are common in colloquial Irishto convey the meaning lsquoletrsquosrsquo although standard imperative forms endingin -mis also exist and are preferred in some dialects

Oacutelfaidh muid deoch Letrsquos have a drinkOacutelaimis deoch

Deacuteanfaidh muid eacute Letrsquos do itDeacuteanaimis eacute

Preverbal particles subordinate clauses

The negative and question particles introduced in Unit 11 niacute an nach areused in exactly the same way with the future-tense forms as they are forthe present tense and cause the same mutations on the first consonant ofthe verb

Niacute fheicfidh meacute Tomaacutes I wonrsquot see TomaacutesAn gceannoacuteidh tuacute caacuteca Will you buy a cakeNach n-imreoidh sibh peil Wonrsquot you play football

Subordinate clauses (in most tenses including both present and future)are introduced by the particle go lsquothatrsquo which eclipses consonants andprefixes n- to vowels If the clause is negative the particle nach lsquothat notrsquo is used causing the same mutations These forms are sometimesreferred to as indirect or reported speech because they may be used forindirect quotations after deir lsquosaysrsquo

Siacutelim go mbuann siad go minic I think that they often winSiacutelim nach mbuann siad go minic I think that they donrsquot often winTaacute meacute cinnte go gcreidfidh siacute meacute Irsquom certain that she will believe meTaacute meacute cinnte nach gcreidfidh siacute meacute Irsquom certain she wonrsquot believe meDeir Briacuted go n-oacutelann siacute fiacuteon dearg Briacuted says she drinks red wineDeir Briacuted nach n-oacutelfaidh siacute tae Brid says she wonrsquot drink tea

Unlike English lsquothatrsquo which may be omitted (as in several examples above)Irish go and nach cannot be left out Moreover if there are two or moreverbs in the subordinate clause go must precede each of them

Taacute a fhios agam go gceannoacuteidh seacute deoch agus go n-oacutelfaidh seacute iacuteI know that he will buy a drink and drink it


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Questions may also be subordinate clauses after verbs and phrasesindicating uncertainty or questioning such as fiafraigh lsquoaskrsquo niacutel a fhiosagam lsquoI donrsquot knowrsquo nrsquofheadar lsquoI donrsquot know I wonderrsquo niacutel meacute cinnte lsquoIrsquomnot surersquo etc Subordinate or indirect questions are exactly the same asordinary questions (see Unit 11) using the particle an Unlike English whichuses different order of subject and verb no change in form is required

An airiacuteonn siacute tinn Does she feel sickFiafraigh an airiacuteonn siacute tinn Ask whether she feels sickAn gcuirfidh seacute baacuteisteach Will it rainNiacutel meacute cinnte an gcuirfidh seacute baacuteisteach Irsquom not sure if it will rain

Future of ith lsquoeatrsquo

The verb lsquoto eatrsquo is regular in most forms but it does have an irregular futuretense The stem form ith changes to iacuteos- to which the regular firstconjugation ending -faidh is added Predictably the particles go and nachprefix n- to the vowel the question particle is pronounced an and niacute hasno effect on an initial vowel

Itheann Seaacuten feoil Seaacuten eats meatIacuteosfaidh Seaacuten feoil Seaacuten will eat meatNiacute iacuteosfaidh Peadar feoil Peadar wonrsquot eat meatAn iacuteosfaidh tuacute feoil Will you eat meatNach n-iacuteosfaidh siad feoil Wonrsquot they eat meatDeir Ciara nach n-iacuteosfaidh siacute feoil Ciara says that she wonrsquot eat meatDeir Briacuted go n-iacuteosfaidh siacute feoil Briacuted says that she will eat meat

For some speakers the future form is spreading to other tenses especiallythe present so that one sometimes hears niacute iacuteosann siacute feoil alongside niacuteitheann siacute feoil

Exercises

1 Convert the following sentences to the future tense

1 Deacuteanaim bricfeasta ag a hocht a chlog2 Labhraiacuteonn siad Iodaacuteilis3 Duacutenann Peige doras na hoifige4 Leacuteann Donncha uacutersceacutealta5 Fanaim ag an oifig6 Niacute imriacuteonn siad caacutertaiacute


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7 Ceannaiacuteonn muid (ceannaiacutemid) bia ansin8 Foghlaimiacuteonn tuacute go maith9 Filleann siacute abhaile sa samhradh

10 Gnoacutethaiacuteonn siad rsquochuile chluiche11 Osclaiacuteonn an siopa traacutethnoacutena12 Niacute aithniacuteonn tuacute iacute13 Scriacuteobhaim litir abhaile uair sa tseachtain14 Peacuteinteaacutelann Brian an teach15 Eacuteisteann muid (eacuteistimid) leis an raidiacuteo ar maidin16 Nach dtuigeann sibh eacute17 Niacute itheann Nuala iasc18 Tuigeann Tadhg Taidhgiacuten19 Bailiacutem airgead don choiste20 Feiceann muid Maacuteiriacuten ar an Luan

2 Make subordinate clauses of the following sentences by putting them afterthe phrase Deir siad lsquothey sayrsquo for statements or Niacutel a fhios agam lsquoI donrsquotknowrsquo for questions

Eg Taacute siacute anseo rarr Deir siad go bhfuil siacute anseoAn bhfuil siacute anseo rarr Niacutel a fhios agam an bhfuil siacute anseo

1 An aithniacuteonn tuacute meacute2 Niacute dhiacuteolann an siopa sin bia maith3 Cailleann Brian a chuid eochracha4 Glanfaidh siad an seomra5 Taithneoidh an claacuter sin leat6 An eacuteireoidh tuacute in am7 Niacute fhanfaidh tuacute linn8 An dtiomaacuteineann tuacute9 Reacuteiteoidh siacute diacutenneacutear do chaacutech

10 An iacuteosfaidh an paacuteiste an beacuteile sin


1 Breathnoacuteidh muid (breathnoacuteimid) ar scannaacuten anocht2 Imreoidh sibh caacutertaiacute an oacuteiacuteche ar fad3 Cloisfidh sibh ceol ag an deireadh seachtaine4 Niacute fheicfidh tuacute Maacuteire anocht5 Fanfaidh muid (fanfaimid) leat6 Buailfidh Briacuted le Maacuteirtiacuten7 Niacute chreidfidh siad an sceacuteal8 Niacute thoacutegfaidh seacute teach nua9 Criacuteochnoacuteidh muid (criacuteochnoacuteimid) an obair in am

10 Niacute iacuteosfaidh siacute moacuteraacuten


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4 In at least ten sentences describe plans for the coming weekend

5 Translate

1 Wersquoll do the work now2 Will you help us3 She thinks she wonrsquot understand4 My sister will drive the car5 Aacuteine will clean the kitchen will you [sing] clean the bedroom6 Caacuteit says that she will tell Seacuteamas the truth7 Ask her if she will help you8 Donrsquot [pl] play football in the garden yoursquoll ruin the flowers9 Letrsquos open the windows and close the door

10 I wonrsquot read that book I know I wonrsquot like it


1 1 Deacuteanfaidh meacute bricfeasta ag 800 2 Labhroacuteidh siad Iodaacuteilis 3 DuacutenfaidhPeige doras na hoifige 4 Leacuteifidh Donncha uacutersceacutealta 5 Fanfaidh meacute ag an oifig 6 Niacute imreoidh siad caacutertaiacute 7 Ceannoacuteidh muid (ceannoacuteimid)bia ansin 8 Foghlaimeoidh tuacute go maith 9 Fillfidh siacute abhaile sa samhradh10 Gnoacutethoacuteidh siad rsquochuile chluiche 11 Oscloacuteidh an siopa traacutethnoacutena 12 Niacute aithneoidh tuacute iacute 13 Scriacuteobhfaidh meacute litir abhaile uair sa tseachtain14 Peacuteinteaacutelfaidh Brian an teach 15 Eacuteistfidh muid (eacuteistfimid) leis an raidiacuteoar maidin 16 Nach dtuigfidh sibh eacute 17 Niacute iacuteosfaidh Nuala iasc 18 TuigfidhTadhg Taidhgiacuten 19 Baileoidh meacute airgead don choiste 20 Feicfidh muidMaacuteiriacuten ar an Luan

2 1 Niacutel a fhios agam an aithniacuteonn tuacute meacute 2 Deir siad nach ndiacuteolann an siopasin bia maith 3 Deir siad go gcailleann Brian a chuid eochracha 4 Deirsiad go nglanfaidh siad an seomra 5 Deir siad go dtaithneoidh an claacutersin leat 6 Niacutel a fhios agam an eacuteireoidh tuacute in am 7 Deir siad nachbhfanfaidh tuacute linn 8 Niacutel a fhios agam an dtiomaacuteineann tuacute 9 Deir siadgo reacuteiteoidh siacute diacutenneacutear do chaacutech 10 Niacutel a fhios agam an iacuteosfaidh an paacuteistean beacuteile sin

3 1 An mbreathnoacuteidh muid (an mbreathnoacuteimid) ar scannaacuten anocht 2 Animreoidh sibh caacutertaiacute an oiacuteche ar fad 3 An gcloisfidh sibh ceol ag andeireadh seachtaine 4 Nach bhfeicfidh tuacute Maacuteire anocht 5 An bhfanfaidhmuid (an bhfanfaimid) leat 6 An mbuailfidh Briacuted le Maacuteirtiacuten 7 Nachgcreidfidh siad an sceacuteal 8 Nach dtoacutegfaidh seacute teach nua 9 Angcriacuteochnoacuteidh muid (an gcriacuteochnoacuteimid) an obair in am 10 Nach n-iacuteosfaidhsiacute moacuteraacuten


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4 Sample Toacutegfaidh meacute an bus go Corcaigh Fanfaidh meacute i dteach loacuteistiacutenFeicfidh meacute an chathair Eacuteistfidh meacute le ceol Cuirfidh meacute glaoch ar chara liom Buailfidh meacute le mo chara Oacutelfaidh muid deoch le cheacuteileBreathnoacuteidh meacute ar chomoacutertas rince Ceannoacuteidh meacute bronntanas do mochlann Iacuteosfaidh meacute beacuteile maith i mbialann

5 1 Deacuteanfaidh muid (Deacuteanfaimid) an obair anois 2 An gcuideoidh tuacute linn3 Siacuteleann siacute nach dtuigfidh siacute 4 Tiomaacuteinfidh mo dheirfiuacuter an carr 5 Glanfaidh Aacuteine an chistin an nglanfaidh tusa na seomraiacute codlata 6 Deir Caacuteit go n-inseoidh siacute an fhiacuterinne do Sheacuteamas 7 Fiafraigh di angcuideoidh siacute leat 8 Naacute himriacutegiacute peil sa ghairdiacuten millfidh sibh nablaacutethanna 9 Oscloacuteidh muid (or Osclaiacutemis) na fuinneoga agus duacutenfaidhmuid (duacutenaimis)an doras 10 Niacute leacuteifidh meacute an leabhar sin taacute a fhios agamnach dtaithneoidh seacute liom


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UNIT THIRTEENVerbs III Past tense

The past-tense form of regular verbs is very simple However the particlesthat introduce questions negation etc differ somewhat in the past tensefrom other tenses

Simple past

The past tense of regular verbs in both conjugations consists simply of the imperative singular stem plus lenition of the initial consonant If theconsonant is one that cannot be lenited then the past tense and imperativeforms are identical except that the past tense in a sentence will be followedby a subject pronoun or noun

First conjugation

seas stand sheas stoodglan clean ghlan cleanedduacuten close dhuacuten closedbruacuteigh press push bhruacuteigh pushedscriacuteobh write scriacuteobh wrotelig let allow lig allowed let

Second conjugation

ceannaigh buy cheannaigh boughtsocraigh settle arrange shocraigh arrangedbailigh collect bhailigh collectedtosaigh begin thosaigh beganreacuteitigh prepare solve reacuteitigh prepared solved

Verbs beginning with f in addition to being lenited (and thus notpronounced) have the particle drsquo before them which also precedes all pastverbs beginning with a vowel

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fan stay wait drsquofhan stayed waitedfoghlaim learn drsquofhoghlaim learnedfreagair answer drsquofhreagair answered

ith eat drsquoith ateoscail open drsquooscail openedeacuteirigh rise drsquoeacuteirigh rose

Personal endings

As in other tenses separate endings for pronoun subjects are rare outsideof Munster The first-person-plural past tense suffix -mar of the Caighdeaacutenis replaced by the simple verb stem and the pronoun muid in the spokenIrish of Connacht and Ulster Pronouns indicate other subjects althoughthe ending -dar for lsquotheyrsquo is a common alternative in Connacht Irish (egsheas siad or sheasadar cheannaigh siad or cheannaiacuteodar) Note the longvowel in the second conjugation

Caighdeaacuten Munster Connacht Ulstersheasamar sheas muid we stoodritheamar rith muid we rancheannaiacuteomar cheannaigh muid we boughtdrsquoimriacuteomar drsquoimir muid we played

Preverbal particles

The particles marking questions negatives and subordinate clauses in thepast tense have variant forms ending in r Lenition of consonants ismaintained after all these particles but with the prefixed drsquo found beforevowels and f disappearing when the verb is preceded by a particle

Negative niacuteor

Niacuteor sheas seacute He didnrsquot standNiacuteor rith seacute He didnrsquot runNiacuteor fhan seacute He didnrsquot stayNiacuteor imir seacute He didnrsquot play

Question ar

Ar sheas seacute Did he standAr rith seacute Did he runAr fhan seacute Did he stayAr imir seacute Did he play

100 Unit 13 Verbs III Past tense

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The same question particle is used in subordinate or indirect questions

Fiafraigh ar sheas seacute Ask if he stoodMeas tuacute ar rith seacute I wonder if he ranNiacutel a fhios agam ar fhan seacute I donrsquot know if he stayedNiacutel meacute cinnte ar imir seacute Irsquom not sure if he played

Negative question naacuter

Naacuter sheas seacute Didnrsquot he standNaacuter rith seacute Didnrsquot he runNaacuter fhan seacute Didnrsquot he stayNaacuter imir seacute Didnrsquot he play

Subordinate clause gur (negative naacuter)

Siacutelim gur sheas seacute I think he stoodSiacutelim naacuter sheas seacute I think he didnrsquot standSiacutelim gur rith seacute I think he ranSiacutelim gur fhan seacute I think he stayedSiacutelim naacuter imir seacute I think he didnrsquot play

Answering questions

Irish has no single words for lsquoyesrsquo and lsquonorsquo Questions requiring a responseof lsquoyesrsquo or lsquonorsquo are answered in Irish by repeating the verb or its negativein the appropriate tense form An ending indicating the subject is includedin the answer but if the subject is a separate pronoun then it is omittedand only the verb is repeated

Q An bhfeiceann tuacute an t-eacutean Do you see the birdA Feicim Yes

Niacute fheicim No

Q Ar dhiacuteol siad an teach Did they sell the houseA Dhiacuteol Yes

Niacuteor dhiacuteol No

If a subject pronoun is included in the response it is taken to be emphaticfor example as a contradiction to what the other speaker said or expectsto hear

Q Taacute siacute poacutesta nach bhfuil Shersquos married isnrsquot sheA Niacutel siacute No shersquos (certainly) not


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Exercises

1 Convert the following sentences to past tense

1 Reacuteitiacutem bricfeasta ag 8002 Labhraiacuteonn siad Iodaacuteilis3 Duacutenann Peige doras na hoifige4 Leacuteann Donncha uacutersceacutealta5 Siuacutelaim go dtiacute an oifig6 Niacute imriacuteonn siad caacutertaiacute7 Ceannaiacuteonn muid bia ansin8 Foghlaimiacuteonn tuacute go maith9 Filleann siacute abhaile sa samhradh

10 Gnoacutethaiacuteonn siad rsquochuile chluiche11 Osclaiacuteonn siad an siopa traacutethnoacutena12 Niacute aithniacuteonn tuacute iacute13 Scriacuteobhaim litir chuig mo mhuintir14 Peacuteinteaacutelann Brian an teach15 Eacuteisteann muid leis an raidiacuteo ar maidin16 Nach dtuigeann sibh eacute17 Niacute itheann Nuala iasc18 Tuigeann Tadhg Taidhgiacuten19 Bailiacutem airgead don choiste20 Tiomaacuteineann Maacuteiriacuten Deacute Luain


1 Ar aithin tuacute meacute2 Dhiacuteol an siopa sin bia maith3 Chaill Brian a chuid eochracha4 Ghlan siad an seomra5 Thaithin an claacuter sin leat6 Ar eacuteirigh tuacute in am7 Drsquofhan tuacute linn8 Ar thiomaacutein tuacute9 Reacuteitigh siacute diacutenneacutear do chaacutech

10 Ar ith an paacuteiste an beacuteile sin

3 Change the sentences below to question or negative forms as indicatedor use subordinate forms after the introductory forms Deir siad or Niacutel afhios agam when these are provided


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1 Thit an paacuteiste Negative2 Chuir seacute sneachta inneacute Deir siad3 Cheannaigh Seacutean carr nua Question4 Drsquoimir siad go maith Negative5 Ar thuig siacute an cheist Niacutel a fhios agam6 Ar ghlan tuacute do sheomra Negative7 Niacuteor fhoghlaim siacute Fraincis Question8 Phoacutes Bairbre fear saibhir Question9 Drsquofhaacuteg Tomaacuteisiacuten a bhreacuteagaacutein ar an urlaacuter Negative

10 Dhuacuteisigh siad go moch ar maidin Deir siad11 Chreid tuacute an sceacuteal Question12 Bhearr seacute an fheacuteasoacuteg Negative13 Chodail sibh go maith Question14 Lig siacute amach an cat Deir siad15 Drsquoith meacute beacuteile moacuter Negative

4 Review the tenses by changing the following commands to the appro-priate tense according to the adverb provided Use meacute as the subject

inneacute past tensego minic present tenseamaacuterach future tense

Eg Ceannaigh siuacutecra amaacuterach Ceannoacuteidh meacute siuacutecra

1 Criacuteochnaigh an obair inneacute2 Eacuteist le do mhaacutethair go minic3 Glan do sheomra amaacuterach4 Labhair Gaeilge go minic5 Leacuteigh an sceacuteal seo inneacute6 Glac leis an iarratas amaacuterach7 Scriacuteobh litir chugam inneacute8 Duacuten an doras go minic9 Faacuteg an leabhar ag an leabharlann inneacute

10 Toacuteg go reacuteidh eacute amaacuterach

5 Change both the tense of the verb and the type of sentence (questionstatement negative subordinate) according to the cues given as aboveUse meacute or muid as the subject in statements and tuacute or sibh in questionsand subordinate clauses after deir siad

1 Coacuteirigh an leaba Negativeinneacutego minicamaacuterach


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2 Eacuteiriacutegiacute go moch Questioninneacutego minicamaacuterach

3 Suigh siacuteos Negative questioninneacutego minicamaacuterach

4 Codlaiacutegiacute go maith Statementinneacutego minicamaacuterach

5 Tosaigh go luath Questioninneacutego minicamaacuterach

6 Siuacuteil go mall Negativeinneacutego minicamaacuterach

7 Oscail na fuinneoga Statementinneacutego minicamaacuterach

8 Athraigh dath do chuid gruaige Questioninneacutego minicamaacuterach

9 Cas amhraacuten Deir siadinneacutego minicamaacuterach

10 Taispeaacutein do Bhriacuted eacute Negativeinneacutego minicamaacuterach

6 In at least ten sentences describe a day of the past week

7 Answer the following sentences as indicated

1 An oacutelfaidh tuacute pionta (yes)2 Ar cheannaigh tuacute bananaiacute (no)3 An itheann Maacuteire iasc (no)


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4 An eacuteistfidh siad liom (yes)5 Ar bhris tuacute an ghloine (yes)6 An eacuteiriacuteonn tuacute go moch (no)7 An bhfeiceann sibh bhur muintir go minic (yes)8 Ar thosaigh siad ar an obair (no)9 Ar oacutel an cat an bainne (yes)

10 An bhfeicfidh sibh Briacuted amaacuterach (yes)


1 1 Reacuteitigh meacute bricfeasta ag 800 2 Labhair siad Iodaacuteilis 3 Dhuacuten Peigedoras na hoifige 4 Leacuteigh Donncha uacutersceacutealta 5 Shiuacuteil meacute go dtiacute an oifig6 Niacuteor imir siad caacutertaiacute 7 Cheannaigh muid (cheannaiacuteomar) bia ansin 8Drsquofhoghlaim tuacute go maith 9 Drsquofhill siacute abhaile sa samhradh 10 Ghnoacutethaighsiad rsquochuile chluiche 11 Drsquooscail siad an siopa traacutethnoacutena 12 Niacuteor aithintuacute iacute 13 Scriacuteobh meacute leitir chuig mo mhuintir uair sa tseachtain 14Pheacuteinteaacuteil Brian an teach 15 Drsquoeacuteist muid (drsquoeacuteisteamar) leis an raidiacuteo armaidin 16 Naacuter thuig sibh eacute 17 Niacuteor ith Nuala iasc 18 Thuig TadhgTaidhgiacuten 19 Bhailigh meacute airgead don choiste 20 Thiomaacutein Maacuteiriacuten DeacuteLuain

2 1 Niacutel a fhios agam ar aithin tuacute meacute 2 Deir siad gur dhiacuteol an siopa sin biamaith 3 Deir siad gur chaill Brian a chuid eochracha 4 Deir siad gurghlan siad an seomra 5 Deir siad gur thaithin an claacuter sin leat 6 Niacutel afhios agam ar eacuteirigh tuacute in am 7 Deir siad gur fhan tuacute linn 8 Niacutel a fhiosagam ar thiomaacutein tuacute 9 Deir siad gur reacuteitigh siacute diacutenneacutear do chaacutech 10 Niacutela fhios agam ar ith an paacuteiste an beacuteile sin

3 1 Niacuteor thit an paacuteiste 2 Deir siad gur chuir seacute sneachta inneacute 3 Archeannaigh Seaacuten carr nua 4 Niacuteor imir siad go maith 5 Niacutel a fhios agamar thuig siacute an cheist 6 Naacuter ghlan tuacute do sheomra 7 Naacuter fhoghlaim siacuteFraincis 8 Ar phoacutes Bairbre fear saibhir 9 Niacuteor fhaacuteg Tomaacuteisiacuten a bhreacuteagaacuteinar an urlaacuter 10 Deir siad gur dhuacuteisigh siad go moch ar maidin 11 Ar chreidtuacute an sceacuteal 12 Niacuteor bhearr seacute an fheacuteasoacuteg 13 Ar chodail sibh go maith14 Deir siad gur lig siacute amach an cat 15 Niacuteor ith meacute beacuteile moacuter

4 1 Chriacuteochnaigh meacute an obair 2 Eacuteistim le mo mhaacutethair 3 Glanfaidh meacutemo sheomra 4 Labhraiacutem Gaeilge 5 Leacuteigh meacute an sceacuteal 6 Glacfaidh meacuteleis an iarratas 7 Scriacuteobh meacute litir chugat 8 Duacutenaim an doras 9 Drsquofhaacutegmeacute an leabhar ag an leabharlann 10 Toacutegfaidh meacute go reacuteidh eacute

5 1 Coacuteirigh an leaba Negative inneacute Niacuteor choacuteirigh meacute an leaba go minicNiacute choacuteiriacutem an leaba amaacuterach Niacute choacuteireoidh meacute an leaba 2 Eacuteiriacutegiacute go


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moch Question inneacute Ar eacuteirigh sibh go moch go minic An eacuteiriacuteonn sibhgo moch amaacuterach An eacuteireoidh sibh go moch 3 Suigh siacuteos Negativequestion inneacute Naacuter shuigh tuacute siacuteos go minic Nach suiacuteonn tuacute siacuteosamaacuterach Nach suiacutefidh tuacute siacuteos 4 Codlaiacutegiacute go maith Statement inneacuteChodlaiacuteomarchodail muid go maith go minic Codlaiacutemidcodlaiacuteonn muidgo maith amaacuterach Codloacuteimidcodloacuteidh muid go maith 5 Tosaigh goluath Question inneacute Ar thosaigh tuacute go luath go minic An dtosaiacuteonntuacute go luath amaacuterach An dtosoacuteidh tuacute go luath 6 Siuacuteil go mall Negativeinneacute Niacuteor shiuacuteil meacute go mall go minic Niacute shiuacutelaim go mall amaacuterach Niacuteshiacuteuacutelfaidh meacute go mall 7 Oscail na fuinneoga Statement inneacute Drsquooscailmeacute na fuinneoga go minic Osclaiacutem na fuinneoga amaacuterach Oscloacuteidh meacutena fuinneoga 8 Athraigh dath do chuid gruaige Question inneacute Arathraigh tuacute dath do chuid gruaige go minic An athraiacuteonn tuacute dath dochuid gruaige amaacuterach An athroacuteidh tuacute dath do chuid gruaige 9 Casamhraacuten Deir siad inneacute Deir siad gur chas tuacute amhraacuten go minic Deirsiad go gcasann tuacute amhraacuten amaacuterach Deir siad go gcasfaidh tuacute amhraacuten10 Taispeaacutein doacute Bhriacuted eacute Negative inneacute Niacuteor thaispeaacutein meacute do Bhriacuted eacutego minic Niacute thaispeaacutenaim do Bhriacuted eacute amaacuterach Niacute thaispeaacutenfaidh meacutedo Bhriacuted eacute

6 Sample Chodail meacute amach ag an deireadh seachtaine Drsquofhan meacute sa leabaagus leacuteigh meacute ann Drsquoeacuteirigh meacute deireanach Drsquoith meacute bricfeasta imbialann Cheannaigh meacute rudaiacute ag an ngroacutesaeir Ghlan meacute an teachThoacuteg meacute an bus go dtiacute na Garraithe Naacuteisiuacutenta Shiuacuteil meacute tamallBhreathnaigh meacute ar dhraacutema ag an amharclann traacutethnoacutena Drsquooacutel meacute deochle cairde tar eacuteis an draacutema Drsquofhan meacute i mo shuiacute tar eacuteis meaacuten oiacuteche

7 1 Oacutelfaidh 2 Niacuteor cheannaigh 3 Niacute itheann 4 Eacuteistfidh 5 Bhris 6 Niacute eacuteiriacutem7 Feiceann or Feicimid 8 Niacuteor thosaigh or Niacuteor thosaiacuteodar 9 Drsquooacutel 10Feicifidh


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UNIT FOURTEENIrregular verbs I

Eleven Irish verbs are irregular in the ways their tenses are formed as iscommon across languages these are among the most frequently used verbsin the language Irregularities are of three kinds

bull Certain tenses may use different stems from the imperative stem that isthe basis of regular tense formation

bull The form used after verbal particles (niacute an go naacutech) known as thedependent form may differ from the form for simple statements

bull There may be irregularities in the pattern of mutation after these particles

In the most complex cases a single verb may show all three types ofirregularity

lsquoGetrsquo and lsquogorsquo

The verbs meaning lsquogetrsquo and lsquogorsquo use distinct stem forms for present pastand future tense formation additionally some tenses have separate stemsfor dependent and independent forms These irregularities are summarizedhere with examples to illustrate each form

Imperative forms and stems to which tense and person forms are addedhead each column For most irregular verbs imperative stems match thepresent stems and their plurals are formed regularly from the singularunless otherwise noted Forms in parentheses are dependent forms usedonly following the negative question and subordination particles Thereare separate dependent stem forms for faigh in the future tense and for teacuteighin the past

faighfaighigiacute lsquoget findrsquo teacuteighteacuteigiacute lsquogorsquo

Present faigh- teacute-Past fuair chuaigh (deachaigh)Future gheobh- (faigh-) rach-

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Regular endings are added to these stems except that for these two verbsthe future endings are simply -aidh without the f or oacute characteristic ofregular future forms The past tense forms stand alone except in the first-person-plural form of the Official Standard

Faighim feoil ansin I get meat thereFaigheann siacute feoil ansin She gets meat thereFuaireamarfuair muid feoil ansin We got meat thereGheobhaidh tuacute feoil ansin Yoursquoll get meat there

Teacuteim go Gaillimh go minic I go to Galway oftenTeacuteann siad go Gaillimh go minic They go to Galway oftenChuamarchuaigh muid go Gaillimh We went to GalwayRachaidh meacute go Gaillimh I will go to Galway

Dependent forms of lsquogetrsquo and lsquogorsquo

Dependent forms of these verbs show further irregularities The presentdependent forms of faigh are regular with the usual mutations after theparticles

Niacute fhaigheann siad feoil They donrsquot get meatAn bhfaigheann sibh feoil Do you get meatSiacutelim go bhfaigheann siacute feoil ansin I think that she gets meat thereSiacutelim nach bhfaigheann siacute feoil I think she doesnrsquot get meatNach bhfaigheann siacute feoil Doesnrsquot she get meat

Dependent past forms retain the stem fuair but the mutation is alwayseclipsis even after niacute The future dependent forms change the stem tofaigh- also with eclipsis everywhere and the future ending -idh Althoughthe spelling is the same as for the present stem the pronunciation is differentin some dialects (In Connemara and Donegal for example the presentstem is pronounced [fa] but the future is [wi] In West Kerry the vowel ispronounced [ai] in both tenses)

Niacute bhfuair meacute eacute I didnrsquot get itAn bhfuair tuacute eacute Did you get itNach bhfuair tuacute eacute Didnrsquot you get itSiacutelim go bhfuair seacute eacute I think he got it

Niacute bhfaighidh tuacute eacute You wonrsquot get itAn bhfaighimid eacute Will we get itSiacutelim nach bhfaighidh sibh eacute I think you wonrsquot get it

108 Unit 14 Irregular verbs I

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Note that the regular particles niacute an go nach are used before irregulardependent past forms rather than the particles ending in r that wereintroduced for regular past tense in Unit 13 The same holds for the irregulardependent past form of lsquogorsquo For this verb however the mutations followingthe particles are like those of regular verbs thus the stem deachaigh is eitherlenited or eclipsed

Niacute dheachamar We didnrsquot goAn ndeachaigh tuacute Did you goNach ndeachaigh siad Didnrsquot they goSiacutelim go ndeachaigh seacute I think that he went

In the present and future tenses dependent forms have the same stem withregular mutations Because r is unaffected by either mutation the futurestem is identical in all cases

Niacute theacuteim I donrsquot goAn dteacuteann tuacute Do you goAn rachaidh tuacute Will you goSiacutelim go rachaidh meacute I think that Irsquoll go

lsquoComersquo

The verb lsquocomersquo also uses separate stem forms for each tense and thesingular imperative stem is distinct as well There are no separate dependentforms after verbal particles however just regular mutations

tartagaigiacute lsquocomersquo

Present tag-Past thaacuteinigFuture tioc-

Tagaim anseo go minic I come here oftenAn dtagann tuacute anseo go minic Do you come here oftenThaacutengamar inneacute We came yesterdayThaacuteinig Brian freisin Brian came tooTiocfaidh siacute amaacuterach She will come tomorrowNiacute thiocfaidh Maireacutead Maireacutead wonrsquot comeTar isteach Come in (to one person)

Note the reduction of the second syllable of thaacuteinig when a suffix (such as -mar in the third example above) is added giving thaacuteng- Despite theirregular stem form the regular past particles ar naacuter gur are used tointroduce thaacuteinig in the Caighdeaacuten


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Niacuteor thaacuteinig tuacute You didnrsquot comeAr thaacuteinig tuacute Did you comeSiacutelim gur thaacuteinig siad I think they came

However in spoken Irish the general forms an nach go with eclipsisreplacing lenition are also found an dtaacuteinig go dtaacuteinig nach dtaacuteinig canbe heard as well

lsquoSayrsquo and lsquobearrsquo

Two other verbs abair lsquosayrsquo and beir lsquobear carryrsquo also build all three tensesfrom separate stems (and the imperative is also distinct in the case of abair)The present and future stem forms look very similar but the spellingdifference represents a change in both vowel length and the final consonantso they sound more distinct than they look

abair (sing) abraigiacute (pl) lsquosayrsquo beir lsquobear carryrsquo

Present deir beir-Past duacuteirt rugFuture deacutear- beacutear-

An additional irregularity of abair is that the present tense ending -eann isnot used when there is a separate noun or pronoun subject The personalendings -im-imid may be used but some speakers prefer separate pronounseven there

Deir meacuteDeirim I sayDeir seacute He saysDuacuteirt tuacute You saidDeacutearfaidh siacute She will sayDeacutearfaimidDeacutearfaidh muid We will say

Beirim I carryBeireann siad They carryRug seacute He carriedBeacutearfaidh meacute I will carry

Idiomatic uses of beir

In the sense of lsquocarryrsquo or lsquotake awayrsquo beir is often accompanied by thepreposition le agreeing in form with the subject Chuig indicates thedestination of the thing taken and oacute the source


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Beir leat an buideacuteal Take the bottle with youRug meacute an leabhar oacuten leabharlann I took the book from the library

In reference to a competition game or challenge the same phrase can meanlsquowinrsquo or lsquoexcelrsquo

Rug siad an bua orainn They beat usBheacutearfadh seacute leis ag an ollscoil Hersquod do well at university

With the preposition ar beir has the idiomatic meaning lsquograsp catchrsquo

Rug na gardaiacute ar an ngadaiacute The police caught the thiefBeir ar an maacutela sin Grab that bag

On its own it can mean lsquogive birthrsquo (or in the case of birds lsquolay an eggrsquo)

Rug siacute cuacutepla She had (bore) twins

Particles with lsquosayrsquo and lsquobearrsquo

Beir follows the regular dependent particles including those ending with -r in the past tense Deir on the other hand uses the general particles niacutean go nach even with past tense verbs Additionally deir is never lenitedso niacute has no effect on the verb in any tense The other particles do causeeclipsis though

Niacute deirim focal I donrsquot say a wordNiacute deir siacute focal She doesnrsquot say a wordNiacute duacuteirt seacute eacute sin He didnrsquot say thatNiacute deacutearfaidh muid tada We wonrsquot say anythingAn ndeacutearfaidh tuacute rud leacutei Will you say something to herDeir siacute go ndeir seacute She says that he says Nach nduacuteirt tuacute eacute sin Didnrsquot you say that

Niacuteor rug siacute paacuteiste riamh She never had a childNiacute bheireann an chearc uacuted That hen doesnrsquot layNiacute bheacutearfaidh siad air They wonrsquot catch him

Siacutelim go mbeacutearfaidh siad air I think they will catch himAr rug siacutead bua Did they winNach mbeireann an chearc Doesnrsquot the hen lay


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Exercises

1 Convert the following sentences to questions

1 Rug na gardaiacute ar an ngadaiacute2 Tagann Colm anseo rsquochuile shamhradh3 Ni duacuteirt siacute focal as Gaeilge4 Niacute bheacutearfaidh an chearc5 Deir Tadhg nach dtiocfaidh seacute Deacuteardaoin6 Rachaidh muid go dtiacute an teach taacutebhairne anocht7 Faigheann siad paacute maith8 Chuaigh Seacuteamas chuig an Aifreann9 Niacute bhfuair sibh aon deoch

10 Niacute dheachaigh duine ar bith a chodladh go luath11 Tiocfaidh siad ariacutes i mbliana12 Gheobhaidh meacute an nuachtaacuten


1 Deir muintir Niamh nach dtagann siacute abhaile saacutech minic2 Brsquofheacuteidir go mbeacutearfaidh na cearca aacuter ndoacutethain uibheacha3 Tar ar ais ariacutes4 Duacuteirt sibh gur thaitin an scannaacuten libh5 Tiocfaimid ar ais an tseachtain seo chugainn6 Faigheann muid feoil ag an mbuacuteisteacuteir7 Rachaidh seacute abhaile8 Teacuteann an bus an bealach seo9 Fuair siad airgead maith ar an seancharr

10 Thaacuteinig Eoghan in am11 Deacutearfaidh meacute ariacutes eacute12 Chuaigh meacute abhaile go luath

3 Make subordinate clauses of the following sentences by placing them afterdeir seacute Remember that go must precede each verb

1 Beacutearfaidh a bhean anocht2 Tiocfaidh an samhradh agus faacutesfaidh an feacutear3 Thaacuteinig go leor daoine areacuteir4 Duacuteirt tuacute an freagra ceart5 Teacuteann na gasuacuteir chuig an nGaeltacht gach samhradh6 Chuaigh sibh chuig an amharclann le cheacuteile7 Gheobhaidh tuacute bronntanas ar do laacute breithe8 Fuair Caitriacuteona an cheacutead duais9 Niacute bhfaighidh sibh moacuteraacuten spoacuteirt as an aacuteit sin


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10 Niacute duacuteirt seacute drochfhocal11 Tagann siad rsquochuile bhliain12 Niacute theacuteann siad ar saoire go minic

4 Change the tense of the following verbs to the tense appropriate to theadverb in parentheses eg Ceannaiacutem bainne

inneacute Cheannaigh meacute bainneamaacuterach Ceannoacuteidh meacute bainne

1 Thaacuteinig an geimhreadh go luathan bhliain seo chugainngach bliain

2 Beireann sibh airinneacuteamaacuterach

3 Rachaidh seacute abhailego minicinneacute

4 Deir siacute an rud ceacuteannaamaacuterachinneacute

5 Fuair siad beacuteile anseogo minicamaacuterach

5 Change the tense and type of sentence according to the model shown

Tiomaacuteinim abhaileamaacuterach Tiomaacuteinfidh meacute abhaile(Neg-Q) go minic Nach dtiomaacuteinim abhaile(Q) inneacute Ar thiomaacutein meacute abhaile(Deir siad) inneacute Deir siad gur thiomaacutein meacute abhaile

1 Chuaigh sibh go Baile Aacutetha Cliath(Q) inneacute(Deir siacute) amaacuterach(Q) gach laacute(Neg) inneacute

2 Tiocfaidh siad anoir(Neg-Q) inneacute(Q) go minic(Neg) amaacuterach(deir siacute ndash neg)


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3 Duacuteirt siacute go bhfuil siacute saacutesta(Neg-Q) inneacuteamaacuterach(Q) anois(Neg) inneacute

4 Faigheann na gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua(Neg) amaacuterach(deir siacute) go minic(Q) amaacuterach inneacute

5 Rachaidh siacute go Sasana(deir siacute) amaacuterach(Q) go minicinneacute(Neg-Q) inneacute

6 Translate

1 Will you go on holiday2 Briacuted said she got a new car3 I never bore a child4 Will you get breakfast there5 We came home yesterday6 Donrsquot you go to Scotland each year7 Did you go there last year8 Irsquoll say each word three times9 Wonrsquot you come with us

10 Donrsquot say a word11 That girl went to school in Connemara12 Irsquoll get the drinks13 She will have twins next month14 Come in and sit down15 Wersquoll go in get a newspaper and come back


1 1 Ar rug na gardaiacute ar an ngadaiacute 2 An dtagann Colm anseo rsquochuileshamhradh 3 Nach nduacuteirt siacute focal as Gaeilge 4 Nach mbeacutearfaidh anchearc 5 An ndeir Tadhg nach dtiocfaidh seacute Deacuteardaoin 6 An rachaidhmuid go dtiacute an teach taacutebhairne anocht 7 An bhfaigheann siad paacute maith8 An ndeachaigh Seacuteamas chuig an Aifreann 9 Nach bhfuair sibh aondeoch 10 Nach ndeachaigh duine ar bith a chodladh go luath 11 Andtiocfaidh siad ariacutes i mbliana 12 An bhfaighidh meacute an nuachtaacuten


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2 1 Niacute deir muintir Niamh nach dtagann siacute abhaile saacutech minic 2 Brsquofheacuteidirnach mbeacutearfaidh na cearca aacuter ndoacutethain uibheacha 3 Naacute tar ar ais ariacutes4 Niacute duacuteirt sibh gur thaitin an scannaacuten libh 5 Niacute thiocfaimid ar ais antseachtain seo chugainn 6 Niacute fhaigheann muid feoil ag an mbuacuteisteacuteir 7Niacute rachaidh seacute abhaile 8 Niacute theacuteann an bus an bealach seo 9 Niacute bhfuairsiad airgead maith ar an seancharr 10 Niacuteor thaacuteinig Eoghan in am 11 Niacutedeacutearfaidh meacute ariacutes eacute 12 Niacute dheachaigh meacute abhaile go luath

3 1 Deir seacute go mbeacutearfaidh a bhean anocht 2 Deir seacute go dtiocfaidh ansamhradh agus go bhfaacutesfaidh an feacutear 3 Deir seacute gur thaacuteinig (go dtaacuteinig)go leor daoine areacuteir 4 Deir seacute go nduacuteirt tuacute an freagra ceart 5 Deir seacute godteacuteann na gasuacuteir chuig an nGaeltacht gach samhradh 6 Deir seacute gondeachaigh sibh chuig an amharclann le cheacuteile 7 Deir seacute go bhfaighidhtuacute bronntanas ar do laacute breithe 8 Deir seacute go bhfuair Caitriacuteona an cheacuteadduais 9 Deir seacute nach bhfaighidh sibh moacuteraacuten spoacuteirt as an aacuteit sin 10 Deirseacute nach nduacuteirt seacute drochfhocal 11 Deir seacute go dtagann siad rsquochuile bhliain12 Deir seacute nach dteacuteann siad ar saoire go minic

4 1 Thaacuteinig an geimhreadh go luath An bhliain seo chugainn Tiocfaidhan geimhreadh go luath Gach bliain Tagann an geimhreadh go luath 2 Beireann sibh air Inneacute Rug sibh air Amaacuterach Beacutearfaidh sibh air 3 Rachaidh seacute abhaile Go minic Teacuteann seacute abhaile Inneacute Chuaigh seacuteabhaile 4 Deir siacute an rud ceacuteanna Amaacuterach Deacutearfaidh siacute an rud ceacuteannaInneacute Duacuteirt siacute an rud ceacuteanna 5 Fuair siad beacuteile anseo Go minicFaigheann siad beacuteile anseo Amaacuterach Gheobhaidh siad beacuteile anseo

5 1 Chuaigh sibh go Baile Aacutetha Cliath (Q) inneacute An ndeachaigh sibh goBaile Aacutetha Cliath (Deir siacute) amaacuterach Deir siacute go rachaidh sibh go BaileAacutetha Cliath (Q) lsquochuile laacute An dteacuteann sibh go Baile Aacutetha Cliath (Neg)inneacute Niacute dheachaigh sibh go Baile Aacutetha Cliath 2 Tiocfaidh siad anoir(Neg-Q) inneacute Naacuter thaacuteinig siad anoir or Nach dtaacuteinig siad anoir (Q)go minic An dtagann siad anoir (Neg) amaacuterach Niacute thiocfaidh siad anoir(Deir siacute ndash neg) amaacuterach Deir siacute nach dtiocfaidh siad anoir 3 Duacuteirt siacute gobhfuil siacute saacutesta (Neg-Q) inneacute Nach nduacuteirt siacute go bhfuil siacute saacutesta AmaacuterachDeacutearfaidh siacute go bhfuil siacute saacutesta (Q) anois An ndeir siacute go bhfuil siacute saacutesta(Neg) inneacute Niacute duacuteirt siacute go bhfuil siacute saacutesta 4 Faigheann na gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua(Neg) amaacuterach Niacute bhfaighidh na gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua (Deir siacute) go minicDeir siacute go bhfaigheann na gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua (Q) amaacuterach An bhfaighidhna gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua Inneacute Fuair na gasuacuteir eacuteadaiacute nua 5 Rachaidh siacute goSasana (Deir siacute) amaacuterach Deir siacute go rachaidh siacute go Sasana (Q) go minicAn dteacuteann siacute go Sasana Inneacute Chuaigh siacute go Sasana (Neg-Q) inneacute Nachndeachaigh siacute go Sasana

6 1 An rachaidh tuacute (or sibh) ar saoire 2 Duacuteirt Briacuted go bhfuair siacute carr nua 3 Niacuteor rug meacute paacuteiste riamh 4 An bhfaighidh tuacute bricfeasta ansin


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5 Thaacutengamar (or thaacuteinig muid) abhaile inneacute 6 Nach dteacuteann tuacute (or sibh)go hAlbain gach bliain 7 An ndeachaigh tuacute ansin anuraidh 8 Deacutearfaidhmeacute gach focal triacute huaire 9 Nach dtiocfaidh tuacute linn 10 Naacute habair focal11 Chuaigh an cailiacuten sin ar scoil i gConamara 12 Gheobhaidh meacute nadeochanna 13 Beacutearfaidh siacute cuacutepla an mhiacute seo chugainn 14 Tar isteachagus suigh siacuteos (Plural Tagaigiacute isteach agus suiacutegiacute siacuteos) 15 Rachaidh muidisteach gheobhaidh muid nuachtaacuten agus tiocfaidh muid diacutereach ar aisRachaimid gheobhaimid agus tiocfaimid


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UNIT FIFTEENIrregular verbs II

The remaining irregular verbs are simpler than those just introduced theyare irregular in only one tense although some have multiple irregularities

lsquoDorsquo lsquoseersquo and lsquohearrsquo

The verbs meaning lsquodorsquo lsquoseersquo and lsquohearrsquo are irregular only in the past tenseThe present and future tenses use the imperative stem and behave entirelylike regular first-conjugation verbs described in Units 11ndash12 Only the pasttense will be discussed here Each verb uses a distinct past-tense stem forstatements lsquodorsquo and lsquoseersquo have separate dependent forms as well

deacutean lsquodorsquo feic lsquoseersquo cloiscluin lsquohearrsquo

Independent rinne chonaic chualaDependent dearna faca chuala

Like the irregular dependent forms for lsquogorsquo in the last unit dearna and facaalways follow verbal particles and thus always appear with either lenitionor eclipsis depending on the particle As with all irregular dependent formsthe general particles rather than the regular past-tense particles in r are usedand therefore niacute lenites and other particles cause eclipsis

lsquodorsquo

Rinne siacute an obair She did the workNiacute dhearna Caitliacuten eacute Caitliacuten didnrsquot do itAn ndearna tuacute eacute sin Did you do thatDeir siad go ndearna siad eacute They say they did itSiacutelim nach ndearna seacute an obair I think that he didnrsquot do the work

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In some dialects use of dependent forms is waning so that niacute rinne an rinneetc are sometimes heard This book will maintain the dependentindependent distinction for purposes of the exercises

lsquoseersquoChonaic meacute Liam I saw LiamNiacute fhaca meacute Poacutel I didnrsquot see PoacutelAn bhfaca tuacute iad Did you see themDeir seacute nach bhfaca seacute thuacute He says that he didnrsquot see youSiacutelim go bhfaca meacute iad I think that I saw them

lsquoHearrsquo has two distinct imperative stems both accepted as standard by theCaighdeaacuten cluinim or cloisim lsquoI hearrsquo cluinfidh meacute or cloisfidh meacute lsquoI willhearrsquo etc The choice of cluin or clois is regional In the examples in thisbook we will use clois the form typical in most of County Galway The pasttense is similar to thaacuteinig lsquocamersquo in having a different stem from the othertenses (chuala) but no separate dependent form Like thaacuteinig it is negatedwith the particle niacuteor but questions and subordinate clauses may be formedeither with the past-tense particles ending with r (the standard usage) or bythe general particles and eclipsis (common colloquial alternatives)

lsquohearrsquoNiacuteor chuala meacute rud ar bith I didnrsquot hear anythingAr chualaan gcuala tuacute an sceacuteal Did you hear the newsSiacutelim gur chualamar eacute I think that we heard itSiacutelim go gcuala muid eacute I think that we heard itNaacuter chualaNach gcuala sibh eacute Didnrsquot you hear it

lsquoGiversquo

The verb tabhair means lsquogiversquo and also in certain contexts lsquotakersquo or lsquobringrsquoIts irregularity consists of the fact that the imperative stem tabhair formsthe basis for the future tense (with broad final r) but the present and pasttenses are formed from a different stem tug which is also used for the pluralimperative tugaigiacute

Command Tabhair dom eacute Give it to meTugaigiacute dom eacute Give (pl) it to me

Present Tugann seacute dom eacute He gives it to mePast Thug seacute dom eacute He gave it to meFuture Tabharfaidh seacute dom eacute He will give it to me

Standard forms of the particles are used as for regular verbs except thatin the past tense as with lsquocomersquo and lsquohearrsquo use of the eclipsing particles is

118 Unit 15 Irregular verbs II

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an option alongside the standard past-tense forms with r and lenition Thestem doesnrsquot change from statement form

Niacuteor thug seacute dom eacute He didnrsquot give it to meAr thugAn dtug seacute duit eacute Did he give it to youNaacuter thugNach dtug tuacute leat eacute Didnrsquot you take it with youSiacutelim gur thuggo dtug seacute leis eacute I think he took it with him

Idioms with tabhair

When used to mean lsquotakersquo or lsquobringrsquo (context determines the appropriateinterpretation) the preposition le often accompanies tabhair with theprepositional pronoun form referring to the subject like the usage of beirdescribed previously Tabhair is probably more common than beir thesedays

Tabhair leat eacute Take it with you

Tiocfaidh siacute amaacuterach agus Shersquoll come tomorrow and tabharfaidh siacute a hiniacuteon leacutei will bring her daughter

Tabhair is a very versatile verb and many other idioms rely on it to conveywhat would be expressed by separate verbs in English Some draw on thebasic meaning of lsquogiversquo with a noun object together the verb and nounconvey the meaning of an English verb In some examples the combinedverbal meaning is quite transparent from the component parts in other casesless so

tabhair cuacutenamhcabhair (do dhuine) help (someone)tabhair cuairt (ar dhuine) visit (someone)tabhair aird (ar rudduine) pay attention (to)tabhair suas (rud) abandon (something)tabhair ainm (ar dhuine) call (someone) by a nametabhair (rud) faoi deara notice (something)

In other idioms tabhair functions as an intransitive verb with adverbial orprepositional phrases but no object noun

tabhair amach (do dhuine) scold (someone)tabhair faoi (dhuine) attack (someone)tabhair faoi (+ verbal noun) attempt (to do something)

Many other expressions with tabhair can be found in any dictionary theseare just some of the commonest ones


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Idioms with deacutean

Deacutean lsquomakersquo or lsquodorsquo is also used idiomatically with specific nouns to conveymeanings that in English would require separate verbs Simple verbs mayalso exist but the idioms tend to be preferred

deacutean dochar harmdeacutean obair workdeacutean deifir hurrydeacutean aithris ar imitate

Deacutean also combines with directional adverbs and prepositions for idiomaticmeanings Again these are only a few examples among many that can befound in most dictionaries

deacutean amach conclude figure outdeacutean as take off get awaydeacutean ar (aacuteit) head for approachdeacutean a bheag de (rud) belittle (something)

lsquoEatrsquo a reminder

One other verb is irregular only in the future The stem of this verb for theimperative present and past tense forms is ith but the future stem is iacuteos-as described in Unit 12 It will be reviewed in some of the exercises below

Exercises


1 Deacuteanann seacute a cuid eacuteadaigh2 Niacute fhaca muid moacuteraacuten daoine3 Rinne siacute an dinneacutear in am4 Chonaic siad Eoghan areacuteir5 Niacute thabharfaidh siacute faoi deara eacute6 Niacute dhearna siad an obair go han-scioptha7 Chuala muid an ceol sin cheana8 Tabharfaidh tu poacuteg dom9 Cloisfidh sibh an ceol

10 Niacuteor thug mo chol ceathar an leabhar sin don phaacuteiste11 Niacuteor chuala tuacute an cheist12 Thug an muacuteinteoir amach do na phaacuteistiacute daacutena


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2 Negate the following sentences

1 An gcloiseann tuacute an torann2 Thug siacute a gasuacuter leacutei go hAlbain3 An dtabharfaidh siad rud aisteach mar sin faoi deara4 Iacuteosfaidh muid aacuter ndinneacutear go luath amaacuterach5 Rinne tuacute obair mhaith6 Ar chuala tuacute an sceacuteal7 Tabharfaidh muid faoin obair sin8 Chonaic meacute mo mhuintir le gairid9 Feicfidh muid amaacuterach thuacute

10 An ndearna muid aacuter ndoacutethain11 Deacuteanfaidh meacute amaacuterach eacute12 Feicimid Peige go minic

3 Make subordinate clauses by placing siacutelim go before the following withappropriate mutations or other changes

1 Thug seacute an t-airgead isteach ag an oifig2 Deacuteanfaidh seacute ar an oifig3 Chuala siad an sceacuteal agus chreid siad eacute4 Chonaic meacute scannaacuten iontach ag an deireadh seachtaine5 Niacuteor ith Paacuteidiacuten feoil ar chor ar bith6 Tabharfaidh siad Caoilfhionn ar a n-iniacuteon7 Rinne siacute deifir8 Niacute fhaca seacute rud ar bith9 Iacuteosfaidh sibh piacuteosa caacuteca

10 Niacute dhearna seacute aon dochar

4 Change the tense of the verb in each example to match the adverbsprovided

1 Drsquoith meacute bricfeasta moacuteramaacuterachgach laacute

2 Cloiseann tuacute an ceolamaacuterachareacuteir

3 Feicim caorainneacuteamaacuterach

4 Niacute thugann siacute aird orminneacuteamaacuterach


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5 Deacuteanann Maacuteire an choacutecaireachtamaacuterachinneacute

5 Change the tense and sentence type according to the model shown

Siuacutelaim abhaileamaacuterach Siuacutelfaidh meacute abhaile(Neg) go minic Niacute shiuacutelaim abhaile(Neg-Q) i gcoacutenaiacute Nach siuacutelaim abhaile(Q) inneacute Ar shiacuteuil meacute abhaile(deir seacute) amaacuterach Deir seacute go siuacutelfaidh meacute abhaile

1 Chuala meacute an ceirniacutenamaacuterach(Neg) go minic(Neg-Q) amaacuterach(deir seacute) inneacute

2 Chonaic tuacute Maireacutead(Neg) go minicamaacuterachgo minic(Q) inneacute

3 Itheann Caitliacuten a bricfeastaamaacuterach(Q) amaacuterach(Neg) gach laacute(deir seacute Neg) amaacuterach(Neg-Q) gach laacute

4 Tugann siacute an leabhar dhaacute cara(Neg) inneacuteamaacuterach(Q) amaacuterach(Neg Q) inneacute

5 Deacuteanann siacute deifiramaacuterach(Neg) inneacute(Neg Q) go minic(deir seacute) inneacute

6 Translate (review of all irregular verbs)

1 I see you but you donrsquot see me2 They called me Aacuteine


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3 Wonrsquot you eat another piece of cake4 Did anyone see my pen5 Do you know if they caught the thief6 Nuala gave up cigarettes7 Will you get a bottle of milk for me8 He says he heard the concert but I didnrsquot see him there9 It didnrsquot do any harm

10 Come home in the summer11 Wersquoll go to Paris12 She didnrsquot say that she got a new job but she did (get one)13 Irsquoll get that for you14 Will you come with me15 We went to Russia last year but we didnrsquot go anywhere this year


1 1 An ndeacuteanann seacute a cuid eacuteadaigh 2 Nach bhfaca muid moacuteraacuten daoine3 An ndearna siacute an dinneacutear in am 4 An bhfaca siad Eoghan areacuteir 5 Nach dtabharfaidh siacute faoi deara eacute 6 Nach ndearna siad an obair gohan-scioptha 7 Ar chuala muid an ceol sin cheana (or An gcuala )8 An dtabharfaidh tu poacuteg dom 9 An gcloisfidh sibh an ceol 10 Naacuterthug mo chol ceathar an leabhar sin don phaacuteiste (or Nach dtug ) 11 Naacuter chuala tuacute an cheist (or Nach gcuala ) 12 Ar thug an muacuteinteoiramach do na phaacuteistiacute daacutena (or An dtug )

2 1 Nach gcloiseann tuacute an torann 2 Niacuteor thug siacute a gasuacuter leacutei go hAlbain 3 Nach dtabharfaidh siad rud aisteach mar sin faoi deara 4 Niacute iacuteosfaidhmuid aacuter ndinneacutear go luath amaacuterach 5 Niacute dhearna tuacute obair mhaith 6 Naacuterchuala tuacute an sceacuteal 7 Niacute thabharfaidh muid faoin obair sin 8 Niacute fhacameacute mo mhuintir le gairid 9 Niacute fheicfidh muid amaacuterach thuacute 10 Nachndearna muid aacuter ndoacutethain 11 Niacute dheacuteanfaidh meacute amaacuterach eacute 12 Niacutefheicimid Peige go minic

3 1 Siacutelim gur thug seacute an t-airgead isteach ag an oifig (or go dtug )2 Siacutelim go ndeacuteanfaidh seacute ar an oifig 3 Siacutelim gur chuala siad an sceacuteal agusgur chreid siad eacute (or go gcuala ) 4 Siacutelim go bhfaca meacute scannaacuteniontach ag an deireadh seachtaine 5 Siacutelim naacuter ith Paacuteidiacuten feoil ar chor ar bith 6 Siacutelim go dtabharfaidh siad Caoilfhionn ar a n-iniacuteon 7 Siacutelim go ndearna siacute deifir 8 Siacutelim nach bhfhaca seacute rud ar bith 9 Siacutelim go n-iacuteosfaidh sibh piacuteosa caacuteca 10 Siacutelim nach ndearna seacute aon dochar

4 1 Drsquoith meacute bricfeasta moacuter Amaacuterach Iacuteosfaidh meacute bricfeasta moacuter Gachlaacute Ithim bricfeasta moacuter 2 Cloiseann tuacute an ceol Amaacuterach Cloisfidh tuacute


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

an ceol Areacuteir Chuala tuacute an ceol 3 Feicim caora Inneacute Chonaic meacute caoraAmaacuterach Feicfidh meacute caora 4 Niacute thugann siacute aird orm Inneacute Niacuteor thugsiacute aird orm Amaacuterach Niacute thabharfaidh siacute aird orm 5 Deacuteanann Maacuteire anchoacutecaireacht Amaacuterach Deacuteanfaidh Maacuteire an choacutecaireacht Inneacute RinneMaacuteire an cocaireacht

5 1 Chuala meacute an ceirniacuten Amaacuterach Cloisfidh meacute an ceirniacuten (Neg) gominic Niacute chloisim an ceirniacuten (Neg-Q) amaacuterach Nach gcloisfidh meacute anceirniacuten (Deir seacute) inneacute Deir seacute gur chuala (or go gcuala) meacute anceirniacuten 2 Chonaic tuacute Maireacutead (Neg) go minic Niacute fheiceann tuacute MaireacuteadAmaacuterach Feicfidh tuacute Maireacutead Go minic Feiceann tuacute Maireacutead (Q) inneacuteAn bhfaca tuacute Maireacutead 3 Itheann Caitliacuten a bricfeasta Amaacuterach IacuteosfaidhCaitliacuten a bricfeasta (Q) amaacuterach An iacuteosfaidh Caitliacuten a bricfeasta (Neg)gach laacute Niacute itheann Caitliacuten a bricfeasta (Deir seacute Neg) amaacuterach Deir seacutenach n-iacuteosfaidh Caitliacuten a bricfeasta (Neg-Q) gach laacute Nach n-itheannCaitliacuten a bricfeasta 4 Tugann siacute an leabhar dhaacute cara (Neg) inneacute Niacuteorthug siacute an leabhar daacute cara Amaacuterach Tabharfaidh siacute an leabhar daacute cara(Q) amaacuterach An dtabharfaidh siacute an leabhar daacute cara (Neg Q) inneacute Naacuterthug (or Nach dtug) siacute an leabhar daacute cara 5 Deacuteanann siacute deifir AmaacuterachDeacuteanfaidh siacute deifir (Neg) inneacute Niacute dhearna siacute deifir (Neg Q) go minicNach ndeacuteanann siacute deifir (Deir seacute) inneacute Deir seacute go ndearna siacute deifir

6 1 Feicim thuacute ach niacute fheiceann tuacute meacute 2 Thug siad Aacuteine orm 3 Nach n-iacuteosfaidh tuacute piacuteosa eile caacuteca 4 An bhfaca duine ar bith mo pheann 5 Anbhfuil a fhios agat ar rug siad ar an ngadaiacute 6 Thug Nuala suas toitiacuteniacute 7 An bhfaighidh tuacute buideacuteal bainne dom 8 Deir seacute gur chuala (or gogcuala ) seacute an cheolchoirm ach niacute fhaca meacute ansin eacute 9 Niacute dhearna seacuteaon dochar 10 Tar abhaile sa samhradh 11 Rachaidh muid go Paacuteras (orRachaimid ) 12 Niacute duacuteirt siacute go bhfuair siacute post nua ach fuair 13Gheobhaidh meacute eacute sin duit 14 An dtiocfaidh tuacute liom 15 Chuaigh muid(or Chuamar) go dtiacute an Ruacuteis anuraidh ach niacute dheachaigh muid (or niacute dheachamar) aacuteit ar bith i mbliana


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

UNIT SIXTEENThe verb biacute

The final irregular verb is biacute This is one of two words that cover thefunctions of English lsquobersquo the other will be taken up in the next unit Biacute isthe imperative form its plural is biacutegiacute

Present tense

The present tense of biacute has the independent form taacute and dependent formfuil which is eclipsed after an nach go Niacute contracts with fhuil (fh beingunpronounced) and is written niacutel giving

Taacute seacute tinn He is sickNiacutel seacute tinn He is not sickAn bhfuil seacute tinn Is he sickNach bhfuil seacute tinn Isnrsquot he sickSiacutelim go bhfuil seacute tinn I think that he is sickSiacutelim nach bhfuil seacute tinn I think that he isnrsquot sick

In some dialects including the Caighdeaacuten the subjects lsquoIrsquo and lsquowersquo may bemarked by endings other dialects use separate pronouns

Taacuteim tinnTaacute meacute tinn I am sickTaacuteimid tinnTaacute muid tinn We are sick

The present tense of biacute can also signal a state that started in the past andcontinues into the present A time frame is usually mentioned in these caseswhere English uses the form lsquohave beenrsquo

An bhfuil tuacute i bhfad in Eacuteirinn Have you been in Ireland longTaacute meacute bliain ag obair anseo Irsquove been working here for a year

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Past tense

The past tense has an irregular dependent form The independent form iscreated regularly by leniting the imperative stem biacute The dependent formraibh is used after all particles

Bhiacute seacute tinn He was sickNiacute raibh seacute tinn He wasnrsquot sickAn raibh seacute tinn Was he sickDeir seacute go raibh seacute tinn He says he was sick

Future tense

The future stem of biacute is beidh Dependent particles cause regular mutations

Beidh seacute tinn He will be sickNiacute bheidh seacute tinn He wonrsquot be sickAn mbeidh seacute tinn Will he be sickNach mbeidh seacute tinn Wonrsquot he be sickSiacutelim go mbeidh seacute tinn I think that he will be sickSiacutelim nach mbeidh seacute tinn I think that he wonrsquot be sick

Sentences with biacute

Sentences with biacute indicate existence location or description of the subjectof the sentence As described in Unit 2 the verb + subject must always befollowed by a third element either an adjective a location adverb or aprepositional phrase Combinations of these elements are also possible asshown

Taacute an leabhar ar an mbord ansiuacuted The book is on the table over thereBhiacute siacute saacutesta leis an leabhar She was satisfied with the book

Sentences using ag to express possession (cf Unit 24) fit this pattern

Taacute leabhar maith ag Muiris Muiris has a good book

Additionally ag plus a verb form can fill the third position after biacute makinga sentence like the English progressive These structures will be covered inUnit 19

Taacute siad ag obair They are working

126 Unit 16 The verb biacute

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

For sentences in which lsquobersquo links two nouns such as lsquoMy brother is a priestrsquoor lsquoYoursquore the bossrsquo Irish uses a different structure to be introduced in Unit 17

Predicate adjectives and modifiers

Adjectives appearing in the third position of a biacute sentence are known aslsquopredicate adjectivesrsquo their role in the sentence is to assert that thecharacteristic specified by the adjective belongs to the subject noun In thefollowing examples the three parts of the sentence are separated by slashes

Taacutean leanbhtinn The baby is sickTaacutemeacutetuirseach I am tiredTaacuteBriansaibhir Brian is rich

In contrast when adjectives modify a noun they form a unit with it an gasuacutertinn lsquothe sick childrsquo duine saibhir lsquoa rich personrsquo and such longer phrasescan also be subjects of biacute (or any verb) When an adjective is part of thesubject phrase the point of the sentence is not to specify that the person(or thing) has the property of the adjective Rather the quality is assumedand something else is said about that entity

Taacutefear saibhirag an doras A rich man is at the doorTaacuteleabhar moacuterag Brian Brian has a big bookBhiacutean leanbh tinnag gol The sick baby was crying

Here the new information is not that the man is rich but rather where heis not the size of the book but who has it not that the baby is sick but thatitrsquos crying The wealth size sickness are just background information thathelps identify which man book or baby the speaker is talking about

In English the position of the adjective is different in the two uses butbecause in Irish it follows the noun in both cases its function is not obviousfrom word order alone Both a predicate and a modifying adjective mayoccur in the same sentence the different functions in the next example areagain signalled by slashes

Taacutean leanbh tinncantalach The sick baby is cranky

This distinction has several grammatical consequences

bull The adverb ann is needed to fill the third position when an adjective ispart of the subject phrase but not when it is a predicate

Taacuteleaba chompordachann There is a comfortable bed (there)Taacutean leabacompordach The bed is comfortable


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

bull As shown above adjectives change form in the same phrase with afeminine noun This will be covered in detail in Unit 21

bull A small set of adjectives described below take an extra particle whenused as predicates but not within a modifying phrase

Evaluative adjectives

Several adjectives expressing evaluative judgements have different modifierand predicate forms Maith lsquogood wellrsquo will serve as an example Within anoun phrase it is like any other adjective it follows the noun it describesis lenited if the noun is feminine and agrees for plurality as well

Taacutefear maithanseo There is a good man hereTaacutebean mhaithanseo There is a good woman hereTaacutedaoine maitheanseo There are good people here

But in predicate position not only is there no agreement but the adjectiveis generally preceded by the particle go

Taacutean biago maith The food is good (masc)Taacutean deochgo maith The drink is good (fem)

Other adjectives in this class are listed below

deas nicebreaacute fineaoibhinn pleasantaacutelainn beautifuliontach wonderfuldona badolc evil bad nasty

Go does not cause lenition of any consonants but prefixes h to adjectivesbeginning with a vowel

Taacute tuacute go haacutelainn You are beautiful(compare bean aacutelainn lsquoa beautiful womanrsquo)

Taacute seacute sin go hiontach Thatrsquos wonderful(compare obair iontach lsquowonderful workrsquo)


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Exercises

1 Make the verb lsquobersquo in following sentences negative

1 Taacute muintir Eoghain i gConamara2 An bhfuil leabharlann ansiuacuted3 Deir seacute go bhfuil siad go deas4 Bhiacute an iomarca daoine ag an bhfeis5 An mbeidh do chairde anseo amaacuterach6 Siacutelim go raibh baacuteisteach ann areacuteir7 Beidh mo mhaacutethair tuirseach8 An raibh an scannaacuten go hiontach9 Bhiacute gach duine compordach

10 Beidh Conchuacuter i nGaillimh

2 Make questions of the following sentences

1 Taacute siad ann anois2 Bhiacute na leacuteachtoacuteiriacute saacutesta3 Niacutel duine ar bith anseo4 Beidh Briacuted agus Maacuteirtiacuten i Sasana5 Niacute bheidh ceol anseo ag an deireadh seachtaine6 Taacute deoch ag lsquochuile dhuine7 Bhiacute tuacute ar saoire i gCeanada8 Taacute Briacuted ag eacuteisteacht leis an gceol9 Niacutel a fhios agat caacute bhfuil tuacute

10 Niacute raibh Aacuteine saacutesta ach oiread

3 Change the tense to fit the adverb provided

1 Bhiacute Baile Aacutetha Cliath go hiontachanoisamaacuterach

2 An bhfuil tuacute tinnamaacuterachinneacute

3 Niacute raibh Peadar saacutesta leis an muacuteinteoiramaacuterachanois

4 Niacutel duine ar bith anninneacuteamaacuterach

5 Bhiacute meacute i gConamaraamaacuterachinneacute


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6 Bhiacuteomar ag an teach ceacuteannaanoisamaacuterach

7 Niacute raibh mise ann ach oireadamaacuterachanois

8 An bhfuil an bia go deasinneacuteamaacuterach

9 Nach raibh meacute go maith a Mhaimeanoisamaacuterach

10 Bhiacute siad reacuteasuacutenta saoramaacuterachanois

11 Niacutel feoil mhaith ag an mbuacuteisteacuteir seoinneacuteamaacuterach

12 Bhiacute go leor daoine anseo ach niacutel moacuteraacuten ann anoisInneacute amaacuterachanois inneacute

13 Beidh an geimhreadh agus an samhradh go deas anseoanuraidhanois

14 An bhfuil Briacuted bhocht tinninneacuteanois

15 Taacute seacute fuar anseo ariacutesamaacuterachinneacute

4 Add ann where necessary to complete the sentence If the sentence iscomplete without ann just add punctuation

1 Taacute Seaacuten saibhir ach niacutel seacute go deas2 Taacute bia ar an mbord an bhfuil deoch ar bith3 Niacutel duine ar bith ag an oacutestaacuten anois ach beidh go leor amaacuterach4 Bhiacute feacuteile an tseachtain seo caite5 Deir siad nach bhfuil moacuteraacuten sneachta anseo6 Niacutel lampa anseo ach taacute cathaoir7 Bhiacute timpiste agam areacuteir8 Beidh muid ag obair9 Bhiacute muacuteinteoiriacute anseo ach niacute raibh duine eile

10 Nach bhfuil Maacuteirtiacuten naacute duine ar bith


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11 Taacute an chathaoir compordach12 Taacute an chathaoir chompordach

5 Make a single sentence of the following by making the predicate adjectivein the second sentence modify the subject noun Eg

Feicim bean Taacute siacute go maith rarr Feicim bean mhaithFeicim fear Taacute seacute go maith rarr Feicim fear maith

1 Feicim teach Taacute seacute go haacutelainn2 Feicim boacute Taacute siacute moacuter3 Feicim buachaill Taacute seacute daacutena4 Feicim muacuteinteoir Taacute seacute tuirseach5 Feicim paacuteirc Taacute siacute go breaacute6 Feicim deoch Taacute siacute blasta7 Feicim banaltra Taacute siacute bocht8 Feicim ollamh Taacute seacute go deas9 Feicim seomra Taacute seacute buacutei

10 Feicim tine Taacute siacute te

6 Convert the following sentences to two by removing the adjective whichmodifies the noun to a separate sentence with biacute and making necessarychanges Eg Taacute bean mhaith ann rarr Taacute bean ann Taacute siacute go maith

1 Taacute fuinneog mhoacuter ann2 Taacute crann deas in aice leis an teach3 Taacute Gaeltacht bheag ansin4 Drsquooacutel meacute deoch mhaith5 Bhiacute draacutema iontach ansin6 Cheannaigh Peige guacutena daor7 Bhiacute leaba choacutempordach sa seomra sin8 Bhiacute bia fuar againn9 Gheobhaidh tuacute pionta maith anseo

10 Taacute paacuteistiacute daacutena ag na daoine sin


1 1 Niacutel muintir Eoghain i gConamara 2 Nach bhfuil leabharlann ansiuacuted3 Deir seacute nach bhfuil siad go deas 4 Niacute raibh an iomarca daoine ag anbhfeis 5 Nach mbeidh do chairde anseo amaacuterach 6 Siacutelim nach raibhbaacuteisteach ann areacuteir 7 Niacute bheidh mo mhaacutethair tuirseach 8 Nach raibh anscannaacuten go hiontach 9 Niacute raibh gach duine compordach 10 Niacute bheidhConchuacuter i nGaillimh


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2 1 An bhfuil siad ann anois 2 An raibh na leacuteachtoacuteiriacute saacutesta 3 Nach bhfuilduine ar bith anseo 4 An mbeidh Briacuted agus Maacuteirtiacuten i Sasana 5 Nachmbeidh ceol anseo ag an deireadh seachtaine 6 An bhfuil deoch aglsquochuile dhuine 7 An raibh tuacute ar saoire i gCeanada 8 An bhfuil Briacuted ageacuteisteacht leis an gceol 9 Nach bhfuil a fhios agat caacute bhfuil tuacute 10 Nachraibh Aacuteine saacutesta ach oiread

3 1 Bhiacute Baile Aacutetha Cliath go hiontach Anois Taacute Baile Aacutetha Cliath gohiontach Amaacuterach Beidh Baile Aacutetha Cliath go hiontach 2 An bhfuil tuacutetinn Amaacuterach An mbeidh tuacute tinn Inneacute An raibh tuacute tinn 3 Niacute raibhPeadar saacutesta leis an muacuteinteoir Amaacuterach Niacute bheidh Peadar saacutesta leis anmuacuteinteoir Anois Niacutel Peadar saacutesta leis an muacuteinteoir 4 Niacutel duine ar bithann Inneacute Niacute raibh duine ar bith ann Amaacuterach Niacute bheidh duine ar bithann 5 Bhiacute meacute i gConamara Amaacuterach Beidh meacute i gConamara Inneacute Bhiacutemeacute i gConamara 6 Bhiacuteomar ag an teach ceacuteanna Anois Taacuteimid ag an teachceacuteanna Amaacuterach Beimid ag an teach ceacuteanna 7 Niacute raibh mise ann achoiread Amaacuterach Niacute bheidh mise ann ach oiread Anois NiacutelimseNiacutel miseann ach oiread 8 An bhfuil an bia go deas Inneacute An raibh an bia go deasAmaacuterach An mbeidh an bia go deas 9 Nach raibh meacute go maith aMhaime Anois Nach bhfuil meacute go maith a Mhaime Amaacuterach Nachmbeidh meacute go maith a Mhaime 10 Bhiacute siad reacuteasuacutenta saor AmaacuterachBeidh siad reacuteasuacutenta saor Anois Taacute siad reacuteasuacutenta saor 11 Niacutel feoil mhaithag an mbuacuteisteacuteir seo Inneacute Niacute raibh feoil mhaith ag an mbuacuteisteacuteir seoAmaacuterach Niacute bheidh feoil mhaith ag an mbuacuteisteacuteir seo 12 Bhiacute go leordaoine anseo ach niacutel moacuteraacuten ann anois Inneacute amaacuterach Bhiacute go leor daoineanseo inneacute ach niacute bheidh moacuteran ann amaacuterach Anois inneacute Taacute go leordaoine anseo anois ach niacute raibh moacuteraacuten ann inneacute 13 Beidh an geimhreadhagus an samhradh go deas anseo Anuraidh Bhiacute an geimhreadh agus ansamhradh go deas anseo Anois Taacute an geimhreadh agus an samhradh godeas anseo 14 An bhfuil Briacuted bhocht tinn Inneacute An raibh Briacuted bhochttinn Anois An bhfuil Briacuted bhocht tinn 15 Taacute seacute fuar anseo ariacutesAmaacuterach Beidh seacute fuar anseo ariacutes Inneacute Bhiacute seacute fuar anseo ariacutes

4 1 Taacute Seaacuten saibhir ach niacutel seacute go deas 2 Taacute bia ar an mbord an bhfuildeoch ar bith ann 3 Niacutel duine ar bith ag an oacutestaacuten anois ach beidh goleor ann amaacuterach 4 Bhiacute feacuteile ann an tseachtain seo caite 5 Deir siadnach bhfuil moacuteraacuten sneachta anseo 6 Niacutel lampa anseo ach taacute cathaoirann 7 Bhiacute timpiste agam areacuteir 8 Beidh muid ag obair 9 Bhiacute muacuteinteoiriacuteanseo ach niacute raibh duine eile ann 10 Nach bhfuil Maacuteirtiacuten naacute duine ar bith ann 11 Taacute an chathaoir compordach 12 Taacute an chathaoirchompordach ann

5 1 Feicim teach aacutelainn 2 Feicim boacute mhoacuter 3 Feicim buachaill daacutena 4 Feicimmuacuteinteoir tuirseach 5 Feicim paacuteirc bhreaacute 6 Feicim deoch bhlasta


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7 Feicim banaltra bhocht 8 Feicim ollamh deas 9 Feicim seomra buacutei 10 Feicim tine the

6 1 Taacute fuinneog ann Taacute siacute moacuter 2 Taacute crann in aice leis an teach Taacute seacute godeas 3 Taacute Gaeltacht ansin Taacute siacute beag 4 Drsquooacutel meacute deoch Bhiacute siacute go maith5 Bhiacute draacutema ansin Bhiacute seacute go hiontach 6 Cheannaigh Peige guacutena Bhiacute seacutedaor 7 Bhiacute leaba sa seomra sin Bhiacute siacute compordach 8 Bhiacute bia againnBhiacute seacute fuar 9 Gheobhaidh tuacute pionta anseo Beidh seacute go maith 10 Taacutepaacuteistiacute ag na daoine sin Taacute siad daacutena


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UNIT SEVENTEENThe copula is

As noted previously the verb biacute (sometimes called the lsquosubstantive verbrsquo)generally cannot link two nouns in sentences such as lsquoI am Bridgetrsquo or lsquoTimis a doctorrsquo This type of construction is the domain of the copula is

The copula is sometimes called a defective verb because it lacks the tensedistinctions of other verbs It functions more like a particle attached to thebeginning of another word Unlike ordinary verbs it is never stressed canbe omitted and never occurs alone without something following it In effectthe copula makes a predicate of whatever it attaches to linking it to thesubject Sentences formed with is are quite different from those withordinary verbs including biacute

Forms of the copula

The copula is never conjugated for different subjects all parts of thesentence are expressed by separate words It also has only two tense formsIs is used for present (occasionally future) meaning and ba (with lenitionof a following consonant) is used for past and conditional meanings

Presentfuture Is muacuteinteoir meacute I am a teacherPastconditional Ba mhuacuteinteoir eacute He waswould be a teacher

When it is crucial to distinguish time reference a special constructionconsisting of biacute and a prepositional phrase can be used (see Unit 18 for moredetail)

Taacute meacute i mo mhuacuteinteoir I am a teacher (lit I am in my teacher)Beidh siad ina muacuteinteoiriacute They will be teachers

Most standard question and negative particles used with the copula arethe same in form as the particles for all verbs but instead of preceding the

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copula they replace or include it Thus in contexts where the copula isrequired niacute means lsquois notrsquo an means lsquoisrsquo nach means lsquoisnrsquotrsquo To introducea subordinate clause with a copula gur (instead of go) is used The copulaforms of these particles do not cause lenition or eclipsis in the present tense

Niacute feirmeoir eacute He is not a farmerNiacute iascaire eacute ach oiread Hersquos not a fisherman eitherAn dochtuacuteir thuacute Are you a doctorNach muacuteinteoir iacute do mhaacutethair Isnrsquot your mother a teacherDeir siacute gur muacuteinteoir iacute She says that shersquos a teacher

In spoken Irish there is a good deal of variation in the forms of the copulaparticles For example in Connacht dialects the question particle may takethe form ar before a vowel it appears as ab and gur appears as gurb

Ab innealtoacuteir thuacute Are you an engineerDeir Paacutedraig gurb innealtoacuteir eacute Paacutedraig says hersquos an engineer

With ba the official standard forms of the negative question and sub-ordinate copula are niacuteor ar naacuter and gur and before vowels niacuteorbh arbhnaacuterbh and gurbh In some spoken varieties they also may appear as niacute baan mba nach mba and go mba instead

Ar mhaith leat tae Would you like teaAn mba mhaith leat taeDeir seacute gur (or go mba) mhaith leis caife He says hersquod like coffee

Standard forms will be used for consistency in subsequent lessons but it isimportant to be aware of the variations and learn to recognize them as theyare quite frequent

Uses of the copula

In addition to linking nouns the copula may also introduce an adjective orprepositional phrase in some idiomatic usages In all cases the structuresdiffer from other sentence patterns of the language

Class membership

To classify individuals as members of a set or class of individuals the copulaprecedes an indefinite (non-specific) noun or phrase which names the classand functions in place of a verb The subject the individual identified as amember of the class comes last Subject pronouns are not the usual forms

136 Unit 17 The copula is

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but rather forms without the initial s eacute iacute iad (see Unit 22 for furtherdiscussion) If the subject is a noun or noun phrase a pronoun of matchinggender and number precedes it in some dialects but not in others Forexample

Is siopa eacute sin That is a shopIs dochtuacuteir iacute She is a doctorIs muacuteinteoir (eacute) Seacuteamas Seacuteamas is a teacherIs muacuteinteoiriacute (iad) mo thuismitheoiriacute My parents are teachersIs leabhar maith (eacute) Creacute na Cille Creacute na Cille is a good book

Adjective modifiers

When the predicate noun is modified as in the last example the order ofnoun and adjective can be switched placing a definite article between themThis has the effect of shifting the emphasis to the description (it is assumedwe know that Creacute na Cille is a book the speaker is focusing on its quality)

Is maith an leabhar eacute Creacute na Cille Creacute na Cille is a good bookIs maith an ceoltoacuteir eacute Maacuteirtiacuten Maacuteirtiacuten is a good musicianIs deas an bhean iacute Aacuteine Aacuteine is a nice woman

This usage is most frequent with adjectives expressing evaluations

Equation

In other sentences is links two nouns or phrases with specific reference(names pronouns nouns with a possessor or definite article) and signalsthat the two phrases refer to the same individual In these sentences onecan think of is as functioning rather like an equal sign (=) linking theelements separated by slashes in the examples

IsmiseCaitliacuten I am CaitlinAntusabean an tiacute Are you the landladyIseacuteTomaacutesmo dhearthaacuteir Tomaacutes is my brotherIsiacuteBriacutedan bhanaltra Briacuted is the nurse

Only a pronoun can immediately follow the equational copula Anynoun following is must be preceded by a simple pronoun of matching genderand number as above This extra pronoun adds no meaning but is merelya grammatical requirement of is

The word order of equational sentences does not always follow thepredicatendashsubject order of the classification sentences Usually if one of thetwo individuals linked is expressed by a stressed pronoun (two syllables or


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reinforced with feacutein lsquoselfrsquo see Unit 22) that pronoun comes first as aboveIf there is no stressed pronoun but a proper name that (along with theagreement pronoun) comes first

An unstressed pronoun subject (referring to someone mentionedpreviously) always comes last In the following example it is the final iadthat equates to lsquotheyrsquo in the English translation The first iad the requiredpronoun described above isnrsquot translated

An bhfeiceann tuacute na buachailliacute sin Is iad mo ghasuacuteir iadDo you see those boys They are my children ( Iad = na buachailliacutefrom the first sentence)

If two common noun phrases are linked the first is usually interpreted asthe new information of the sentence Thus the first sentence below can betaken to answer the implicit question lsquoWhich person is the teacherrsquo

Is eacute an sagart an muacuteinteoir The priest is the teacher

The opposite order answers the question lsquoWhich person is the priestrsquo

Is eacute an muacuteinteoir an sagart The teacher is the priest

In contrast sentences like Is mise Caitliacuten could be used to answer eitherlsquoWho are yoursquo or lsquoWho (which one) is Caitliacutenrsquo

Adjective and prepositional predicates

In certain cases is can be followed by an adjective predicate This usagevaries in frequency across dialects and individuals

Is deas eacute sin Thatrsquos niceIs fiacuteor sin Thatrsquos trueIs deacair a raacute Itrsquos difficult to say

This is a vestige of older forms of the language which always used the copulawith adjective predicates It is now of limited use and the structures withbiacute (Unit 16) are more common in colloquial language

Some idioms use prepositional phrases following a copula Commonexamples include expressions of ownership origin

Is le hEiliacutes an leabhar seo This book belongs to EiliacutesIs as an bhFrainc eacute Pierre Pierre is from France


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Omission of the copula

In the present tense is is frequently omitted although it is still understood

Iascaire eacute Hersquos a fishermanMise an muacuteinteoir Irsquom the teacherMaith an cailiacuten thuacute Yoursquore a good girlAs Meireacaacute iacute Shersquos from America

If an extra pronoun would be required after the copula that too is omitted

Seaacuten an bainisteoir Seaacuten is the manager

More often however in these sentences the copula is not omitted butcontracts with the pronoun to rsquoseacute rsquosiacute rsquosiad

rsquoSeacute Seaacuten an bainisteoir Seaacuten is the manager

Answering questions

As described in Unit 13 answers to yesndashno questions are formed by repeat-ing the verb Copula sentences are more complex since the copula cannotstand alone Answer forms are slightly different for each type of sentence

Since the copula in equational sentences is always followed by a pronoun(see above) that pronoun is used with the copula to answer questions ofthe yes-or-no type Is usually contracts to rsquos before vowels

An iacute sin do dheirfiuacuter Is that your sisterNiacute hiacute Is iacute mo chol ceathar iacute No shersquos my cousin

An iad sin do phaacuteistiacute Are those your childrenrsquoSiad (= is iad) Yes

An tusa an ruacutenaiacute Are you the secretaryIs meacute YesNiacute meacute No

Classifying sentences are answered by attaching a special pronoun eato the copula giving is ea contracted to rsquosea or in the negative niacute hea

An aisteoir eacute Is he an actorrsquoSea YesAn mac leacuteinn thuacute Are you a studentNiacute hea No

Note that niacute prefixes an h to pronouns (also niacute heacute niacute hiacute niacute hiad) but notto nouns


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Questions with adjective and preposition predicates are usually answeredwith rsquoseaniacute hea too but an adjective may be repeated instead

An as Sasana thuacute Are you from EnglandNiacute hea As an Astraacuteil No from Australia

Nach breaacute an laacute eacute Isnrsquot it a nice dayrsquoSea Is breaacute

Yes

Phrases indicating ownership with le also repeat the prepositional phrasein answers rather than using rsquosea

An leatsa an carr sin Is that car yoursIs liom YesNiacute liom No

Exercises


1 Is ceist mhaith iacute sin2 Is mise Peige Niacute Lochlainn3 An as an aacuteit seo iad4 Is Gaeltacht iacute an aacuteit sin5 Ba bhean dheas iacute Briacuted6 Is paacuteiste iacute Caitliacuten7 An tusa an muacuteinteoir8 Is iacute Bairbre mo dheirfiuacuter9 Is deacair an teanga iacute an Ghaeilge

10 Is deas an leacuteine iacute sin11 Is liomsa an carr gorm12 Brsquo iontach an sceacuteal eacute13 Is eacute Paacutedraig an cathaoirleach14 An banaltra thuacute15 Is duine saibhir eacute Maacuteirtiacuten


1 Is tusa bean an tiacute2 Is scoil naacuteisiuacutenta iacute Scoil Chaitriacuteona3 Niacute feirmeoir eacute drsquoathair4 Is iacute Nuala iacute5 Brsquoeacute a huncail an sagart paroacuteiste


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6 Is innealtoacuteir eacute Seaacuten7 Is leatsa an siopa eacuteadaiacute8 Is as an bhFrainc iad na fir sin9 Niacute dochtuacuteir thuacute

10 Is deas an tiacuter iacute an Spaacuteinn11 Niacute heacute sin Paacuteidiacuten12 Niacuteor mhoacuter an trua eacute13 Ba dhochtuacuteir eacute14 Is muacuteinteoir eacute Daithiacute15 Is eacute Paacutedraig an cathaoirleach

3 Write both a lsquoyesrsquo and a lsquonorsquo answer to the following questions

1 Nach sibhse na muacuteinteoiriacute2 An iacute sin drsquooifig3 An as Contae Mhaigh Eo iacute Paacutedraigiacuten4 An Eacuteireannaigh sibh5 An eacute sin teach do mhuintire6 An leatsa an maacutela seo7 Arbh iacute Briacuted Niacute Mhaacuteille do mhaacutethair8 An laacute saoire eacute an laacute amaacuterach9 Naacuter bhreaacute an oiacuteche an oiacuteche areacuteir

10 An tusa an ceannaire11 An eacute Peadar an buaiteoir12 An asal eacute sin13 Nach le Seacuteamas an t-airgead14 Nach deas an duine eacute Niall15 An aisteoir thuacute

4 Make each sentence subordinate to the phrase which follows it changingthe form of the copula to the appropriate subordinate clause form(gur[bh] nach naacuter[bh] an etc)

1 Is iacute Caacuteit mo chomharsa bheacuteal doraisDeir seacute ________________________________

2 Is Gaeltacht mhoacuter iacute an Cheathruacute RuaSiacutelim ____________________________________

3 Niacute mise MaireacuteadTaacute meacute ag raacute _____________________________________

4 An eacute sin teach an phobailFiafraigh den gharda ___________________________________

5 Is as Conamara iacuteDeir siacute _________________________________________


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6 Brsquoeacute sin an t-ospideacuteal fadoacuteSiacutelim ______________________________________

7 Ar sibhse cairde PhaacutedraigNiacutel meacute cinnte ________________________________

8 Niacute liomsa an seancharr uacutedTaacute aacutethas orm ___________________________________

9 An buacuteisteacuteiriacute iadNiacutel a fhios agam______________________________

10 Ba dhochtuacuter a athairDeir seacute ______________________________________

11 Is breaacute eacute do theachSiacutelim ________________________________

12 Niacuteorbh as Eacuteirinn ar chor ar bith eacuteTaacute meacute cinnte ________________________________

5 Change the word order of the noun and adjective for emphasis followingthe model

Is laacute breaacute eacute an laacute inniu rarr Is breaacute an laacute eacute an laacute inniu

1 Is fear deas eacute Breandaacuten2 Is trua mhoacuter eacute sin3 Ba sceacuteal iontach eacute4 Is teanga deacair iacute an tSiacutenis5 Nach bean aacutelainn iacute Aacuteine6 Is aimsir bhreaacute iacute seo7 Is ceoltoacuteir maith thuacute8 Brsquofhear aisteach eacute Seacuteamaisiacuten9 Nach cailiacuten maith iacute Orla

10 Is radharc breaacute eacute sin nach ea

6 Translate into Irish

1 Siacutele is an engineer2 This is my house3 Arenrsquot you a good girl4 Liam says his father was an actor5 I am the French teacher6 Hersquos not a bad person7 Is that bag yours8 Wasnrsquot that a strange story9 Is Maacuteiriacuten your daughter or is she Nualarsquos

10 Donncha is not a fisherman


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1 1 Niacute ceist mhaith iacute sin 2 Niacute mise Peige Niacute Lochlainn 3 Nach as an aacuteitseo iad 4 Niacute Gaeltacht iacute an aacuteit sin 5 Niacuteor bhean dheas iacute Briacuted 6 Niacute paacuteisteiacute Caitliacuten 7 Nach tusa an muacuteinteoir 8 Niacute hiacute Bairbre mo dheirfiuacuter 9 Niacutedeacair an teanga iacute an Ghaeilge 10 Niacute deas an leacuteine iacute sin 11 Niacute liomsaan carr gorm 12 Niacuteorbh iontach an sceacuteal eacute 13 Niacute heacute Paacutedraig ancathaoirleach 14 Nach banaltra thuacute 15 Niacute duine saibhir eacute Maacuteirtiacuten

2 1 An tusa bean an tiacute 2 An scoil naacuteisiuacutenta iacute Scoil Chaitriacuteona 3 Nachfeirmeoir eacute drsquoathair 4 An iacute Nuala iacute 5 Arbh eacute a huncail an sagartparoacuteiste 6 An innealtoacuteir eacute Seaacuten 7 An leatsa an siopa eacuteadaiacute 8 An asan bhFrainc iad na fir sin 9 Nach dochtuacuteir thuacute 10 An deas an tiacuter iacute anSpaacuteinn 11 Nach eacute sin Paacuteidiacuten 12 Naacuter mhoacuter an trua eacute 13 Ar dhochtuacuteireacute 14 An muacuteinteoir eacute Daithiacute 15 An eacute Paacutedraig an cathaoirleach

3 1 Nach sibhse na muacuteinteoiriacute A Is muidNiacute muid (Is sinnNiacute sinn) 2 Aniacute sin drsquooifig A Is iacuteNiacute hiacute 3 An as Contae Mhaigh Eo iacute Paacutedraigiacuten ArsquoSeaNiacute hea 4 An Eacuteireannaigh sibh A rsquoSea Niacute hea 5 An eacute sin teachdo mhuintire A rsquoSeacuteNiacute heacute 6 An leatsa an maacutela seo A Is liomNiacute liom7 Arbh iacute Briacuted Niacute Mhaacuteille do mhaacutethair A BrsquoiacuteNiacuteorbh iacute 8 An laacute saoire eacutean laacute amaacuterach A rsquoSeaNiacute hea 9 Naacuter bhreaacute an oiacuteche an oiacuteche areacuteir ABrsquoeaNiacuteorbh ea or Ba bhreaacuteNiacuteor bhreaacute 10 An tusa an ceannaire A IsmeacuteNiacute meacute 11 An eacute Peadar an buaiteoir A rsquoSeacuteNiacute heacute 12 An asal eacute sinA rsquoSeaNiacute hea 13 Nach le Seacuteamas an t-airgead A Is leisNiacute leis 14Nach deas an duine eacute Niall A Is deasNiacute deas or rsquoSeaNiacute hea 15 Anaisteoir thuacute A rsquoSeaNiacute hea

4 1 Deir seacute gurb iacute Caacuteit mo chomharsa bheacuteal dorais 2 Siacutelim gur Gaeltachtmhoacuter iacute an Cheathruacute Rua 3 Taacute meacute ag raacute nach mise Maireacutead 4 Fiafraighden gharda an eacute sin teach an phobail 5 Deir siacute gur as Conamara iacute 6 Siacutelimgurbh eacute sin an t-ospideacuteal fadoacute 7 Niacutel meacute cinnte ar sibhse cairde Phaacutedraig8 Taacute aacutethas orm nach liomsa an seancharr uacuted 9 Niacutel a fhios agam anbuacuteisteacuteiriacute iad 10 Deir seacute gur dhochtuacuteir a athair 11 Siacutelim gur breaacute eacute dotheach 12 Taacute meacute cinnte naacuterbh as Eacuteirinn ar chor ar bith eacute

5 1 Is deas an fear eacute Breandaacuten 2 Is moacuter an trua eacute sin 3 Brsquoiontach an sceacutealeacute 4 Is deacair an teanga iacute an tSiacutenis 5 Nach aacutelainn an bhean iacute Aacuteine 6 Isbreaacute an aimsir iacute seo 7 Is maith an ceoltoacuteir thuacute 8 Brsquoaisteach an fear eacuteSeacuteamaisiacuten 9 Nach maith an cailiacuten iacute Orla 10 Is breaacute an radharc eacute sinnach ea [Or nach breaacute]

6 1 Is innealtoacuteir iacute Siacutele 2 Is eacute seo mo theach 3 Nach maith an cailiacuten thuacute[Nach cailiacuten maith thuacute] 4 Deir Liam gurbh aisteoir eacute a athair 5 Is mise


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an muacuteinteoir Fraincise 6 Niacute drochdhuine eacute 7 An leatsa an maacutela sin 8 Naacuterbh aisteach an sceacuteal eacute sin 9 An iacute Maacuteiriacuten drsquoiniacuteon noacute an iacute iniacuteon Nualaiacute [Or noacute an le Nuala iacute] 10 Niacute iascaire eacute Donncha


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UNIT EIGHTEENOther copula structures

Various idiomatic structures combine the copula with an adjective predicateand sometimes a prepositional phrase Some examples

Is maith liom eacute I like itIs fearr liom eacute I prefer itBa mhaith liom eacute I would like itBrsquofhearr liom eacute I would prefer itIs feacuteidir liom I canIs cuma liom Itrsquos all the same to me I donrsquot mindBa cheart dom I should Brsquoeacuteigean dom I had to it was necessary for me to Niacute folaacuteir dom I must Niacute moacuter dom I must Is fiacuteor dom eacute It is true for meIrsquom right about itNiacuteor mhiste liom I wouldnrsquot mind

These expressions often introduce a verbal noun to be covered in later unitsSome may be followed by a noun or pronoun as above in the examplesending with eacute lsquoitrsquo

The adjective may be found in other contexts such as maith lsquogoodrsquo andfearr lsquobetterrsquo Others like feacuteidir lsquopossiblersquo occur only in the idioms with is

Prepositions and the copula

In general the preposition le in these constructions indicates that theadjective reflects the attitude of the object of le toward whatever followsIs le can be used in this way with a variety of other adjectives expressingevaluation although the idiomatic use with maithfearr meaning lsquogoodpreferrsquo is by far the most common

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Is maith liom tae I like tea (Lit Tea is good with me ie in my opinion)

Is fearr liom caife I prefer coffee (Coffee is better in my opinion)Is breaacute liom eacute I find it fineI love itIs aisteach liom eacute I consider it strangeIs aoibhinn liom eacute I find it pleasantIt is pleasant to me

In contrast do implies a more objective relation between the prepositionrsquosobject and another noun in the sentence Dom is the prepositional pronounform for do + meacute lsquoto me for mersquo Other forms are presented in Unit 23

Niacute maith dom eacute It isnrsquot good for meIs fearr dom bainne Milk is better for me

Without either preposition the meaning becomes impersonal with noparticular individual person involved Some of the same forms can also occurwith no prepositional phrase and impersonal meaning

Niacute folaacuteir obair One must workPeople must workBa cheart obair One should workIs feacuteidir obair It is possible to workIs feacuteidir go bhfuil siacute tinn It may be that she is sickBrsquoeacuteigean obair It was necessary to workIs cuma It doesnrsquot matter

In other cases no preposition is the norm

brsquofheacuteidir it would be possible maybeBrsquofheacuteidir go mbeidh an laacute Maybe the day will be finego breaacute

is doacutecha it is probable likelyIs doacutecha go mbeidh an aimsir The weather will probably be badgo dona

is fiuacute it is worth(while)Taacute seacute daor ach is fiuacute eacute Itrsquos expensive but worth it

is ionannmar a cheacuteile isare identical alikeIs mar a cheacuteile mise agus thusa You and I are alike

Is vs biacute

Although some uses of English lsquobersquo must be translated with the copula isand others always require a form of biacute it is sometimes possible to use either

146 Unit 18 Other copula structures

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A challenge for the learner is to know what determines the choice in caseslike those below

(a) Is muacuteinteoir eacute He is a teacher(b) Taacute seacute ina mhuacuteinteoir

(a) Brsquoinnealtoacuteir eacute He was an engineer(b) Bhiacute seacute ina innealtoacuteir

The two sentences in each pair have the same translation but they are notidentical in meaning The sentences labelled (a) can be taken as basicstatements defining the person that the pronoun eacute refers to in each instanceBeing a teacher or engineer is part of his identity In the (b) sentences focusis more on what he does for a living The same construction with in +possessive (Unit 24) signals a physical state as below (discussed further inUnit 19)

Taacute meacute i mo sheasamh Irsquom standing (ie in a standing position)

The in + possessive construction can also be understood as indicating a statein the first examples ndash he is (currently) a teacher he was (once) an engineer(but has perhaps changed careers) In contrast the sentences of (a) withthe copula imply a more inherent condition a permanence of thecharacteristic as part of the person As a result when one says lsquoHe was anengineerrsquo using ba the implication is often that he is no longer alive

In simple sentences such distinctions can be a good rule of thumb fordeciding when to use biacute and when to use is But in other contexts biacute is reallythe only option With constructions calling for a verbal noun (see Unit 19)for example there is no other choice since the copula doesnrsquot have a verbalnoun form

Taacute seacute ag iarraidh a bheith He wants to be a teacherina mhuacuteinteoir

Similarly relative clauses (see Intermediate Irish Unit 1) with lsquobersquo as theverb generally use the biacute structure regardless of the permanence of thecharacteristic Although a relative clause form of is exists it is not oftenused in sentences of this type perhaps because its form is identical to theregular verbal form

an fear ataacute ina shagart the man who is a priest

More practice with these structures will be provided in the units whichdiscuss them in detail


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Adjectives and the copula

Is and biacute also overlap in use with predicate adjectives (eg lsquoI am tiredrsquo) asnoted previously

Taacute an bia go maith The food is goodIs maith eacute an bia

Taacute do dhearthaacuteir laacutech Your brother is niceIs laacutech eacute do dhearthaacuteir

Such pairs are generally limited to adjectives expressing evaluation ratherthan simple description (that is we donrsquot hear things like is tuirseach meacute lsquoIam tiredrsquo but only taacute meacute tuirseach) and their usage differs the secondsentences of each pair being largely exclamatory in effect They might bebetter translated as lsquoHow good the food isrsquo or lsquoWow the food is goodrsquo)In subordinate clauses there is generally no question of exclamation andonly the biacute sentences are found

Ba mhaith liom an bia a bheith go maith Irsquod like the food to be goodan fear ataacute laacutech the man who is nice

Exercises


1 Is feacuteidir leis snaacutemh2 Is maith le Liam seaclaacuteid3 Is fiuacute cuacuteig euro deacuteag eacute4 Is ionann maacuteistir scoile agus muacuteinteoir5 Brsquofhearr liom tae6 Is iontach an duine eacute7 Is cuma liom8 An feacuteidir go mbeidh an bua ag an bhfoireann eile9 Is maith dom siuacutecra

10 An aoibheann leat an scannaacuten sin

2 Make questions of the following

1 Is maith leis siuacutecra le caife2 Niacute sagart eacute uncail Nuala3 Niacute breaacute libh Meicsiceo4 Ba cheart dom fanacht5 Is mar a cheacuteile an daacute phictiuacuter seo


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6 Brsquofheacuteidir go gcuirfidh seacute baacuteisteach7 Niacute doacutecha go mbeidh siad mall8 Brsquofhearr leat beacuteile maith9 Ba mhaith leacutei cupaacuten tae

10 Is cinnte go mbeidh siacute anseo

3 Convert the following to sentences using the taacute in construction EgIs muacuteinteoir meacute rarr Taacute meacute i mo mhuacuteinteoir

1 Is banaltra meacute2 Is sagart eacute3 Is amhraacutenaiacute iontach thuacute4 An bainceacuteir eacute Tomaacutes5 Is ceoltoacuteiriacute iad6 Is iascairiacute iad7 An feirmeoir thuacute8 Is dochtuacuteiriacute muid9 An aisteoiriacute sibh

10 Is fiacloacuteir eacute Roibeard11 Niacute iriseoir meacute12 Nach uacutedar caacuteiliuacuteil iacute13 Is piacuteoloacuteta thuacute nach ea14 Is bainisteoir comhlachta iacute mo dheirfiuacuter15 Niacute gasuacuteir muid

4 Answer the following questions both in the affirmative and negativeNote the differences of usage between is and taacute Eg An tusa anmuacuteinteoir Is meacuteniacute meacute

1 An innealtoacuteir thuacute2 Nach ionann an daacute rud sin3 Ar mhaith leat cupaacuten tae4 An raibh do mhaacutethair ina muacuteinteoir5 An eacute Seaacuten fear an tiacute6 An mic leacuteinn sibh7 An mbeidh seacute ina shagart8 An fiuacute deich bpunt eacute9 Nach fiacuteor dom eacute

10 An bhfuil siad ina bpinsineacuteiriacute

5 Translate

1 Arenrsquot you wonderful2 He was a priest but now hersquos a teacher


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3 My daughter doesnrsquot like meat4 I shouldnrsquot but Irsquoll drink another cup of coffee5 I like tea but itrsquos not good for me6 Maybe it will snow7 Be quiet Yoursquore not children anymore8 Irsquom not a journalist Seaacuten is the journalist9 Thatrsquos Maacuteiriacutenrsquos son Hersquos a farmer but hersquod prefer to be a fisherman

10 Are you a man or a mouse


1 1 Niacute feacuteidir leis snaacutemh 2 Niacute maith le Liam seaclaacuteid 3 Niacute fiuacute cuacuteig eurodeacuteag eacute 4 Niacute hionann maacuteistir scoile agus muacuteinteoir 5 Niacuteorbh fhearr liomtae 6 Niacute hiontach an duine eacute 7 Niacute cuma liom 8 Nach feacuteidir go mbeidhan bua ag an bhfoireann eile 9 Niacute maith dom siuacutecra 10 Nach aoibhinnleat an scannaacuten sin

2 1 An maith leis siuacutecra le caife 2 Nach sagart eacute uncail Nuala 3 Nachbreaacute libh Meicsiceo 4 Ar cheart dom fanacht 5 An mar a cheacuteile an daacutephictiuacuter seo 6 Arbh fheacuteidir go gcuirfidh seacute baacuteisteach 7 Nach doacutecha gombeidh siad mall 8 Arbh fhearr leat beacuteile maith 9 Ar mhaith leacutei cupaacutentae 10 An cinnte go mbeidh siacute anseo

3 1 Taacute meacute i mo bhanaltra 2 Taacute seacute ina shagart 3 Taacute tuacute i drsquoamhraacutenaiacute iontach4 An bhfuil Tomaacutes ina bhainceacuteir 5 An bhfuil siad ina gceoltoacuteiriacute 6 Anbhfuil siad ina n-iascairiacute 7 An bhfuil tuacute i drsquofheirmeoir 8 Taacute muid inaacuterndochtuacuteiriacute 9 An bhfuil sibh i bhur n-aisteoiriacute 10 Taacute Roibeard inafhiacloacuteir 11 Niacutel meacute i mrsquoiriseoir 12 Nach bhfuil siacute ina huacutedar cailiuacuteil 13Taacute tuacute i do phiacuteoloacuteta nach bhfuil 14 Taacute mo dheirfiuacuter ina bainisteoircomhlachta 15 Niacutel muid in aacuter ngasuacuteir

4 1 rsquoSeaNiacute hea 2 Is ionannNiacute hionann 3 Ba mhaithNiacuteor mhaith 4 BhiacuteNiacuteraibh 5 Is eacuteNiacute heacute 6 rsquoSeaNiacute hea 7 BeidhNiacute bheidh 8 Is fiuacuteNiacute fiuacute 9 IsfiacuteorNiacute fiacuteor 10 TaacuteNiacutel

5 1 Nach iontach thuacute 2 Bhiacute seacute ina shagart ach taacute seacute ina mhuacuteinteoir anois3 Niacute maith le mrsquoiniacuteon feoil 4 Niacuteor cheart dom ach oacutelfaidh meacute cupaacuten eilecaife 5 Is maith liom tae ach niacute maith dom eacute 6 Brsquofheacuteidir go gcuirfidh seacutesneachta 7 Biacutegiacute ciuacutein Niacutel sibh i bhur bpaacuteistiacute (or ngasuacuteir) niacuteos moacute 8 Niacuteiriseoir meacute Is eacute Seaacuten an t-iriseoir 9 Sin eacute mac Mhaacuteiriacuten Is feirmeoir eacuteach brsquofhearr leis a bheith ina iascaire 10 An fear noacute luch thuacute


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UNIT NINETEENVerbal nouns I

In addition to the verb forms in Units 11ndash15 most Irish verbs have a formknown as the verbal noun (VN) As the name suggests VNs have character-istics of both verbs and nouns Their meaning is verbal but they can beused in parts of sentences where nouns usually appear and they act likenouns grammatically they have gender genitive-case forms sometimesplural forms and when they are followed by another noun it must be in thegenitive case

VNs have many uses and may be translated in different ways in EnglishSometimes they are used like English participles and gerunds (lsquoJoe isswimming Swimming is good for yoursquo) other times they translate theEnglish infinitive (lsquoI like to swimrsquo) They can also function like nouns basedon verbs (lsquoWe had a good swimrsquo) some such English nouns have differentforms from the verb lsquoto marry vs marriagersquo lsquoto injure vs injuryrsquo lsquoto destroyvs destructionrsquo but in Irish the same VN is often used for both

Verbal noun form

VN forms vary as much as noun plurals and like plurals may differ fromregion to region This unit introduces forms of the Official Standard butlearners should feel free to adopt the equally acceptable forms theyencounter in whatever dialect is being learned As with plurals the formscannot always be predicted and must be memorized for each verb but somepatterns will emerge below

Most VNs add a suffix to the imperative stem (omitting a final -igh) Someof the most common endings with examples of each are listed below

-adh -amh -aacuteil -t -uacuteglan glanadh dean deacuteanamh toacuteg toacutegaacuteil bain baint salaigh saluacutebris briseadh leacuteigh leacuteamh faacuteg faacutegaacuteil imir imirt tosaigh tosuacutepoacutes poacutesadh aacuteirigh aacuteireamh coinnigh oscail oscailt bailigh bailiuacute

coinneaacuteil

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Some VN endings are found with verbs of both classes as shown The ending-adh however is used exclusively with first-conjugation (mostly single-syllable) verbs while -uacute is found only in the second-conjugation (two-syllable verbs) These are also the most common forms for each class Verbsadding the suffix -t usually end in n m l or r

A number of VNs are identical to the imperative This class includesborrowed words ending in -aacuteil which keep that ending when the tenseendings are added

saacutebhaacuteil oacutelparcaacuteil scriacuteobhsnaacutemh rithdiacuteol foghlaim

Others have no ending but if the imperative stem ends in a slenderconsonant it becomes broad These are mostly first-conjugation verbs

cuir cur siuacuteil siuacutel ceangail ceangal

Some single-syllable verbs ending in -igh simply drop the ending and whatremains is the VN

pleacuteigh pleacutebruacuteigh bruacutedoacuteigh doacute

A few other suffixes are found but less frequently Common verbs usingsome of these are shown below

-ach -acht -iacute -im -anceannaigh imigh imeacht eirigh eacuteiriacute tit titim lig ligeanceannach

Irregular verbs sometimes (but not always) have irregular VNs as wellThe following are quite irregular

abair raacutetar teachtteacuteigh dulbiacute bheithbeir breithith ithe

152 Unit 19 Verbal nouns I

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Other irregular verbs use regular suffixes

feic feiceaacuteilfaigh faacuteilclois cloisteaacuteil (but note the added t before the suffix)deacutean deacuteanamhtabhair tabhairt

Progressive verb forms

The VN is used in progressive sentences indicating ongoing actionsProgressive sentences are formed by any tense of biacute followed by ag and aVN

Taacute siad ag ithe They are eatingTaacute siacute ag eacuteiriacute She is getting upTaacute muid ag imirt Scrabble We are playing Scrabble

Progressive forms are occasionally used in Irish where a simple verb wouldbe more common in English

Taacute seacute ag iarraidh caint He wants to speakTaacute meacute ag ceapadh gur dliacuteodoacuteir iacute I think shersquos a lawyer

When the VN has an object the object follows it (ag imirt Scrabble) Theobject should be in the genitive case because whenever two nouns cometogether in a phrase the second is always genitive (see Unit 4) and VNsare nouns

Taacute siad ag imirt peile They are playing footballBhiacute siacute ag ithe na feola She was eating the meat

Pronoun objects

If the object of a VN is a pronoun the possessive pronoun forms mo do aaacuter bhur (see Unit 22) must be used Because these come before a noun thatthey possess they also come before the VN that they are the object of Inthis case ag changes to do which contracts with a to aacute and with aacuter to daacuter

Bhiacute seacute do do phoacutegadh He was kissing youTaacute siad daacuter mbualadh They are beating usTaacute siacute aacute cur She is sending it (eg a letter)


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Taacute meacute aacute ithe I am eating it (eg an apple any masculine noun)

Taacute meacute aacute hithe I am eating it (eg meat or any feminine noun)

Physical states

Sentences describing positions or states are formed with the preposition inplus a possessor referring to the subject (the individual in the positiondescribed) as introduced in Unit 18

Taacute meacute i mo shuiacute Irsquom sittingseatedTaacute Maime ina luiacute Mom is lying downBhiacute seacute ina sheasamh ansin He was standing there

These contrast in meaning with sentences using ag which would mean thatthe person is in the act of getting into the position Taacute meacute ag suiacute (siacuteos) lsquoIam sitting down (ie moving from standing to sitting position)rsquo The samestructures are used for states of consciousness like i mo chodladh lsquoasleeprsquo(said of me) i do dhuacuteiseacht lsquoawakersquo (said of you)

The preposition ar + verbal noun appears in set phrases expressing otherstates Meanings may be idiomatic

Taacute an pictiuacuter ar crochadh ar an The picture is hanging on the mballa wallTaacute seacute ar iarraidh Heit is missing

Verbal nouns without tensed verbs

A few verbs occur only (or mostly) in a VN form and do not use tenseendings That is they are really nouns but their meanings and uses are verb-like They are used almost exclusively in the progressive form discussedabove or in other structures (introduced in Unit 20) that include a VN Theymay also combine with deacutean lsquodorsquo which carries the tense marking Examplesinclude caint lsquotalkingrsquo staideacutear lsquostudyingrsquo and obair lsquoworkingrsquo

Beidh muid ag caint Wersquoll talkWersquoll be talkingDeacuteanfaidh meacute staideacutear anois Irsquoll study now

Some such verbs can be conjugated but rarely are At least in some dialectsthe VN forms seem to be strongly preferred Damhsaigh lsquodancersquo is anexample it is almost always found in its VN form damhsa


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises

1 Give the VN form for each of the following verb stems and give theEnglish meaning of the verb

1 coinnigh 16 eacuteist2 feic 17 glan3 clois 18 roinn4 bruith 19 geall5 caith 20 labhair6 cuir 21 smaoinigh7 bris 22 ith8 tomhais 23 leag9 abair 24 oscail

10 salaigh 25 reacuteitigh11 siuacuteil 26 beannaigh12 deacutean 27 biacute13 voacutetaacuteil 28 faacutes14 ceannaigh 29 diacuteol15 imigh 30 maraigh

2 Answer the following commands by saying that you are performing theaction mentioned Eg Tosaigh ag obair rarr Taacute meacute ag tosuacute ag obair

1 Stop anois2 Siuacuteil abhaile3 Tar isteach4 Fan anseo noacuteimeacutead5 Eacuteist le drsquoathair6 Foghlaim teanga nua7 Tiomaacutein abhaile8 Teacuteigh go dtiacute an siopa9 Buail le Seaacuten anocht

10 Cuir do mhaacutela ar an mbord

3 Respond to the commands as in Exercise 2 remembering to change thedirect object to the genitive case

1 Duacuten an fhuinneog2 Tabhair an gasuacuter abhaile3 Caith am le do Mhaime4 Faacuteg an oifig faoi ghlas5 Lig an cat amach6 Bailigh an t-airgead


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

7 Ith do dhinneacutear8 Oscail an doras 9 Oacutel an bheoir sin

10 Can amhraacuten Gaeilge11 Caith seachtain in Albain12 Labhair Fraincis anois13 Scriacuteobh litir chuig Liam14 Ceannaigh an nuachtaacuten15 Bain an feacutear16 Imir peil17 Oacutel an pionta18 Leacuteigh an leabhar seo19 Deacutean an bricfeasta20 Ith an fheoil

4 Convert the following object nouns to an appropriate pronoun (samegender number)

1 Taacute meacute ag ithe an beacuteile2 Taacute siad ag cruinniuacute daoine le cheacuteile3 Beidh muid ag feiceaacuteil Briacuted amaacuterach4 Taacute meacute ag oscailt an dorais5 Taacute meacute ag oscailt na fuinneoige6 Bhiacute seacute ag glanadh an tiacute7 Bhiacute seacute ag glanadh na fuinneoige8 Beidh siacute ag cailleadh na n-eochracha9 Beacuteidh seacute ag cur an mhaacutela ar an mbord

10 Taacute meacute ag criacuteochnuacute na hoibre go luath

5 Respond to the following with a present progressive sentence usingpronouns in place of nouns where appropriate Add anois if it helps thesense Eg Q An ndearna tuacute an obair A Taacute meacute aacute deacuteanamh anois

1 Niacuteor bhuail an fhoireann sin muid riamh2 An bhfuil siad ag saacutebhaacuteil an fheacuteir3 An tiocfaidh sibh i mbliana4 Ar cheannaigh tuacute an bia5 Glan do sheomra6 An oacutelann tuacute beoir Shasanach riamh7 Niacute ghortoacuteidh meacute thuacute8 Niacuteor ith meacute glasraiacute inniu9 An raibh seacute ag saothruacute paacute maith

10 An dtoacutegfaidh siad teach nua


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


1 They were talking2 The child is sitting on the bed3 She is milking the cow4 Wersquoll be painting the house next week5 Wherersquos my coat It was hanging here6 Irsquom reading that book7 We donrsquot have tickets yet Wersquoll be buying them on the Internet8 I broke the glass when I was washing it9 Theyrsquoll be leaving the city tomorrow

10 Irsquom falling asleep


1 1 coinneaacuteil lsquokeeprsquo 2 feiceaacuteil lsquoseersquo 3 cloisteaacuteil lsquohearrsquo 4 bruith lsquoboil cookrsquo5 caitheamh lsquothrow spendrsquo 6 cur lsquoput sow buryrsquo 7 briseadh lsquobreakrsquo 8 tomhas lsquoguess measurersquo 9 raacute lsquosayrsquo 10 saluacute lsquodirtyrsquo 11 siuacutel lsquowalkrsquo 12 deacuteanamh lsquodo makersquo 13 voacutetaacuteil lsquovotersquo 14 ceannach lsquobuyrsquo 15 imeachtlsquogo departrsquo 16 eacuteisteacht lsquolistenrsquo 17 glanadh lsquocleanrsquo 18 roinnt lsquodividesharersquo 19 gealladh lsquopromise betrsquo 20 labhairt lsquospeakrsquo 21 smaoineamhlsquothinkrsquo 22 ithe lsquoeatrsquo 23 leagan lsquolay down knock overrsquo 24 oscailt lsquoopenrsquo25 reacuteiteach lsquoprepare solversquo 26 beannuacute lsquogreetrsquo 27 bheith lsquobersquo 28 faacutes lsquogrowrsquo29 diacuteol lsquosellrsquo 30 maruacute lsquokillrsquo

2 1 Taacute meacute ag stopadh anois 2 Taacute meacute ag siuacutel abhaile 3 Taacute meacute ag teachtisteach 4 Taacute meacute ag fanacht anseo noacuteimeacutead 5 Taacute meacute ag eacuteisteacht lemrsquoathair 6 Taacute meacute ag foghlaim teanga nua 7 Taacute meacute ag tiomaacuteint abhaile8 Taacute meacute ag dul go dtiacute an siopa 9 Taacute meacute ag bualadh le Seaacuten anocht 10 Taacute meacute ag cur mo mhaacutela ar an mbord

3 1 Taacute meacute ag duacutenadh na fuinneoige 2 Taacute meacute ag tabhairt an ghasuacuteir abhaile3 Taacute meacute ag caitheamh ama le mo Mhaime 4 Taacute meacute ag faacutegaacuteil na hoifigefaoi ghlas 5 Taacute meacute ag ligean an chait amach 6 Taacute meacute ag bailiuacute an airgid7 Taacute meacute ag ithe mo dhinneacuteir 8 Taacute meacute ag oscailt an dorais 9 Taacute meacute agoacutel na beorach sin 10 Taacute meacute ag canadh amhraacutein Ghaeilge 11 Taacute meacute ag caitheamh seachtaine in Albain 12 Taacute meacute ag labhairt Fraincise anois13 Taacute meacute ag scriacuteobh litreach chuig Liam 14 Taacute meacute ag ceannach annuachtaacutein 15 Taacute meacute ag baint an fheacuteir 16 Taacute meacute ag imirt peile 17 Taacute meacute ag oacutel an phionta 18 Taacute meacute ag leacuteamh an leabhair seo 19 Taacute meacute agdeacuteanamh an bhricfeasta 20 Taacute meacute ag ithe na feola

4 1 Taacute meacute aacute ithe 2 Taacute siad aacute gcruinniuacute le cheacuteile 3 Beidh muid aacute feiceaacuteilamaacuterach 4 Taacute meacute aacute oscailt 5 Taacute meacute aacute hoscailt 6 Bhiacute seacute aacute ghlanadh


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7 Bhiacute seacute aacute glanadh 8 Beidh siacute aacute gcailleadh 9 Beidh seacute aacute chur ar an mbord10 Taacute meacute aacute criacuteochnuacute go luath

5 1 Taacute siad do bhur mbualadh anois 2 Taacute siad aacute shabhaacuteil anois 3 Taacute muidag teacht i mbliana 4 Taacute meacute aacute cheannach anois 5 Taacute meacute aacute ghlanadhanois 6 Taacute meacute aacute hoacutel anois 7 Taacute tuacute do mo ghortuacute anois 8 Taacute meacute aacute n-itheanois 9 Taacute seacute aacute saothruacute anois 10 Taacute siad aacute thoacutegaacuteil anois

6 1 Bhiacute siad ag caint 2 Taacute an paacuteiste ina shuiacute ar an leaba 3 Taacute siacute ag bleaacutenna boacute 4 Beidh muid ag peacuteinteaacuteil an tiacute an tseachtain seo chugainn 5 Caacutebhfuil mo choacuteta Bhiacute seacute ar crochadh anseo 6 Taacute meacute ag leacuteamh an leabhairsin 7 Niacutel ticeacuteid againn foacutes Beidh muid aacute gceannach ar an idirliacuteon 8 Bhrismeacute an ghloine nuair a bhiacute meacute aacute glanadh 9 Beidh siad ag faacutegaacuteil na cathrachamaacuterach 10 Taacute meacute ag titim i mo chodladh


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UNIT TWENTYVerbal nouns II

VNs are used in other structures besides the progressive forms introducedin the last chapter One of the most common structures follows a variety ofverbal (and copula predicate) forms such as the following

Is maith le Seaacuten caint le turasoacuteiriacute Seaacuten likes to talk to touristsTaacute meacute in ann snaacutemh I can swim

If the VN has a direct object the word order changes The object comesbefore the VN with the particle a which causes lenition between them

Is maith le Seaacuten amhraacutein a chanadh Seaacuten likes singing songsTaacute meacute in ann Gaeilge a labhairt I can speak IrishAn bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh litir a scriacuteobh Do you want to write a letter

Usually the subject of the VN is not expressed but is assumed to be thesame as some noun associated with the main predicate (Seaacuten meacute tuacute in theexamples) Occasionally a subject may precede the VN

Ba mhaith liom iad a bheith anseo Irsquod like them to be here

There is some variability as to whether a and lenition are found in thesecases Bheith dhul and theacht are often lenited in such sentences otherverbs vary according to speaker and region Such sentences are fairlyuncommon

All other parts of the sentence (prepositional phrases adverbs adjectivepredicates of biacute) follow the VN

Ba mhaith liom breathnuacute ar an gclaacuter sin Irsquod like to watch that programAn bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh fanacht ansin Do you want to wait thereAn feacuteidir leat eacute a fhaacutegaacuteil anseo Can you leave it hereNiacute maith liom a bheith tinn I donrsquot like to be sick

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These structures (which wersquoll call lsquoinverted VN phrasesrsquo) can be negatedby putting gan lsquowithoutrsquo before the phrase

Ba mhaith liom gan iacute a bheith anseo Irsquod like her not to be hereIs cuma liom gan fanacht I donrsquot mind not stayingIs fearr linn gan duacuteiseacht go moch We prefer not to wake up early

Notice that the inverted VN phrase may sometimes be translated intoEnglish as an -ing form of the verb and sometimes as an infinitive with lsquotorsquodepending on the main verb of the sentence (lsquolikersquo lsquopreferrsquo lsquomindrsquo etc)

More progressive structures

The progressive structures introduced in the last lesson (with objectfollowing VN) also occur as dependents of other verbs as below

Feicim Paacutedraig ag obair I see Paacutedraig workingCloisim Maacuteirtiacuten ag casadh amhraacutein I hear Maacuteirtiacuten singing a songTaacute meacute ag dul ag ithe anois Irsquom going to eat nowThosaigh siad ag foghlaim Fraincise They started learning FrenchCoinnigh ort ag caint Keep on talking

Choosing the right structure

Learners often struggle in deciding whether to use the progressive or theinverted structure in any given situation Some guidelines will be given herealthough as usual there can be dialect variation and listening to samplesof what fluent speakers do is the best way to develop a feel for the rangeof possibilities

In general when a predicate is followed by a VN phrase only one of thetwo possibilities is found One exception is given below and the subtledifference in meaning between two structures suggests a semantic differencethat can be a useful guideline

Beidh siad saacutesta teach a thoacutegaacuteil Theyrsquoll be happy to build a in Eacuteirinn house in IrelandBeidh siad saacutesta ag toacutegaacuteil tiacute Theyrsquoll be happy building a in Eacuteirinn house in Ireland

The first sentence tells us that the prospect of house-building will make themhappy there is no implication that they will or wonrsquot actually build the houseIn the second case it is the actual act of building that will make them happy

160 Unit 20 Verbal nouns II

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rather than just the idea of it or even the completed house It could also betranslated as lsquoThey will be happy while building a house in Irelandrsquo Thisdifference is reflected in the two translations lsquobuildingrsquo implies a somewhatmore immediate connection between the building and the happiness thanlsquoto buildrsquo does

As a rule of thumb events that represent potential events that may ormay not actually happen (and certainly havenrsquot yet) are most likely to usethe inverted structure while events that are ongoing at the time of the mainverb use the progressive structure although not every choice can beexplained in this way (lsquogoing torsquo doesnrsquot suggest simultaneity with the VNbut it is followed by the progressive structure anyway)

The list below includes common predicates that are followed by each ofthe two main types of VN phrases One way to approach the choice of whichform to use is simply to memorize the list Other words with similar meaningscan be assumed to fall into the same category

an rud sin a dheacuteanamh ag deacuteanamh an rud sin

Ability permission Perceptionsis feacuteidir liom feicim duinetaacute meacute in ann cloisim duinetaacute meacute aacutebalta airiacutem duinetig liomtaacute cead agam

Necessity obligation Onsets and finishestaacute orm tosaiacutemcaithfidh meacute stopaimbrsquoeacuteigean dom criacuteochnaiacutemis gaacute coinniacutemniacute moacuter dom leanaimniacute folaacuteir domba cheart dom

Wishes desires Immediate futureis maith liom taacute meacute ag dulis fearr liom thaacuteinig meacuteba mhaith liomtaacute meacute ag iarraidhtaacute suacuteil agamis mian liomniacuteor mhiste liom


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Attempt success and failure Skillsrinne meacute iarracht taacute meacute go maith agdrsquoeacuteirigh liom taacute meacute go donatheip ormchinn ormchlis orm

Evaluation of situationtaacute seacute deacairtaacute seacute furasta

Commands promises plansgeallaimdeirim leattaacute fuacutem

These are only examples and not an exhaustive list As is evident theinverted VN structure is used following many more predicates than theprogressive The list of contexts given here for the progressive is morecomplete than that for the inverted structures thus for other predicatesfollowed by VNs the inverted form is most likely the correct option

Prepositions introducing verbal nouns

Certain prepositions can introduce VN phrases as well These generally havespecific meanings related to past or future time reference and (except forag which introduces the progressive structure above) they are all followedby the inverted structure

Le (or chun in some dialects) followed by a VN indicates that the eventnamed by the VN is expected or needs to be done It can also expresspurpose or intent especially after another verb and can be translated insuch cases as lsquoin order torsquo

Taacute Briacuted le Colm a phoacutesadh an tseachtain seo chugainnBriacuted is (expectedplanningmeant) to marry Colm next week

Chuaigh siad go Gaillimh le poacutesadhThey went to Galway (in order) to get married

An event that is about to happen in the immediate future can beexpressed by a VN following an expression such as ar tiacute ar hob these aresimilar in time reference (future) to the expressions following le chun butexpress greater immediacy


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Taacute siad ar tiacute poacutesadh They are about to get married

Tar eacuteis or i ndiaidh indicate that the action of the verbal noun wasrecently completed Such sentences are often translated by the Englishpresent-perfect tense lsquohave donersquo This usage is current in the English ofIreland as well in expressions such as lsquoIrsquom just after talking to herrsquo (lsquoIrsquovejust talked to herrsquo) These prepositions can also introduce subordinateclauses following other verbs In such cases the subject of the action maybe mentioned introduced by the preposition do

Taacute Briacuted tar eacuteis Colm a phoacutesadh Briacuted just married Colm

Taacute siad tar eacuteis imeacht ar mhiacute They have left on their na meala honeymoon

Tar eacuteis poacutesadh (doacuteibh) chuaigh After getting married they siad go Paacuteras went to Paris

Exercises

1 Fill in an appropriate verbal noun to complete each sentence with orwithout lenition as needed Do not add a it is included where required

1 Bhiacute Peter Pan saacutesta gan ________________2 Niacute raibh carr ag duine ar bith mar sin brsquoeacuteigean duacuteinn

______________3 An bhfuil sibh saacutesta ______________ abhaile anois4 Niacutel Maacuteirtiacuten poacutesta ach beidh seacute saacutesta ___________________5 Niacutel duine ar bith saacutesta a ___________________ tinn6 Thaacuteinig Peige ach niacute raibh Briacuted in ann ________________ leacutei7 Naacute salaigh do chuid eacuteadaigh a Sheacuteamaisiacuten niacute bheidh meacute saacutesta iad

a _______________8 Niacutel meacute in ann an sceacuteal sin a ___________________9 Ar mhiste leat an doras a _____________________

10 Taacute an leabhar sin roacutedheacair niacutel na gasuacuteir in ann eacute a________________

11 An gcloiseann tuacute an ceol Niacutel mise in ann eacute a___________________

12 Taacute na fir saacutesta caacutertaiacute a _______________ gach oiacuteche13 Bhiacute na tithe roacuteshean brsquoeacuteigean iad a _________________14 Duacuteirt Maime ldquoNaacute bris an plaacuteta sinrdquo Ach niacute raibh Seaacuteiniacuten in ann

gan eacute a ________________15 Niacutel meacute in ann an bosca a _____________ ar an mbord taacute seacute

roacutethrom


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16 An bhfeiceann tuacute na sleacuteibhte Niacutel feacuteidir liom iad a_________________

17 Taacute Caacuteit leisciuacuteil niacutel siacute saacutesta obair a ___________________18 Bhiacute seacute ag obair go crua agus ghortaigh seacute a laacutemh Niacutel seacute in ann

__________________leis an obair anois19 An bhfuil tuacute in ann pictiuacuteir a _________________20 Glan thusa do sheomra Niacutel meacute saacutesta eacute a ____________________

2 Fill in the blanks with the words in parentheses choosing appropriateword order and adding a where necessary Eg

Niacute maith leis obair a dheacuteanamh (deacutean obair)Taacute seacute in ann cloisteaacuteil go maith (clois go maith)

1 Brsquoeacuteigean _____________________________________________(creid an fear sin)

2 Beidh muid saacutesta __________________________________________(feic thuacute)

3 Niacute maith le Maacuteire ______________________________________(nigh na soithiacute)

4 Duacuteirt an muacuteinteoir linn__________________________________(leacuteigh an leabhar)

5 Taacute meacute le __________________________________ (scriacuteobh litir)6 Niacutel an t-am agam ________________________________________

(deacutean eacute)7 An bhfuil tuacute aacutebalta ____________________________________

(clois an duine sin)8 Niacutel meacute in ann ________________________________________ (tuig

an cheist)9 Niacutel meacute saacutesta ________________________ (biacute tinn) ach niacutel dochtuacuteir

ann le ________________________ (coinnigh meacute slaacuten)10 Nuair a bhiacute muid ag dul ar saoire bhiacute orainn _____________

(pacaacuteil go leor maacutelaiacute)

3 Fill the blanks with a progressive verbal noun structure based on the verband noun given Eg Thosaigh meacute ag deacuteanamh na hoibre (deacutean anobair)

1 An bhfeiceann tuacute na fir ___________________ (cuir caoi ar anmboacutethar)

2 Lean ort __________________________ (inis an sceacuteal)3 Niacutel aon mhaith liom _____________________ (seinn ceol)4 Niacuteor chuala meacute duine ar bith ___________________ (labhair

Gaeilge)


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5 Stopaigiacute anois ___________________________ (ith na brioscaiacute goleacuteir)

6 Taacute Briacuted go hiontach ________________________ (deacutean eacuteadaiacute)7 Taacute meacute ag dul __________________________ amaacuterach (glan an

teach)8 Breathnaigh ar na gasuacuteir ______________________ (snaacutemh sa loch)9 Taacute an carr ag tosuacute _________________________ (deacutean torann ait)

10 Bhiacute siacute ag dul ________________________ ach niacuteor eacuteirigh leacutei(foghlaim Spaacuteinnis)

4 Using the words in parentheses at the end of each sentence fill in theblank with the appropriate VN construction (inverted or progressive) tocomplete the sentence

1 Feicim Briacuted __________________________ (coacuteirigh leapacha)2 Niacutel siad saacutesta _______________________ (deacutean a gcuid

ceachtanna)3 Niacute raibh sibh in ann ______________________ (pleacuteigh an cheist

sin)4 Taacute seacute ag tosuacute _______________________ (cuir sneachta)5 Taacute Peige ag iarraidh _____________________ (faigh post nua)6 Taacute seacute deacair __________________________ (diacuteol drochthorthaiacute)7 An bhfuil tuacute saacutesta _______________________ (teacht anseo)8 Thaacuteinig an cigire ________________________ (cuir ceisteanna ar

na paacuteistiacute)9 An gcloiseann tuacute an fear sin____________________ (cas amhraacuten)

10 Caithfidh meacute _____________________ (nigh na soithiacute)11 Brsquoeacuteigean dom _______________________ (siuacuteil abhaile)12 Taacuteimid ag dul _________________________ (ceannaigh carr nua)13 Taacute seacute deacair ag paacuteistiacute gan _________________________ (salaigh

iad feacutein)14 Tosaigh anois diacutereach _____________________ (glan do sheomra)15 Stopaigiacute _________________________ (buail meacute)16 Taacute seacute in am agat ______________________ (deacutean dinneacutear)17 Taacute sibh _____________________ (faacutes an-mhoacuter)18 Taacute tuacute in ann __________________ maacutes mian leat (biacute laacutech)19 Bhiacute fuacutem ____________________ (teacuteigh go dtiacute ceolchoirm U2) ach

niacuteor eacuteirigh liom _______________ (faigh na ticeacuteid)20 An bhfuil cead agam _________________ (fan anseo)

5 Translate

1 Irsquove just finished this book You should read it2 Would you like to eat dinner here


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3 Have you started to paint the kitchen yet4 Did you want to watch that5 I went to sleep after finishing the work6 They were about to leave but Sorcha told them to stay7 We hope not to spend too much money8 Yoursquoll have to hurry in order to be on time9 Listen to them teasing each other

10 May I go out11 Peige promised to share the food with everyone12 Everyone should stay quiet Caitliacuten is going to tell a story


1 Sample responses 1 Bhiacute Peter Pan saacutesta gan faacutes 2 Niacute raibh carr ag duinear bith mar sin brsquoeacuteigean siuacutel 3 An bhfuil sibh saacutesta dhul abhaile anois4 Niacutel Maacuteirtiacuten poacutesta ach beidh seacute saacutesta poacutesadh 5 Niacutel duine ar bith saacutestaa bheith tinn 6 Thaacuteinig Peige ach niacute raibh Briacuted in ann theacht leacutei 7 Naacutesalaigh do chuid eacuteadaigh a Sheacuteamaisiacuten niacute bheidh meacute saacutesta iad a niacute 8Niacutel muid in ann an sceacuteal sin a thuiscint 9 Ar mhiste leat an doras adhuacutenadh 10 Taacute an leabhar sin roacutedheacair niacutel na gasuacuteir in ann eacute a leacuteamh11 An gcloiseann tuacute an ceol Niacutel mise in ann eacute a chloisteaacuteil 12 Taacute na firsaacutesta caacutertaiacute a imirt gach oiacuteche 13 Bhiacute na tithe roacuteshean brsquoeacuteigean iad a leagan 14 Duacuteirt Maime ldquoNaacute bris an plaacuteta sinrdquo Ach niacute raibh Seaacuteiniacutenin ann gan eacute a bhriseadh 15 Niacutel meacute in ann an bosca a chur ar an mbordtaacute seacute roacutethrom 16 An bhfeiceann tuacute na sleacuteibhte Niacutel feacuteidir liom iad afheiceaacuteil 17 Taacute Caacuteit leisciuacuteil niacutel siacute saacutesta obair a dheacuteanamh 18 Bhiacute seacute agobair go crua agus ghortaigh seacute a laacutemh Niacutel seacute in ann coinneaacuteil leis anobair anois 19 An bhfuil tuacute in ann pictiuacuteir a pheacuteinteaacuteil 20 Glan thusado sheomra Niacutel meacute saacutesta eacute a ghlanadh

2 1 Brsquoeacuteigean an fear sin a chreidiuacutent 2 Beidh muid saacutesta thuacute a fheiceaacuteil 3 Niacute maith le Maacuteire na soithiacute a niacute 4 Duacuteirt an muacuteinteoir linn an leabhara leacuteamh 5 Taacute meacute le litir a scriacuteobh 6 Niacutel an t-am agam eacute a dheacuteanamh 7 An bhfuil tuacute aacutebalta an duine sin a chloisteaacuteil 8 Niacutel meacute in ann an cheista thuiscint 9 Niacutel meacute saacutesta a bheith tinn ach niacutel dochtuacuteir ann le meacute achoinneaacuteil slaacuten 10 Nuair a bhiacute muid ag dul ar saoire bhiacute orainn go leormaacutelaiacute a phacaacuteil

3 1 An bhfeiceann tuacute na fir ag cur caoi ar an mboacutethar 2 Lean ort ag insintan sceacuteil 3 Niacutel aon mhaith liom ag seinm ceoil 4 Niacuteor chuala meacute duinear bith ag labhairt Gaeilge 5 Stopaigiacute anois ag ithe na mbrioscaiacute go leacuteir6 Taacute Briacuted go hiontach ag deacuteanamh eacuteadaiacute 7 Taacute meacute ag dul ag glanadh antiacute amaacuterach 8 Breathnaigh ar na gasuacuteir ag snaacutemh sa loch 9 Taacute an carr ag


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tosuacute ag deacuteanamh torainn ait 10 Bhiacute siacute ag dul ag foghlaim Spaacuteinnise achniacuteor eacuteirigh leacutei

4 1 Feicim Briacuted ag coacuteiriuacute leapacha 2 Niacutel siad saacutesta a gcuid ceachtanna adheacuteanamh 3 Niacute raibh sibh in ann an cheist sin a phleacute 4 Taacute seacute ag tosuacute agcur sneachta 5 Taacute Peige ag iarraidh post nua a fhaacuteil 6 Taacute seacute deacairdrochthorthaiacute a dhiacuteol 7 An bhfuil tuacute saacutesta a theacht anseo 8 Thaacuteinigan cigire ag cur ceisteanna ar na paacuteistiacute 9 An gcloiseann tuacute an fear sin agcasadh amhraacutein 10 Caithfidh meacute na soithiacute a niacute 11 Brsquoeacuteigean dom siuacutelabhaile 12 Taacuteimid ag dul ag ceannach cairr nua 13 Taacute seacute deacair ag paacuteistiacutegan iad feacutein a shaluacute 14 Tosaigh anois diacutereach ag glanadh do sheomra15 Stopaigiacute do mo bhualadh 16 Taacute seacute in am agat diacutenneacutear a dheacuteanamh17 Taacute sibh ag faacutes an-mhoacuter 18 Taacute tuacute in ann a bheith laacutech maacutes mian leat19 Bhiacute fuacutem dul go dtiacute ceolchoirm U2 ach niacuteor eacuteirigh liom na ticeacuteid afhaacuteil 20 An bhfuil cead agam fanacht anseo

5 1 Taacute meacute tar eacuteis an leabhar seo a chriacuteochnuacute Ba cheart duit eacute a leacuteamh 2 Ar mhaith leat dinneacutear a ithe anseo 3 Ar thosaigh tuacute ag peacuteinteaacuteil nacistine foacutes 4 An raibh tuacute ag iarraidh breathnuacute air sin 5 Chuaigh meacute achodladh tar eacuteis an obair a chriacuteochnuacute 6 Bhiacute siad ar tiacute imeacht ach duacuteirtSorcha leo fanacht 7 Bhiacute suacuteil againn gan an iomarca airgid a chaitheamh8 Caithfidh tuacute deifir a dheacuteanamh le bheith in am 9 Eacuteist leo ag magadhfaoina cheacuteile 10 An bhfuil cead agam dul amach 11 Gheall Peige anbia a roinnt le rsquochuile dhuine 12 Ba cheart do rsquochuile dhuine fanachtciuacutein taacute Caitliacuten ag dul ag insint sceacuteil


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

UNIT TWENTY-ONEAdjectives

Predicate adjectives which serve as the third element of a sentence startingwith biacute were introduced in Unit 16 where they were contrasted withadjectives in a modifying phrase with a noun as in an bhean oacuteg lsquothe youngwomanrsquo Adjectives used this way directly modifying a preceding noun areknown as attributive adjectives

Gender agreement

Attributive adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify matching theirnounrsquos gender number and case Unit 5 described how articles affect thefirst consonant or vowel of a noun differently depending on its genderSimilarly adjective agreement is shown by mutation In the common caseadjectives modifying masculine nouns have no mutation but feminine nounslenite the first consonant of a modifying adjective just as the article an lenitesthe noun

Masculine Feminine

Seaacuten Moacuter Big Seaacuten Briacuted Mhoacuter Big Briacutedteach breaacute a fine house tine bhreaacute a fine firean fear bocht the poor man an bhean bhocht the poor woman

Plural adjectives

Plural adjectives are usually formed with the suffix -a following a broadconsonant and -e following a slender consonant Adjectives ending in a voweldo not change in the plural (laacute fada laethanta fada) Adjectives ending in-uacuteil broaden the l and add -a leisciuacuteil (pl leisciuacutela) In the plural genderis not marked by mutation Instead plural adjectives are lenited if the noun

111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

they modify ends in a consonant regardless of gender (in fact most nounswith plurals ending in a consonant are masculine)

Masculine Feminine

fir mhaithe good men mnaacute maithe good womentithe moacutera a big house cairde moacutera great friendsdaoine deasa nice people oifigiacute deasa nice offices

Case

The rules above apply in the common case used with subjects objects andafter prepositions In the genitive case as we saw in Unit 6 a noun maychange form and so may the adjective in similar ways

When modifying a masculine noun adjectives ending in broad consonantsslenderize them (except ll nn rr and m) and a vowel may change egfrom ea to i as in the case of beag Adjectives ending in slender consonantsor vowels do not change form but all are lenited

Common case Genitive case

an teach baacuten the white house doras an tiacute bhaacutein the door of thewhite house

an fear beag the small man ainm an fhir bhig the small manrsquosname

an fear glic the sly man ainm an fhir ghlic the sly manrsquos name

an teach buiacute the yellow house doras an tiacute bhuiacute the door of theyellow house

Adjectives ending in -ach change to (a)igh in the genitive masculine anboacutethar diacutereach lsquothe straight roadrsquo fad an bhoacutethair dhiacuterigh lsquothe length of thestraight roadrsquo There are other minor variants which space does not permitdetailing here The full range of forms can be found in reference grammars

In the genitive plural adjectives are formed like the nouns they modifyIf the genitive noun has the same form as the common singular so does theadjective if the noun has the plural ending of the common plural so doesthe adjective there is no mutation of a genitive plural adjective

ainmneacha na bhfear beag the names of the small menainmneacha na mbuachailliacute beaga the names of the small boys

Adjectives modifying feminine nouns in the genitive add the suffix -e Abroad consonant becomes slender and the vowel ea may change Adjectives

170 Unit 21 Adjectives

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ending in -uacuteil become -uacutela Vowel-final adjectives do not change Manyspeakers avoid using genitive feminine adjectives or they just use thecommon-case form so phrases like these are becoming rarer but are stillfound especially in written Irish


an bhean the small ainm na mnaacute the small womanrsquos bheag woman bige name

an oifig mhoacuter the big office doras na hoifige the door of the moacuteire big office

an tine the the hot fire teas na tine te the heat of the hot fire

an bhean the lazy woman ainm na mnaacute the lazy womanrsquos leisciuacuteil leisciuacutela name

After feminine plural nouns in the genitive adjectives have a plural suffixif the noun does and not if it doesnrsquot

ainmneacha na mban beag the names of the small womendoirse na n-oifigiacute moacutera the doors of the big offices

Lost syllables

Adjectives ending in l n r or mh lose a short vowel in their second syllablewhen a suffix is added whether it is the plural ending or the femininegenitive singular

saibhir daoine saibhre rich peopleainm na mnaacute saibhre the name of the rich woman

aacutelainn cailiacuteniacute aacuteille beautiful girlsainm na mnaacute aacuteille the name of the beautiful woman

(when l + n come together they become ll)

Broad consonants that come together as a result of vowel loss alwaysbecome slender in the genitive (uasal ndash uaisle ramhar ndash raimhre) in theplural they may become slender (uaisle) or not (ramhra) this must simplybe learned for each word


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Predicate adjectives

As noted in Unit 16 predicate adjectives show no agreement but alwaysoccur in their basic form

Taacute an fear beag The man is smallTaacute an bhean beag The woman is smallTaacute na daoine beag The people are smallTaacute meacute beag I am smallTaacute siad beag They are small

However it should be remembered that eight evaluative adjectives mustbe preceded by the particle go Taacute an laacute go maith lsquoThe day is goodrsquo but laacutemaith lsquoa good dayrsquo

Prefixed adjectives

A very few attributive adjectives do not follow the noun they modify butare prefixed to it causing lenition on the noun (except where it is blockedbetween similar consonants see Unit 3) The two most frequent of theseare sean lsquooldrsquo and fiacuteor lsquotruersquo which also occur normally as predicates

Taacute seacute sean He is old seanfhear an old manTaacute siacute sean She is old seanbhean an old womanTaacute an sceacuteal fiacuteor The story is truereal fiacuteorsceacuteal a real story

Siacuteor- lsquoconstant continualrsquo is not used as a predicate but is a prefix especiallycommon with verbal nouns siacuteorchasaoid lsquoconstant complainingrsquo

Other prefixes function as attributive equivalents of other adjectives

Bhiacute an laacute go dona The day was bad drochlaacute a bad dayBhiacute an laacute go deas The day was nice dea-laacute a nice day

In these compounds the prefixed adjective + noun are treated as one wordand the adjective being the first syllable receives the main stress

Still other prefixes are attached to adjectives for intensified meaning An- lsquoveryrsquo and roacute- lsquotoo excessivelyrsquo are perhaps the most common Othersinclude riacute- lsquoexceedinglyrsquo barr- lsquoexcellentrsquo and fiacuteor lsquoreallyrsquo

an-mhaith very goodroacutethuirseach too tiredriacutedheas very very nice


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barrmhaith exceptionally goodfiacuteoraacutelainn truly beautiful

With these intensifying prefixes a stress accent falls equally on both theprefix and the word to which it is attached

Both an- and dea- are always followed by a hyphen The other prefixesare not unless prefixation brings two vowels or two identical consonantstogether

roacute-oacuteg too youngdroch-chaacuteil bad reputation

When an- is prefixed to a predicate adjective requiring go go may beomitted or retained

Taacute seacute an-mhaith It is very goodTaacute seacute go han-mhaith

The other prefixes always replace go and do not occur together with itAn- may also be prefixed to nouns to mean a particularly noteworthy

(usually but not necessarily good) specimen

Bhiacute an-oiacuteche againn We had a great nightAn-fhear What a guyAn-aimsir Quite the weather

Other words may also be used to qualify or intensify adjectives Thesehowever are not prefixes are written as separate words and do not causemutation A few examples are saacutech lsquosufficiently enoughrsquo iontachlsquoextraordinarilyrsquo and uafaacutesach lsquoterriblyrsquo Iontach and uafaacutesach are adjectivesin their own right but in this usage are just adding intensity to otheradjectives

Taacute seacute saacutech fuar Itrsquos cold enoughTaacute siacute iontach deas Shersquos really very niceTaacute seacute uafaacutesach te Itrsquos awfully hot

Others like these include reacuteasuacutenta lsquoreasonablyrsquo cuiacuteosach lsquofairlyrsquo cineaacutellsquosomewhat sort ofrsquo


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Exercises

1 Make the following phrases plural

1 bean oacuteg 11 cat dubh2 buachaill maith 12 carr mall3 bean mhisniuacuteil 13 duine uasal4 buideacuteal folamh 14 teach bocht5 madra moacuter 15 boacute aacutelainn6 paacuteiste cantalach 16 fuinneog shalach7 ceol binn 17 cupaacuten glan8 deoch mhoacuter 18 paacuteipeacutear baacuten9 post nua 19 cathaoir chompordach

10 maacuteistreaacutes mhaith 20 gloine bhriste

2 Make a single sentence with an attributive adjective phrase

Feicim fear Taacute seacute moacuter rarr Feicim fear moacuterFeicim bean Taacute siacute moacuter rarr Feicim bean mhoacuter

1 Feicim teach Taacute seacute baacuten2 Feicim fuinneog Taacute siacute beag3 Feicim Gaeltacht Taacute siacute moacuter4 Feicim feirmeoir Taacute seacute bocht5 Feicim eacuteadaiacute Taacute siad daor6 Feicim tine Taacute siacute te7 Feicim buachailliacute Taacute siad leisciuacuteil8 Feicim bean Taacute siacute tuirseach9 Feicim fir Taacute siad bocht

10 Feicim seomra Taacute seacute fuar

3 Make predicate adjectives following the model

Feicim bean mhaith rarr Taacute an bhean go maith

1 Feicim cailiacuten saacutesta2 Feicim tiacuter aacutelainn3 Feicim deoch bhlasta4 Feicim cearc mhoacuter5 Feicim claacuteirseach mhaith6 Feicim buachaill deas7 Feicim scoil iontach8 Feicim gasuacuter olc9 Feicim broacutega daora

10 Feicim banaltra thuirseach


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4 Insert each phrase into the larger phrase next to it making the originalphrase genitive

1 an oifig mhoacuter doras ___________________2 an duine uasal caint___________________3 an t-asal beag eireaball __________________4 an ghaoth mhoacuter oiacuteche ____________________5 an t-iasc uacuter praghas __________________6 an cnoc glas ar mhullach __________________7 na heacuteadaiacute glana ag triomuacute __________________8 an ghruaig fhada dath ____________________9 na doirse gorma ag oscailt _____________________

10 an t-amadaacuten bocht ainm __________________11 an leabhar moacuter ag leacuteamh__________________12 an bhean bhocht ainm ___________________

5 Combine the sentences below into one with a prefixed adjective

Feicim fear Taacute seacute go deas rarr Feicim dea-fhear

1 Feicim teach Taacute seacute sean2 Feicim bean Taacute siacute go deas3 Feicim garraiacute Taacute seacute go dona4 Cloisim sceacuteal Taacute seacute fiacuteor5 Feicim bean Taacute siacute sean6 Feicim daoine Taacute siad sean7 Cloisim amhraacuten Taacute seacute go deas8 Drsquooacutel meacute pionta Bhiacute seacute go dona9 Cloisim ceol Taacute seacute go dona

10 Drsquoith muid beacuteile Bhiacute seacute go deas

6 Intensify the adjectives in the sentences below by adding each of theintensifiers listed in parentheses after them

1 Taacute seacute go maith (an riacute fiacuteor)2 Taacute Uacutena cantalach (roacute fiacuteor siacuteor barr)3 Taacute Peige ciuacutein (riacute saacutech roacute reacuteasuacutenta)4 Taacute an teach go deas (an fiacuteor barr)5 Taacute tuacute leisciuacuteil (roacute an barr uafaacutesach)6 Taacute an aacuteit seo ploacutedaithe (siacuteor saacutech roacute)7 Taacute an ceol go breaacute (riacute fiacuteor an)8 Taacute an bus luath (siacuteor roacute an)9 Taacute meacute uaigneach anseo (roacute fiacuteor saacutech)

10 Taacute an maacutela sin trom (an roacute saacutech barr)


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1 1 mnaacute oacutega 2 buachailliacute maithe 3 mnaacute misniuacutela 4 buideacuteil fholmha 5 madraiacute moacutera 6 paacuteistiacute cantalacha 7 ceolta binne 8 deochanna moacutera 9 poist nua 10 maacuteistreaacutesaiacute maithe 11 cait dhubha 12 carranna malla 13 daoine uaisle 14 tithe bochta 15 ba aacuteille 16 fuinneoga salacha 17cupaacutein ghlana 18 paacuteipeacuteir bhaacutena 19 cathaoireacha compordacha 20 gloiniacutebriste

2 1 Feicim teach baacuten 2 Feicim fuinneog bheag 3 Feicim Gaeltacht mhoacuter 4 Feicim feirmeoir bocht 5 Feicim eacuteadaiacute daora 6 Feicim tine the7 Feicim buachailliacute leisciuacutela 8 Feicim bean thuirseach 9 Feicim firbhochta 10 Feicim seomra fuar

3 1 Taacute an cailiacuten saacutesta 2 Taacute an tiacuter go haacutelainn 3 Taacute an deoch blasta 4 Taacutean cearc moacuter 5 Taacute an chlaacuteirseach go maith 6 Taacute an buachaill go deas7 Taacute an scoil go hiontach 8 Taacute an gasuacuter go holc 9 Taacute na broacutega daor 10 Taacute an bhanaltra tuirseach

4 1 doras na hoifige moacuteire 2 caint an duine uasail 3 eireaball an asail bhig4 oiacuteche na gaoithe moacuteire 5 praghas an eacuteisc uacuteir 6 ar mhullach an chnoicghlais 7 ag triomuacute na n-eacuteadach glan 8 dath na gruaige fada 9 ag oscailtna ndoirse gorma 10 ainm an amadaacutein bhoicht 11 ag leacuteamh an leabhairmhoacuteir 12 ainm na mnaacute boichte

5 1 Feicim seanteach 2 Feicim dea-bhean 3 Feicim drochgharraiacute 4 Cloisimfiacuteorsceacuteal 5 Feicim seanbhean 6 Feicim seandaoine 7 Cloisim dea-amhraacuten 8 Drsquooacutel meacute drochphionta 9 Cloisim droch-cheol 10 Drsquoith muiddea-beacuteile

6 1 Taacute seacute go han-mhaith an-mhaith riacutemhaith fiacuteormhaith 2 Taacute Uacutenaroacutechantalach fiacuteorchantalach siacuteorchantalach barrchantalach 3 TaacutePeige riacutechiuacutein saacutech ciuacutein roacutechiuacutein reacuteasuacutenta ciuacutein 4 Taacute an teach gohan-deas an-deas fiacuteordheas barrdheas 5 Taacute tuacute roacuteleisciuacuteil an-leisciuacuteil barrleisciuacuteil uafaacutesach leisciuacuteil 6 Taacute an aacuteit seo siacuteorphloacutedaithe saacutechploacutedaithe roacutephloacutedaithe 7 Taacute an ceol riacutebhreaacute fiacuteorbhreaacute an-bhreaacute gohan-bhreaacute 8 Taacute an bus siacuteorluath roacuteluath an-luath 9 Taacute meacute roacute-uaigneach fiacuteoruaigneach saacutech uaigneach anseo 10 Taacute an maacutela sin an-trom roacutethrom saacutech trom barrthrom


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UNIT TWENTY-TWOPronouns

Earlier lessons have included examples of pronouns as the subject andobject of verbs This unit will describe pronouns and their various forms ingreater detail

Subject and object pronouns

As subjects of a verb pronouns may be included within the suffix thatidentifies the tense or may appear separately in the same position as nouns

Tuigim I understand Thuig meacute I understoodFeicimid Peige We see Peige Feiceann muid Peige We see PeigeBhiacuteodar anseo They were here Bhiacute siad anseo They were here

Most pronouns have the same form whether subject or object but a feware different Compare

Taacute siacute anseo She is here Tuigim iacute I understand herTaacute seacute anseo He is here Tuigim eacute I understand himTaacute siad anseo They are here Tuigim iad I understand themTaacute tuacute anseo You are here Tuigim t(h)uacute I understand you

The third-person pronouns begin with s when they are used as subjects buts disappears when they are objects and tuacute may be lenited becoming thuacuteThe other pronouns meacute sibh and muid or sinn (in dialects that use them)do not change form

It is not simply a matter of subject vs object however The actual ruleis that the forms with s are used when the pronoun

1 is the subject of the verband

2 immediately follows the verb

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Thus even subject pronouns donrsquot have the s- forms when linked with aguslsquoandrsquo to a preceding pronoun or in copula sentences

Bhiacute mise agus eisean ansin He and I were there(see below for these lengthened forms)Is cailiacuten deas iacute She is a nice girl

The second-person pronoun follows these rules less consistently somespeakers use tuacute and some thuacute mise agus thusa or mise agus tusa

Contrast pronouns

The simple forms of the pronouns above are always unaccented and cannever stand alone To emphasize the pronoun special contrast forms arecreated by adding a suffix as follows

Singular PluralSimple form Contrast form Simple form Contrast form

meacute mise sinnmuid sinnemuidnet(h)uacute t(h)usa sibh sibhse(s)eacute (s)eisean (s)iad (s)iadsan(s)iacute (s)ise

These forms establish a contrast explicit or implicit between the pronounand some other person In such cases an English speaker might just use astronger stress lsquoI saw HIMrsquo lsquowas SHE there toorsquo Irish requires the longerform in these cases Contrast forms are also used when two pronouns arelinked with agus as above and when a pronoun is used alone with no verb

Ceacute heacute sin Whorsquos thatMise Me

They are also usually used in equational copula sentences as well Is misean bainisteoir lsquoI am the managerrsquo

Feacutein

Another common way of accentuating pronouns is to add feacutein to the simpleform The basic meaning of feacutein is lsquoselfrsquo and it is used reflexively ie whenthe subject and object are the same

178 Unit 22 Pronouns

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Ghortaigh meacute meacute feacutein I hurt myselfTaacute siacute ag caint leacutei feacutein Shersquos talking to herself

It can also be used to focus attention on the person and can evencombine with a contrast form

Rinne meacute feacutein eacute I myself did itRinne mise meacute feacutein eacute

Forms with feacutein can also be conjoined with agus and used as copulapredicates

Meacute feacutein an bainisteoir I myself am the managerThaacuteinig meacute feacutein agus Brian Brian and I came

The differences between pronouns with feacutein and the contrast forms aresubtle and cannot be dealt with here Phrases like mise agus tusa and meacutefeacutein agus tuacute feacutein can be considered interchangeable the important point tonote is that simple pronouns like meacute and tuacute etc cannot be used in thecontexts described here

Reciprocity the sense of lsquoeach otherrsquo is expressed by a cheacuteile

Bhuail siad a cheacuteile They hit each otherLabhair siad le cheacuteile They talked to each other

Demonstrative pronouns

We have seen demonstratives seo sin uacuted used in phrases with a noun andthe article as in an duine sin lsquothat personrsquo The same demonstratives canalso be used as pronouns in combination with the simple third-personpronouns

(s)eacute seo (s)iacute seo this one (s)iad seo these (people things)(s)eacute sin (s)iacute sin that one (s)iad sin those(s)eacute siuacuted (s)iacute siuacuted that one (s)iad siuacuted those yonder

Siuacuted generally refers to people or things more distant than sin These alsoprovide another way of accenting a pronoun

Taacute seacute seo blasta This is tastyAn bhfeiceann tuacute iacute sin Do you see herthat one

Since the contrast forms refer only to people sinseosiuacuted are the only wayto accentuate pronouns referring to inanimate objects


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Possessive pronouns

Pronouns identifying possessors are always unstressed and come before thenoun they possess much like the article an Most also trigger a mutationon initial consonants of the possessed noun The following illustrate

mo theach my house aacuter dteach our housedo theach your house bhur dteach your (pl) housea theach his house a dteach their housea teach her house

Before a vowel the plural possessives prefix n- and the feminine singularprefixes h Mo and do become mrsquo drsquo

mrsquooifig my office aacuter n-oifig our officedrsquooifig your office bhur n-oifig your (pl) officea oifig his office a n-oifig their officea hoifig her office

For contrast of these possessives the suffix -sase is used but it is attachedto the noun

mrsquooifigse my officeaacuter dteachsa our house

An alternative form is an teach seo agam lsquomy housersquo an teach seo againnlsquoour housersquo It is particularly common with plural possessors

One

In Unit 10 ceann was introduced as a kind of pronoun form used to avoidrepeating a noun after numbers It is used with demonstratives andpossessives as well with a meaning similar to English lsquoonersquo in lsquothis onersquolsquothat onersquo

Deacuteanann seacute drochscannaacutein ach taacute an ceann sin go maithHe makes bad movies but that one is good

Taacute mo leabhar anseo caacute bhfuil do cheannsaMy book is here wherersquos yours (litrsquoyour onersquo)

To refer to plural nouns cinn is used and for uncountable substances cuidlsquoportionrsquo


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Taacute na huacutella go maith ithigiacute na cinn seoThe apples are good eat these (ones)

Feicim go leor leabhair ach niacute fheicim mo chinnseI see many books but I donrsquot see mine

Bhiacute neart bia ann an bhfuair tuacute do chuidTherersquos plenty of food did you get yours

Exercises

1 Choose the appropriate pronoun form in each sentence below

1 Feicim (siadiad)2 An bhfuil (siacuteiacute) anseo3 Is moacuter an trua (seacuteeacute)4 An bhfuil (tuacutethuacute) saacutesta5 Beidh mise agus (siseise) ag teacht anocht6 An muacuteinteoiriacute (siadiad)7 Feicfidh meacute (tuacutethuacute)8 Chuala meacute (siadiad) ag caint9 Is iontach an duine (seacuteeacute)

10 An mbeidh (seiseaneisean) agus a bhean anseo

2 Insert a pronoun in either simple or contrast or reflexive (with feacutein) formas appropriate Choose the person form that matches the underlined nounor pronoun

1 Ceacute hiacute an cailiacuten oacuteg sin Is iacute mrsquoiniacuteon _____2 Siacutelim go bhfuil _____ tinn3 Duacuteirt Briacuted go mbeidh ______ ag an gcruinniuacute ach nach mbeidh a

fear ann4 Dia duit Ceacuten chaoi a bhfuil ______5 (Answer to 4) Taacute ___ go maith go raibh maith agat Ceacuten chaoi a

bhfuil ____6 Taacute meacute ag raacute leat go bhfuil _______ agus ________ in ann an bua a

fhaacuteil ar dhuine ar bith7 Thit Niall agus ghortaigh seacute _________________8 An bhfaca tuacute na cailiacuteniacute Chonaic meacute ar an traacute ___________9 Dia duit Mise Brian ceacuten t-ainm ataacute ___________

10 An bhfaca duine ar bith agaibh an scannaacuten sinChonaic _________ eacute ach niacuteor thaitin seacute ___________


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3 Fill in answers to the questions using an appropriate possessive pronounEg Caacute bhfuil do mhuintir Taacute mo mhuintir anseo

1 An bhfeiceann tuacute mo choacutetaFeicim ___________________ansin

2 An iacute seo deirfiuacuter MhaacuteirtiacutenNiacute hiacute Taacute ___________________ ansiuacuted

3 An dtuigeann tuacute athair agus maacutethair BhriacutedeTuigim ______________ ach niacute thuigim _______________

4 An bhfuil do mhac tinnTaacute _____________________ reacuteasuacutenta tinn

5 Ceacuten chaoi a bhfuil bhur gcairdeTaacute ____________________ go maith

6 An raibh tuacute ag siopa PhaacuteidiacutenNiacute raibh meacute ag ________________ riamh

7 An bhfuil teach do thuismitheoiriacute moacuter noacute beagTaacute _____________________ moacuter

8 An bhfeiceann tuacute aacuter ngasuacuteirFeicim ___________________ ansin

9 Caacute bhfuil asal Uacutena agus DonnchaTaacute ____________________ ansin

10 Caacute bhfuil cairde RuairiacuteTaacute ____________________ ansin

11 An eacute sin drsquoathair noacute drsquouncailIs eacute _________________ eacute

12 An bhfuil dearthaacuteir Chaacuteit anseoNiacutel Taacute _____________________ i gCorcaigh


1 1 Feicim iad 2 An bhfuil siacute anseo 3 Is moacuter an trua eacute 4 An bhfuil tuacutesaacutesta 5 Beidh mise agus ise ag teacht anocht 6 An muacuteinteoiriacute iad 7 Feicfidh meacute thuacute 8 Chuala meacute iad ag caint 9 Is iontach an duine eacute 10 An mbeidh seisean agus a bhean anseo

2 1 Ceacute hiacute an cailiacuten oacuteg sin Is iacute mrsquoiniacuteon iacute 2 Siacutelim go bhfuil meacute tinn 3 DuacuteirtBriacuted go mbeidh sise ag an gcruinniuacute ach nach mbeidh a fear ann 4 Diaduit Ceacuten chaoi a bhfuil tuacute 5 (Answer to 4) Taacute meacute go maith go raibhmaith agat Ceacuten chaoi a bhfuil tusa 6 Taacute meacute ag raacute leat go bhfuil miseagus thusathusa in ann an bua a fhaacuteil ar dhuine ar bith [or meacute feacutein agustuacutethuacute feacutein] 7 Thit Niall agus ghortaigh seacute eacute feacutein 8 An bhfaca tuacute na cailiacuteniacuteChonaic meacute ar an traacute iad 9 Dia duit Mise Brian ceacuten t-ainm ataacute ortsa10 An bhfaca duine ar bith agaibh an scannaacuten sin Chonaic muidnesinneeacute ach niacuteor thaitin seacute linn


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3 1 Feicim do choacuteta ansin 2 Niacute hiacute Taacute a dheirfiuacuter ansiuacuted 3 Tuigim a hathairach niacute thuigim a maacutethair [or vice versa] 4 Taacute mo mhac reacuteasuacutenta tinn 5 Taacute aacuter gcairde go maith 6 Niacute raibh meacute ag a shiopa riamh 7 Taacute a dteachmoacuter 8 Feicim bhur ngasuacuteiraacuter ngasuacuteir ansin 9 Taacute a n-asal ansin 10 Taacutea chairde ansin 11 Is eacute mrsquouncail (or mrsquoathair) eacute 12 Niacutel Taacute a dearthaacuteir igCorcaigh


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

UNIT TWENTY-THREEPrepositions II More prepositional pronouns

In Unit 9 several prepositions were introduced with pronoun forms forthree of them This unit will present the prepositional pronouns for theothers as well as a few additional prepositions

Do and de

These two prepositions are very similar in form and some dialects are evenshowing signs of merging the two They are distinguished primarily by theirvowels and are identical in the third-singular-feminine form even in theCaighdeaacuten

Do De

Singular

me dom diacuteomyou duit diacuteothim doacute deher di di

Plural

us duacuteinn diacutennyou (pl) daoibh diacutebhthem doacuteibh diacuteobh

Both prepositions are frequently pronounced as if lenited and sometimeseven spelled this way For example the greeting dia duit is also spelled diadhuit Do is an important preposition for its use in greetings and followsverbs of giving and transmitting information where it marks the recipientIt is also used for things that happen to people Cad a tharla duit lsquoWhathappened to yoursquo De is less frequent but is used to refer to removal of

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items from a surface (including undressing) and with the verb fiafraigh lsquoask(a question)rsquo It is also used in the phrase buacuteioch de lsquograteful torsquo

Drsquoinis siad sceacuteal dom They told me a storyMuacuteineann seacute Gaeilge do phaacuteistiacute He teaches Irish to childrenFiafraigh den mhuacuteinteoir Ask the teacherBhain meacute mo choacuteta diacuteom I took my coat off (lit lsquooff mersquo)

Faoi and oacute

The pronominal forms of faoi lsquounder aboutrsquo and oacute lsquofromrsquo are given belowBoth lenite an initial consonant of a following noun oacute Shasana lsquofromEnglandrsquo faoi Chaacuteit lsquoabout Caacuteitrsquo

Faoi Oacute

Singular

me fuacutem uaimyou fuacutet uaithim faoi uaidhher fuacuteithi uaithi

Plural

us fuacuteinn uainnyou (pl) fuacuteibh uaibhthem fuacutethu uathu

In reference to locations the pronoun forms of faoi are rare oacute is used withverbs like imigh oacute lsquodepart from take leave ofrsquo and toacuteg oacute lsquotake fromrsquo Bothprepositions are used idiomatically with biacute and a verbal noun structure

Taacute fuacutem Gaeilge a fhoghlaim I intend to learn IrishTaacute uaim Gaeilge a fhoghlaim I want to learn Irish

The phrase Cad ataacute uait lsquoWhat do you wantneedrsquo is also common

In

Like faoi conjugation of in is rare for locations but the prepositionalpronouns are useful in idioms

186 Unit 23 Prepositions II More prepositional pronouns

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Singular

me ionamyou ionathim annher inti

Plural

us ionainnyou (pl) ionaibhthem iontu

The principal idiomatic use of pronominal in provides a common alternativeto classification sentences with the copula

Muacuteinteoir ataacute ionam Is muacuteinteoir meacute Irsquom a teacherBothaacuten ataacute ann Is bothaacuten eacute Itrsquos a shantyTreacuteidlia ataacute inti Is treacuteidlia iacute Shersquos a veterinarian

The structure of these sentences will be covered in Intermediate Irish fornow it suffices to note that the predicate (the name of the class) comes firstfollowed by a special form of taacute ataacute and the prepositional pronoun for whatwould be the English subject

To express lsquoitrsquos only Xrsquo the same pronoun forms are used as follows

Niacutel ann ach bothaacuten Itrsquos only a shantyNiacutel iontu ach amadaacutein Theyrsquore nothing but fools

Niacute (verb) ach lsquonot butrsquo is the usual way to express lsquoonlyrsquo in Irish

Prepositions without prepositional pronouns

Several prepositions lack pronoun forms instead the normal non-subjectforms are used The most common such prepositions are these

gan without gan meacute without mego dtiacute toward to until go dtiacute eacute to himmar as like duine mar iacute a person like herseachas besides except seachas tusa except you

When followed by a noun gan and mar usually lenite the first consonantgo dtiacute and seachas do not Mar eclipses nouns after an the others have noeffect (apart from gender effects of an)


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Idir

Idir lsquobetweenrsquo has prepositional pronouns only in the plural

eadrainn between useadraibh between youeatarthu between them

Separate pronouns are also used with idir idir mise agus tusa lsquobetween youand mersquo Nouns after idir are not lenited when it means lsquobetweenrsquo

Taacute Droichead Aacutetha idir Baile Aacutetha Cliath agus Beacuteal FeirsteDrogheda is between Dublin and Belfast

But they are lenited when idir means lsquobothrsquo or lsquoamongrsquo

cumarsaacuteid idir dhaoine communication betweenamong peopleidir ghol agus ghaacuteire both tears and laughterBhiacute idir fhir agus mhnaacute ann Both men and women were there

Exercises

1 For each preposition below fill the blanks with the prepositionalpronouns indicated in parentheses

Do

1 Ar chuala tuacute ceacuteard a tharla _________(meacute)2 Mhuacutein seacute Fraincis mhaith ____________ (sibh)3 Rinne meacute caacuteca ______________(iad)4 Cheannaigh seacute broacutega nua ___________(muid)5 Miacuteneoidh meacute an sceacuteal ____________(thuacute)

De

6 Niacutel a fhios agam mar sin fiafroacuteidh meacute _______(sibh)7 Bain _____________ do choacuteta agus suigh siacuteos (thuacute)8 Drsquofhiafraigh siad __________________ (muid)9 Naacute fiafraigh _____________ (mise)

10 Iacuteosfaidh muid cuid ___________ seo (eacute)

Faoi

11 Taacute ______________ Ruacuteisis a fhoghlaim (muid)12 Bhiacute muid ag caint ______________ (iacute)


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13 Niacutel meacute ag raacute rud ar bith _______________ (sibh)14 Bhiacute __________________ dul a chodladh go luath (iad)15 Taacute bord moacuter ansin agus go leor rudaiacute _____________ (eacute)

Oacute

16 Cad ataacute _______________ (thuacute)17 Teastaiacuteonn beacuteile ________________ (meacute)18 Drsquoimigh a bhean _______________ (eacute)19 Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad ______________ (muid)20 Niacutel rud ar bith ag teastaacuteil _________________(iad)

2 Fill the blanks with correct form of idir + pronoun (either separate orprepositional) to match the underlined phrase

1 Bhiacute siad ag caint ____________2 Taacute droch-chuma ar Phaacutedraig Niacutel moacuteraacuten _____________ agus an

bhaacutes3 An bhfeiceann tuacute Uacutena Bheag Niacutel moacuteraacuten difriacuteocht __________

agus a mhaacutethair4 Fuair tuacute luach maith ar an gcarr a dhiacuteol tuacute do Dhonncha Bhiacute

margadh maith deacuteanta _______________5 Naacute hinis drsquoaon duine an sceacuteal a drsquoinis meacute dhuit Coinneoidh muid

________________ feacutein eacute

3 Choose the correct preposition (do de faoi oacute) for each sentence andfill in a pronoun form that refers to the underlined noun or pronoun

1 Duacuteirt Siacutele gur thug sibh cuacutenamh ____________2 Taacute na tiomaacutenaithe bus ar stailc taacute tuilleadh paacute ________________3 Beidh Colm anseo amaacuterach maacutes fiacuteor ___________ feacutein4 Duacuteirt an dochtuacuteir le Nuala nach bhfuil ag teastaacuteil _____________

ach codladh5 An bhfuil ___________ imeacht anois noacute an bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh

fanacht tamall eile6 Abair leis na gasuacuteir a mbroacutega salacha a bhaint ______________7 Bhiacute _______________ dul abhaile go luath ach mar a tharla

drsquofhan meacute8 Niacutel aithne agam ar Mhiacutecheaacutel ach chuala meacute go leor ________9 Deir Doacutenall go bhfuil airgead ag teastaacuteil ______________

10 Inis dom an raibh siad ag caint ____________11 Breathnaigh ar an leaba ansin taacute do bhroacutega _____________12 An bhfeiceann tuacute an leaba uacuted An mbainfidh tuacute an t-eacuteadach

___________


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13 Duacuteirt an fear sin gur cheannaigh tuacute deoch ________________14 Taacute meacute an-bhuiacuteoch _____ go ndearna tuacute an obair sin15 Insiacutegiacute duacuteinn an bhfuil aon rud ag teastaacuteil ___________

4 Complete the following with an appropriate prepositional pronoun formof in

1 An innealtoacuteir thuacute Niacute hea Iriseoir ataacute __________________2 An raibh sibh san Iodaacuteil an t-earrach seo caite Niacute raibh Fomhar

a bhiacute _________3 An banaltra iacute Aacuteine Niacute hea dochtuacuteir ataacute ________________4 Stop an tseafoacuteid Niacutel _____________ ach amadaacuten5 Nach bhfuil teach moacuter acu Niacutel muisrsquo Arasaacuten beag ataacute _________6 Taacute go leor airgid acu Milliuacutenaithe ataacute _______________7 An muacuteinteoir iacute Ollamh ataacute _____________8 Is maith liom Daithiacute Duine deas ataacute _______________9 Taacute sibhse go hiontach freisin An-chairde ataacute _______________

10 An bhfuil aithne agat ar Mhaacuteire Cailiacuten deas ataacute _______________

5 Answer the following questions using appropriate prepositionalpronouns

1 Nach bhfuil fuadar faoi Chitiacute2 An bhfuil toitiacuten ag teastaacuteil uaibh3 Ar thug tuacute cuacutenamh do na buachailliacute4 Nach mbainfidh sibh na broacutega diacutebh5 An bhfuil fuacutet fanacht noacute imeacht6 An bhfuil tuacute buiacuteoch de Bhreandaacuten7 An bhfuair tuacute litir oacute Mhaacuteire8 Ar tharla timpiste duit9 An raibh siad ag caint faoi do chairde

10 An dteastaiacuteonn aon rud oacute na fir uacuted

6 Translate

1 Maacuteiriacuten intends to marry a man like him2 Seacuteamas asked me but I couldnrsquot give him an answer3 I need to stop working now4 One canrsquot survive without food5 Everyone heard the story except me6 Take off your hat7 I donrsquot know what he wants8 Hersquos a farmer and shersquos a shopkeeper9 What happened to you I fell off the chair

10 Do you understand that Explain it to me please


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1 1 Ar chuala tuacute ceacuteard a tharla dom 2 Mhuacutein seacute Fraincis mhaith daoibh3 Rinne meacute caacuteca doacuteibh 4 Cheannaigh seacute broacutega nua duacuteinn 5 Miacuteneoidhmeacute an sceacuteal duit 6 Niacutel a fhios agam mar sin fiafroacuteidh meacute diacutebh 7 Baindiacuteot do choacuteta agus suigh siacuteos 8 Drsquofhiafraigh siad diacutenn eacute 9 Naacute fiafraighdiacuteomsa 10 Iacuteosfaidh muid cuid de seo 11 Taacute fuacuteinn Ruacuteisis a fhoghlaim 12 Bhiacute muid ag caint fuacuteithi 13 Niacutel meacute ag raacute rud ar bith fuacuteibh 14 Bhiacutefuacutethu dul a chodladh go luath 15 Taacute bord moacuter ansin agus go leor rudaiacutefaoi 16 Cad ataacute uait 17 Teastaiacuteonn beacuteile uaim 18 Drsquoimigh a bhean uaidh19 Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn 20 Niacutel rud ar bith ag teastaacuteil uathu

2 1 Bhiacute siad ag caint eatarthu 2 Taacute droch-chuma ar Phaacutedraig Niacutel moacuteraacutenidir eacute agus an bhaacutes 3 An bhfeiceann tuacute Uacutena Bheag Niacutel moacuteraacuten difriacuteochtidir iacute agus a maacutethair 4 Fuair tuacute luach maith ar an gcarr a dhiacuteol tuacute doDhonncha Bhiacute margadh maith deacuteanta eadraibh 5 Naacute hinis drsquoaon duinean sceacuteal a drsquoinis meacute dhuit Coinneoidh muid eadrainn feacutein eacute

3 1 Duacuteirt Siacutele gur thug sibh cuacutenamh di 2 Taacute na tiomaacutenaithe bus ar stailctaacute tuilleadh paacute uathu 3 Beidh Colm anseo amaacuterach maacutes fiacuteor doacute feacutein 4 Duacuteirt an dochtuacuteir le Nuala nach bhfuil ag teastaacuteil uaithi ach codladh5 An bhfuil fuacutet (or uait) imeacht anois noacute an bhfuil tuacute ag iarraidh fanachttamall eile 6 Abair leis na gasuacuteir a mbroacutega salacha a bhaint diacuteobh 7 Bhiacute fuacutem (or uaim) dul abhaile go luath ach mar a tharla drsquofhan meacute8 Niacutel aithne agam ar Mhiacutecheaacutel ach chuala meacute go leor faoi 9 Deir Doacutenallgo bhfuil airgead ag teastaacuteil uaidh 10 Inis dom an raibh siad ag caintfuacutem 11 Breathnaigh leaba ansin taacute do bhroacutega fuacuteithi 12 An bhfeiceanntuacute an leaba uacuted An mbainfidh tuacute an t-eacuteadach di 13 Duacuteirt an fear sin gurcheannaigh tuacute deoch doacute 14 Taacute meacute an-bhuiacuteoch diacuteot go ndearna tuacute an obairsin 15 Insiacutegiacute duacuteinn an bhfuil aon rud ag teastaacuteil uaibh

4 1 An innealtoacuteir thuacute Niacute hea Iriseoir ataacute ionam 2 An raibh sibh san Iodaacuteilan t-earrach seo caite Niacute raibh Foacutemhar a bhiacute ann 3 An banaltra iacute AacuteineNiacute hea dochtuacuteir ataacute inti 4 Stop an tseafoacuteid Niacutel ionat ach amadaacuten 5 Nach bhfuil teach moacuter acu Niacutel muisrsquo Aacuterasaacuten beag ataacute ann 6 Taacute goleor airgid acu Milliuacutenaithe ataacute iontu 7 An muacuteinteoir iacute Ollamh ataacute inti8 Is maith liom Daithiacute Duine deas ataacute ann 9 Taacute sibhse go hiontach freisinAn-chairde ataacute ionaibh 10 An bhfuil aithne agat ar Mhaacuteire Cailiacuten deasataacute inti

5 1 Taacute (OR Niacutel) fuadar fuacuteithi 2 Taacute (OR Niacutel) toitiacuten ag teastaacuteil uainn 3 Thug(Niacuteor thug) meacute cuacutenamh doacuteibh 4 Bainfidh (Niacute bhainfidh) muid na broacutegadiacutenn 5 Taacute fuacutem fanacht (OR imeacht) 6 Taacute (OR Niacutel) meacute buiacuteoch de 7 Fuair (Niacute bhfuair) meacute litir uaithi 8 Tharla (Niacuteor tharla) timpiste dom


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9 Bhiacute (Niacute raibh) siad ag caint fuacutethu 10 Teastaiacuteonn (Niacute theastaiacuteonn) ruduathu

6 1 Taacute faoi Mhaacuteiriacuten fear mar eacute a phoacutesadh 2 Drsquofhiafraigh Seacuteamas diacuteom achniacute raibh meacute in ann freagra a thabhairt doacute 3 Teastaiacuteonn uaim (or taacute uaim)stopadh ag obair anois 4 Niacute feacuteidir maireachtaacuteil gan bhia 5 Chuala gachduine (rsquochuile dhuine) an sceacuteal seachas mise 6 Bain diacuteot do hata 7 Niacutela fhios agam ceacuteard ataacute uaidh 8 Feirmeoir ataacute ann agus siopadoacuteir ataacute inti9 Cad a tharla duit Thit meacute den chathaoir 10 An dtuigeann tuacute eacute sinMiacutenigh dom eacute maacutes eacute do thoil eacute


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UNIT TWENTY-FOURPossession and ownership

Irish has no verb lsquoto haversquo nor one meaning lsquoto ownrsquo These concepts are expressed idiomatically using some of the prepositions introduced inUnit 9 These structures and some idioms based on them will be introducedin this unit

lsquoTo haversquo

Possession is expressed with the verb biacute lsquobersquo and the preposition ag lsquoatrsquo Thething possessed is the subject and the possessor is the object of ag

Taacute teach moacuter ag Cathal Cathal has a big houseNiacutel paacuteistiacute ag Aacuteine Aacuteine has no childrenTaacute carr nua ag an ngreacuteasaiacute The shoemaker has a new carBhiacute saoire mhaith againn We had a good holiday

If the possessor is a pronoun the conjugated form is used as in the lastexample With nouns the same mutations conditioned by ag + an apply aswhen ag means lsquoatrsquo In general when the subject of biacute refers to an inanimateobject and the object of ag is human the sentence will most likely beinterpreted as meaning lsquohaversquo although the possessee can occasionally alsobe human as in the second example above

lsquoTo ownrsquo

Permanent ownership is expressed with is and the preposition le lsquowithrsquo

Is le mo mhaacutethair an carr sin That car is my motherrsquosMy motherowns that car

Is liomsa an leabhar sin Thatrsquos my bookI own that bookCeacute leis an coacuteta Who owns the coatWhose coat is that

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In this usage the thing owned comes last and is always a specific individualitem generally so identified by the use of an lsquothersquo Ownership of non-specific items ie indefinite nouns is expressed by the biacute ag construction

Niacutel carr ar bith agam I donrsquot ownhave a car at allTaacute triacute theach ag mo dheirfiuacuter My sister ownshas three houses

Idiomatic structures

The ownership structure with le is also used to signal family relationshipsLe can be used to indicate the person who bears a particular relationshipto some individual

Ceacute hiacute an cailiacuten sin Who is that girlIniacuteon le Tony Choiliacuten iacute Shersquos a daughter of Tony ChoiliacutenrsquosIs uncail liom eacute Hersquos my unclean uncle of mine

It is also common to ask onersquos family connections with the question

Ceacute leis thuacute What family are you from (lit Who do you belong to)

Family resemblance is also expressed with le

Taacute seacute cosuacuteil lena athair He resemblestakes after his father

Idioms using the lsquohaversquo construction with biacute ag are much morecommon Frequently possession of skills and intellectual information isexpressed this way

Taacute Gaeilge mhaith agat You speak (lit have) good IrishTaacute neart cainte ag Briacuted Briacuted talks a lot (has lots of talk)Taacute a fhios agam eacute I know it (have its knowledge)An bhfuil snaacutemh aige Can he swim (Does he have swimming)Taacute ceol aici She can play musicTaacute ciall aige He has sense (is sensible)Taacute an ceart agat You are rightTaacute suacuteil agam I hope (lit have an eye)

Another useful idiom based on suacuteil uses the preposition le suacuteil functionsas a verbal noun (see Unit 20) with the meaning lsquoexpectrsquo or lsquolook forwardtorsquo

Taacute meacute ag suacuteil leis Irsquom expecting himit Irsquom looking forward to it

194 Unit 24 Possession and ownership

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As in many European languages certain emotions and physical states(being cold sick hungry etc) are expressed in Irish with a structure meaninglsquohaversquo plus a noun referring to the state (hunger illness etc) Many of theseuse the preposition ar rather than ag

Taacute aacutethas orm I am happy (lit have joy on me)Taacute broacuten orm I am sad (have sadness)Taacute aifeacuteala orm I am sorry (have regret)Taacute fearg orm I am angry (have anger)Taacute imniacute orm I am worried (have worry)Taacute ocras orm I am hungry (have hunger)Taacute tart orm I am thirsty (have thirst)Taacute slaghdaacuten orm I have a coldTaacute tinneas cinn orm I have a headacheTaacute codladh orm I am sleepy (have sleeping)Taacute deifir orm I am in a hurry (have hurry)Taacute iontas orm I am surprised (have surprisewonder)Taacute naacuteire orm Irsquom embarrassed ashamed (have shame)

Because the words indicating emotions and states are nouns not adjectivesintensity is expressed by the adjective moacuter lsquobig greatrsquo or by quantifiers likego leor neart

Taacute tart moacuter orm I am very thirsty (have a great thirst)Taacute imniacute moacuter orm I am really worried (have a great worry)Taacute neart naacuteire orm I am very ashamed (have plenty of shame)

The intensifier an- can be prefixed to nouns as an alternative

Taacute an-ocras orm Irsquom very hungry

Some idioms use both ag and ar the latter indicating what the feeling isabout

Taacute meas agam air I have respect for himTaacute cion agam ar Briacuted Irsquom fond of Briacuted (have affection for)Taacute an ghraacutein agam ar iasc I hate fish

Similarly though not an emotion

Niacutel neart agam air I canrsquot help it (lit havenrsquot strength on it)

Other idioms use either ag or ar and another preposition often le butsometimes others


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Taacute foighde agat leis na paacuteistiacute You are patient with the childrenTaacute eacutead ar Bhriacuted le Maacuteire Briacuted is jealous of MaacuteireTaacute faitiacuteos orm roimh mhadraiacute Irsquom afraid of dogs (have fear before)

Sometimes an adjective structure may alternate with a lsquohaversquo + noun idiompossibly but not necessarily similar in form In the examples below bothforms of expression are commonly heard

Taacute tuirse orm Taacute meacute tuirseach I am tiredTaacute tinneas orm Taacute meacute tinn I am sickTaacute olc orm Taacute meacute cantalach I am cranky cross

For many of the idioms above however adjective forms even if they existare rarely used The idioms listed are the best way to talk about these feelings

lsquoKnowingrsquo

The possession of knowledge is expressed by the lsquohaversquo idiom as well Acomplication in Irish comes from the fact that there are three different waysof referring to knowledge depending on the kind intended Fios refers tofactual knowledge

Taacute a fhios agam ceacute heacute I know who he isAn bhfuil a fhios agat go bhfuil siacute tinn Do you know that she is sickTaacute a fhios agam an aacuteit I know the place (ie I know

where the place is what placeis being spoken of)

In this usage fios is always possessed a fhios lsquoits knowledgersquo Without thepossessive marker there is an implication of supernatural knowledge (egof the future)

For acquaintanceship with a person aithne is used

An bhfuil aithne agat ar an bhfear sin Do you know that manTaacute aithne mhaith agam ar Sheaacuten I know Seaacuten wellTaacute aithne shuacutel agam air I know him to see (have

eye-acquaintance)

Eolas is academic knowledge and is also used for a body of information

Taacute eolas aige ar an litriacuteocht He knows literatureAn bhfuil eolas agaibh faoi Do you have information chuacutersaiacute Gaeilge about Irish coursesNiacutel eolas agam ar an gceimic I donrsquot know about chemistry


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Finally as noted earlier the simple lsquohaversquo construction can be used forknowledge of a skill or something for performance

Taacute Fraincis aici She knows FrenchTaacute an sceacuteal sin agam I know that story (to tell)Taacute lsquoAn Droighneaacuten Donnrsquo aici She knows lsquoAn Droighneaacuten

Donnrsquo (a song)

Exercises

1 Review the prepositional pronouns by filling in the blank with the correctpronoun form of the preposition given

Eg Ag Taacute a fhios againn (muid)

Ag

1 Taacute coacuteta ______________ (meacute)2 Taacute ciall __________ (iacute)3 Taacute foighde _____________ (muid)4 Taacute ceol ___________ (eacute)5 Taacute an ceart _________ (tuacute)6 Taacute Spaacuteinnis __________ (iad)7 Taacute aithne__________ air (muid)8 Niacutel aon neart____________ air (sibh)9 Taacute airgead ____________ (iacute feacutein)

10 Taacute carr ____________ (eacute)

Ar

11 Taacute aacutethas _____________ (meacute)12 Taacute deifir _____________(tuacute)13 Taacute broacuten ______________ (iad)14 Taacute cluacute ______________ (sibh)15 Taacute fearg _____________ (muid)16 Taacute imniacute_______________ (eacute)17 Taacute tart _________________ (meacute)18 An bhfuil ocras ________________ (tuacute)19 Taacute naacuteire _______________ (iad feacutein)20 Ceacuteard ataacute _________________ (iacute)

Le

21 Is deirfiuacuter _____________iacute (eacute)22 Beidh muid ag suacuteil ______________ (sibh)


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23 Taacute muid ag suacuteil ____________ (iad)24 Is aintiacuten ______________ iacute (muid)25 An iacute sin drsquoiniacuteon Taacute siacute an-chosuacuteil _____________ (tuacute)26 Ceacute leis an deoch seo Niacute ______________ eacute (mise)27 Beidh feacuteile moacuter anseo ag an deireadh seachtaine taacute muid ag suacuteil

go moacuter ______ (iacute)28 Taacute aithne agam ar mhuintir Mhic Dhonncha An ___________ sin

tuacute (iad)29 Niacutel foighid agam __________________ (sibh)30 An bhfuil aithne agat ar Bhrian Is mac ____________ an

buachaill sin (eacute)

2 Translate using the form of lsquoknowrsquo appropriate to the situation

1 Sheila knew my cousin2 Do you know Russian3 Doctors have knowledge about the heart4 I donrsquot know what we should do5 She knows nothing about chemistry6 We know Dublin well7 Do you know Briacuted8 Does anyone know that song9 Do you know where Maireacutead lives

10 He doesnrsquot know how to swim11 I know what you did12 She knows everybody in town and what theyrsquore up to

3 Fill the blanks with prepositional pronouns corresponding to theunderlined words Choose the preposition appropriate to each idiom

1 Deir sibh go bhfuil eacutead ____________ le Peadar ach ceacuten faacuteth2 Siacutelim go bhfuil slaghdaacuten ____________3 Duacuteirt siad go raibh moill _______________4 Niacute aithniacutem an cailiacuten uacuted ceacute ___________ iacute5 Taacute sibh tuirseach an bhfuil ocras ____________ chomh maith6 Taacute seacute deacair foighde a bheith againn ____________ nuair a

bhiacuteonn sibh daacutena7 Buailfimid le cheacuteile amaacuterach agus beidh deoch _____________8 Niacute ithim feoil riamh Taacute an ghraacutein agam ________________9 Deir Mattias go bhfuil cion _________ ar Shorcha ach niacute chreidim

eacute10 Fanaigiacute ansin agus biacuteodh foighde _______________11 A Bhriacuted an bhfuil deifir ________12 Niacuteor fhan na mnaacute roacutedheireanach bhiacute ciall ____________


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13 Deir Peige go bhfuil suacuteil __________ nach mbeidh baacuteisteach annamaacuterach

14 Deir Maacuteirtiacuten go bhfuil fearg __________ leis na gasuacuteir15 Niacutel Bairbre ag dul ag marcaiacuteocht mar taacute faitiacuteos _____________

roimh chapaill16 Taacute muid ag dul chuig an teach oacutesta taacute tart ___________________17 Niacutel dearthaacuteir ar bith ag Eibhliacuten ach taacute seisear deirfiuacuter

_____________18 Taacute Aoife go deas taacute meas moacuter againn ______________19 Labhraiacuteonn siad Ruacuteisis taacute go leor teangacha _________________20 Taacute aithne mhaith agam ar an sagart is uncail ______________ eacute

4 Complete the following using an appropriate idiom with ar or agattribute the feeling to the individual referred to by the underlined noun

1 Taacute na gasuacuteir ag ithe bricfeasta mhoacuteir taacute__________ ____________inniu

2 Taacute cat Sheaacuteiniacuten marbh agus taacute ___________ __________ mar gheallair sin

3 Beidh Maacuteiriacuten ag poacutesadh amaacuterach taacute _________ ________ gombeidh an laacute go breaacute

4 Taacute Briacuted ag rith an bhfuil ______________ _______________5 Rinne seacute rudaiacute a bhiacute uafaacutesach ba cheart go mbeadh ___________

__________6 Nuair a bhiacute meacute oacuteg bhiacute ___________ ____________ roimh mhadraiacute

moacutera ach anois is maith liom iad7 Beidh Maacuteire ag casadh amhraacutein anocht taacute ____________iontach

_____________8 Bhiacute meacute deireanach mar gheall ar an mbus bhiacute __________

_______________9 Ba cheart duit ldquogabh mo leithsceacutealrdquo a raacute nuair a bhiacuteonn

__________ __________10 Taacute muid an-saacutesta ar fad go bhfuil an laacute go breaacute taacute __________

____________ go bhfuil an samhradh ag teacht

5 Answer the questions with full sentences using an appropriateprepositional pronoun

1 An bhfuil tuacute ag eacuteisteacht liom2 An bhfuil clann ag Briacuted agus Maacuteirtiacuten3 An bhfuil slaghdaacuten ort4 An bhfuil suacuteil agaibh go mbuailfidh sibh le bhur gcairde5 An bhfanfaidh tuacute le do mhuintir6 An bhfuil oraibh imeacht chomh luath sin


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7 An bhfuil aifeacuteala ar na paacuteistiacute8 Ceacuteard ataacute ar Phaacutedraig9 An bhfuil an t-am againn le haghaidh deoch eile

10 An bhfuil teangacha eile ag Tomaacutes11 An dtaithniacuteonn uacutella libh12 An mbreathnaiacuteonn tuacute ar an gclaacuter sin13 An bhfuil deifir ar Ghraacuteinne14 An bhfuil tuacute ag fanacht le do mhaacutethair15 An leatsa an carr sin


1 1 Taacute coacuteta agam 2 Taacute ciall aici 3 Taacute foighde againn 4 Taacute ceol aige 5 Taacutean ceart agat 6 Taacute Spaacuteinnis acu 7 Taacute aithne againn air 8 Niacutel aon neartagaibh air 9 Taacute airgead aici feacutein 10 Taacute carr aige 11 Taacute aacutethas orm 12 Taacute deifir ort 13 Taacute broacuten orthu 14 Taacute cluacute oraibh 15 Taacute fearg orainn16 Taacute imniacute air 17 Taacute tart orm 18 An bhfuil ocras ort 19 Taacute naacuteire orthufeacutein 20 Ceacuteard ataacute uirthi 21 Is deirfiuacuter leis iacute 22 Beidh muid ag suacuteil libh23 Taacute muid ag suacuteil leo 24 Is aintiacuten linn iacute 25 An iacute sin drsquoiniacuteon Taacute siacute an-chosuacuteil leat 26 Ceacute leis an deoch seo Niacute liomsa eacute 27 Beidh feacuteile moacuteranseo ag an deireadh seachtaine taacute muid ag suacuteil go moacuter leacutei 28 Taacute aithneagam ar mhuintir Mhic Dhonncha An leo sin tuacute 29 Niacutel foighde agamlibh 30 An bhfuil aithne agat le Brian Is mac leis an buachaill sin

2 1 Bhiacute aithne ag Siacutele ar mo chol ceathar 2 An bhfuil Ruacuteisis agat 3 Taacuteeolas ag dochtuacuteiriacute ar an gcroiacute 4 Niacutel a fhios agam ceacuteard is ceart duacuteinn adheacuteanamh 5 Niacutel aon eolas (ar bith) aici ar an gceimic 6 Taacute eolas maithagainn ar Bhaile Aacutetha Cliath 7 An bhfuil aithne agat ar Bhriacuted 8 Anbhfuil an t-amhraacuten sin ag duine ar bith 9 An bhfuil a fhios agat caacute bhfuilMaacuteireacutead ina coacutenaiacute 10 Niacutel snaacutemh aige 11 Taacute a fhios agam ceacuteard a rinnetuacute 12 Taacute aithne aice ar gach duine ar an mbaile agus taacute a fhios aici ceacuteardataacute ar siuacutel acu

3 1 Deir sibh go bhfuil eacutead oraibh le Peadar ach ceacuten faacuteth 2 Siacutelim go bhfuilslaghdaacuten orm 3 Duacuteirt siad go raibh moill orthu 4 Niacute aithniacutem an cailiacutenuacuted ceacute leis iacute 5 Taacute sibh tuirseach an bhfuil ocras oraibh chomh maith 6 Taacute seacute deacair foighde a bheith againn libh nuair a bhiacuteonn sibh daacutena7 Buailfimid le cheacuteile amaacuterach agus beidh deoch againn 8 Niacute ithim feoilriamh Taacute an ghraacutein agam uirthi 9 Deir Mattias go bhfuil cion aige arShorcha ach niacute chreidim eacute 10 Fanaigiacute ansin agus biacuteodh foighde agaibh11 A Bhriacuted an bhfuil deifir ort 12 Niacuteor fhan na mnaacute ro-dheireanach bhiacuteciall acu 13 Deir Peige go bhfuil suacuteil aici nach mbeidh baacuteisteach annamaacuterach 14 Deir Maacuteirtiacuten go bhfuil fearg air leis na paacuteistiacute 15 Niacutel Bairbre


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ag dul ag marcaiacuteocht mar taacute faitiacuteos uirthi roimh chapaill 16 Taacute muid agdul ag an teach oacutesta taacute tart orainn 17 Niacutel dearthaacuteir ar bith ag Eibhliacutenach taacute seisear deirfiuacuteracha aici 18 Taacute Aoife go deas taacute meas moacuter againnuirthi 19 Labhraiacuteonn siad Ruacuteisis taacute go leor teangacha acu 20 Taacute aithnemhaith agam ar an sagart is uncail liom eacute

4 1 Taacute na gasuacuteir ag ithe bricfeasta mhoacuteir taacute ocras orthu inniu 2 Taacute catSheaacuteiniacuten marbh agus taacute broacuten air mar gheall air sin 3 Beidh Maacuteiriacuten agpoacutesadh amaacuterach taacute suacuteil aici go mbeidh an laacute go breaacute 4 Taacute Briacuted ag rithan bhfuil deifir uirthi (or moill uirthi) 5 Rinne seacute rudaiacute a bhiacute uafaacutesachba cheart go mbeadh naacuteire air 6 Nuair a bhiacute meacute oacuteg bhiacute faitiacuteos orm roimhmadraiacute moacutera ach anois is maith liom iad 7 Beidh Maacuteire ag casadhamhraacutein anocht taacute ceol iontach aici 8 Bhiacute meacute deireanach mar gheall aran mbus bhiacute moill uirthi 9 Ba cheart duit ldquogabh mo leithsceacutealrdquo a raacute nuaira bhiacuteonn aifeacuteala ort 10 Taacute muid an-saacutesta ar fad go bhfuil an laacute go breaacutetaacute aacutethas orainn go bhfuil an samhradh ag teacht

5 1 Taacute [or Niacutel] meacute ag eacuteisteacht leat 2 TaacuteNiacutel clann acu 3 TaacuteNiacutel slaghdaacutenorm 4 TaacuteNiacutel suacuteil againn go mbuailfidh muid leo 5 FanfaidhNiacute fhanfaidhmeacute leo 6 TaacuteNiacutel orainn imeacht chomh luath sin 7 TaacuteNiacutel aifeacuteala orthu8 Niacutel rud ar bith air [or Niacutel a fhios agam ceacuteard ataacute air etc] 9 TaacuteNiacutel ant-am againn [or agaibh] le haghaidh deoch eile 10 TaacuteNiacutel teangacha eileaige 11 TaitniacuteonnNiacute thaitniacuteonn uacutella linn 12 BreathnaiacutemNiacute bhreathnaiacutemair 13 TaacuteNiacutel deifir uirthi 14 TaacuteNiacutel meacute ag fanacht leacutei 15 IsNiacute liom eacute


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UNIT TWENTY-FIVEVerbal adjectives and the present perfect

The Irish verbal adjective corresponds to the English past participle Everyverb (except biacute) has such a form which may be used both as an adjectiveand as a verb

Verbal adjective formation

The form of verbal adjectives is much simpler than that of verbal nounsMost first conjugation verbs simply add -ta or -te depending on finalconsonant quality to the imperative stem dropping a final gh Final t or this also dropped before the -te ending

casta twisted turned briste brokenmolta recommended praised saacutebhaacuteilte savedduacutenta closed caillte lostoacutelta drunk nite washedscriosta destroyed leacuteite readgoidte stolen tite fallen

Verbs ending in b c g m p r add -thathe

iacuteoctha paid cumtha composedfaacutegtha left tuigthe understoodgearrtha cut scuabtha swept

Mh and bh combine with th as f scriacuteofa lsquowrittenrsquoThe ending for second conjugation verbs ending in -igh is also -the again

gh is dropped Verbs of this class ending in a consonant usually add -te or-the depending on the consonant

ceannaithe bought ceangailte tiedeacuteirithe risen oscailte opened

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tosaithe begun eitilte flownimithe gone tarraingthe pulled

Some verbs of both classes broaden a final stem consonant and add -tatha

cuir curtha putsiuacuteil siuacutelta walkedlabhair labhartha spokenimir imeartha played

Most irregular verbs form their verbal adjectives according to the samepatterns

-tate -thathe

deacuteanta done tagtha comecloistecluinte heard feicthe seenfaighte gotten found beirthe borne carriedite eaten

The others add regular suffixes to irregular stems Verbal adjectives of teacuteighand abair are formed from the verbal noun and tabhair from the presentpaststem

dulta goneraacuteite saidtugtha given

Adjective functions

Verbal adjectives may be used exactly like any other descriptive adjectiveThey may be predicates or modifiers in a phrase with a noun in which casethey are lenited when they modify a feminine noun Because they all endin a vowel there is no separate plural form

Taacute an fhuinneog briste The window is brokenan fhuinneog bhriste the broken windowTaacute an balla peacuteinteaacuteilte The wall is paintedan balla peacuteinteaacuteilte the painted wallTaacute siacute poacutesta She is marriedbean phoacutesta a married woman

Some verbs lend themselves to simple adjective interpretations better thanothers but in principle any verbal adjective can be used this way given the

204 Unit 25 Verbal adjectives and the present perfect

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right context Adjectival uses may have specialized meanings as when castalsquotwistedrsquo is used to mean lsquocomplexrsquo or lsquocomplicatedrsquo

Taacute an cheist sin casta That question is complexan cheist chasta the complex question

Verb functions

With biacute as an auxiliary verb and an ag phrase to mark the actor verbaladjectives have verbal force similar in meaning to the English perfecttenses

Taacute an carr diacuteolta aige He has sold the car

Bhiacute beacuteile moacuter ite againn We had eaten a big meal

Taacute cuid den leabhar leacuteite agam I have read part of the book

Taacute litir scriacuteofa agam I have written a letterI have aletter written

Beidh an obair deacuteanta agam Irsquoll have the work done amaacuterach tomorrow

Taacute na paacuteistiacute millte aici She has spoiled the children

Emphasis here is on the accomplishment of an action or on the resultingstate (eg completion of work or the character of the spoiled children) morethan the action itself These sentences also emphasize the recency of theaction in this they are similar in meaning to verbal nouns introduced bylsquoafterrsquo

Bhiacute muid tar eacuteis beacuteile moacuter a ithe We had (just) eaten a big mealTaacute seacute tar eacuteis an carr a dhiacuteol Hersquos (just) sold the car

Verbal adjectives are used rather less often than lsquoafterrsquo sentences in mostdialects although they have been growing in frequency They also donrsquothave the same range of uses as English present-perfect forms and tend tobe avoided in questions and negatives in favor of simple tenses

Niacute dhearna meacute an obair foacutes I havenrsquot done the work yetAn bhfaca tuacute an scannaacuten sin Have you seen that movie

When the agent who performs the action isnrsquot mentioned the Irishperfect is often translated as an English passive but this function issecondary the state resulting from the action of the verb is whatrsquos important


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Taacute an feacutear saacutebhaacuteilte The hay has been saved (harvested)Taacute an obair criacuteochnaithe The work has been (is) finishedTaacute an seanbhalla leagtha The old wall has been knocked downTaacute baacuteisteach geallta Rain is forecast (lit promised)

Perfect forms of intransitive verbs (only one participant) are also foundespecially with motion verbs

Taacute seacute imithe abhaile Hersquos gone homeTaacute an geimhreadh tagtha Winter has come

Three prefixes

Three prefixes can be added to verbal adjectives to create new compoundadjectives so- lsquoeasily donersquo do- lsquoimpossible (or very difficult) to dorsquo andin- lsquopossiblersquo Each lenites the first consonant where possible A hyphenseparates two vowels or identical consonants

Taacute seacute dodheacuteanta Itrsquos impossiblevery difficultTaacute seacute indeacuteanta Itrsquos doablefeasibleTaacute seacute sodheacuteanta Itrsquos easy to do

The meanings given by so- and in- are often quite similar Something easilydone may translate as lsquodoablersquo In some cases however meanings aredistinct sothuighte lsquounderstandablersquo but intuigthe lsquoimpliedrsquo

Exercises

1 Give the verbal adjective form for each of the following verbs

1 bailigh 16 bris2 faacuteg 17 aontaigh3 rith 18 bruith4 scar 19 imir5 faacutes 20 eacuteist6 iacuteoc 21 snaacutemh7 oscail 22 muacutein8 duacuten 23 geall9 reacuteitigh 24 fill

10 gearr 25 poacuteg11 foghlaim 26 cimil12 lobh 27 goid13 glan 28 siacuten14 bain 29 aistrigh15 tosaigh 30 feic


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2 Identify an idiomatic translation of the following verbal adjective formsbased on their use in context

1 Taacute siad geallta oacuten Nollaig poacutesfaidh siad an samhradh seochugainn (geall lsquopromisersquo)

2 An feacuteidir linn bualadh le cheacuteile an tseachtain seo chugainn Taacute meacutegafa inniu (gabh lsquotake catchrsquo)

3 Niacute croithfidh meacute laacutemh leat anois bhiacute meacute ag obair sa ghairdiacuten agustaacute mo laacutemha lofa (lobh lsquorotrsquo)

4 Niacute feacuteidir le paacuteistiacute dul isteach ansin taacute cead isteach ag daoine faacutestaamhaacutein(faacutes lsquogrowrsquo)

5 Bhiacute seacute caochta nuair a thaacuteinig seacute abhaile oacuten teach oacutesta (caochlsquoblindrsquo)

6 Taacute an bhean sin drochmhuacuteinte niacute duacuteirt siacute lsquomaacutes eacute do thoil eacutersquo naacute lsquogoraibh maith agatrsquo (muacutein lsquoteachrsquo)

3 Change the following sentences to ones with a verbal adjective followingthe model given

Bhiacute Brid ag deacuteanamh tae rarr Taacute an tae deacuteanta aici anoisBhiacute Briacuted ag imeacht rarr Taacute siacute imithe anois

1 Bhiacute na buachailliacute ag briseadh fuinneog2 Bhiacute na gadaithe ag goid carranna3 Bhiacute meacute ag scriacuteobh litreach chuig mo mhuintir4 Bhiacute Maime ag reacuteiteach beacuteile5 Bhiacute tuacute ag niacute soithiacute6 Bhiacute na fataiacute ag bruith7 Bhiacute Maacuteirtiacuten ag insint sceacutealta8 Bhiacute Seaacuten ag liacuteonadh mo ghloine9 Bhiacute gach duine ag imeacht

10 Bhiacute muid ag bailiuacute airgid11 Bhiacute na siopadoacuteiriacute ag duacutenadh na siopaiacute12 Bhiacute an bheirt sin ag scaradh oacutena cheacuteile13 Bhiacute meacute ag leacuteamh leabhar suimiuacuteil14 Bhiacute muid ag ithe aacuter ndinneacuteir15 Bhiacute Maacuteire ag scuabadh an urlaacuteir

4 Translate

1 The leaves have fallen2 The door is opened3 All the sheep were lost4 The game is won


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5 They were all here but most of them are gone now6 This food is rotten7 The clothes will be washed soon8 The new house is built out of wood9 I want a drink but Irsquove spent all my money

10 Have you finished your work yet11 The mass has already been said12 This dress is ruined

5 Paraphrase the following sentences using an expression with one of theprefixes do- so- or in- Eg Taacute seacute furasta an seomra a ghlanadh rarr Taacutean seomra soghlanta

1 Niacute feacuteidir an leabhar sin a leacuteamh2 Taacute seacute furasta an obair sin a dheacuteanamh3 An feacuteidir an t-uisce a oacutel4 Niacute feacuteidir na sleacuteibhte a fheiceaacuteil (mar gheall ar an gceo)5 Taacute seacute furasta Fraincis a labhairt6 Taacute seacute fiacuteordheacair an mhoacutein a bhaint7 Niacute feacuteidir an sceacuteal sin a chreidiuacuteint8 Is feacuteidir an siacuteol sin a chur9 Taacute seacute furasta an bharuacuteil sin a thuiscint

10 Niacute feacuteidir Donncha a athruacute11 Is feacuteidir an foireann seo agaibh a bhualadh go heacuteasca12 Beidh seacute furasta an carr sin a diacuteol13 Niacute feacuteidir eacute sin a mhiacuteniuacute14 Is furasta iad a scaradh oacute cheacuteile15 Niacute feacuteidir an tine sin a mhuacutechadh

6 1 Using the prefixes from this lesson make Irish words for thefollowing

edible legible illegible unbreakable fragile incredibleunobtainable inevitable recognizable feasible forgivablenavigable

2 Give one-word English translations of the following

inghlactha soghluaiste iniacuteoctha somheallta sobhuailtedo-oacutelta sofheicthe inlasta do-aistrithe sochreidte


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1 1 bailithe 2 faacutegtha 3 rite 4 scartha 5 faacutesta 6 iacuteoctha 7 oscailte 8 duacutenta9 reacuteitithe 10 gearrtha 11 foghlamtha 12 lofa 13 glanta 14 bainte 15 tosaithe 16 briste 17 aontaithe 18 bruite 19 imeartha 20 eacuteiste 21 snaacutefa 22 muacuteinte 23 geallta 24 fillte 25 poacutegtha 26 cimilte 27 goidte28 siacutente 29 aistrithe 30 feicthe

2 1 engaged 2 very busy 3 filthy 4 adults 5 drunk 6 impolite rude bad-mannered

3 1 Taacute na fuinneoga briste acu 2 Taacute na carranna goidte acu 3 Taacute an litirscriacuteofa agam 4 Taacute an beacuteile reacuteithithe aici 5 Taacute na soithiacute nite agat 6 Taacutena fataiacute bruite 7 Taacute na sceacutealta inste aige 8 Taacute mo ghloine liacuteonta aige 9 Taacute gach duine imithe 10 Taacute an t-airgead bailithe againn 11 Taacute na siopaiacuteduacutenta acu 12 Taacute an bheirt acu scartha oacutena cheacuteile 13 Taacute an leabhar leacuteiteagam 14 Taacute aacuter ndinneacutear ite againn 15 Taacute an t-urlaacuter scuabtha aici

4 1 Taacute na duilleoga tite 2 Taacute an doras oscailte 3 Bhiacute na caoirigh go leacuteircaillte 4 Taacute an cluiche buaite 5 Bhiacute siad uilig anseo ach taacute an chuid ismoacute acu imithe anois 6 Taacute an bia seo lofa 7 Beidh na heacuteadaiacute nite gogairid 8 Taacute an teach nua toacutegtha as adhmad 9 Taacute deoch uaim ach taacute mochuid airgid caite agam 10 An bhfuil do chuid oibre criacuteochnaithe agatfoacutes 11 Taacute an t-aifreann raacuteite cheana 12 Taacute an guacutena seo millte

5 1 Taacute an leabhar doleacuteite 2 Taacute an obair sin sodheacuteanta 3 An bhfuil an t-uisce inoacutelta 4 Taacute na sleacuteibhte dofheicthe (mar gheall ar an gceo) 5 Taacutean Fhraincis solabhartha 6 Taacute mhoacutein do-bhainte 7 Taacute an sceacuteal sindochreidte 8 Taacute an siacuteol sin inchurtha 9 Taacute an bharuacuteil sin sothuigthe 10 Taacute Donncha do-athraithe 11 Taacute an foireann seo agaibh sobhuailte12 Beidh an carr sin sodhiacuteolta 13 Taacute seacute sin domhiacutenithe 14 Taacute siadsoscartha 15 Taacute an tine sin domhuacutechta

6 1 inite inleacuteite doleacuteite dobhriste sobhriste dothuigthe dofhaightedosheachanta inaitheanta indeacuteanta inmhaite inseolta 2 acceptablemovable payable gullible vulnerable undrinkable visible flammableuntranslatable credible


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IRISHndashENGLISH AND ENGLISHndashIRISH GLOSSARIES

A note on the vocabulary lists

The vocabulary lists that follow are not exhaustive They include only wordsused in examples and exercises of this book A few grammatical particlesare omitted as are most names obvious loanwords and closed classes ofwords which can be found together in particular lessons eg possessivepronouns prepositional pronouns and numbers The only definitions givenfor a word are those relevant to the examples in the book but it should benoted that many words also have other uses than those given here The verbsare presented in their imperative form with the verbal noun (VN) inparentheses Only the suffix is shown if it can be added directly to theimperative stem or to the stem minus a final -igh but the entire VN isprovided in all other cases Irregular forms of verbs are listed separatelyfor each irregular tense stem with dependent forms in parentheses Nounsare given in the common singular form found in dictionaries with the pluralin parentheses Plural suffixes are added directly to the noun with omissionof a final e when the suffix is -iacute and a final -ach when the suffix is -aighIrregular plural forms including any with changes of vowel or consonantare given in their entirety

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IrishndashEnglish glossary

abair (raacute) sayaacutebalta ableabhaile homewardabhainn (aibhneacha) f riverach oiread neither either (in negative sentences)acht (-anna) act lawadhmad (adhmaid) woodag at byagus andaifeacuteala regretaifreann (aifrinn) massaimsir weatherainm (-neacha) nameaintiacuten (-iacute) f auntaird f attention noticeairgead money silverairigh (-eachtaacuteil) feel perceiveaacuteirigh (-eamh) count reckonaacuteirithe a certain particularaiste (-iacute) f essayaisteach strange oddaisteoir (-iacute) actoraistrigh (-i)(uacute) translate transferaacuteit (-eanna) f placeait odd strangeaithin (-t) recognizeaithne acquaintance recognitionaithris imitationaacutelainn beautifulAlbain Scotlandam (-anna) timeamach out(ward)amadaacuten (amadaacutein) foolamaacuterach tomorrowamchlaacuter (amchlaacuteir) timetable scheduleamhaacutein oneamharclann (-a) f theatreamhraacuten (amhraacutein) songamhraacutenaiacute (amhraacutenaithe) singeran- intensifying prefixan theann there in existenceanocht tonightanoir from the eastanois nowanseo hereansin there then

212 IrishndashEnglish glossary

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ansiuacuted there (distant)anuraidh last yearaoibheann pleasantaois (-eanna) f ageaonach (aontaiacute) market fairaonbheannach unicornaontaigh (-uacute) agree unitear ais back (in return)ar bith at allar fad altogether entirelyar feadh during throughoutar tiacute about toar onaraacuten breadaacuteras (aacuterais) building residencearasaacuten (arasaacutein) apartment flatareacuteir last nightariacutes againasal (asail) donkeyaacuteth (-anna) fordathair (aithreacha) fatheraacutethas joy happinessathraigh (-uacute) change

brsquofheacuteidir maybebaacuted (baacuteid) boatbaacutedoacuteir (-iacute) boatmanbaile (-te) town villageBaile Aacutetha Cliath Dublinbailigh (-iuacute) collect gatherbain (-t) dig extract release get harvestbainceacuteir (-iacute) bankerbainisteoir (-iacute) managerbainne milkbaacuteisteach f rainballa (-iacute) wallbaacuten whitebanaltra (-iacute) f nursebanphrionsa (-iacute) f princessbarr- intensifying prefixbaruacuteil (baruacutelacha) f opinionbaacutes (-anna) deathbeach (-a) f beebeag smallbeagnach almostbeacuteal ((beacuteil) mouthbealach (bealaiacute) way roadbean (mnaacute) f womanbeannaigh (-uacute) greet bless

IrishndashEnglish glossary 213

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beacutearfaidh will bear catchBeacutearla English (language)bearr (-adh) shave clip trimbeatha f lifebeacuteile (-iacute) mealbeir (breith) bear carry catchbeirt two peoplebeoir f beerbheith beingbhiacute (niacute raibh) wasbiacute (bheith) bebia foodbialann (-a) f restaurantbileog (-a) f leaf leafletbinn sweetblasta tastyblaacuteth (-anna) flowerbliain (blianta) f yearbligh (bleaacuten) milkboacute (ba) f cowbocht poorbord (boird) tablebos (-a) f palm of handbosca (-iacute) boxbothaacuten (bothaacutein) shanty shackboacutethar (boacuteithre) roadbraacuteilliacuten (-iacute) f sheetbratach (-a) f flagbreaacute finebreacuteagaacuten (breacuteagaacutein) toybreathnaigh (-uacute) watchbreith bearing birthbricfeasta (-iacute) breakfastbriosca (-iacute) biscuit cookiebris (-eadh) breakbriacuteste (-iacute) trousersbriste brokenbroacuteg (-a) f shoebroacuten sorrowbronntanas (brontannais) giftbruacuteigh (bruacute) push pressbruith (bruith) boil cookbua (-nna) victorybuachaill (-iacute) boybuaigh (buachan) winbuail (bualadh) strike hit meet (with le)buaiteoir (-iacute) winnerbuiacute yellowbuideacuteal (buideacuteil) bottle


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buile madness frenzybuiacuteoch gratefulbuacuteisteacuteir (-iacute) butcherbus (-anna) bus

caacute wherecabhair help assistancecaacuteca (-iacute) cakecaacutech everyonecad whatcaife coffeecaacuteil f reputationcailc f chalkcailiacuten girlcaill (-eadh) losecailleach (-a) f old woman hagcaint f talk talkingcaipiacuten (-iacute) capCaacuteisc f Eastercaith (-eamh) throw spend smoke consumecan (-adh) singcantalach cross crabbycaoi (caiacuteonna) way opportunity (good) conditioncur caoi ar fixcaora (caoirigh) f sheepcapall (capaill) horsecara (cairde) friendcarr (-anna) carcartaacute (-iacute) cardcas (-adh) twist turn play (music)cat (cait) catcatach curlycathair (cathracha) f citycathaoir (-eacha) f chaircathaoirleach (-ligh) chairpersonceacute who whatceacht (-anna) lessoncead (-anna) permission permitceangail (ceangal) tieceann (cinn) head oneceacuteanna sameceannaigh (-ach) buyceannaire (-iacute) chief head personceap (-adh) thinkcearc (-a) f henceacuteard whatceart (-a) (noun and adjective) rightceacuteile (-iacute) partner spouse each otherceacuteim (-eanna) step degree


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ceimic f chemistryceist (-anna) f questionceo fogceol (-ta) musicceolchoirm (-eacha) f concertceoltoacuteir (-iacute) musiciancheacutead firstcheana already previouslychonaic (niacute fhaca) sawchuaigh (niacute dheachaigh) wentchuala heardrsquochuile everyciall f sense meaningcill (cealla) f churchyardcimil (-t) rubcineaacutel somewhat sort ofcinn (-eadh) failcinnte certaincion affectionciontacht f guiltciothfholcadh (-folctha) showercistin (-eacha) f kitchenciuacutein quiet silentclaacuteirseach (-a) f harpclann (-a) f children family offspringclaacuter (-acha) board programcleacht (-adh) practiceclis (-eadh) failcloch (-a) f stoneclog (cloig) clockcloigeann (cloigne) head skullcloigiacuten (-iacute) bellclois (-teaacuteil) hearcluacute fame reputationcluas (-a) f earcluiche (-iacute) gamecnaacutemh (-a) f bonecnoc (cnoic) hillcoacutecaireacht f cookingcodlaigh (-adh) sleepcogadh (cogaiacute) warcoinneal (coinnle) candlecoinnigh (-eaacuteil) keep continuecoacuteirigh (-iuacute) arrange make rightcoiste (-iacute) committeecol ceathar (-acha) first cousincomharsa (-na) f neighbourcomoacutertas (comoacutertais) competition contestcompordach comfortable


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contae (-tha) countycos (-a) f footcosuacuteil like similarcoacuteta (-iacute) coatcrann (crainn) treecreid (-iuacuteint) believecriacuteochnaigh (-uacute) finishcroch (-adh) hangcroiacute (-the) heartcroith (-eadh) shakecruinnigh (iuacute) gather collectcruinniuacute (cruinnithe) meeting gatheringcuairt (-eanna) visitcuid f part portion sharecuidigh (-uacute) helpcuileog (-a) f flycuimhnigh (-eamh) remembercuiacuteosach somewhat fairlycuir (cur) put plant sendcum (-adh) compose inventcuma (-iacute) appearance conditioncuma equal the samecumarsaacuteid f communicationcuacutenamh help assistancecupaacuten (cupaacutein) cupcuacutepla a couple ofcuacutepla twinscuacutersa (-iacute) course

dair (daracha) f oakdalta (-iacute) pupildaacutena bold naughtydaor expensivedath (-anna) colourde of fromdeaacute- good nicedeacair difficult harddeacutean (-amh) make dodeara (faoi deara with tabhair) noticedeacutearfaidh will saydearg reddearthaacuteir (-eacha) brotherdeas nicedeifir hurry rushdeireadh (deiriacute) enddeireanach latedeireann saysdeirfiuacuter (-acha) f sisterdeoch (-anna) f drink


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deoir (deora) f drop teardia (deacuteithe) goddiacutefhostaiacuteocht f unemploymentdinneacutear (dinneacuteir) dinnerdiacuteol (diacuteol) selldliacute (-the) lawdliacuteodoacuteir (-iacute) lawyerdo to fordoacutecha probable likelydochar harmdochtuacuteir (-iacute) doctordoacuteigh (doacute) burndona baddoras (doirse) doordoacutethain enough sufficiencydraacutema (-iacute) playdraoi (-the) druiddreacuteimire (-iacute) ladderdroch- baddroichead (droichid) bridgeduais (-eanna) f prizedubh blackduilleog (-a) f leafduine (daoine) personduacuteirt saidduacuteisigh (-eacht) awaken wake updul going to goduacuten (-adh) close

eacute him iteacutead jealousy envyeacuteadach (eacuteadaiacute) clotheala (-iacute) f swaneacutean (eacutein) birdeacuteigean necessityeacuteigeandaacuteil (eacuteigeandaacutelaiacute) f emergencyeacuteigin someeile other anotherEacuteire Irelandeireaball (eireabaill) tailEacuteireannach (-aigh) Irish personeacuteirigh (eacuteiriacute) rise succeed (with le)eacuteist (-eacht) listeneitil (-t) flyeitleaacuten (eitleaacutein) airplaneeochair (eochracha) f keyeolas knowledgefad lengthfada long


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fadoacute long agofaacuteg (-aacuteil) leavefaigh (faacuteil) getfaacuteinne (-iacute) ringfaitiacuteos fearfan (-acht) stay waitfaoi under aboutfarraige (-iacute) f seafaacutes (faacutes) growfata (-iacute) potatofaacuteth (-anna) reasonfeadaiacutel f whistlingfear (fir) manfeacutear grass hayfearg angerfearr betterfeacuteasoacuteg (-a) f beardfeic (-eaacuteil) seefeacuteidir possiblefeacuteile (-te) f festival (see also feis)feacutein selffeacuteiriacuten (-iacute) giftfeirmeoir (-iacute) farmerfeis (-eanna) f festival (see also feacuteile)feoil (feolta) f meatfiacal (fiacla) f toothfiacloacuteir (-iacute) dentistfiafraigh (-uacute) ask inquirefile (-iacute) poetfiliacuteocht f poetryfill (-eadh) returnfiacuteon (-ta) winefiacuteor truefios knowledgefiacuterinne f truthfiuacute worth(while)focal (focail) wordfoghlaim (foghlaim) learnfoighde patiencefoireann (foirne) team staff crew castfoirgneamh (foirgnimh) buildingfolamh emptyfoacutemhar (foacutemhair) autumnfoacutes yet stillFrainc f FranceFraincis f French (language)francach (francaigh) ratfreagair (-t) answer replyfreagra (-iacute) answer


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freisin also toofuacht coldfuadar rush bustlefuair gotfuar coldfuinneog (-a) f windowfurasta easy

gaacute need necessitygabh mo leithsceacuteal excuse megach each everygadaiacute (gadaithe) thiefGaeilge f Irishgaeltacht (-aiacute) f Irish-speaking communityGaillimh Galwaygairdiacuten (-iacute) gardengaacuteire laughtergairid short (space time)gan without not to (with VN)garda (-iacute) guard police officergarraiacute (garraithe) field gardengasuacuter (gasuacuteir) childgeacute (-anna) f goosegeall V geall (-adh) N geall (-ta) bet promiseGearmaacutenach (-aigh) German (nationality)gearr (-adh) cutgeata (-iacute) gategeimhreadh (geimhriacute) wintergheobhaidh (niacute bhfaighidh) will getglac (-adh) accept receiveglan (-adh) cleanglaoch (-anna) callglas green greyglasra (-iacute) vegetableglic clever slygloine (-iacute) f glassgnoacutethaigh (-uacute) wingo dtiacute toward to untilgo leacuteir allgo leor many lotsgo to toward that (subordinate clause)goid (goid) stealgoideacute whatgoil (gol) crygorm bluegortaigh (-uacute) injure hurtgraacutein f hatredgreacuteasaiacute (greacuteasaithe) shoemaker cobblergrian (-ta) f sun


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gruaig f hairguacutena (-iacute) dress

hata (-iacute) hat

i bhfad long (time distance)i mbliana this yeari ndiaidh afteri(n) iniarr (-aidh) request ask wantiarracht effort attemptiarthar Western regioniasc (eacuteisc) fishiascaire (-iacute) fishermanidir betweenidirliacuteon internetim butterimigh (-eacht) leave departimir (-t) play (game)imniacute worryin ann ablein eacuteineacht accompanying withiniacuteon (-acha) daughterinis (insint) tellinneacute yesterdayinnealtoacuteir (-iacute) engineerinniu todayiacuteoc (iacuteoc) payiomarca f excess too muchionann alike identicaliontach wonderful(ly)iontas wonder surpriseiacuteosfaidh will eatiris (-iacute) f journaliriseoir (-iacute) journalistiacuteseal lowith (-e) eat

laacute (laethanta) daylabhair (-t) speaklaacutech pleasant affable friendlylaacutemh (-a) f handlao (-nna) calflaacuter middle centrele cheacuteile togetherle withleaba (leapacha) f bedleabhar (leabhair) bookleabharlann (-a) f library


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leacuteachtoacuteir (-iacute) lecturerleag (-an) lay place knock downlean (-uacuteint) followleanbh (linbh) childleasainm (-neacha) nicknameleathanach (-aigh) pageleathuair (-eanta) f half hourleacuteigh (-amh) readleacuteine (-te) f shirtleisciuacuteil lazyleitheacuteid (-iacute) f like counterpart equallig (ligean) let permitliacuteon (-adh) filllitir (litreacha) f letterlobh (lobh) rotloch (-anna) lakeloacuteistiacuten lodgingsluath early soonluch (-a) f mouseluigh (luiacute) lie down

mac (mic) sonmac leacuteinn (mic ) studentmadra (-iacute) dogmagadh teasing mockingmaidin (-eacha) f morningmair (-eachtail) live survive lastmaacuteistir (maacuteistriacute) mastermaacuteistreaacutes (-aiacute) f mistressmaith (-eamh) forgivemaith goodmaacutela (-iacute) bagmall slow latemar a cheacuteile alike the samemar gheall ar because ofmar like asmaraigh (-uacute) killmargadh (margaiacute) marketmaacutes eacute do thoil eacute pleasemaacutethair (maacuteithreacha) f mothermeacute I memeaacuten oacuteiche midnightmeas tuacute do you think I wondermeas respectmeisce drunkennessmiacute (-onna) f monthmian wish desiremil f honeymill (-eadh) spoil ruin


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milliuacutenaiacute (milliuacutenaithe) millionaireminic oftenmiacutenigh (-iuacute) explainmisniuacuteil courageousmoch early (in morning)moill delaymoacutein f turf peatmol (-adh) praise recommendmoacuter bigmoacuteraacuten much manymuc (-a) f pigmuacutech (-adh) quench smother turn offmuid we usmuileann (muilte) millmuacuteinteoir (-iacute) teachermuintir f people family folkmullach (-aiacute) summit topmuacuter (-tha) shower

nrsquofheadar I wonder I donrsquot knownaacute nornaacuteire shame embarrassmentnaacuteisiuacutenta nationalnead (-acha) f nestneart strength plentyniacute folaacuteir it is necessarynigh (niacute) washniacuteor mhiste (le) it would be as well to wouldnrsquot mindnoacuteimeacutead (noacuteimeacuteid) minutenua newnuachtaacuten (nuachtaacutein) newspapernuair when

oacute fromobair (oibreacha) f workocras hungeroacuteg youngoiacuteche (-anta) f nightoifig (-iacute) f officeoileaacuten (oileaacutein) islandoacutel (oacutel) drinkolann f woololc bad evil nastyollamh (ollaimh) professororlach (orlaiacute) inchos comhair in front ofoscail (-t) openospideacuteal (ospideacuteil) hospitaloacutestaacuten (oacutestaacutein) hotel inn


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paacute pay wagespaacuteipeacutear (paacuteipeacuteir) paperpaacuteirc (-eanna) f park fieldpaacuteiste (-iacute) childparcaacuteil (parcaacuteil) parkpeann (pinn) penpeil f footballpeacuteinteaacuteil (peacuteinteaacuteil) paintpian (-ta) f painpictiuacuter (pictiuacuteir) picturepingin (-iacute) f pennypinsineacuteir (-iacute) pensioner retired personpiacuteoloacuteta (-iacute) pilotpionta (-iacute) pintpiacuteosa (-iacute) pieceplaacuteta (-iacute) platepleacuteigh (pleacute) discuss deal withploacutedaithe crowdedpluid (-eanna) f blanketpobal (pobail) community congregationpoacuteca (-iacute) pocketpoacuteg (-adh) kisspolaitiacuteocht f politicspoacutes (-adh) marrypost (poist) post mail jobpotaire (-iacute) potterpraghas (-anna) pricepunt (puint) pound (money)

raacute sayingrachaidh will goradharc (radhairc) viewramhar fatreacutealtoacuteg (-a) f starreacuteasuacutenta reasonable reasonablyreacuteidh ready easy smoothreacuteitigh (reacuteiteach) prepareriacute (-the) kingriacute intensifying prefixriamh everrince dancingrinne (niacute dhearna) didrith (rith) runro- too excessivelyroinn (-t) divide shareroinnt someroacuten (-ta) sealrud (-aiacute) thing


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rug bore carried caughtruacutenaiacute (ruacutenaithe) secretary

saacutebhaacuteil (saacutebhaacuteil) savesaacutech sufficientlysagart (sagairt) priestsaibhir richsalach dirtysalaigh (-uacute) make dirtysamhradh (samhraiacute) summersaoire f holiday vacationsaoirse f freedomsaol (-ta) lifesaor cheap freesaothraigh (-uacute) earnSasana Englandsaacutesta satisfied pleasedscaip (-eadh) scatterscannaacuten (scannaacutein) filmscar (-adh) separatesceacuteal storyscian (sceana) f knifescioptha fastsciorta (-iacute) skirtscoil (f) -eanna schoolscoacuter (-tha) scorescriacutebhneoir (-iacute) writerscriacuteobh (scriacuteobh) writescrios (-adh) destroyscuab (-adh) sweepseacute eacute he itseachain (-t) avoid mindseachas except besidesseachtain (-iacute) f weekseaclaacuteid f chocolateseafoacuteid f foolishnesssean oldseas (-amh) standseinn (seinm) play (music)seacuteipeacuteal (seacuteipeacuteil) chapelseo thisseoladh (seoltaiacute) addressseomra (-iacute) roomsiacute iacute she hersiad iad theysibh you (plural)siciacuten (-iacute) chickensiacutel thinksiacuten (-eadh) stretch extend


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sin thatsinn ussiacuteol (-ta) seedsiopa (-iacute) shopsiopadoacuteir (-iacute) shopkeepersiopadoacuteireacht f shoppingsiacuteor- constant continualsiuacutecra sugarsiuacuted that (distant) yonsiuacuteil (siuacutel) walkslaghdaacuten (slaghdaacutein) cold (illness)slaacuteinte f healthslaacuten safe wellsliacute (slite) f waysliabh (sleacuteibhte) mountainsnaacutemh (snaacutemh) swimsneachta snowsocraigh arrange settle solvesoitheach (soithiacute) vessel dishspeacuteir (speacuteartha) f skyspideog (-a) f robinspoacutert (-eanna) sport funspuacutenoacuteg (-a) f spoonsraacuteid (-eanna) f streetstaideacutear study(ing)stoca (-iacute) stockingstop (-adh) stopstrainseacuteir (-iacute) strangersuacute (-tha) f berrysuas upwardssuigh (suiacute) sitsuacuteil (-e) f eye hope (in phrase lsquoTaacute suacuteil agrsquo)suimiuacuteil interesting

taacute (niacutel) is am aretabhair (-t) givetabharfaidh will givetada nothingtagann comestaisce store treasure hoardtaispeaacutein (-t) showtaitin (taitneamh) be pleasingtalamh (tailte) landtamall (tamaill) a while short time periodtaobh (-anna) sidetar (teacht) cometar eacuteis after to have justtarbh (tairbh) bulltarla (tarluacute) happen


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tart thirstte hotteach (tithe) houseteach an phobail (tithe pobail) churchteacht coming arrivalteanga (-i) tongue languageteacutearma (iacute) termteas heatteastaigh (-aacuteil) be lacking neededteacuteigh goteip (-eadh) failthaacuteinig cameticeacutead (ticeacuteid) tickettig le cantimpeall around approximatelytimpiste (-iacute) accidenttine (tinte) f firetinn sicktinneas (tinnis) sicknesstiocfaidh will cometiomaacutein (-t) drivetiomaacutenaiacute (tiomaacutenaithe) drivertiacuter (tiacuteortha) f countrytit (-im) falltobar (toibreacha) welltoacuteg (-aacuteil) take buildtoitiacuten (-iacute) cigarettetoradh (torthaiacute) result fruit (plural)torann (torainn) noisetosaigh (-uacute) starttraacute (-nna) f beach strandtraein (treanacha) f traintraacutethnoacutena (-iacute) afternoon eveningtreacuteidlia (-nna) veterinariantriail trytriomaigh (-uacute) drytroigh (throithe) foot (measurement)trom heavytrua (-nna) f pitytuacute thuacute you (singular)tugann givestuig (tuiscint) understandtuirseach tiredtuismitheoir (-iacute) parentturasoacuteir (-iacute) tourist

uachtaraacuten (uachtaraacutein) presidentuafaacutesach terrible terriblyuaigneach lonely


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uair (-eanta) f hour time occasionuasal nobleubh (uibheacha) f egguacuted that (distant) yonderuacutedar (uacutedair) authoruilig alluimhir (uimhreacha) f numberuisce wateruacutell (-a) appleuncail (-eacha) uncleurlaacuter (urlaacuteir) flooruacutersceacuteal (-ta) novel

EnglishndashIrish glossaryable aacutebalta in annabout faoiabout to ar tiacuteaccept glac (-adh)accident timpiste (-iacute)accompanying in eacuteineachtacquaintance aithneact law acht (-anna)actor aisteoir (-iacute)address seoladh (seoltaiacute)affable laacutechaffection cionafter i ndiaidh tar eacuteisafternoon traacutethnoacutena (-iacute)again ariacutesage aois (-eanna) fagree aontaigh (-uacute)airplane eitleaacuten (eitleaacutein)alike ionann mar a cheacuteileall go leacuteir uiligalmost beagnachalready cheanaalso freisinaltogether ar fadand agusanger fearganother eileanswer (verb) freagair (-t)answer (noun) freagra (-iacute)apartment arasaacuten (arasaacutein)appearance cuma (-iacute)apple uacutell (-a)approximately timpeall

228 EnglishndashIrish glossary

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around timpeallarrange coacuteirigh (-iuacute) socraigh (uacute)arrival teachtas marask fiafraigh (-uacute) iarr (-aidh)assistance cabhair cuacutenamhat agat all ar bithattempt iarrachtattention aird faunt aintiacuten (-iacute) fauthor uacutedar (uacutedair)autumn foacutemhar (foacutemhair)avoid seachain (-t)awaken duacuteisigh (-eacht)

back (in return) ar aisbad dona olc droch-bag maacutela (-iacute)banker bainceacuteir (-iacute)be biacute (bheith)be needed teastaigh (-aacuteil)be pleasing taitin (taitneamh)beach traacute (-nna) fbear (verb) beir (breith)beard feacuteasoacuteg (-a) fbeautiful aacutelainnbecause of mar gheall arbed leaba (leapacha) fbee beach (-a) fbeer beoir fbeing bheithbelieve creid (-iuacuteint)bell cloigiacuten (-iacute)berry suacute (-tha) fbesides seachasbet geall (VN -adh plural -ta)better fearrbetween idirbig moacuterbird eacutean (eacutein)birth breithbiscuit briosca (-iacute)black dubhblanket pluid (-eanna) fbless beannaigh (-uacute)blue gormboard program claacuter (-acha)boat baacuted (baacuteid)

EnglishndashIrish glossary 229

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boatman baacutedoacuteir (-iacute)boil bruith (bruith)bold daacutenabone cnaacutemh (-a) fbook leabhar (leabhair)bore rugbottle buideacuteal (buideacuteil)box bosca (-iacute)box bosca (-iacute)boy buachaill (-iacute)bread araacutenbreak bris (-eadh)breakfast bricfeasta (-iacute)bridge droichead (droichid)broken bristebrother dearthaacuteir (-eacha)build toacuteg (-aacuteil)building foirgneamh (foirgnimh) aacuteras (aacuterais)bull tarbh (tairbh)burn doacuteigh (doacute)bus bus (-anna)butcher buacuteisteacuteir (-iacute)butter imbuy ceannaigh (-ach)by ag

cake caacuteca (-iacute)calf lao (-nna)call glaoch (-anna)came thaacuteinigcan tig lecandle coinneal (coinnle)cap caipiacuten (-iacute)car carr (-anna)card cartaacute (-iacute)carried rugcarry beir (breith)cat cat (cait)catch beir (breith)caught rug (ar)centre laacutercertain cinnte aacuteirithechair cathaoir (-eacha) fchairperson cathaoirleach (-ligh)chalk cailc fchange athraigh (-uacute)chapel seacuteipeacuteal (seacuteipeacuteil)cheap free saorchemistry ceimic f


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chicken siciacuten (-iacute)chief ceannaire (-iacute)child gasuacuter (gasuacuteir) leanbh (linbh) paacuteiste (-iacute)children clann (-a) fchocolate seaclaacuteid fchurch teach an phobail (tithe pobail)churchyard cill (cealla) fcigarette toitiacuten (-iacute)city cathair (cathracha) fclean glan (-adh)clever glicclip bearr (-adh)clock clog (cloig)close duacuten (-adh)cloth eacuteadach (eacuteadaiacute)coat coacuteta (-iacute)cobbler greacuteasaiacute (greacuteasaithe)coffee caifecold fuacht (noun) fuar (adj)cold (illness) slaghdaacuten (slaghdaacutein)collect bailigh (-iuacute) cruinnigh (-iuacute)colour dath (-anna)come tar (teacht)comes taganncomfortable compordachcoming teachtcommittee coiste (-iacute)communication cumarsaacuteid fcommunity pobal (pobail)competition comoacutertas (comoacutertais)compose cum (-adh)concert ceolchoirm (-eacha) fcondition cuma (-iacute) caoi (caiacuteonna) fconstant siacuteor-consume caith (-eamh)contest comoacutertas (comoacutertais)continual siacuteor-continue coinnigh (-eaacuteil)cook bruith (bruith)cookie briosca (-iacute)cooking coacutecaireacht fcount aacuteirigh (-eamh)counterpart leitheacuteid (-iacute) fcountry tiacuter (tiacuteortha) fcounty contae (-tha)couple cuacuteplacourageous misniuacuteilcourse cuacutersa (-iacute)cousin col ceathar (-acha)


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cow boacute (ba) fcrabby cantalachcrew foireann (foirne)cross cantalachcrowded ploacutedaithecry goil (gol)cup cupaacuten (cupaacutein)curly catachcut gearr (-adh)

dancing rince damhsadaughter iniacuteon (-acha)day laacute (laethanta)death baacutes (-anna)degree ceacuteim (-eanna)delay moilldentist fiacloacuteir (-iacute)depart imigh (-eacht)desire miandestroy scrios (-adh)did rinne (niacute dhearna)difficult deacairdig bain (-t)dinner dinneacutear (dinneacuteir)dirty salaigh (-uacute) salachdiscuss pleacuteigh (pleacute)dish soitheach (soithiacute)divide roinn (-t)do deacutean (-amh) (past rinne)doctor dochtuacuteir (-iacute)dog madra (-iacute)donkey asal (asail)door doras (doirse)dress guacutena (-iacute)drink deoch (-anna) f oacutel (oacutel)drive tiomaacutein (-t)driver tiomaacutenaiacute (tiomaacutenaithe)drop deoir (deora) fdruid draoi (-the)drunkenness meiscedry triomaigh (-uacute)Dublin Baile Aacutetha Cliathduring ar feadh

each gacheach other a cheacuteileear cluas (-a) fearly moch luathearn saothraigh (-uacute)


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Easter Caacuteisc feasy furasta reacuteidheat ith (VN ithe future iacuteosfaidh)effort iarrachtegg ubh (uibheacha) feither (in negative sentences) ach oireadembarassment naacuteireemergency eacuteigeandaacuteil (eacuteigeandaacutelaiacute) fempty folamhend deireadh (deiriacute)engineer innealtoacuteir (-iacute)England SasanaEnglish (language) Beacutearlaenough doacutethainentirely ar fadenvy eacuteadequal cuma N leitheacuteid (-iacute) fessay aiste (-iacute) fevening traacutethnoacutena (-iacute)ever riamhevery gach rsquochuileeveryone caacutechevil olcexcept seachasexcess iomarca fexcuse me gabh mo leithsceacutealexpensive daorexplain miacutenigh (-iuacute)extend siacuten (-eadh)extract bain (-t)eye suacuteil (-e) f

fail cinn (-eadh) clis (-eadh) teip (-eadh)fairly cineaacutel cuiacuteosachfall tit (-im)fame cluacutefamily clann (-a) f muintir ffarmer feirmeoir (-iacute)fast sciopthafat ramharfather athair (aithreacha)fear faitiacuteosfeel airigh (-eachtaacuteil)festival feacuteile (-te) f feis (-eanna) ffew cuacuteplafield garraiacute (garraithe) paacuteirc (-eanna) ffill liacuteon (-adh)film scannaacuten (scannaacutein)fine breaacute


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finish criacuteochnaigh (-uacute)fire tine (tinte) ffirst cheacuteadfish iasc (eacuteisc)fisherman iascaire (-iacute)fix cur caoi arflag bratach (-a) fflat arasaacuten (arasaacutein)floor urlaacuter (urlaacuteir)flower blaacuteth (-anna)fly (noun) cuileog (-a) ffly (verb) eitil (-t)fog ceofollow lean (-uacuteint)food biafool amadaacuten (amadaacutein)foolishness seafoacuteid ffoot cos (-a) ffoot (measurement) troigh (throithe)football peil ffor doford aacuteth (-anna)forgive maith (do) (VN -eamh)France Frainc ffreedom saoirse fFrench Fraincis ffrenzy builefriend cara (cairde)friendly laacutechfrom oacute defruit torthaiacutefun spoacutert (-eanna)

Galway Gaillimhgame cluiche (-iacute)garden garraiacute (garraithe) gairdiacuten (-iacute)gate geata (-iacute)gather bailigh (-iuacute) cruinnigh (-iuacute)German (nationality) Gearmaacutenach (-aigh)get -faigh (faacuteil past fuair future gheobhaidh) bain (-t)gift bronntanas (brontannais) feacuteiriacuten (-iacute)girl cailiacutengive -tabhair (-t present tugann future tabharfaidh)glass gloine (-iacute) fgo teacuteigh (dul past chuaigh future rachaidh)god dia (deacuteithe)good maith deaacute-goose geacute (-anna) fgot fuair


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grass feacuteargrateful buiacuteochgreen glasgreet beannaigh (-uacute)grey glasgrow faacutes (faacutes)guard garda (-iacute)guilt ciontacht f

hag cailleach (-a) fhair gruaig fhalf hour leathuair (eanta) fhand laacutemh (-a) fhang croch (-adh)happen tarla (tarluacute)happiness aacutethashard deacairharm docharharp claacuteirseach (-a) fharvest bain (-t)hat hata (-iacute)hatred graacutein fhave just tar eacuteishay feacutearhe seacute eacutehead ceann (cinn) cloigeann (cloigne)health slaacuteinte fhear clois (-teaacuteil past chuala)heart croiacute (-the)heat teasheavy tromhelp (noun) cabhair cuacutenamhhelp (verb) cuidigh (-uacute)hen cearc (-a) fher siacute iacute ahere anseohill cnoc (cnoic)him eacutehis ahit buail (bualadh)hoard taisceholiday saoire fhomeward abhailehoney mil fhope (verb) taacute suacuteil aghorse capall (capaill)hospital ospideacuteal (ospideacuteil)hot tehotel oacutestaacuten (oacutestaacutein)


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hour uair (-eanta) fhouse teach (tithe)hunger ocrashurry deifir fhurt gortaigh (-uacute)

I meacuteidentical ionann mar a cheacuteileimitation aithrisin i(n)in front of os comhairinch orlach (orlaiacute)injure gortaigh (-uacute)inquire fiafraigh (-uacute)interesting suimiuacuteilinternet idirliacuteoninvent cum (-adh)Ireland EacuteireIrish (language) Gaeilge fIrish (nationality) Eireannach (-aigh)Irish-speaking community gaeltacht (-aiacute) fis taacute (niacutel)island oileaacuten (oileaacutein)it seacute siacute eacute iacute

jealousy eacuteadjob post (poist)journal iris (-iacute) fjournalist iriseoir (-iacute)joy aacutethas

keep coinnigh (-eaacuteil)key eochair (eochracha) fkill maraigh (-uacute)king riacute (-the)kiss poacuteg (-adh)kitchen cistin (-eacha) fknife scian (sceana) fknock down leag (-an)knowledge eolas fios aithne

lack teastaigh (-aacuteil)ladder dreacuteimire (-iacute)lake loch (-anna)land talamh (tailte)language teanga (-iacute)last (verb) mair (-eachtaacuteil)last night areacuteirlast year anuraidh


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late deireanach malllaughter gaacuteirelaw acht (-anna) dliacute (-the)lawyer dliacuteodoacuteir (-iacute)lay leag (-an)lazy leisciuacuteilleaf duilleog (-a) f bileog (-a) fleaflet bileog (-a) flearn foghlaim (foghlaim)leave imigh (imeacht intransitive faacuteg (-aacuteil trans)lecturer leacuteachtoacuteir (-iacute)length fadlesson ceacht (-anna)let lig (ligean)letter litir (litreacha) flibrary leabharlann (-a) flie down luigh (luiacute)life beatha f saol (-ta)like leitheacuteid (-iacute) f mar cosuacuteil (le)likely doacutechalisten eacuteist (-eacht)live mair (-eachtail)lodgings loacuteistiacutenlonely uaigneachlong (time) i bhfadlong (distance) fadalong ago fadoacutelose caill (-eadh)low iacuteseal

madness builemail post (poist)make deacutean (-amh past rinne)man fear (fir)manager bainisteoir (-iacute)manner caoi (caiacuteonna) fmany go leor moacuteraacuten (negatives and questions)market margadh (margaiacute)market fair aonach (aontaiacute)marry poacutes (-adh)mass aifreann (aifrinn)master maacuteistir (maacuteistriacute)maybe brsquofheacuteidirme meacutemeal beacuteile (-iacute)meaning ciall fmeat feoil (feolta) fmeet buail (le)meeting cruinniuacute (cruinnithe)


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middle laacutermidnight meaacuten oacuteichemilk (noun) bainnemilk (verb) bligh (bleaacuten)mill muileann (muilte)millionaire milliuacutenaiacute (milliuacutenaithe)mind seachain (-t) (wouldnrsquot mind niacuteor mhiste le)minute noacuteimeacutead (noacuteimeacuteid)mistress maacuteistreaacutes (-aiacute) fmocking magadhmoney airgeadmonth miacute (-onna) fmorning maidin (-eacha) fmother maacutethair (maacuteithreacha) fmountain sliabh (sleacuteibhte)mouse luch (-a) fmouth beacuteal (beacuteil)much moacuteraacuten (negative contexts)music ceol (-ta)musician ceoltoacuteir (-iacute)must caithfidh

name ainm (-neacha)national naacuteisiuacutentanaughty daacutenanecessary (it is ~) niacute folaacuteirnecessity eacuteigeanneed gaacuteneighbor comharsa (-na) fneithe ach oirenest nead (-acha) fnew nuanewspaper nuachtaacuten (nuachtaacutein)nice deasnickname leasainm (-neacha)night oiacuteche (-anta) fnoble uasalnoise torann (torainn)nor naacutenothing tadanotice (noun) aird fnotice (verb) deara (tabhair faoi deara)novel uacutersceacuteal (-ta)now anoisnumber uimhir (uimhreacha) fnurse banaltra (-iacute) f

oak dair (daracha) foccasion uair (-eanta) f


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odd ait aisteachof deoffice oifig (-iacute) foffspring clann (-a) foften minicold seanold woman cailleach (-a) fon arone amhaacuteinone (noun) ceann (cinn)open oscail (-t)opinion baruacuteil (baruacutelacha) fopportunity caoi (caiacuteonna) fother eileout(ward) amach

page leathanach (-aigh)pain pian (-ta) fpaint (verb) peacuteinteaacuteil (peacuteinteaacuteil)palm (of hand) bos (-a) fpaper paacuteipeacutear (paacuteipeacuteir)parent tuismitheoir (-iacute)park (noun) paacuteirc (-eanna) fpark (verb) paacuteirceaacuteil (paacuteirceaacuteil)part cuid fparticular aacuteirithepartner ceacuteile (-iacute)patience foighdepay (noun) paacutepay (verb) iacuteoc (iacuteoc)peat moacutein fpen peann (pinn)penny pingin (-iacute) fpensioner pinsineacuteir (-iacute)people muintir fperceive airigh (-eachtaacuteil)permission cead (-anna)permit (noun) cead (-anna)permit (verb) lig (-ean)person duine (daoine)picture pictiuacuter (pictiuacuteir)piece piacuteosa (-iacute)pig muc (-a) fpilot piacuteoloacuteta (-iacute)pint pionta (-iacute)pity trua (-nna) fplace (noun) aacuteit (-eanna) fplace (verb) leag (-an)plant cuir (cur)


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plate plaacuteta (-iacute)play (noun) draacutema (-iacute)play (verb) imir (games) seinn cas (music)pleasant aoibheann laacutechplease maacutes eacute do thoil eacutepleased saacutestaplenty neartpocket poacuteca (-iacute)poet file (-iacute)poetry filiacuteocht fpolice officer garda (-iacute)politics polaitiacuteocht fpoor bochtportion cuid fpossible feacuteidirpost post (poist)potato fata (-iacute) praacuteta (-iacute)potter potaire (-iacute)pound punt (puint)practice cleacht (-adh)praise mol (-adh)prepare reacuteitigh (reacuteiteach)president uachtaraacuten (uachtaraacutein)press bruacuteiigh (bruacute)previously cheanaprice praghas (-anna)priest sagart (sagairt)princess banphrionsa (-iacute) fprize duais (-eanna) fprobable doacutechaprofessor ollamh (ollaimh)program claacuter (-acha)promise geall (-adh)pupil dalta (-iacute)push bruacuteigh (bruacute)put cuir (cur)

quench muacutech (-adh)question ceist (-anna) fquiet ciuacutein

rain baacuteisteach frat francach (francaigh)read leacuteigh (-amh)ready reacuteidhreason faacuteth (-anna)reasonable reacuteasuacutentareasonably reacuteasuacutentareceive glac (-adh)


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reckon aacuteirigh (-eamh)recognition aithnerecognize aithin (-t)recommend mol (-adh)red deargregret aifeacutealaremember cuimhnigh (-eamh)reputation cluacute caacuteil frequest iarr (-aidh)respect measrestaurant bialann (-a) fresult toradh (torthaiacute)return fill (-eadh)rich saibhirright (noun and adjective) ceart (-a)ring faacuteinne (-iacute)rise eacuteirigh (eacuteiriacute)river abhainn (aibhneacha) froad boacutethar (boacuteithre) bealach (aiacute)robin spideog (-a) froom seomra (-iacute)rot lobh (lobh)rub cimil (-t)ruin mill (-eadh)run rith (rith)rush deifir f fuadar

safe slaacutensaid duacuteirtsame ceacuteanna ionann mar a cheacuteilesatisfied saacutestasave saacutebhaacuteil (saacutebhaacuteil)saw chonaic (niacute fhaca)say -abair (VN raacute present deir past duacuteirt future deacutearfaidh)scatter scaip (-eadh)schedule amchlaacuter (amchlaacuteir)school scoil (-eanna) fscore scoacuter (-tha)Scotland Albainsea farraige (-iacute) fseal roacuten (-ta)secretary ruacutenaiacute (ruacutenaithe)see feic (-eaacuteil past chonaic)seed siacuteol (-ta)self feacuteinsell diacuteol (diacuteol)send cuir (cur)sense ciall fseparate scar (-adh)


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settle socraigh (-uacute)shake croith (-eadh)shame naacuteireshanty bothaacuten (bothaacutein)share (noun) cuid fshare (verb) roinn (-t)shave bearr (-adh)she siacute iacutesheep caora (caoirigh) fsheet braacuteilliacuten (-iacute) fshirt leacuteine (-te) fshoe broacuteg (-a) fshoemaker greacuteasaiacute (greacuteasaithe)shop siopa (-iacute)shopkeeper siopadoacuteir (-iacute)shopping siopadoacuteireacht fshort (space time) gairidshow taispeaacutein (-t)shower ciothfholcadh (-fholctha) muacuter (-tha)sick tinnsickness tinneas (tinnis)side taobh (-anna)silent ciuacuteinsilver airgeadsimilar cosuacuteilsing can (-adh) cas (-adh)singer amhraacutenaiacute (amhraacutenaithe)sister deirfiuacuter (-acha) fsit suigh (suiacute)skirt sciorta (-iacute)skull cloigeann (cloigne)sky speacuteir (speacuteartha) fsleep codlaigh (-adh)slow mallsly glicsmall beagsmoke caith (-eamh)smooth reacuteidhsmother muacutech (-adh)snow sneachtasolve socraigh (-uacute) reacuteitigh (-each)some eacuteigin roinntsomewhat cuiacuteosach cineaacutelson mac (mic)song amhraacuten (amhraacutein)sorrow broacutensort of cineaacutelspeak labhair (-t)spend caith (-eamh)


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spoil mill (-eadh)spoon spuacutenoacuteg (-a) fsport spoacutert (-eanna)spouse ceacuteile (-iacute)staff foireann (foirne)stand seas (-amh)star reacutealtoacuteg (-a) fstart tosaigh (-uacute)stay fan (-acht)steal goid (goid)step ceacuteim (-eanna)still foacutesstocking stoca (-iacute)stone cloch (-a) fstop stop (-adh)story sceacutealstrange ait aisteachstranger strainseacuteir (-iacute)street sraacuteid (-eanna) fstrength neartstretch siacuten (-eadh)strike buail (bualadh)student mac leacuteinn (mic)study(ing) staideacutearsucceed eacuteirigh lesufficiency doacutethainsufficiently saacutechsugar siuacutecrasummer samhradh (samhraiacute)summit mullach (-aiacute)sun grian (-ta) fsurprise iontassurvive mair (-eachtaacuteil)swan eala (-iacute) fsweep scuab (-adh)sweet binnswim snaacutemh (snaacutemh)

table bord (boird)tail eireaball (eireabaill)take toacuteg (-aacuteil)talk(ing) caint ftasty blastateacher muacuteinteoir (-iacute)team foireann (foirne)teardrop deoir (deora) fteasing magadhtell inis (insint)term teacutearma (iacute)


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terrible terribly uafaacutesachthat sin siuacuteduacutedthat (subordinate clause) gothe an natheatre amharclann (-a) ftheir athem iadthen ansinthere (distant) ansin ansiuacuted ann (in existence)they siad iadthief gadaiacute (gadaithe)thing rud (-aiacute)think ceap siacutelthirst tartthis seothis year i mblianathroughout ar feadhthrow caith (-eamh)ticket ticeacutead (ticeacuteid)tie ceangail (ceangal)time am (-anna)timetable amchlaacuter (amchlaacuteir)tired tuirseachto do go go dtiacutetoday inniutogether le cheacuteile in eacuteineachttomorrow amaacuterachtongue teanga (-i)tonight anochttoo freisintoo much an iomarcatoo excessively ro-tooth fiacal (fiacla) ftop mullach (-aiacute)tourist turasoacuteir (-iacute)toward go go dtiacutetown baile (-te)toy breacuteagaacuten (breacuteagaacutein)train traein (treanacha) ftransfer aistrigh (-iuacute)translate aistrigh (-iuacute)treasure taiscetree crann (crainn)trim bearr (-adh)trousers briacuteste (-iacute)true fiacuteortruth fiacuterinne ftry triailturf moacutein f


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turn cas (-adh)turn off muacutech (-adh)twins cuacuteplatwist cas (-adh)two people beirt

uncle uncail (-eacha)under faoiunderstand tuig (tuiscint)unemployment diacutefhostaiacuteocht funicorn aonbheannach (-aigh)unite aontaigh (-uacute)until go dtiacute goup thuas suasus muid sinn

vacation saoire fvegetable glasra (-iacute)very an- barr- riacute-vessel soitheach (soithiacute)veterinarian treacuteidlia (-nna)victory bua (-nna)view radharc (radhairc)village baile (-te)visit cuairt (-eanna)

wages paacutewait fan (-acht)wake up duacuteisigh (-eacht)walk siuacuteil (siuacutel)wall balla (-iacute)want iarr (-aidh) (be wanting teastaigh)war cogadh (cogaiacute)was bhiacute (niacute raibh)wash nigh (niacute)watch breathnaigh (-uacute)water uisceway -bealach (bealaiacute) sliacute (slite) f caoi (caiacuteonna) fwe muidweather aimsirweek seachtain (-iacute) fwell -tobar (toibreacha) slaacuten (adjective) go maith (adverb)went chuaigh (niacute dheachaigh)west thiar siar anoirwest (noun) iarthearwhat cad ceacuteard goideacute ceacuten (with noun)when nuairwhere caacutewhile tamall (tamaill)


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whistling feadaiacutel fwhite baacutenwho ceacutewin buaigh (buachan) gnoacutethaigh (-uacute)window fuinneog (-a) fwine fiacuteon (-ta)winner buaiteoir (-iacute)winter geimhreadh (geimhriacute)wish mianwith le in eacuteineacht lewithout ganwoman bean (mnaacute) fwonder iontas meas tuacute nrsquofheadar (I wonder)wonderful(ly) iontachwood adhmad (adhmaid)wool olann fword focal (focail)work obair (oibreacha) fworry imniacuteworth(while) fiuacutewrite scriacuteobh (scriacuteobh)writer scriacutebhneoir (-iacute)

year bliain (blianta) fyellow buiacuteyesterday inneacuteyet foacutesyou (singular) tuacute thuacuteyou (plural) sibhyoung oacuteg


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BOOK COVER

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

UNIT ONE Spelling and pronunciation

UNIT TWO Word order and simple sentences

UNIT THREE Initial mutations lenition

UNIT FOUR Other mutations

UNIT FIVE Nouns and articles

UNIT SIX Noun classes and cases

UNIT SEVEN Personal names

UNIT EIGHT Place-names

UNIT NINE Prepositions I

UNIT TEN Basic numbers

UNIT ELEVEN Verbs I Present tense of regular verbs

UNIT TWELVE Verbs II Future tense of regular verbs

UNIT THIRTEEN Verbs III Past tense

UNIT FOURTEEN Irregular verbs I

UNIT FIFTEEN Irregular verbs II

UNIT SIXTEEN The verb biacute

UNIT SEVENTEEN The copula is

UNIT EIGHTEEN Other copula structures

UNIT NINETEEN Verbal nouns I

UNIT TWENTY Verbal nouns II

UNIT TWENTY-ONE Adjectives

UNIT TWENTY-TWO Pronouns

UNIT TWENTY-THREE Prepositions II More prepositional pronouns

UNIT TWENTY-FOUR Possession and ownership

UNIT TWENTY-FIVE Verbal adjectives and the present perfect


BASIC IRISH A GRAMMAR AND WORKBOOK

Basic Irish A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible referencegrammar and related exercises in a single volume

This workbook presents twenty-five individual grammar points in realisticcontexts providing a grammatical approach which will allow students notalready familiar with these structures to become accustomed to their useGrammar points are followed by examples and exercises allowing studentsto reinforce and consolidate their learning

Basic Irish provides an ideal introduction to the modern language withinsights into the related culture For use in the classroom or for theindependent learner this workbook enables the student to communicateaccurately and effectively in a wide variety of situations

Key features include

bull Irish to English and English to Irish glossaries

bull useful exercises with full answer key

bull focused practice on each grammar point

Basic Irish is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners and alsofor students with some knowledge of the language

Nancy Stenson is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Minnesotawhere she has taught both linguistics and Irish-language classes

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Basic Italian








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Nancy Stenson

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9

1011

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2011

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3011

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4011

123

41111




CONTENTS

Introduction vii


















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vi Contents

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INTRODUCTION




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viii Introduction

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Introduction ix

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Consonants


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ait at



Vowels



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ceoEoin




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bia ciallnua tuath











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Stress








Unstressed vowels




Other rules



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Exercises










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inneacute yesterday










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Noun phrases





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Preceding


Following













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Exercises










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Lenition



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Lenition contexts














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Exercises










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5 Translate


10 three houses






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Eclipsis








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Eclipsis contexts











h-prefixation




Vowel Consonant



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na

i(n)

2ndash6

7ndash10


Verbs past

after go

an

niacute

Exercises





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10 two dresses


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Gender and number






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Masculine Feminine



Masculine Feminine




Masculine Feminine

Nouns ending in




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Plural forms




Singular Plural





Singular Plural



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Singular Plural





Singular Plural



Singular Plural






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Singular Plural



The article








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Masculine Feminine


Exercises






10 scian 20 caora


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Case





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Common Genitive





Common Genitive





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Genitive plurals


Masculine Feminine








Singular Plural



Singular Plural




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Singular Plural



Singular Plural





Irregular nouns




of land


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Double genitives



Exercises






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Masculine Feminine







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Menrsquos surnames





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de Bruacuten Browne






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Local names



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Vocative case




Common Vocative





Exercises




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Paacuteidiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten1


Bairbre

















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Irish and English







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Contaetha Counties


Exercises




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ag ar leSingular



Plural




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Exercises











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10 a deich 20 fiche




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Special plurals










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Time








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Exercises









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Singular Plural



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Personal endings


Singular Plural







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Preverbal particles








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Exercises







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6 Translate



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Personal endings






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Letrsquos












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Exercises




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5 Translate








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Simple past


First conjugation


Second conjugation



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Personal endings



Preverbal particles


Negative niacuteor


Question ar



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Answering questions



Niacute fheicim No






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Exercises









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lsquoComersquo







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Exercises










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6 Translate






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lsquodorsquo


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lsquoGiversquo






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Idioms with tabhair










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Exercises





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Present tense







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Past tense



Future tense











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Exercises














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Forms of the copula






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Uses of the copula


Class membership



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Adjective modifiers




Equation






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Answering questions










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Yes



Exercises







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Is vs biacute



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Exercises







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5 Translate



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Verbal noun form




coinneaacuteil

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Pronoun objects




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Physical states











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Exercises










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






Exercises









roacutethrom


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



















Gaeilge)


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













5 Translate



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Gender agreement


Masculine Feminine


Plural adjectives


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


Masculine Feminine


Case













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Lost syllables







111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





Prefixed adjectives










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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Contrast pronouns







Feacutein



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Possessive pronouns








One






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Exercises











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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Do and de


Do De

Singular


Plural



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Faoi and oacute


Faoi Oacute

Singular


Plural





In



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Singular


Plural













111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Idir







Exercises


Do


De



Faoi



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Oacute














___________


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6 Translate




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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



lsquoTo haversquo




lsquoTo ownrsquo




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





lsquoKnowingrsquo







eye-acquaintance)




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Donnrsquo (a song)

Exercises



Ag



Ar


Le



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



















111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





-tate -thathe




Adjective functions





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Verb functions














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Three prefixes




Exercises





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4 Translate



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


hata (-iacute) hat




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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

BOOK COVER

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION































Basic Italian








11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


Nancy Stenson

11123456789101112221341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












1112345678111

9

1011

123456789

2011

123456789

3011

123456789

4011

123

41111




CONTENTS

Introduction vii


















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vi Contents

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INTRODUCTION




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viii Introduction

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Introduction ix

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Consonants


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ait at



Vowels



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ceoEoin




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bia ciallnua tuath











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Stress








Unstressed vowels




Other rules



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Exercises










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




inneacute yesterday










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Noun phrases





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Preceding


Following













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Exercises










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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Lenition



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Lenition contexts














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Exercises










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5 Translate


10 three houses






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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Eclipsis








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Eclipsis contexts











h-prefixation




Vowel Consonant



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




na

i(n)

2ndash6

7ndash10


Verbs past

after go

an

niacute

Exercises





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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







10 two dresses


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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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Gender and number






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Masculine Feminine



Masculine Feminine




Masculine Feminine

Nouns ending in




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Plural forms




Singular Plural





Singular Plural



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Singular Plural





Singular Plural



Singular Plural






11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





Singular Plural



The article








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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


Masculine Feminine


Exercises






10 scian 20 caora


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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Case





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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Common Genitive





Common Genitive





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Genitive plurals


Masculine Feminine








Singular Plural



Singular Plural




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Singular Plural



Singular Plural





Irregular nouns




of land


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Double genitives



Exercises






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Masculine Feminine







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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Menrsquos surnames





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de Bruacuten Browne






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Local names



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Vocative case




Common Vocative





Exercises




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Paacuteidiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten1


Bairbre

















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Irish and English







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Contaetha Counties


Exercises




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








ag ar leSingular



Plural




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Exercises











11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


















111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




10 a deich 20 fiche




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Special plurals










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Time








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Exercises









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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





Singular Plural



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Personal endings


Singular Plural







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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





Preverbal particles








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Exercises







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6 Translate



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







Personal endings






11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Letrsquos












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Exercises




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


5 Translate








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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Simple past


First conjugation


Second conjugation



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Personal endings



Preverbal particles


Negative niacuteor


Question ar



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Answering questions



Niacute fheicim No






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Exercises









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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111














11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111










111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





lsquoComersquo







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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111














111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises










11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111














111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




6 Translate






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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








lsquodorsquo


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lsquoGiversquo






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Idioms with tabhair










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Exercises





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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Present tense







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Past tense



Future tense











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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111














11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises














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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Forms of the copula






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Uses of the copula


Class membership



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Adjective modifiers




Equation






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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








Answering questions










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Yes



Exercises







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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111
















11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












Is vs biacute



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111







Exercises







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5 Translate



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Verbal noun form




coinneaacuteil

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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111










Pronoun objects




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Physical states











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Exercises










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111










111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






Exercises









roacutethrom


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



















Gaeilge)


11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













5 Translate



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111








11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Gender agreement


Masculine Feminine


Plural adjectives


111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


Masculine Feminine


Case













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









Lost syllables







111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





Prefixed adjectives










11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111














111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Contrast pronouns







Feacutein



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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Possessive pronouns








One






11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




Exercises











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


















11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Do and de


Do De

Singular


Plural



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Faoi and oacute


Faoi Oacute

Singular


Plural





In



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Singular


Plural













111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Idir







Exercises


Do


De



Faoi



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Oacute














___________


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6 Translate




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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



lsquoTo haversquo




lsquoTo ownrsquo




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





lsquoKnowingrsquo







eye-acquaintance)




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Donnrsquo (a song)

Exercises



Ag



Ar


Le



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



















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-tate -thathe




Adjective functions





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Verb functions














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Three prefixes




Exercises





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4 Translate



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


hata (-iacute) hat




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

BOOK COVER

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION




























Nancy Stenson

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1112345678111

9

1011

123456789

2011

123456789

3011

123456789

4011

123

41111




CONTENTS

Introduction vii


















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vi Contents

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INTRODUCTION




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viii Introduction

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Introduction ix

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Consonants


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ait at



Vowels



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ceoEoin




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bia ciallnua tuath











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Stress








Unstressed vowels




Other rules



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Exercises










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inneacute yesterday










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Noun phrases





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Preceding


Following













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Exercises










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Lenition



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Lenition contexts














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Exercises










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5 Translate


10 three houses






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Eclipsis








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Eclipsis contexts











h-prefixation




Vowel Consonant



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na

i(n)

2ndash6

7ndash10


Verbs past

after go

an

niacute

Exercises





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10 two dresses


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Gender and number






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Masculine Feminine



Masculine Feminine




Masculine Feminine

Nouns ending in




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Plural forms




Singular Plural





Singular Plural



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Singular Plural





Singular Plural



Singular Plural






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Singular Plural



The article








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Masculine Feminine


Exercises






10 scian 20 caora


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Case





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Common Genitive





Common Genitive





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Genitive plurals


Masculine Feminine








Singular Plural



Singular Plural




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Singular Plural



Singular Plural





Irregular nouns




of land


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Double genitives



Exercises






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Masculine Feminine







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Menrsquos surnames





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de Bruacuten Browne






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Local names



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Vocative case




Common Vocative





Exercises




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Paacuteidiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten1


Bairbre

















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Irish and English







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Contaetha Counties


Exercises




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ag ar leSingular



Plural




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Exercises











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10 a deich 20 fiche




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Special plurals










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Time








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Exercises









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Singular Plural



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Personal endings


Singular Plural







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Preverbal particles








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Exercises







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6 Translate



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Personal endings






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Letrsquos












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Exercises




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5 Translate








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Simple past


First conjugation


Second conjugation



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Personal endings



Preverbal particles


Negative niacuteor


Question ar



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Answering questions



Niacute fheicim No






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Exercises









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lsquoComersquo







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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

Exercises










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6 Translate






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lsquodorsquo


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lsquoGiversquo






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Idioms with tabhair










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Exercises





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Present tense







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Past tense



Future tense











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Exercises














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Forms of the copula






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Uses of the copula


Class membership



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Adjective modifiers




Equation






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Answering questions










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Yes



Exercises







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Is vs biacute



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Exercises







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5 Translate



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Verbal noun form




coinneaacuteil

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Pronoun objects




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Physical states











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Exercises










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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111













11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111









111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111












11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






Exercises









roacutethrom


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Gaeilge)


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5 Translate



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Gender agreement


Masculine Feminine


Plural adjectives


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Masculine Feminine


Case













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Lost syllables







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Prefixed adjectives










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Exercises













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Contrast pronouns







Feacutein



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Possessive pronouns








One






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Exercises











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111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Do and de


Do De

Singular


Plural



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Faoi and oacute


Faoi Oacute

Singular


Plural





In



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Singular


Plural













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Idir







Exercises


Do


De



Faoi



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Oacute














___________


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6 Translate




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



lsquoTo haversquo




lsquoTo ownrsquo




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lsquoKnowingrsquo







eye-acquaintance)




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Donnrsquo (a song)

Exercises



Ag



Ar


Le



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111











111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





-tate -thathe




Adjective functions





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Verb functions














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Three prefixes




Exercises





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4 Translate



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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111


hata (-iacute) hat




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




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11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111





11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111






111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111




11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

BOOK COVER

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION






































1112345678111

9

1011

123456789

2011

123456789

3011

123456789

4011

123

41111




CONTENTS

Introduction vii


















111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111










vi Contents

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111

INTRODUCTION




111234567891011121341115678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



viii Introduction

11123456781119101112345678920111234567893011123456789401112341111



Introduction ix

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Consonants


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ait at



Vowels



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ceoEoin




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bia ciallnua tuath











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Stress








Unstressed vowels




Other rules



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Exercises










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inneacute yesterday










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Noun phrases





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Preceding


Following













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Exercises










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Lenition



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Lenition contexts














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Exercises










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5 Translate


10 three houses






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Eclipsis








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Eclipsis contexts











h-prefixation




Vowel Consonant



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na

i(n)

2ndash6

7ndash10


Verbs past

after go

an

niacute

Exercises





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10 two dresses


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Gender and number






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Masculine Feminine



Masculine Feminine




Masculine Feminine

Nouns ending in




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Plural forms




Singular Plural





Singular Plural



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Singular Plural





Singular Plural



Singular Plural






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Singular Plural



The article








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Masculine Feminine


Exercises






10 scian 20 caora


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Case





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Common Genitive





Common Genitive





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Genitive plurals


Masculine Feminine








Singular Plural



Singular Plural




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Singular Plural



Singular Plural





Irregular nouns




of land


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Double genitives



Exercises






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Masculine Feminine







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Menrsquos surnames





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de Bruacuten Browne






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Local names



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Vocative case




Common Vocative





Exercises




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Paacuteidiacuten1

Maacuteirtiacuten1


Bairbre

















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Irish and English







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Contaetha Counties


Exercises




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ag ar leSingular



Plural




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Exercises











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10 a deich 20 fiche




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Special plurals










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Time








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Exercises









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Singular Plural



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Personal endings


Singular Plural







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Preverbal particles








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Exercises







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6 Translate



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Personal endings






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Letrsquos












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Exercises




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5 Translate








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Simple past


First conjugation


Second conjugation



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Personal endings



Preverbal particles


Negative niacuteor


Question ar



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Answering questions



Niacute fheicim No






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Exercises









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lsquoComersquo







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Exercises










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6 Translate






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lsquodorsquo


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lsquoGiversquo






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Idioms with tabhair










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Exercises





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Present tense







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Past tense



Future tense











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Exercises














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Forms of the copula






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Uses of the copula


Class membership



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Adjective modifiers




Equation






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Answering questions










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Yes



Exercises







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Is vs biacute



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Exercises







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5 Translate



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Verbal noun form




coinneaacuteil

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Pronoun objects




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Physical states











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Exercises










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Exercises









roacutethrom


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Gaeilge)


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5 Translate



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Gender agreement


Masculine Feminine


Plural adjectives


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Masculine Feminine


Case













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Lost syllables







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Prefixed adjectives










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Exercises













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Contrast pronouns







Feacutein



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Possessive pronouns








One






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Exercises











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Do and de


Do De

Singular


Plural



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Faoi and oacute


Faoi Oacute

Singular


Plural





In



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Singular


Plural













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Idir







Exercises


Do


De



Faoi



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Oacute














___________


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6 Translate




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lsquoTo haversquo




lsquoTo ownrsquo




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lsquoKnowingrsquo







eye-acquaintance)




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Donnrsquo (a song)

Exercises



Ag



Ar


Le



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-tate -thathe




Adjective functions





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Verb functions














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Three prefixes




Exercises





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4 Translate



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hata (-iacute) hat




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BOOK COVER

TITLE

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION



























basic irish: a grammar and workbook - readers stuffz

Documents