#cleachtadh

[toingaeilge]

Conditional Mood 3: With the Copula

This post is about using the conditional mood with the copula form. Recap on the copula:

Masterpost: When to Use the Copula

All posts covering the copula

Postive

The conditional form of the copula is ba, which follows dá with an urú. It is contracted before a vowel.

Dá mb’í Áine an rúnaí, bheadh gach rud foirfe If Áine were the secretary, everything would be perfect

Negative

The negative form of dá mba is murar, which causes a séimhiú and becomes murarbh before a vowel.

Murarbh fhéidir leat é a dhéanamh ba cheart duit cúnamh a fháil If you couldn’t do it, you should have got help

Neutral

Má is merged with is to form más:

Más dochtúir thú, tá ceist agam ort If you’re a doctor, I have a question for you

Mura becomes murab before vowels:

Murab é sin do chóta, is dócha gur liomsa é If that’s not your coat, it’s probably mine

Ways to Emphasise

The word féin can be inserted after the verb, to say “even if”.

Dá dtiocfadh sí féin, bheadh sí ródheireanach Even if she came, she’d be too late

Try it

Translate the following:

1. If it's a good shop, I will buy my shoes there. 2. Call me if you can. 3. If Colm isn't the leader, who is? 4. I talked to him, but even so, I was surprised.

Hover below for answers

1. Más siopa maith é, ceannóidh mé mo bhróga ann. 2. Cuir glaoch orm más féidir leat. 3. Murab é Colm an ceannaire, cé hé? 4. Labhair mé leis, ach má labhair féin, bhí iontas orm.

[toinghaeilge]

A Wee Test on Counting

I haven’t done an interactive/try-it post for a while, and thought that in the spirit of the season to come I’d do one without a lesson. It’s about counting, so you’ll need to recap on these topics:

Counting People

Counting Things

Vocab List on Counting: nominal, personal and by order

Remember that there are different forms for counting things, people and the order in which something comes (i.e. first, second &c.)

My double click dictionary might also come in handy: double click any word to get its translation. 

Try it

Translate the following, or as much as you can:

1. On the eleventh day of Christmas 2. Four calling birds, three french hens 3. Seven swans a swimming, five golden rings 4. Ten Lords a leaping, nine ladies dancing 5. Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping

Hover below for answers

1. Ar an t-aonú lá déag Nollag 2. Ceithre éan ag glaoch, trí chearc fhrancacha 3. Seacht n-eala ag snámh, cúig fháinne óra 4. Deichniúr tiarna ag léim, naonúr ban ag damhsa 5. Dháréag drumadóir ag drumadóireacht, aon phíobaire dhéag ag seinm

[toinghaeilge]

Dhá nó Dá?

When counting things, we say:

Two big boxes Dhá bhosca mhóra

Dhá loses its lenition when it follows the definite article (”the”), aon (any) and céad (first). 

The two big boxes An dá bhosca mhóra

Any two big boxes Aon dá bhosca mhóra

The first two big boxes An chéad dá bhosca mhóra

Counting People

Try it

Translate the following sentences.

1. Which two boats? 2. The first two boats. 3. The second boat, and every second boat after that.

Hover below for answers

1. Cén dhá bhád? 2. An chéad dá bhád. 3. An dara bád, agus gach dara bád ina dhiadh sin.

[toinghaeilge]

So- and Do-

In Prefixes, I briefly explained the so- and do- pairings, major remnants from Old Irish that make up a pair of polarity items with so- meaning ‘good‘ or ‘positive’ and do- meaning ‘bad’ or ‘negative’.

Strictly speaking, so- and do- cannot always be called prefixes as most words that contain them do not exist as words without them. Exceptions include léite and creidte.

As prefixes, so- can be interpreted as ‘easily’, while do- can mean ‘with difficulty’:

léite: read soléite: (easily) legible doléite: illegible

creidte: believed sochreidte: credible dochreidte: incredible

As requested, here is a list of more so- and do- pairs: 

So-

Do-

Saibhir Saoi Saoirse Saor Saoránach So-lasta Sochar Sochma Sochreidte Soilbhir Soiléir Soilíos Soineann Soineanta Sólás Soléite Sonas Sorcha Suáilce Suairc

Rich Expert Freedom Free Citizen Flammable Profit Easy-going Credible Merry Clear Benefit, favour Fair weather Serene Comfort (Easily) legible Good luck Brightness Virtue Agreeable

Daibhir Daoi Daoirse Daor Daoránach Do-lasta Dochar Dochma Dochreidte Doilbhir Doiléir Doilíos Doineann Doineanta Dólás Doléite Donas Dorcha Duáilce Duairc

Poor Ignorant person Slavery Expensive; condemned; unfree Convict Non-flammable Loss Distressed Incredible Gloomy Obscure; vague Difficulty, reluctance Bad weather Stormy Tribulation Illegible Ill luck Darkness Vice Bad-humoured

Try it

What might these words mean?

1. Dobhriste 2. Sodhéanta

Hover below for answers

1. Unbreakable, sacred 2. Easily done

[toinghaeilge]

Answering Yes and No Questions

You will hear many people tell you that there are no words for 'yes' and 'no' in Irish. Well, that's some seafóid for you, because there are many. Very, very many. Lots many. Big many. You get the idea.

A yes/no question in Irish depends on what you're responding to. If the question contains a verb, i.e.

An ndéanann tú bosca? Do you make a box?

You respond with the positive or negative form of the verb:

Déanaim. I make. [yes]

Ní dhéanaim. I do not make. [no]

More commonly, you see the verb “to be”:

An bhfuil tú ann? Are you (being) there?

In which case, you answer again with the positive or negative (present tense for this example) form of bí:

Táim. I am. [yes]

Níl mé. I am not. [no]

The Copula

For the copular question (identification, ownership, origin and some adjectives): you can often answer with ní hea or is ea (shortened to ‘sea):

Identification:

An fear é Seán? Is Seán a man?

‘Sea He is [yes]

Ní hea He isn’t [no]

In other instances, the words is and ní are used.

Ownership:

Ní leatsa é, an leat? It's not yours, is it?

Is liomsa It’s mine [yes]

Ní liom It isn’t mine [no]

Certain Adjectives:

An maith leat? Do you like it?

Is maith (liom) I do [yes]

Ní maith (liom) I do not [no]

Try it

Write positive or negative answers to the following questions:

1. An miste leat má thagann seisean? 2. An bhfuil arm ar bith ar iompar agat? 3. An é sin a charr? 4. An leat an carr sin?

Hover below for answers

1. (Is) Miste. OR Ní miste. 2. Tá. OR Níl (ar bith). 3. 'Sea. OR Ní hea. 4. Is liomsa. OR Ní liom.

[toinghaeilge]

Is the Knowledge with You?

Knowledge isn’t as simple as just tá’s agam. You can know who somebody is (aithne), you can know what he said (fios/eolas) and you can know the future (fios).

Small note: I've written about this before, although it was more focussed on their structures than their meanings.

Acquaintance

Tá aithne agam air I am acquainted with him

Gan aithne gan urlabhra Comatose (literally without recognition or the power of speech)

Duine atá ar m’aithne A person whom I am acquainted with

Knowledge and Information

Tá an-eolas aige ar Bhaile Átha Cliath He has good knowledge of Dublin

Coinnigh ar an eolas mé Keep me informed

Tá eolas na slí aige He knows the way

Knowledge, Information and Mystical Knowledge

Ag Dia atá a fhios God only knows

Is bean feasa í She is a fortune teller

An bradán feasa The salmon of knowledge

Try it

Translate these to Irish:

1. I don't know anything about the course. 2. I only know her a little. 3. She is clairvoyant.

Hover below for answers

1. Níl aon eolas agam faoin gcúrsa. OR Níl a fhios agam faoin gcúrsa. 2. Níl ach beagán aithne agam uirthi. 3. Tá fios aici.

[toinghaeilge]

Ar Son na Cúise

The phrase ar son can be traced back to two old Irish nouns son. As such, ar son has two meanings, and both are used.

Noun 1: On Behalf Of

The first definition is supported by Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (2019). It can be rephrased as “on behalf of”.

Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (2019) defines ar son as:

by the word or name of

Some examples:

To act in the name of someone Gníomhú ar son duine

Human rights activist Activist in the name of human rights Gníomhaí ar son chearta an duine

The case for divorce The case in the name of divorce An cás ar son an cholscartha

Noun 2: For the Well-being Of

This son is related the words sona and sonas, and features in Ó Duinnín's Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla (1927) and Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (1977). It can be rephrased as “for the sake of”. This is the usage that we witness most on memorial plaques.

Ó Duinnín's Foclóir Gaedhilge agus Béarla (1927) gives it ar son as:

for the sake or through love of, on account of

Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (1977) gives ar son as:

For the sake of, on behalf of

And in usage:

To work for the sake of the common good Oibriú ar son leas an phobail

He died for the sake of his country Fuair sé bás ar son a thíre

That's a point in her favour Sin pointe ar a son

Try it

Translate these to Irish:

1. I can't speak for Jackie. 2. He caught a rabbit for lunch. 3. For God's sake!

Hover below for answers

1. Ní féidir liom labhairt ar son Jackie. 2. Rug sé ar choinín don lón. (why?) 3. Ar son De!

[toinghaeilge]

Ceann

While the word ceann is used in Munster to mean “head”, parts of Connacht (Galway and Mayo) and Ulster (all of it) favour cloigeann (skull), and ceann is used almost exclusively to refer to “one”.

For example,

Sin é an ceann a bhí mé ag caint faoi That’s the one I was talking about

Tá ceann de na rothaí pollta One of the wheels is punctured

It is also used in the plural:

How many horses do you have? We have three. Cé mhéad capall atá agaibh? Tá trí cinn againn.

Notice that all of the above were used to refer to inanimate objects or animals. There is a distinction when you’re referring to people:

One of the boys is sick Tá duine de na buachaillí tinn

We’re the ones who are responsible Is sinne na daoine atá freagrach

Try it

Translate these to Irish:

1. Cóilí's the one who has to pay. 2. It works better than the other one. 3. One of the boys

Hover below for answers

1. Is é Cóilí an duine a chaithfidh íoc. 2. Oibríonn sé níos fearr ná an ceann eile. 3. Duine de na buachaillí