|
Cleachtadh
leis an forainm coibhneasta le "is"
(practice with the relative pronoun for "is")
After
a review of Ceacht 127, you should be able to
put the relative clause to work in expressing
thoughts involving the verb "is" in
Irish.
Cuir
Gaeilge ar na habairtí seo leanas, ar dtús
an tuiseal ainmneach:
The
chair that I like. The chair you don't like.
A
room you would like. The seat you would prefer.
The one you wouldn't wish.
Next,
an tuiseal tabharthach, or dative case; "to
whom" or "with whom" would be a
part of the literal translation:
The
girls whose house it is (literally: "with
whom it is"). The visitors who like the trip
(:is áil liom; I like). The cat doesn't
like the cold (use "is maith liom" form).
The
girls whose house it was. The doctor who would
like to be here (use "is áil liom"
form). The girls whose house it wouldn't be. The
doctor who wouldn't like to be here.
Finally,
the tuiseal ginideach or genitive case; "whose"
would be a part of the English form:
The
inspector whose daughter is a student. A man whose
food is bread. The teacher whose son isn't a painter.
The
man whose mill was a home. The teacher whose room
was an office. The lad whose brother was not a
manager. The woman whose husband was not a fisherman.
The
key to these phrases:
For
the nominative:
An
chathaoir is maith liom. An chathaoir nach maith
leat.
Seomra
ba mhaith leat. An suíochán ab fhearr
leat. An ceann nár mhian leat.
For
the dative:
Na
cailíní ar leo an teach. Na cuairteoirí
arb áil leo an turas. An cat nach maith
leis an fuacht.
Na
cailíní ar leo an teach. An dochtúir
arbh áil leis bheith anseo.
Na
cailíní nár leo an teach.
An dochtúir nárbh áil leis
bheith anseo.
For
the genitive:
An
cigire ar scólaire a iníon. Fear
arb arán a bhia. An múinteoir nar
péintéir a mhac.
An
fear ar theach a muileann. An múinteoir
arbh oifig a sheomra. An buachaill nár
bhainisteoir a dheartháir. An bhean nárbh
iascaire a fhear céile.
Réamhfhocail;
prepositions
The
preposition "do" usually means "to"
or "for". Sometimes it means movement
toward, but usually the meaning is the equivalent
of the English "I gave that to him",
which is a usage in the dative case.
Expressions
indicating a form of possession occur:
Cad
is ainm duit? What is your name?
Cad
is aois duit? What is your age?
Refusing
someone can be: Díultóidh sé
duit; he will refuse you.
Forgiving
someone is: Mhaith sé dom; he forgave me.
This
réamhfhocail can also carry the meaning
of the possessive or genitive. For example, with
an t-ainm briathartha or verbal noun, you may
say: Ar teacht isteach dom; while I was coming
in, or upon my entrance. Ag dul abhaile dom; as
I was going home, is another example.
The
expression "He is a friend of John"
can be "Is cara do Sheán é".
Or "He is a son of my uncle" can be
"Is mac do m'uncail é." The first
word for a person must be indefinite and the second
must be definite, such as a person's name or with
"the" before it.
Another
way of saying this is: Is cara le Séamas
é; he is a friend of James.
Two
other expressions with "do" are:
Feictear
dom; it seems to me. Tuigtear dom; it is my understanding.
The
réamhfhocail "le" generally means
"with", but can also indicate extent
or purpose.
Le
déanaí; recently. Le fada; for a
long time. Le tamall; for a while.
Beidh
sé anseo le ceann eile a fháil;
he will be here to get another one.
If
some activity is to be done in the near or distant
future, then:
Tá
obair le déanamh; there is work to be done.
Tá ceacht le cleachtadh agam; I have a
lesson to practice.
Idioms
with several verbs need "le":
Aontáim
leat; I agree with you. Chuir sé geall
liom; he promised me. Fanfaidh sé liom;
he will wait for me. Thaitin an dráma liom;
I liked the play. Díolann sé bróga
linn; he sells shoes to us.
The
réamhfhocail "ó" means
"from" in the general sense. It is part
of several important expressions, such as: Cad
tá uait? What do you want? Cad a bhí
ó Sheán? What did Seán want?
Creid uaim é; believe me.
An
ceacht deireanach; the last lesson
This
is the last lesson in the series designed to give
you a basic grasp of the Irish language. By now
you should have an effective command of the language
adequate to carry on some conversation and understand
spoken and written Irish.
The
essential verb forms, word order, formation of
noun plurals, the combination of prepositions
and pronouns, and the elementary vocabulary of
words and idioms are part of this. Further studies
of Irish will depend on your opportunities, which
are of two principal types: talking with other
speakers, of any degree of proficiency; and reading
and listening to tapes and records.
The
degree to which your work is structured will depend
on your natural inclination. Some persons will
benefit most from constant conversation with others,
while other learners consider that they must progress
in an orderly manner through grammar books, such
as "Réchúrsa Gramadaí",
and through books of graded difficulty, with the
assistance of dictionaries along the way.
A
persistent effort to write Irish is a good way
to improve your style and vocabulary. Irish-speaking
friends in Ireland, or in the United States, can
help with this. A regular correspondence will
let you improve painlessly.
The
lessons in this series will begin anew in a few
weeks, and if you have friends who have evinced
interest in Irish, perhaps they can begin with
the repeating of the series.
| 
