Grammar query
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Grammar query
I'm doing some tr*nsl*t**n exercises and I'm not sure whether I need an 'a' in the first here. Any hints appreciated.
1) I don’t know which of them is right. = Cha’n’eil fhios agam có dhiubh/có aca a tha ceart.
2) Which of them shot the big one (deer)? = có dhiubh thilg le gunna am fear mór? Correct?
1) I don’t know which of them is right. = Cha’n’eil fhios agam có dhiubh/có aca a tha ceart.
2) Which of them shot the big one (deer)? = có dhiubh thilg le gunna am fear mór? Correct?
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- Rianaire
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Re: Grammar query
1) Chan eil fhios agam cò dhiubh a tha ceart.
The 'a' is usually dropped when speaking, but you should write it to make the structure more clear.
2) Cò dhiubh a thilg/loisg air an fhear mhòr?
The 'a' is usually dropped when speaking, but you should write it to make the structure more clear.
2) Cò dhiubh a thilg/loisg air an fhear mhòr?
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Na dealbhan agam
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Re: Grammar query
Tapadh leat. I'm using an old textbook here - Duncan Reid. Is the use of apostrophes for chan eil an older feature which has been dropped or is it either/or? Do different dialects do different things?
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Re: Grammar query
The apostrophe before eil is an old feature, reflecting the fact that there was historically another consonant before it (partially preserve in other forms, such as "a bheil...?"). The apostrophe in chan makes no sense at all, as historically the only thing dropped was before the CH ("nichon" or something like that in Old Irish).Frangag wrote:Tapadh leat. I'm using an old textbook here - Duncan Reid. Is the use of apostrophes for chan eil an older feature which has been dropped or is it either/or? Do different dialects do different things?
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Re: Grammar query
That textbook seems to be about 100 years old, and spelling conventions have changed since then. For example:
dorus -> doras, so -> seo
dorus -> doras, so -> seo
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Na dealbhan agam
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Re: Grammar query
Another query: to tr*nsl*t* 'to the market' , do you use the article or just say 'do mhargadh'? Can ri (s) be used as well? I can't find an example online to confirm this, not can I find an example with the article.
Tapadh leibh ro làimh! (excuse this but I'll probably be querying a lot of grammar and don't want to repeatedly send two words to the forum )
Tapadh leibh ro làimh! (excuse this but I'll probably be querying a lot of grammar and don't want to repeatedly send two words to the forum )
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Re: Grammar query
From informal to formal:
Chaidh mi dhan mhargadh
Chaidh mi don mhargadh
Chaidh mi chun a' mhargaidh
Ri doesn't fit here.
Chaidh mi dhan mhargadh
Chaidh mi don mhargadh
Chaidh mi chun a' mhargaidh
Ri doesn't fit here.
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Na dealbhan agam
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Re: Grammar query
As a rough rule of thumb, if you have something in English that refers to "a thing" or "an object", i.e. using the indefinite article, you use NOTHING in Gaelic (Gaelic has no "indefinite article" as such). If, however, you have "the thing" or "the object" in English, yes, you would usually use a definite article (an, am, a', na etc.) in Gaelic. This is also the case when there is NO article in English! Thus, for example, to put the following into Gaelic, you would have (respectively):-
I am at a school
I am at the school
I am at school
Tha mi aig sgoil
Tha mi aig an sgoil
Tha mi aig an sgoil
In general, for such things at "in school", "at work" etc you need the definite article in Gaelic.
I am at a school
I am at the school
I am at school
Tha mi aig sgoil
Tha mi aig an sgoil
Tha mi aig an sgoil
In general, for such things at "in school", "at work" etc you need the definite article in Gaelic.
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Re: Grammar query
Tapadh leibh. I've another query. The sentence is 'The cat caught the head of the mouse in its teeth'. So I have 'rug an cat air ceann na lucha anns a fhiaclan'. Is this correct? Or would you use 'leis a fhiaclan'?
Tapadh leibh ro làimh!
Tapadh leibh ro làimh!
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Re: Grammar query
If it was ann then you would have "Rug an cat air ceann na lucha 'na fhiaclan." ('na is written without the ' but I have left it in to show that it is a contraction.)The sentence is 'The cat caught the head of the mouse in its teeth'. So I have 'rug an cat air ceann na lucha anns a fhiaclan'. Is this correct? Or would you use 'leis a fhiaclan'?
If it was le then you would have "Rug an cat air ceann na lucha le fhiaclan." (le (a) fhiaclan)
I would say 'le fhiaclan'...because you have "rug ...air"...
But if no "rug..air" : "Bha ceann na lucha 'na fhiaclan" (ann am fiaclan a' chait)
Dèan buil cheart de na fhuair thu!
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Re: Grammar query
Tapadh leat, An Gobaire!
Does your signature mean basically 'Make good use of what you've got/received'?
Does your signature mean basically 'Make good use of what you've got/received'?
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Re: Grammar query
1) How would I say 'the time passed very fast'. Assuming '? an ùine gu luath' is OK, what verb do I use? And what about 'I'm passing the time (of day)?' Would 'The mi a'cur seachad na h-ùine' be right?
I found online some comments, one of which was "For "spending" time, I would use "tog" or "caith" or "thoir" rather than
> "cuir seachad"." What do you all think? Agree? Or not?
2)I've found 'aig a bleoghann' for 'at the milking', but what about 'at milking-time'. Is 'aig àm-bleoghan' right?
I found online some comments, one of which was "For "spending" time, I would use "tog" or "caith" or "thoir" rather than
> "cuir seachad"." What do you all think? Agree? Or not?
2)I've found 'aig a bleoghann' for 'at the milking', but what about 'at milking-time'. Is 'aig àm-bleoghan' right?
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Re: Grammar query
I don't know about milking, but it does seem that "bleoghan[n]" is the verbnoun of "to milk". Literally, "aig a bleoghann" means "at her milking" (as it's somewhat difficult to milk a gentleman cow...), i.e. it describes what's happening to the cow, rather than specifying a temporal feature (i.e. "at milking time"). But both expressions (the Gaelic one and the English one) convey much the same information: in both, a cow is being milked - and this tends to happen at a set time of day. So I would suggest that "aig a bleoghann" would do for "at milking time".
However, if it's a more general concept ("when all the cows get milked", e.g., rather than just one), perhaps something like "aig uair bleoghan a' chruidh" would be better. You could also use "àm".
I think "caitheamh" is the usual verb for the passing of time. "Togail" is (usually) "to build" or "to raise", while "toirt" is more "to cast" or "to give". "Caitheamh" is "to spend" - as in money or time - and can often be used to imply a waste: also means "to waste away" and such like. "Cur" is very much "to put", but is usually used together with sundry prepositions to give special meanings: "seachad" means "past" or "beyond". "Cur seachad" is actually OK for spending time - literally "putting time past".
So, the only thing actually wrong with what you wrote (The mi a'cur seachad na h-ùine) - apart from the typo "The" instead of "Tha", that is - is that you didn't put a space between "a'" and "cur".
Incidentally, a "pastime" is "cur-seachad".
However, if it's a more general concept ("when all the cows get milked", e.g., rather than just one), perhaps something like "aig uair bleoghan a' chruidh" would be better. You could also use "àm".
I think "caitheamh" is the usual verb for the passing of time. "Togail" is (usually) "to build" or "to raise", while "toirt" is more "to cast" or "to give". "Caitheamh" is "to spend" - as in money or time - and can often be used to imply a waste: also means "to waste away" and such like. "Cur" is very much "to put", but is usually used together with sundry prepositions to give special meanings: "seachad" means "past" or "beyond". "Cur seachad" is actually OK for spending time - literally "putting time past".
So, the only thing actually wrong with what you wrote (The mi a'cur seachad na h-ùine) - apart from the typo "The" instead of "Tha", that is - is that you didn't put a space between "a'" and "cur".
Incidentally, a "pastime" is "cur-seachad".
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Re: Grammar query
Hardly. Aig a' bhleoghann but that's just 'at the milking' which could be any time of the day technically.So I would suggest that "aig a bleoghann" would do for "at milking time".
aig uair would not be better, that sort of concept is almost invariably aig àm rudeigin."aig uair bleoghan a' chruidh" would be better. You could also use "àm".
As for time passing, I think falbh or aom would work better.
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