A dhol gu/A dhol don + Bidh mi...

[*Alasdair*]

I am currently writing a Gaelic essay on Holidays (Saor-làithean) but i am stuck with two things:

When do you use "A dhol gu" and "A dhol don"? What words do they come before? I know you would say:

A dhol don t-Suain (Going to Sweden)
A dhol don Fhraing (Going to France)
A dhol gu Nirribhidh (Going to Norway)
A dhol don a' Gàidhealtachd (Going to The Highlands)

But what one is used with what and why? What would "Going to Findland" be?

Also, what is with using "Bidh mi..." to show something that someone does a lot or what they are doing. Such as:

Bidh mi a’ snàmh a h-uile madainn. (I go swimming every morning)? or (I will be swimming every morning)?
Bidh m’ athair agus mo mhàthair a’ faighinn càr agus bidh sinn a’ dol air cuairt. (My father and mother take the car and we go on trips)? or (My father and mother will take the car and we will be going on trips)?
Bidh sinn a’ dràibheadh gu bailtean beaga. (We drive to small villages)? or (We will be driving to small villages)?

I'm slightly confused. Please help

[Níall Beag]

dhan = gu + the article

So if the place is referred to as An, Am or A' {place}, the gu and the an become dhan or don.

The classic example is Scottish towns:

Fort William = An Gearasdan (article)
Tha mi a' dol dhan Ghearasdan.

Inverness = Inbhir Nis (no article)
Tha mi a' dol gu Inbhir Nis.



What do you mean "what's with using bidh"?

Why shouldn't you?

How do you do it in English?
Modern English has a habitual tense (which everyone mistakenly calls "present" and I can't for the life of me work out why they can't see that is -- when does the "present" actually mean "now"?) but Gaelic doesn't.

The future is by far the best way of dealing with it within Gaelic's existing structures: after all, something that you do habitually, you will do again, won't you?

NB.

[*Alasdair*]

Thanks, i get the first part

When do you use don though? What is the rule there?

So, would it be: The mi a' dol gu Fionnlainn?

But, with bidh me... i still don't understand. Why not just say "Tha mi a' snamh a h-uile madainn". That makes perfect sense too?Is there a specific rule as to when you use Bidh mi... to express what you are doing?

It is just slightly confusing.

Tapadh leibh.

[Níall Beag]

But, with bidh me... i still don't understand. Why not just say "Tha mi a' snamh a h-uile madainn". That makes perfect sense too?

No, it doesn't make sense. Tha mi a' snamh means "I am swimming". You wouldn't say "I am swimming every morning" in English, would you?

Did you do any other languages at school? It might be easier to explain by comparing languages.

NB:
I'm still not sure about bidh mi a' snàmh vs Snàmhaidh mi -- there was more than discussion on this on the last board. Any natives/grads care to clear that up...?

[An Gobaire]

I'm not a native, but it's quite clear now to me, that "Bidh mi a' snàmh" is the equivalent of the present habitual in English.

But in Gaelic, it's seems to be mainly used with habitual expressions like "a h-uile madainn" or "gu tric" or " uair san seachdain" and so on and so forth.

I don't think I've ever heard "Snàmhaidh mi a h-uile madainn" or an equivalent sentence.

THe future is used to express "will" and "can".

"Snàmhaidh tu anns an abhainn ma bhios tu faiceallach."

You can swim in the river if you're careful.

[*Alasdair*]

But, with bidh me... i still don't understand. Why not just say "Tha mi a' snamh a h-uile madainn". That makes perfect sense too?

No, it doesn't make sense. Tha mi a' snamh means "I am swimming". You wouldn't say "I am swimming every morning" in English, would you?

Did you do any other languages at school? It might be easier to explain by comparing languages.

NB:
I'm still not sure about bidh mi a' snàmh vs Snàmhaidh mi -- there was more than discussion on this on the last board. Any natives/grads care to clear that up...?

Ah, i see now. I understand. And yes, i do German, French and Spanish.

Anyone know about the other thing? Where and when you use don?

[Níall Beag]

Found this on the Gaelic-L archives from Caoimhin at the SMO

[GA] Thubhairt Sia\n Leitch:

> > "Bidh mi a' dol dhan dannsadh a-nochd."
>
> Chan eil mi tuigsinn "dhan dannsadh". An urrainn duine sam bith mhineachadh?

"dhan" = "don" = "do" + "an"

Bidh cuid de dhaoine (m.e. Uìstich?) ag radh "don", agus bidh cuid
(m.e. Leòdhasaich) ag radh "dhan".

He says it's a dialect thing. Lewis folk say dhan. Which is irritating because the last thing I want is to sound like a Lewis man.... (But he doesn't say only Lewis folk, which is reassuring. Also, he isn't sure which dialects use "don".)

[*Alasdair*]

So it is a dialect thing then?

That means i should just stick to dhan and gu.

dhan - With article.
gu - Without article.

Can you use a? Tha mi a' dol a Fionnlainn?

[*Alasdair*]

A/Do (To)

A/Do lenites the follwoing word:

a + Barraigh > a Bharraigh

If the following word starts with a vowel, dh' is inserted before the word:

a + Inbhir Nis > a dh'Inbhir Nis

A/Do combines with the word an to form dhan or don:

a/do + an + An Gearasdan > dhan/don Ghearasdan
a/do + an + oifis > dhan/don oifis

Sometimes the word after dhan/don is lentioned:

Cidsin - Kitchen
dhan/don chidsin - To the kitchen

This only happens if the word begins in: b, c, f, g, m, p.


So, i do actually know all this, but because i hadn't seen don before i got confused.

[Níall Beag]

So I've been talking ás mo thòn....

Editting....

[Stìophan]

Gu is a completely seperate word from do

as mentioned before do + an = don or dhan

As Alasdair said:

a/do causes lenition, gu does not.

a is basically an unstressed form of do.

A/do can lenite any lenitable consonant, but don/dhan do NOT lenite anyword beginning with d or t, while s gets prefixes with t-:

dhan dùthaich to the country
dhan taigh to the house
dhan t-solas to the light

Before vowels or f we insert dh' when the article is not used:

a dh'Fhionnlainn to Finland
a dh'Alba to Scotland


note before the plural article you use do or dha

dha Na Hearadh to Harris.

Gu also combines with the article to form gun or gus but this is rarely heard, especially with place names.