Fòram na Gàidhlig

I know for a while I'm going to sound weird in this language, not only till I get my accent where it needs to be but through the constructions I use. I hear non native English speakers all the time, most from Asian decent. I can understand what they say but they say it how I'd imagine they think, due to how their own language works. I know that direct translations are the devils work because there really isn't such a thing. Which from a learners stand point suuuucks. It's interesting mind you, but bah. So as I progress I've noticed that i'm in a constant mental battle of... "I know it's probably something like that" when I think on a construction I've never made or heard before. This whole things raises more questions than I have time to type so, patients padawan is prolly my best course of action, I know. I've only begun to study the assertive verb which is kickin my ass trying to understand emphasis out of context.

Same goes for the possessive/prepositional pronouns of aig, which I can use and feel good about. I wonder about the nuance .vs practicality. For example, using one or the other .vs combining them because you have no choice. I mean for one thing "close/personal association" just isn't doing it for me. Again it might still be that frustrating lack of experience/exposure that I'll have to wait to acquire. But to me:

Am bi m' airgead sàbhailte anns a' bhanca agad?

Something like that, which I can already see being rewritten by someone to sound more natural, or to include something I don't yet know. Personal association is the point though >> My money, your bank? Maybe he worked their for years, or owns it, that seems like a personal association. Only you can't say "do bhanca" because the preposition ann is already there. Am I making sense?

Bha ur caoraich anns a' ghàrradh againn an-dè

I'm trying to take a "when to use" thread and make it something more I know but I really am concerned with what's happening behind the senses and not just tell me when I should say this or that.

(for the record I get the obvious difference in saying "I have a pen (in my possession) and (my pen)" i.e. mo pheann > peann agam but can't peann agam not only mean I have a pen but, my pen? Less obvious) dhomh =P

Have you looked at Possessives and syllabic structure or Ar n-Athair a tha air nèamh - I mean the table at the bottom?

And yes, there's lots of grey in this. I wouldn't kill myself over it. When in doubt, use aig.

jasonleitch wrote:Only you can't say "do bhanca" because the preposition ann is already there.

Are you sure you're not mixing up do = your (poss pron) and do = to (prep)? Because "in your" is nad/nur (sing/pl), eg "in your head" = nad cheann (see here http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/alba/foghlam ... tir499.pdf)

Something like that, which I can already see being rewritten by someone to sound more natural, or to include something I don't yet know. Personal association is the point though >> My money, your bank? Maybe he worked their for years, or owns it, that seems like a personal association. Only you can't say "do bhanca" because the preposition ann is already there. Am I making sense?

And yes, you CAN imply that very neatly. For example, if Richard Branson talks about Virgin Money and said mo bhanca that would kinda make sense, it's his, he started it, he's close to it. But if I said dh'fhalbh mo thrèan orm rather dh'fhalbh an trèan (agam) orm, then the first would be a little odd. The book I wrote is definitely mo leabhar when I speak but the others on the shelf are na leabhraichean agam.

Don't see it as a problem, see it as a really neat way of being oh-so-subtle the way English can't be (in this case).

I'm pretty sure I'm not mixing up my do's, the point of this thread was to hear some thoughts on subtly really, as akerbie put it, 'the way English can't be'. I'm completely talking about do /d' as a possessive indicator and aig/agam (and family). At this point the way i'm understanding it is, at work, for instance, say I have a pen, I OWN the pen I bought it, I brought it, it's mine, mo pheann-fhìn, but if I don't and took one, a particular one, from the pen cup that morning and misplaced it in the afternoon, then I'd be asking where peann agam was... yes?

Also no I haven't looked at that, your website continues to be an invaluable asset every time you direct link me lol, a maze any other way. SO, I shall look that over!

alienable/inalienable makes much more sense now