Fòram na Gàidhlig

I was wondering how to say

"We can do it!"

In Gaelic??

Many thanks

Nì sinn e

If you want to emphasise the "we" bit, then
Nì sinne e

Am Mìcheal Eile

Que? Nach eil sin "we shall/will do it"? Bhithinnsa ag ràdh rudeigin mar "'S urrainn dhuinn[e] a dhèanamh" - no, nam biodhte an "can" eile sa Bheurla, "Faodaidh sinn[e] a dhèanamh".

So, Uister, what sort of a "can" is it? Like, is it some thing you are physically able to do, or is it a thing you are allowed to do?

(a) he can run 100 metres in under an hour
(b) she can go home now

No, the future doubles up for the so-called potential in Gaelic. Compare phrases like chì mi Muile "I can see Mull", an dèan thu fàbhar dhomh? "Can you do me a favour" etc.

Granted, it's very idiomatic Gaelic

OK, ach 's e "can" eile a th' ann. Mar a bhios iad ag ràdh, "I can see Mull" - uaireanan 's e "I see Mull" a chiallaich seo. Agus "Can you do me a favour?" - tha mi air cluinntinn "will ye de me a feava" airson sin gu tric ann an sgìre a' Chaisteil Nuaidh. Chan eil mi a' creidsinn gu bheil "We can do it" a' ciallachahd "We shall/will do it" no "We do it" mar sin.

Rinn sinn abairtean mar "Nì mi snàmh" = "I can swim" anns a' Chursa Adhartais, a bheil cuimhne agad? Dhìochuimhnich mi dè am Modal a bh' ann co-dhiù.

Will Lamb, Scottish Gaelic, LINCOM Europe (p56):

The first indefinite is often used to establish ability:
(67) nì mi sin gun trioblaid sam bith
do-INDEF1 1s that without no trouble at all
'I can do/will do that with no trouble at all'

Ó Maolalaigh, SG in 3 Months, Hugo (p128):

Note that the future forms [of the irregular verbs] can express capability. This is particularly tru of the verbs faic 'see' and cluinn 'hear'.

B' urrainn dhomh barrachd a lorg ach tha mi ann an cabhag beagan.

Am Mìcheal Eile

Seonaidh wrote:OK, ach 's e "can" eile a th' ann. Mar a bhios iad ag ràdh, "I can see Mull" - uaireanan 's e "I see Mull" a chiallaich seo. Agus "Can you do me a favour?" - tha mi air cluinntinn "will ye de me a feava" airson sin gu tric ann an sgìre a' Chaisteil Nuaidh. Chan eil mi a' creidsinn gu bheil "We can do it" a' ciallachahd "We shall/will do it" no "We do it" mar sin.

Nam bheachdsa, 's dòcha nach e 'can eile' a th' ann.

Tha seo coltach ri 'Yes, we can' le Obama. '> We can, and we will!'

Carson a bhiodh tu ag ràdh 'We can do it - but we won't'?
Bhiodh 'We can do it and we will!' nas cumanta is nas coltaiche.

Seo feadhainn eile bho Ghàidhlig Ros an Iar:

Ghos a’ faic thu an gnìomh a ni mise le biorán de dh’fhiodh Cheann an t-Sàil
So you see the deed that I can do with a wand from the timber of Kintail

is collach gun dèan e an uibhir od
It seems he can do that much

cha ghabh e teatha masa fìor
he can’t take tea supposedly

not sure if this is right or not but i seem to remember hearing;

'theid againn air' to mean - we can do it! but maybe it only applies to winning something?

horogheallaidh wrote:but maybe it only applies to winning something?

I don't think so. Robertson's & Taylor's TYG has a whole section in the 17th lesson on the construction "Thèid aig... air... ". To quote:

"This construction conveys the meaning 'will be able to' and 'will manage to' as well as can do something."

They give several examples like: Thèid agam air Gearmailtis a leughadh. I can read German. ; Thèid aca air tighinn. They will be able to come. ; Cha tèid aig Stiùbhairt air a bhith ann. Stewart won't be able to be there. ; An tèid agad air sin a dhèanamh? Will you be able to do that?

Doesn't the rach agam air construction have a stronger meaning of 'manage', 'succeed'?

I would use it if I was not sure that someone would succeed, or implying it was against the odds, somehow.

Cho trìc's a thèid agad air - as often as you can manage
Cha deach air a nàimhdean air a ghlacadh - his enemies didn't succeed in catching him.

(Both examples Colin Mark dict.)

Cha deach air a nàimhdean air a ghlacadh - his enemies didn't succeed in catching him.

aig a nàimhdean 's dòcha?

Lol!

'aig' - sin e!

Tha mi a' creidsinn gum bi comhair sa Bheurla airson "can" a chleachdadh far nach bi cànanan eile ga chleachdadh. Ged-thà, nuair a bhios sibh ag ràdh "I can hear music", mar as trice bidh sibh a' ciallachadh "I hear music". Agus, gu dearbh sin a' Ghàidhlig, "Cluinnidh mi ceòl". Ach ma bhios sibh ag ràdh rud mar "I was deaf, but now I can hear", sin "can" eile (Bha mi bodhar, ach 's urrainn dhomh cluinntinn a-nis). Agus seo, tha mi a' creidsinn, an "can" ann an "We can do it". An seo, feumar buille a chur air "can": cha chòrd fhàgail às, air sgàths gu bheil diofar eadar "We do it" no "We'll do it" agus "We can do it".

Chaidh na leabhraichean gràmair a sgrìobhadh airson daoine a bhiodh glè eòlach air "can" Beurla agus, a chionn sin, dh'innse iad rudan mar "I can see Mull - Chì mi Muile". Feumaidh sibh faighinn às a' mhindset Bheurla beagan.