Monday Night Irish Class, February 2, 2009

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Irish Class, February 2, 2009

Rang Gaeilge, 2ú lá mí Feabhra 2009

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Fadas: áéíóúÁÉÍÓÚ

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Listening exercise

  1. Sílim nár aithin tú mé, nuair a chonaic mé thú i
    do sheasamh ansin.
    . I think
    that you did not recognize me when I saw you standing there.

    i do sheasamh “in your standing”
    i a seasamh “in her standing”
    i a sheasamh “in his standing”
    aithin tú sinn you recognized us Do not use muid
    thú you thú because it is not
    next to a verb

  2. Is fuath léi go háirithe na rialacha nua le haghaidh
    riomphost na hoibre.
    She certainly hates the new rules
    concerning email at work.

    go háirithe certainly
    le haghaidh for, concerning
    obair work g. oibre

  3. Tá an oiread sin oibre agam a dhéanamh.
    I have so many
    tasks to do.

    oiread quantity, amount
    oibre works, chores, tasks Use this
    plural rather than obair. Normal plural is
    oibreacha

  4. Ba cheart dúinn na cadhnraí a mhalartú sula n-imeacht.
    We ought to change the batteries before we go out.

    Ba cheart dúinn It would be right for us
    cadhnra battery
    malairt change, exchange
    sula before Used with verbs. Contrast
    roimh
    imigh leave (v) vn imeacht

  5. Gabhfaidh muid amach le fáil na coinnle do Lá Fhéile Bhríde.
    We will go out in order to get candles for St. Bride’s Day.

    Gabh go =téigh
    faigh get vn fáil
    le fáil in order to get
    coinneal candle f2

English infinitive constructions in Irish

To X a/the Y. X is a verb. Y is a noun.

English: infinitive + direct object
to hit a ball
to skin a cat
to kiss the bride

I want to buy a hat.
I have to paint my house.

Irish: direct object + a + lenited verbal
noun

  1. a/the Y — the direct object comes
    first
  2. a is next
  3. then the verbal noun of the verb
    X,
  4. which is lenited
lathróid a bhualadh to hit a ball “a ball
to hit”
cat a fheannadh to skin a
cat		 “a cat to skin” fheannadh /ænu:/
an bhrídeach a phógadh to kiss the bride
m’obair a dhéanamh to do my work
carr nua a cheannach to buy a new car
i a fheiceáil arís to see her again
é sin a fháil to get that
Caithfidh mé an teach a phéinteáil. I have to
paint the house
Ní raibh Bríd sásta é a ól. Brid wasn’t content
to drink it
Tá drogall air He is
reluctant		 “Reluctance is on him”
Tá drogall air é a dhéanamh. He is reluctant
to do it		 NOT *Tá drogall air déanamh
é.

This suggests that Yoda is a native Irish speaker
:-)>

The key point is to look in the English sentence for the
combination “to” + VERB + DIRECT OBJECT. Do not be misled by
other things “to” can do in an English sentence, or by an indirect object. (Aside, my
thanks to W. Gregor Heggen, my High School German teacher, who more than
40 years ago made sure I understood the differences between subject,
direct object, and indirect object).

We then rearranged some English sentences and phrases to follow Irish
syntax, but keeping them in English for now.

I want to buy some eggs. I want some eggs to buy.
I am planning to bake a cake this afternoon. I am planning a cake to bake this afternoon.
because my friends told me to have a party because my friends told me a party to have
They like to eat sweet things whenever they come to visit me
here		 They like sweet things to eat whenever they come me to visit
here.
I attach streamers to the lamps in order to make the room look
festive		 I attach streamers to the lamps in order the room to make
look festive.
We won’t be able to alter the arrangement to something more
suitable.		 We won’t be able the arrangement to alter to something more
suitable.
We’ll need to blow up more balloons if the place is to look
right.		 We’ll need more balloons to blow up if the place is to look
right.
To clean up the mess more easily, I’ll bring the garbage to the
dumpster.		 The mess to clean up more easily, I’ll bring the garbage to
the dumpster.
I intend to go to bed right after I watch the movie, “A Day to
Remember”.		 I intend to go to bed right after I watch the movie, “A Day to
Remember”.		 [no change]
I’ll be prepared to tell all the details of the film to the
bride to be.		 I’ll be prepared all the details of the film to tell to the
bride to be. 		“bride to be” is a frozen form, as well as not following
the rules above for when to make the rearrangement.

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Additional note

We use the a+lenition structure whenever a
verbal noun follows a direct object, including question and
relative clause situations.

Tá mé ag obair. I am working.
Tá me ag déanamh m’oibre. I am doing my
work.
  • Lit: I am at doing of my
    work.

  • The verbal noun is a noun,
    so the 2nd
    noun is in the genitive.

  • Here the direct object
    follows
    the verbal noun.
Caithfidh mé m’obair a dhéanamh. I have to do my
work.

When asking about what you are doing, the question usually comes as a
direct object (e.g., a question work) and a relative clause
before the verbal noun. Hence the
a+lenition structure applies.

Cén saghas oibre atá tú a dhéanamh? What kind of work are you doing?
saghas sort, kind /sais/

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