Small children might skip over the small words, but pronouns and other particles, are important for slight distinctions in meaning and a more graceful form to the sentence.
emember that, the verb tá has an absolute form for statements in its ordinary form and a dependent form for asking questions and saying what something is not which has the root Fuil. The dependent form of the verb tá, takes a marker, a small word before it, an or ná or ní, to make questions and negations.
| an | questions | eclipses verb | an bhfuil? |
| ní | negations | lenites verb | níl (ní fuil) |
| ná | neg questions | no change | ná fuil? |
ní → níor lenites
an → ar lenites
These particles replace the past tense marker do before the verb. In older forms ro was the tense marker. But ro has now been replaced by do. ro is preserved in some particles.
ní + ro = níor
an + ro = ar
ná + ro = nár
go + ro = gur
nach + ro = nár
particles containing ro cause lenition.
| do bhuaileas. | do dhúnas. |
| níor bhuaileas. | níor dhúnas. |
| ar bhuaileas? | ar dhúnas? |
| ní bhuailim. | ní dhúnaim. |
| an mbuailim? | an ndúnaim? |
| nár bhuaileas? | nár dhúnas? |
| gur bhuaileas. | gur dhúnas. |
| sg. | 1. | mé | pl. | 1. | sinn |
| 2. | tú | 2. | sibh | ||
| 3. | sí/sé | 3. | siad |
| sg. | 1. | mise | pl. | 1. | sinne |
| 2. | túsa | 2. | sibh-se | ||
| 3. | sise/seisean | 3. | siad-san |
The emphatic form is used to express contrast, rather than expressing it through stress.
Tá mise anso ach tá sise ansan. (I am here but she is there.)
| sg. | 1. | mé | pl. | 1. | sinn |
| 2. | thú | 2. | sibh | ||
| 3. | í/é | 3. | iad |
The disjunctive is used when the pronoun is the direct object of the verb (dative case), and not the subject. The word order is changed in sentences using the disjunctive and the pronoun is thrown to the end of the sentence.
Do chailleadar inné sa bhaile mhór é. (They lost it yesterday in town.)
| buailim é. | I strike him |
| buaileann sé mé. | He strikes me. |
| buailimíd iad. | We strike them. |
| buaileann tú sinn. | You strike us. |
| buailid sibh. | They strike you-all. |
| Tá tú ansan. Chím anois thú. | You are there. I see you now. |
| sg. | 1. | mo | len. | pl. | 1. | ár | ecl. |
| 2. | do | 2. | bhur | ||||
| 3.(m) | a | 3. | a | ||||
| 3.(f) | a | -- (h-) |
Before a vowel mo and do contract to m' and t'.
m'athair
t'athair
a and ár make contractions with preceding prepositions.
Only prepositions that end in a vowel are affected.
| | de | do | i | le | ó | trí | fé | (faoi) |
| +a= | dá | dá | ina | lena | óna | trína | féna | faoina |
| +ár= | dár | dár | inár | lenár | ónár | trínár | fénár | faoinár |
ina= in her/his/their
lena= with her/his/their, etc.
lenition and eclpsis are in keeping with the normal use of the possesive pronoun.
An emphatic suffix may be added to nouns following the possessive pronoun. If the noun is modified by an adjective then the suffix is added to the adjective. Suffixes may be added to verbs also.
| sg. | 1. | mo -sa, -se | pl. | 1. | ár -na, -ne |
| 2. | do -sa, -se | 2. | bhur -sa, -se | ||
| 3.(m) | a -san, -sean | 3. | a -san, -sean | ||
| 3.(f) | a -sa, -se |
mo mhac-sa
do thigh-se
a hiníon-sa
a bpáirc-sean
brisim-se
téimíd-ne
t in tigh is lenited because it does not follow d,n,t,l,s. do ends in a vowel.
| this | so, seo |
| that | san,sin |
| that (remote) | úd (súd, siúd) |
These words are added to a definite noun -- a noun that speaks of a particular object.
Definite nouns include nouns that follow the article, the possessive pronoun, the vocative a, and nouns that are proper or precede a definite noun in the genitive. The demonstrative is dependent upon the noun for pronunciation and stress. Hence, broad and slender sounds must agree.
Note that the words anso (anseo), ansan (ansin, ansiúd) contain so/seo, san/sin/siúd
an+san=ansan (the + that = there)
an+so=anso (the + this = here)
úd takes an s after a pronoun → súd /siúd
| an maide seo | this stick |
| an bhróg san | that shoe |
| an cnoc úd thall | that hill yonder |
| iad súd | those people |
| a thigh siud | that man's house ( that house of his) |
| a bhean so | my good woman |
féin means -self.
mé féin myself
sinn féin ourselves
féin may follow a noun that follows a possessive pronoun or it may follow a verb.
ár dtalamh féin. our own land
béimíd féin ann. we-shall-be there ourselves
chím féin. I-myself-see.
féin may mean even when it qualifies a noun or adverb.
tá an mhóin féin gann i mbliana.
even turf is scarce this year.
do bhíos ag caint leis inniu féin.
I was talking with him even today.
mar sin féin
even so.
to avoid copnfusion between "even" and "self" an extra disjunctive pronoun may be added.
an t-easpag é féin
the bishop himself
an t-easpag féin
even the bishop
Dá bhfeicfinn mé féin iad
if I saw them myself.
Dá bhfeicfinn féin iad
even if I saw them.
(Christian Brothers Grammar, 1990 edn., p.87.)
The article may be used as in French, even where it is not used in English.
la viande est chère.
meat is expensive.
when the object of a possessive pronoun is a quantity of something the word cuid (for "a share") is used.
a chuid airgid (his money)
mo chuid coirce (my oats)
a gcuid oibre (their work)
