Book 3:
Lessons
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Preface
Phonetics

exercise CVIII

§ 604. When an interrogative or negative particle is placed before is, the is disappears. Thus is tú = you are. But if we wish to translate the question "are you?" we do not say an is tú? but simply an tú?

§ 605. So with the negative particle ní:

§ 606. Notice after ní before é, í, and iad that h is introduced to prevent hiatus or difficulty of pronunciation.

§ 607. So—

§ 608. For cia tú? Who are you? we geneally say cia tú féin, who is yourself? Cia h-é féin? Who is he?

§ 609. Translate into English

• An tusa Grian O'Domhnaill? Ní mé, is mise Cormac MacDomhnaill, is é so Brian.
• An í sin Briġid? Ní h-í (hee); is í sin Nóra, agus is í so Briġid.
• Agus cia tú féin?
• Is mise Domhnall O'Conaill.
• An iad so an sí agus an flaith óg?
• Is iad; agus atá siad ag dul a bhaile anois.
• Ní h-é so an teach, is í so an áit.
• An tusa fear an tighe? Is mé ceurd fáilte rómhat.

(Each sentence must be examined, to see which verb, atá, is, or biṫim is to be used.)

§ 610. Translate into Irish

• The night is very dark, there is no light on the road (atá)
• There is (atá) a person coming up the road.
• Stand, are (is) you my brother? No (is), your brother went down the hill, he was (ḃí) in a great hurry. He was angry.
• This is (is) not the (ant) island—this is the mainland (tír ṁór), the island is out in the sea.
• I was not angry yesterday.
• Will you be coming home tomorrow?
• Who are these people? (cia h-iad so)
• These are Art, Conn and Niall; they are coming home now, they were working in the mill; they do be working in that mill, and they get money for their work.
• Is this your field? It is, the grass is green now, but in the winter the grass will not be green.
• The field is very good, there is a heavy rent on it.

note that
phonetic
symbols
are not
necessarily pronounced
as in English

See § 13-16