Book 3:
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Preface
Phonetics

exercise CIX

§ 611. Before translating into Irish an English sentence containing any part of the verb to be, we have to examine the sentence carefully. As we have seen, when the English verb to be is FOLLOWED by a proper name, or by a common name with the definite article the, or the possessives my, thy, his, etc., the verb is must be used in Irish—the order of words being I. the verb 2. the nominative case 3. What follows the verb to be in the English sentence.

In the examples already given the nominative case was always a pronoun. We have now to give examples of sentences where the nom. case is a noun proper or common.

The following examplse will show the construction—instead of staying "Cormac is the king", we say, "He, Cormac, is the king". Is é Cormac an rí. So, "Nora is the woman" is Is í Nóra an ḃean, She, Nora, is the woman.

§ 612. Where, in the English sentence the verb to be is followed by a pronoun, personal or relative, the verb is is used in Irish; as, is mise é, I am he; is mise atá tinn, it is I who am sick. Sentences of this last type, "It is...who" are very common.

§ 613. Is é Doṁnall m'aṫair. Ní h-í Nóra mo ṁaṫair. Is iad Nóra agus Art atá ins an mbád. Donal is my father. Nora is not my mother. It is Nora and Art who are in the boat.

§ 614. An é an an seanfuine d'aṫair, is the old man your father? n í an ḃean so an ḃean saiḋḃir? Is this woman the rich woman? Is iad na páisdí mo ḃrón. The children are my trouble.

§ 615. Ní h-é m'aṫair an rí. Ní h-í mo ṁaṫair an ḃainrioġain. My father is not the king. My mother is not the queen.

§ 616. Translate into English

Éire (aer-ĕ), Erin, Ireland. This is the proper form of the nominative case; Éirinn should be used only after prepositions.

• Ní h-í an uaigh ar mbaile.
• Is í Éire ar dtír.
• Is é an stól mór atá briste; ní h-í an chathaoir bheag atá briste.
• An é an fear mór an flaith? Ní h-é; is é an fear beag an flaith.
• Ní h-í an tsúil so atá dall, acht an tsúil eile.
• Ní h-é mo bhrón an brón mór, acht an brón atá ar Pheadar.
• An é an capall atá ar an mbóthar? Ní h-é.
• An tusa an buaċaill óg? Ní mé; is é sin é (that is he)
• Ní h-é sin é, aċt is é so é. (that is not he, this is he.)

§ 617. Translate into Irish

• Is this Nora ? No, this is Brigid and this is Mary, her sister.
• Mary is not her sister.
• She is; But Una is not her sister.
• This is the poor woman, she has not a house nor a cow, nor land, but she has a large family and she s in debt.
• How much does she owe?
• Do you know that man? I do, that is Michael O'Brian ad this is father coming up the road.
• Is this the priest?
• That is the mountain and this is the wood.

note that
phonetic
symbols
are not
necessarily pronounced
as in English

See § 13-16