Book 3:
Lessons
Menu

Preface
Phonetics

exercise CXXIX

§ 743. The conditional mood of is is ba; asl ba ṁaiṫ an rud é, it would be a good thing, an mba ṁaiṫ leat é? would you like it? After ní aspiration takes place, and after naċ, an, etc, eclipsis; as, an mba é sin an bóṫar? would that we be the road? But in the spoken language the conditional ba after praticles is exactly like the perfect tense ba after particles; as níor ṁaiṫ an rud é, it would not be a bood thing. Nár ṁór an sgeul é? would not that be a great story? So, ar ṁaiṫ leat sin? would you like that? arḃ ḟearr leat é? would you prefer it?

§ 744. The verb atá and bí in relative sentences.

In sentences like "the man who is at work", "our Father who art in heaven", "the men who are sick", etc the words "who art, are, is" etc, are translated by atá; as, an fear atá ag obair; ar n-Aṫair atá ar neaṁ; ná fir atá tinn, etc.

§ 745. Hence the word who is not tranlated. The same is true of the words which, that; as, an capall atá anuiġ ins an ḃfeur, the horse that is (or which is) out in the grass.

§ 746. Some people used to write an fear a tá, an capall a tá, as if a were a relative = who, which that.. This is the usage in the spoken language, but is not warranted by grammar, or the history of the language. It is probably introduced in imitation of English, etc.

§ 747. Translate into English

Béiḋ an t-airgead ag an ḃfear atá ag obair ṡíos ar an móin (bog). An ḃfaca tú an bad nuaḋ atá ṡíos ar an aḃainn? An maiṫ leat an ṁin ġeal atá ins an siopa. Ní'l agam anois aċt an ṗiġinn atá in mo ṗóca. An ḃfuil aiṫne agat ar mo ṁac atá 'na ċoṁnioḋe in Albain? Ní'l, aċt atá aiṫne ṁaiṫ agam ar an mac eile atá san mbaile in Éirinn. An fearr leat an t-uisge atá ins an tobar 'ná an tuisge atá ins an aḃainn? Is cuma liom aċt ní'l an t-uisge so ċoṁ milis leis an uisge eile. An le Nóra an t-uan sin atá anuiġ ar an ḃfeur ins an bpáirc ḃuiḋe? Ní h-eaḋ, is liom féin an t-uan sin. Seaġan saor, margaḋ daor.

§ 748. Translate into Irish

• Do you own the horse that is on the road? No, he belongs to Patrick O'Reilly.
• Did you see the little bird that is up in the tree? Yes, it is a pretty bird.
• Is it a lark? No, a lark does not be up in a gree like that, a lark does be lying in the grass when she does not be up in the sky.
• The lark that is up in the sky now can sing sweetly (has sweet music).
• He owns the house that is on this road.
• The grass that is on this mountain is coarse.
• The rent that is on the land is heavy.
• It is better to be within than without today, considering (agus) the cold weather we have (atá ann).

note that
phonetic
symbols
are not
necessarily pronounced
as in English

See § 13-16