Cleachtadh

Dúradh gurbh fhiúdo gach Meiriceánach teach a cheannach; it was said that it would be worth the while of every American to buy a house.

Nár shíl túgurbh fhearr duit fanacht sa bhaile go dtiocfadh an dochtúir?; didn't you think it best for you to wait at home until the doctor would come?

 

Vocabulary

Cruinn (krin) is a useful adjective. Its most important meaning is "round", but it can mean "exact", too. Bord cruinn is a round table, and na boird chruinne are the round tables. Eolas cruinn is exact knowledge. "This book is more accurate than that" is: Is cruinne an leabhar seo náan ceann sin.

Míchruinn (mee-K*RIN) and neamhchruinn (nyav-K*RIN) mean "inaccurate" and can also mean "out of round" or "not round".

Cearnach (KYAR-nahk*) is "square". Míle cearnach is "a square mile", and cúinní(KOON-yee) cearnacha are "square corners". A square in a city is a cearnóg (kyar-NOHG); an chearnóg, na cearnóige, na cearnóga; the square, of the square, the squares (2nd declension, feminine).

Irish Lesson 114

Cleachtadh aitheantais (A-huhn-tish); recognition drill

D'éireoinn níos moiche maidin amárach, dámbeadh orm bheith ag obair. (deye-ROH-in; MWI-he).

Ghoidfíd'airgead, mura gcuirfeáináit shábháilteé. (huh-VWAW*-il-te).

Deir ségo bhfreagróidh séan cheist taréis an chruinniú.

Beidh an leanbh ina luíroimh a séa chlog.

Nach n-ullmhaítear an bia amuigh sa chistin?

Isésin an cárta a chaill méanuraidh.

Key: I would get up earlier tomorrow morning if I had to be at work. Your money would be stolen if you didn't put it in a safe place. He says that he will answer the question after the meeting. The child will be in bed before six o'clock. Isn't the food prepared out in the kitchen? That's the card I lost last year.

Graiméar

In English, there is a readily understood difference between "I closed the window" and "I used to close the window". The former sentence indicates a single specific action. The latter sentence tells us that there was a series of closings over a time span - the closings were repeated or "habitual".

In English, some other verb must precede "close" to tell the listener that the action was repeated or habitual. "Used to" or "wont to" are two of these auxiliary verbs.

In Irish, on the other hand, each verb has its own forms to express the "past habitual" or gnáthchaite (gnaw*-K*AH-tye). These forms resemble an modh coinníollach, so care is necessary in pronouncing them and understanding them in speech.

Read this series over carefully, picturing the action and who is doing it in each sentence:

díol (deel), sell

dhíolainn (YEEL-in), I used to sell

dhíoltá(YEEL-taw*), you used to sell

dhíoladh sé(YEEL-UHK* shay), he used to sell

dhíoladh sí, she used to sell

dhíolaimis (YEEL-i-mish), we used to sell

dhíoladh sibh (shiv), you-all used to sell

dhíolaidís (YEEL-i-deesh), they used to sell

dhíoltaí(YEEL-tee), it used to be sold, people used to sell it

 

The negative forms for this begin with:

nídhíolainn, I didn't used to sell

For questions, the forms begin with:

an ndíolainn? (un neel-in), did I used to sell? and for the negative question: nach ndíolainn? (nahk* neel-in), didn't I used to sell?

 

To familiarize yourself with this tense, say aloud all 32 forms for each of these verbs: déan, do; and las, light. Note that déan, although irregular in many tenses, is regular in the past habitual.

The first and eighth forms for each are: dhéanainn (YAY*N-in), dhéantaí(YAY*N-tee); lasainn (LAHS-in), lastaí(LAHS-tee).

 

Díol, déan, and las all end in a broad consonant. If a verb ends in a slender consonant, the spelling and pronunciation of the final syllable can change slightly. An example:

Chuirinn (K*IR-in), I used to put, chuirteá, chuireadh sé, chuireadh sí, chuirimis, chuireadh sibh, chuiridís, chuirtí.

 

If the verb begins with a vowel or an "f", then "d'" preceded the declarative form:

d'ólainn (DOH-lin), d'óltá; ending with d'óltaí, people used to drink.

d'éistinn (DAY*SH-tin), d'éisteá; ending with d'éistí, people used to listen.

d'fhanainn (DAHN-in), d'fhantá; ending with d'fhantaí, people used to wait.

 

If the verb begins with a vowel, the negative question in the past habitual begins with "nach n_ ", as in :

nach n-ólainn? (nahk* NOH-lin), didn't I used to drink? , and ending with nach n-óltaí?

nach n-éistinn?, nach n-éisteá? , and ending with nach n-éistí, didn't people used to listen.