LESSON SIX -- AN SIATHAMH LEASAN

Adjectives and Word Order

Generally an adjective follows a noun in Gaelic and, if the noun is feminine, the adjective is aspirated as well:

        an samhradh [m.]                the summer
        an samhradh buidhe          the golden summer

        a' bhàrdachd [f.]                  the poetry
        a' bhàrdachd Ghàidhlig     the Gaelic poetry

An adjective following a masculine noun and a definite article in the dative case is also aspirated:
 
        an taigh mór               the big house
        do'n taigh mhór         to the big house

However, there are a few common adjectives that go *before* the noun and aspirate it, whether the noun is masculine or feminine. These are "seann" (old), "droch" (bad), "deagh" (good), "fìor" (true, real), "ath" (next) and "sàr" (excellent):
 
        seann dhuine            an old man
        droch shìde               bad weather
        deagh shlàinte          good health
        an ath bhliadhna      next year
        sàr bhàrdachd           excellent poetry
        fìor Ghàidheal           a true Gael

"fhéin"

"Fhèin" after a pronoun means "self":
 
        mi-fhèin     --     myself
        thu-fhèin    --     yourself
        e-fhèin      --       himself
        i-fhèin      --        herself
        sinn-fhèin   --    ourselves
        sibh-fhèin   --    yourselves
        iad-fhèin    --     themselves

        Cha chreid mi-fhèin sin.                    I myself don't believe that.
        Tha iad-fhèin à Dùn Eideann.          They themselves are from Edinburgh.


It can also be used after a prepositional pronoun:

        Chan eil telebhisean aige fhèin.        He himself does not have a TV.


After a possessive adjective and a noun it means "own":

       mo thaigh fhèin   --   my own house
        mo chuid fhèin    --   my own goods, my own property (cuid [f.])

Emphatic Pronouns & Particles

The emphatic pronouns replace the regular pronouns when they are stressed.   There is no exact counterpart to these in English, where stress is placed by emphasizing the sound of a word, but they are common in Gaelic:

        mi   +  se   -->   mise
        thu  +  sa   -->   thusa
        e    +  san  -->    esan
        i    +  se   -->      ise
        sinn +  ne   -->  sinne
        sibh +  se   -->   sibhse
        iad  +  san  -->   iadsan

These are used in contrasts, for example:
 
        Tha mise à Leodhas, ach tha esan à Barraigh.         *I* am from Lewis, but *he* is from Barra.

In addition to these there are "emphatic particles" which attach themselves to the ends of words, and which generally correspond to the additions made to the personal pronouns above (se, sa, san, etc.)

        mo chuidse féin              *my* own share
        ar n-athair-ne                   *our* father
        an taigh acasan                *their* house  (aca + san)
        tha mi ag ràdh ribhse      I am saying *to you*

In the plural the emphatic forms are actually more common than the unemphasized forms -- you will notice them even in contexts where no particular emphasis would given in English.   For instance the last example given above, "tha mi ag ràdh ribhse", is common in the Gaelic Bible when Jesus is quoted as addressing a crowd, but when he is not singling out anyone in particular as an emphatic form might lead you to believe. This is just a peculiarity of the spoken language.

Relative pronoun "a"

The relative pronoun "a" means "who, which, that" and comes after a noun but before a verb:
 
        am balach a bha a' cluich                 the boy who was playing
        an duine a tha a' bruidhinn             the man who is speaking
        a' chroit a tha aig a' chladach           the croft that is at the shore      (croit [f.])
        an càr a tha air an rathad                  the car that is on the road
        am fear a thilg a' chlach                    the man who threw the stone

Some words are always followed by "a", such as "ged" (although), "mar" (like, as), and "o'n" (since).   The word "nuair" is another; it means "when", but as a conjunction rather than a question (e.g. "when I was at school", etc.)   However, the "a" itself may be omitted in spoken Gaelic or in poetry or music where convenient.

        o'n a dh'fhalbh na Gaidheil          since the Gaels left                            (falbh, "leave, go")
        ged a tha an t-airgead gann          although the money is scarce          (gann, "rare, scarce")
        mar a tha fios agad                        as you know
        "Nuair a Bha Mi Og"                    "When I Was Young"                          (song and poem title)

The question words "cuin" (when), "ciamar" (how), and "carson" (why) are also followed by "a":
 
        Ciamar a tha thu?                           How are you?
        Cuin a tha iad a' tilleadh?             When are they returning?
        Carson a tha thu a' caoineadh?     Why are you crying?

Two other important interrogatives are "dè" (what) and "cò" (who).    Because they end with a vowel, they aren't followed by "a", but they behave as though they do (the meaning of which will become clear in the next section):
 
        Cò tha e?                 Who is he?
        Dè bha sin?             What was that?

This is also true of the word "ma" (if):
 
        Ma tha sin ceart, bidh mi toilichte.                If that is correct, I will be satisfied.

Relative Future

After the relative pronoun "a", and after the words "cò...?" "dè...?", or "ma", verbs appear in their normal forms.   The only exception to this is the future tense, which has a special form called the "relative future" designed for just such an occasion.   Instead of adding "-aidh" (or "-idh" if the last vowel in the root is "i"), the relative future uses the ending "-as" (or "-eas" if the last vowel in the root is "i").   (The relative future of "bi" is "bhios", sometimes spelled "bhitheas").

Remember that the future tense in Gaelic is also sometimes used to cover things happening in the present, and this is true of the relative future as well. Some examples:

        Cuin a bhios e deiseil?                   When will it be ready?
        Ciamar a bhios an aimsir?              How will the weather be?
        Dè tha an cànan a thuigeas tu?      What language do you understand?
        Dè chosgas e?                                   What will it cost?
        ma chuireas sibh fàilte oirre           if you welcome her    (cuir fàilte, "welcome")
        ma coimheadas do chlann              if you watch over your children     (coimhead, "watch, guard")
        nuair a thoisicheas an dannsa        when the dance begins
        nuair a bhios an cupan làn, cuiridh e thairis            when the cup is full, it will overflow
                                                                                                 (làn, "full") (cuir thairis, "overflow")

A relative future verb beginning with a vowel or "f" takes "dh'" before it (this aspirates the "f"):
 
        Cuine a dh'fhalbhas an dotair?                        When does the doctor leave?
        Dè dh'òlas sinn?                                                  What will we drink?
        Ma laigheas mi sìos, cuin a dh'èireas mi?       If I lie down, when will I rise?

And, as a more exciting example:

        "guth an tì a dh'eigheas anns an fhàsach"        "the voice of one that cries in the wilderness"
                                                                                         (guth [m.], "voice") (tì [m.] "one [person]")
                                                                                         (eigh, "cry, shout") (fàsach [f.], "desert")
                                                                                         (Mark 1:3)

Irregular Verbs

There are ten completely irregular verbs in Gaelic and learning all their forms is difficult, but they're so common that it's impossible to read more than a little Gaelic without coming across them.   The following is just an overview of them, leaving out for the time being the question and negative forms, which we'll learn later:

Here are some examples using the above.   I've divided them into different tenses so as to avoid confusion.

i) Examples using Irregular Imperative:

        Thig an-seo.                                  Come here.
        Thoir dhomh do làmh.                Give me your hand.
        Dèan e, no gheibh thu sgailc!     Do it, or you'll get a slap!          (sgailc [f.])


ii) Examples using Irregular Past Tense:

        Chaidh e às mo chuimhne.                I forgot it.      (lit: "it went from my memory")
        Cò rinn e?                                             Who did it?
        Thàinig aisling dhomh.                      A vision came to me.      (aisling [f.] "vision, dream")
        "Thug Mi Gaol do'n Fhear Bhàn"     "I Gave My Love to the Fair Lad"   (song title)


iii) Examples using the Irregular Future:

        "Chì Mi 'n Geamhradh"              "I Will See The Winter"        (Geamhradh [m.]) (song title)
        Théid mi-fhèin do'n bhùth.        I'll go myself to the shop.    (bùth [f.], "shop, store")
        Nì iad gàirdeachas.                     They will rejoice.           (lit: they will make rejoicing) (gàirdeachas [m.])

Readings (1)

Now that we're armed with a respectable amount of grammar, it's time to begin a regular series of Gaelic readings.   Each lesson I'll try to select examples of Gaelic prose, poetry, folklore, song, or sayings that incorporate some of the things we've learned in that lesson.   Our first reading is a series of ten unrelated proverbs and sayings.   Most of them illustrate the irregular verbs, but there are also examples of the use of "fhèin" and of the relative pronoun "a".   Unfamiliar vocabulary is given on the right, and a translation follows the series.
 
1.  "Nì droch dhuine dàn dha       (dàn [m.], "destiny, fate")
     fhéin."                                          (dha fhèin, "to himself")

2.  "Ged a tha an Diabhal dona,    (Diabhal [m.], "Devil")
     thoir a chothrom dhà."              (cothrom [m.], "opportunity")

3.  "Thig iomadh olc à             (iomadh, "many a")
     aon olc."                                (olc [m.], "an evil")

4.  "Their gach fear, "Ochòn,      (gach, "each")   (ochòn, "alas")
     mi fhéin!""

5.  "Abair ach beag, is abair
     gu math e."

6.  "Theid seòltachd thar          (seòltachd [f.], "ingenuity")   (thar, "over, across")
     spionnadh."                           (spionnadh [m.], "strength")
 

7.  "Cluinnidh am bodhar           (bodhar [m.], "deaf man")
     fhèin fuaim an airgid."           (airgid, "of money")

8.  "Gheibh sìth sìth, ach             (sìth [f.], "peace")
     gheibh caise cothachadh."     (caise [f.], "haste, rapidity")  (cothachadh [m.], "strife, contention")
 

8.  "Trì nithean a thig gun         (trì, "three")  (nithean, "things")
     iarraidh -- gaol, eud,            (iarraidh [m.], "asking")
     agus eagal".

10. "Thig crìoch air an            (crìoch [f.], "end, boundary")
       t-saoghal ach mairidh         (saoghal [m.], "world, life")   (mair, "remain")
       ceòl is gaol."

English Translations:
 
1.  A bad man will make a destiny for himself.
2.  Though the devil is bad, give him fair play.
3.  Many an evil will come from one evil.
4.  Every man says, "Alas for me!"
5.  Say but little, and say it well.
6.  Cunning will go over strength.
7.  The deaf man himself will hear the sound of money.
8.  Peace will get peace, but haste will get strife.
9.  Three things that come without asking -- love, envy, and fear.
10.  An end will come on the world but love and music will remain.

Next lesson's reading: a modern Gaelic poem.