Graiméar na Gaedhilge/Idioms

by Christian Brothers

IDIOMS.

TÁ … AGAM, I HAVE.

638. As already stated there is no verb “to have” in Irish. Its place is supplied by the verb tá followed by the preposition ag. The direct object of the verb “to have” in English becomes the subject of the verb tá in Irish: as, I have a book. Tá leaḃar agam. The literal translation of the Irish phrase is “a book is at me.”

This translation appears peculiar at first sight, but it is a mode of expression to be found in other languages. Most students are familiar with the Latin phrase “Est mihi pater.” I have a father (lit. there is a father to me); and the French phrase Ce livre est à moi. I own this book (lit. This book is to me).

We give here a few sentences to exemplify the idiom: —

He has the book.	Tá an leaḃar aige.
I have not it.	Ní ḟuil sé agam.
Have you my pen ?	An ḃfuil mo ṗeann agat?
The woman had the cow.	Ḃí an ḃó ag an mnaoi.
The man had not the horse.	Ní raiḃ an capall ag an ḃfear.
Will you have a knife tomorrow?	An mbéiḋ sgian agat i mbáraċ?
He would not have the dog.	Ní ḃiaḋ an madra aige.
We used to have ten horses.	Do ḃíoḋ deiċ gcapall againn.

IS LIOM, I OWN.

639. As the verb “have” is translated by tá and the preposition ag, so in a similar manner the verb “own” is translated by the verb IS and the preposition LE. Not only is the verb “to own,” but also all expressions conveying the idea of ownership, such as: The book belongs to me: the book is mine, &c.; are translated by the same idiom.

I own the book.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Is liom an leaḃar.
The book is mine.
The book belongs to me.

The horse was John's.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Ba le Seaġán an capall.
The horse belonged to John.
John owned the horse.

Notice the position of the words. In translating the verb “have” the verb tá is separated from the preposition ag by the noun or pronoun; but in the case of “own” the verb is and the preposition le come together. (See par. 589, &c.)

I have the book.	Tá an leaḃar agam.
I own the book.	Is liom an leaḃar.

In translating such a phrase as “I have only two cows,” the noun generally comes after the preposition ag: so that this is an exception to what has been said above.

I have only two cows.   Ní ḟuil agam aċt dá ḃuin.

I KNOW.

640. There is no verb or phrase in Irish which can cover the various shades of meaning of the English verb “to know.” First, we have the very commonly used word feadar (or feadar mé), I know; but this verb is used only after negative or interrogative particles, and has only a few forms. Again, we have the verb aiṫniġim, I know; but this verb can only be used in the sense of recognising. Finally we have the three very commonly used phrases, tá eolas agam, tá aiṫne agam, and tá a ḟios agam, all meaning “I know;” but these three expressions have three different meanings which must be carefully distinguished.

Whenever the English verb “know” means “to know by heart” or “to know the character of a person,” “to know by study,” &c., use the phrase tá eolas ag … ar.

Whenever “know” means “to recognise,” “to know by appearance,” “to know by sight,” &c., use the phrase tá aiṫne ag … ar. This phrase is usually restricted to persons.

When “know” means “to know by mere information,” “to happen to know,” as in such a sentence as “Do you know did John come in yet?” use the phrase tá a ḟios ag, e.g. Ḃfuil a ḟios agat an dtáinig Seaġán isteaċ fós?

As a rule young students experience great difficulty in selecting the phrases to be used in a given case. This difficulty arises entirely from not striving to grasp the real meaning of the English verb. For those who have already learned French it may be useful to state that as a general rule tá eolas agam corresponds to je sais and tá aiṫne agam to je connais.

Tá aiṫne agam air aċt ní ḟuil eolas agam air. Je le connais mais je ne le sais pas. I know him by sight but I do not know his character. “Do you know that man going down the road?” Here the verb “know” simply means recognise, therefore the Irish is: ḃfuil aiṫne agat ar an ḃfear soin atá ag dul síos an bóṫar? If you say to a fellow- student “Do you know your lessons to-day?” You mean “Do you know them by rote?” or “Have you studied them?” Hence the Irish would be: “Ḃfuil eolas agat ar do ċeaċtannaiḃ indiu?”

Notice also the following translations of the verb know.

is maiṫ is eol dom,	'Tis well I know.
is fiosaċ (feasaċ) ḋom,	I know,
deirim an rud atá ar eolas agam,	I say what I know.

I LIKE, I PREFER.

641. “I like” and “I prefer” are translated by the expressions Is maiṫ (áil, ait) liom and Is fear liom (it is good with me; and, it is better with me).

I like milk.	Is maiṫ liom bainne.
He prefers milk to wine.	Is fearr leis bainne ná fíon.
Does the man like meat?	An maiṫ leis an ḃfear feoil?
Did you like that ?	Ar ṁaiṫ leat é sin?
I liked it.	Ba ṁaiṫ liom é.
We did not like the water.	Níor ṁaiṫ linn an t‑uisge.

642. If we change the preposition “le” in the above sentences, for the preposition “do,” we get another idiom. “It is really good for,” “It is of benefit to.” Is maiṫ dom é. It is good for me; (whether I like it or not).

He does not like milk but it is good for him.

Ní maiṫ leis bainne aċt is maiṫ dó é.

N.B.—In these and like idiomatic expressions the preposition “le” conveys the person’s own ideas and feelings, whether these are in accordance with fact or not. Is fiú liom dul go h‑Albain. I think it is worth my while to go to Scotland (whether it is really the case or not). Is mór liom an luaċ soin. I think that a great price. Is suaraċ liom é sin. I think that trifling (another person may not).

The word “think” in such phrases is not translated into Irish.

Is fiú ḋuit dul go h‑Albain. It is really worth your while to go to Scotland (whether you think so or not).

TIG LIOM, I CAN, I AM ABLE.

643. Although there is a regular verb feudaim, meaning I can, I am able, it is not always used. The two other expressions often used to translate the English verb “I can,” are tig liom and is féidir liom.

The following examples will illustrate the uses of the verbs.

Present Tense.
feudaim, tig liom[1] or is féidir liom,[2]	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I can, or am able.
feurdann tú, tig leat or is féidir leat.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Thou canst or art able,
&c.,     &c.
Negative.
Ní ḟeudaim, ní ṫig Uliom; or ní féidir liom.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I cannot, I am not able.
Interrogative.
An dtig leat? or an féidir leat?	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Can you? or are you able?
Negative Interrogative.
Naċ dtig leis? or naċ féidir leis?	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ Can he not? or is he not able?
Past Tense.
D’ ḟeudas, ṫáinig liom, or do b’ ḟéidir liom.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I could, or was able.
Imperfect.
D’ ḟeudainn, ṫigeaḋ liom.	I used to be able.

Future.
Feudfad, tiocfaiḋ liom.	I shall be able.
Conditional.
D’ ḟeudfainn, do ṫiocfaḋ liom.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I would be able,
Ní féidir leis,	(He thinks) he cannot,
Ní féidir ḋó,	He cannot (It is absolutely impossible for him).

I MUST.

644. The verb “must” when it means necessity or duty, is usually translated by the phrase ní fuláir or caiṫfiḋ. This latter is really the third person singular, future tense of caiṫim; but the present and other tenses are also frequently used. It may also be very neatly rendered by the phrase, is éigean do (lit. it is necessary for).

Ní fuláir ḋom, caiṫfiḋ mé, or is éigean dom.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I must.
Ní fuláir ḋuit, caiṫfiḋ tú, or is éigean duit.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ You must.
Ní fuláir ḋó, caiṫfiḋ sé, or is éigean dó.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ He must.
&c.,     &c.

The English phrase “have to” usually means “must” and is translated like the above: as, I have to go home now. Caiṫfiḋ mé dul a ḃaile anois.

The English verb “must,” expressing duty or necessity, has no past tense of its own. The English past tense of it would be “had to;” as, “I had to go away then.” The Irish translation is as follows:—

Níor ḃ’ḟuláir ḋom, Ċaiṫ mé, or do b’éigean dom.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ I had to.
Níor ḃ’ḟuláir ḋuit, Ċaiṫ tú or do b’éigean duit.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ You had to.
&c.,     &c.

The English verb “must” may also express a supposition; as in the phrase “You must be tired.” The simplest translation of this is “Ní fuláir go ḃfuil tuirse ort,” or, “Ní fuláir nó tá tuirse ort.” The phrase “is cosaṁail go,” meaning “It is probable that” may also be used : as, Is cosaṁail go ḃfuil tuirse ort.

The English phrase “must have” always expresses supposition, and is best translated by the above phrase followed by a verb in the past tense, as, “You must have been hungry,” Ní fuláir go raiḃ ocras ort. He must have gone out, Ní fuláir go ndeaċaiḋ sé amaċ.

Ní fuláir gur ċuaiḋ (or go ndeaġaiḋ) sé amaċ, is used in Munster.

I ESTEEM.

645. I esteem is translated by the phrase Tá meas agam ar. Literally, “I have esteem on.”

I esteem John.	Tá meas agam ar Ṡeáġán.
Did you esteem him?	Raiḃ meas agat air?
He says that he greatly esteems you.	Deir sé go ḃfuil meas mór aige ortsa.

I DIE.

646. Although there is a regular verb, eug, die, in Irish it is not often used; the phrase ġeiḃim bás, I find death, is usually employed now. The following examples will illustrate the construction:—

The old man died yesterday.	Fuair an sean-ḟear bás indé.
We all die.	Ġeiḃmid uile bás.
I shall die.	Ġeóḃad bás.
They have just died.	Táid tar éis báis d’ḟaġáil.
You must die.	Caiṫfiḋ tú bás d’ḟaġáil.

I OWE.

647. There is no verb “owe” in Irish. Its place is supplied by saying “There is a debt on a person.”

Tá fiaċ^[3] orm.   I owe.

Whenever the amount of the debt is expressed the word Fiaċ is usually omitted and the sum substituted.

He owes a pound.	Tá pu̇nt air.
You owe a shilling.	Tá sgilling ort.

When the person to whom the money is due is mentioned, the construction is a little more difficult: as, I owe you a pound as, Tá púnt agat orm, i.e., You have (the claim of) a pound on me—the words in brackets being always omitted.

He owes me a crown.	Tá coróin agam air.
Here is the man to whom you owe the money.	Seo é an fear a (go) ḃfuil an t‑airgead aige ort.

I MEET.

648. The verb “meet” is usually translated by the phrase “there is turned on,” e.g., “I meet a man” is translated by saying “A man is turned on me.” Castar fear orm (liom or ḋom); but the phrase buailtear (or ṫarla) fear orm is also used. I met the woman, do casaḋ an ḃean orm (liom or ḋom).

They met two men on the road.	Do casaḋ beirt ḟear orṫa ar an mbóṫar.
I met John.	Ḃuail Seaġán umam.

Physical Sensations.

649. All physical sensations, such as hunger, thirsty weariness, pain, &c., are translated into Irish by saying that “hunger, thirst, &c., is on a person;” as, I am hungry. Tá ocras orm. Literally, hunger is on me. He is thirsty. Tá tart air. Literally, thirst is on him.

The same idiom is used for emotions, such as pride, joy, sorrow, shame, &c. The following examples will illustrate the construction:—

Ḃfuil ocras ort?	Are you hungry?
Ní ḟuil ocras orm anois.	I am not hungry now.
Ḃí an-tart orainn indé.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ We were very thirsty yesterday.
Ḃí ana ṫart orainn indé.
Ḃfuil náire orṫa?	Are they ashamed?
Ḃí náire an tsaoġail uirṫi.	She was very much ashamed.
Béiḋ bród mór air.	He will be very proud.
Raiḃ tuirse ort?	Were you tired?
Ná bíoḋ eagla ort.	Don’t be afraid.
Tá ana ċodlaḋ orm.	I am very sleepy.
Tá slaġdán ort.	You have a cold.

Whenever there is a simple adjective in Irish corresponding to the English adjective of mental or physical sensation, we have a choice of two constructions, as:—

I am cold.	Tá mé fuar	or	tá fuaċt[4] orm.
You are sick.	Tá tú tinn (or breoite)	„	tá tinneas ort.
I was weary.	Ḃí mé tuirseaċ	„	ḃí tuirse orm.

Tá mé tinn and tá tinneas orm have not quite the same meaning, Tá mé tinn means I feel sick; but tá tinneas orm means I am in some sickness, such as fever, &c.

I CANNOT HELP.

650. The English phrase “I cannot help that,” is translated by saying I have no help on that. Ní ḟuil neart agam air sin. The word leiġeas, “cure,” may be used instead of neart.

When “cannot help” is followed by a present participle in English, use Ní $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ḟéadaim
féidir liom$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ gan, with verbal noun: as, I cannot help laughing, Ní $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ḟéadaim
féidir liom$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$ gan gáiriḋe.

I AM ALONE.

651. There are two expressions which translate the English word “alone” in such sentences as I am alone, He is alone, &c, i.e., Táim im aonar, or Táim liom féin (I am in my oneship, or I am by (with) myself). He is alone. Tá sé na aonar, or Tá sé leis féin. She was alone. Ḃí sí ’na h‑aonar, or Ḃí sí léiṫi féin. We shall be alone. Béimid ’nár n‑aonar, or béimid linn féin.

I ASK.

652. The English word “ask” has two distinct meanings according as it means “beseech” or “inquire.” In Irish there are two distinct verbs, viz., Iarraim, I ask (for a favour), and Fiafruiġim, I ask (for information). Before translating the word “ask” we must always determine what is its real meaning, and then use iarr or fiafruiġ accordingly.

Ask your friend for money.	Iarr airgead ar do ċaraid.
Ask God for those graces.	Iarr air Ḋia na grásta soin a ṫaḃairt duit.
Ask him what o’clock it is.	Fiafruiġ de cad a ċlog é.
He asked us who was that at the door.	D’ ḟiafruiġ sé ḋínn cia’r ḃ’é sin ag an doras.
They asked me a question.	D’ḟiafruiġeadar ceist díom.

I do not care.	Is cuma liom.
It is no affair of mine.	Is cuma ḋom.
Is it not equal to you?	Naċ cuma ḋuit?
It is no affair of yours.	Is cuma ḋuit.
You don't care.	Is cuma leat.
He does not care.	Is cuma leis.
It is no affair of his.	Is cuma ḋó.
We did not care.	Ba ċuma linn.
It was no affair of ours.	Ba ċuma ḋúinn.
They did not care.	Ba ċuma leo.

(See what has been said about the prepositions le and do in the Idiom “I prefer,” par. 642.)

I OUGHT.

654. “I ought” is translated by the phrase is cóir (or ceart) dom. You ought, is cóir ḋuit, is ceart duit. We ought to go home, Is cóir ḋúinn dul a ḃaile. We ought to have gone home, Ba ċóir ḋúinn dul a ḃaile. As the word “ought” has no inflection for the past tense in English, it is necessary to use the past infinitive in English to express past time. But as the Irish expression, is cóir, has a past tense (ba ċóir) the simple verbal noun is always used in Irish in such expressions.

Ought you not have gone to Derry with them?	Nár ċóir ḋuit dul go Doire leo?
He ought not have gone away.	Níor ċóir ḋó imṫeaċt.

English Dependent Phrases translated by the Verbal Noun.

655. Instead of the usual construction, consisting of a verb in a finite tense followed by its subject (a noun or a pronoun), we very frequently meet in Irish with the following construction. The English finite verb is translated by the Irish verbal noun, and the English subject is placed before the verbal noun. If the subject be a noun it is in the nominative form, but if a pronoun in the disjunctive form.

The following examples will exemplify the idiom:—

I'd prefer that he should be there rather than myself.	Do b’ḟearr liom é do ḃeiṫ ann ná mise.
Is it not better for us that these should not be in the boat.	Naċ fearr ḋúinn gan iad so do ḃeiṫ insan mbád.
I saw John when he was coming home.	Ċonnaic mé Seaġán agus é ag teaċt a ḃaile.
I knew him when I was a boy.	Ḃí aiṫne agam air agus mé im ḃuaċaill.
The clock struck just as he was coming in.	Do ḃuail, an clog agus é ag teaċt isteaċ.

---

Notes

1. Literally: It comes with me.
2. It is possible with me.
3. The plural of this word, Fiaċa, is very frequently used in this phrase.
4. Distinguish between slaġdán a cold (a disease) and fuaċt, the cold, coldness (of the weather) and the adjective fuar, cold.