Grammar

With nouns like "mac" and "bord", the form of the noun changes when you put the noun into an expression like "the son's hat" or "the head of the table". "Hata an mhic" (HAHT-uh VIK) and "ceann an bhoird" (KYOUN uh VWIRD) are the Irish expressions. The words "an mhic" and "an bhoird" are in the genitive or possessive case and show ownership or the larger combination to which some element belongs.

"Mac" and "bord" are first declension nouns, all masculine and all ending in a broad consonantone preceded by "a", "o", or "u".

In the second declension, nearly all nouns are feminine, and all end in a consonant. Some of the ending consonants are slender (preceded by "e" or "i"), and some are broad (preceded by "a", "o", or "u"). Their plurals form in several ways, and you must learn them as you learn the noun.

Before we begin intensive work on this declension, learn the following groups of words that will be examples of how second-declension nouns change.

grian, an ghrian, solas na gréine (GREE-uhn, un YREE-uhn, SUHL-uhs nuh GRAY*N-e); sun, the sun, light of the sun or sunlight.

bróg, an bhróg, sáil na bróige (brohg, un VROHG, SAW*-il nuh BROH-i-ge); shoe, the shoe, heel of the shoe or the shoe heel.

suil, an tsúil, dath na suile (SOO-il, un TOO-il, dah nuh SOO-i-le); eye, the eye, color of the eye.

áit, anáit, ainm na háite (aw*t, an AW*T, AN-im nuh HAW*-tye); place, the place, name of the place or the place's name.

You can see from this that feminine nouns are preceded by "na" in the genitive. This "na" does not change the noun except that it causes an "h" to be put before the initial vowel, as in:

na háite; the place.

na heaglaise (nuh HAHG-lish-e); of the church.

na hiníne (nuh hi-NEEN-e); of the daughter.

Most second-declension nouns end in "___ e" in the genitive singular, as you can see from the examples.

Second-declension nouns whose basic forms ends in "___ ach" change their ending to " __í" in the genitive singular. An example is:

báisteach, an bháisteach, na baistí(BAW*SH-tuhk*, un VWAW*SH-tuhk*, nuh BAW*SH-tee); rain, the rain, of the rain.

Usage of "my, your, his", etc., with these second-declension nouns is similar to that with first-declension nouns. For example:

mo chos, barr mo choise (muh K*UHS, bahr muh K*ISH-e); my foot, top of my foot.

Usage of the compound prepositions with these nouns is also similar to that with first-declension nouns. For example:

os comhair na háite (ohs KOH-ir nuh HAW*-tye); in front of the place.

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