GRAMMAR

The genitive plural of a noun is the form you need if you wish to say, for example, "house of the men, the men's house" in Irish. In the first declension, consisting of nouns that are masculine and end in a broad consonant, the genitive plural is usually the basic word that you have learned. "Men's" is "fear" (far).

"House of the men" is "teach na bhfear" (TAHK* nuh VAR). The word "na" here means "of the," and it causes eclipsis wherever possible.

Review the cases for the first declension:

man fear (far)

the man an fear (un far)

of the man, the man's an fhir (un IR)

a man's fir or fhir

men fir

the men na fir

of the men, the men's na bhfear

of men, men's fear or fhear (ar)

The genitive plural is the same as the basic noun for all the first-declension nouns whose nominative plural is formed by:

slenderizing the broad consonant, or adding "a" to the basic word. Examples are:

fear; na fir

leabhar; na leabhair

úll; na húlla

bord; na boird (bwird)

Éireannach; na hÉireannaigh

ceart; na cearta

"Next to the books" is "in aice na leabhar" (in A-ke nuh LOU-uhr). "Color of the apples" is "dath na n-úll" (dah nuh NOOL). Note that an "n" precedes a vowel in the genetive plural.

For plurals that end in "ta", "tha", "í", or "anna", the genitive plural is the same as the nominative plural that you have been learning in the last three lessons. For example:

dán (daw*n), poem; na dánta, the poems; ag léamh na ndánta, reading the poems; ag léamh dánta, reading poems.

bealach (BAL-uhk*), road, way; na bealaí(nuh BAL-ee), the roads; ag dúnadh na mbealaí(uh DOON-uh nuh MAL-ee); ag dúnadh bealaí

This subject of plurals and the genitive case seems puzzling at first, but we will be drilling on it in the next few weeks to give you a good understanding of it. You will be surprised at the progress you make, provided that you do the drills and exercises faithfully.

DRILL

Form these word groups into the genitive (singular or plural as indicated), as shown by the following example:

"praghas; an ticéad" becomes "praghas an ticéid" (preyes uh ti-KAY*D).

ar chúl; na crainn (nuh krin)

i measc; na froganna

os cionn; na hárasáin (nuh HAW*-ruh-saw*-in)

hataí; na Meiriceánaigh (nuh mer-i-KAW*-nee)

ag déanamh; arán (uh-RAW*N)

ag oscailt; an béal (un BAY*L)

barr; an ceann (un kyoun)

polasaí; an rialtas (un REE-uhl-tuhs)

ag ceannach; na lasáin (nuh luh-SAW*-in)

chun; na droichid (k*un; nuh DRUH-hid)

barr; an buidéal (un bwi-DAY*L)

ag lasadh; an solas (SUH-luhs)

timpeall; an carr

le linn; na lónta

<== попередня сторінка	\|	наступна сторінка ==>
Irish Lesson 83	\|	KEY TO THE DRILL

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