Talk:Irish syntax

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I have started moving information from my webpage at, where I can no longer edit it, to Wikipedia. This is my own work, so there are no copyvio problems. --Angr 10:59, 13 Feb 2005 (UTC)

using the copula, as seen in examples (78) to (85) Just a note to to point out (I realize this is work in progress) that there are no numbered examples in the article (which is excellent, btw) as it stands at present. -- Picapica 12:28, 5 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I fixed it, though you could have fixed it too! ;-) --Angr/undefined 04:53, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Didn't want to provoke any righteous angr -- in case it was all part of some subtle plan to introduce numbered examples gradually... ;) -- Picapica 09:51, 6 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Is it possible to get a direct translation of the phrases in the "Questions an answers" section as well? --Blackfield 13:20, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

I have now registered on Wikipedia. I am the person who explained about palatal nasals to you recently on the Irish language thread. I am reluctant to edit Irish syntax, because it is all your own work and would not exist without you. There are things that could be put in: verbal nouns with a pronoun object, eg táim á dhéanamh, I am doing it (eg making the dinner), ''cé a bhí ag oscailt na fuinneoige? Bhí Tadhg á hoscailt'', who was opening the window? Tadhg was opening it. Also these verbal nouns with pronoun object can be passive in meaning: tá an dinnéar á dhéanamh, the dinner is being made. Níl an Ghaelainn á foghlaim anso, Irish is not being learnt here. So I will leave you to decide whether to put this in - it is possibly an area of grammar that confuses many people and would help people if included. You say is, the copula is a particle. You could argue that it functions in a particle-like way, but it is a verb. It is directly etymologically related to is in English, es in Spanish and est in French. I suppose it doesn't hurt to call it a particle, but correctly speaking is is a verb, but after the particles ní and an it gets deleted (thus proving there is a difference between particle and verb). I am wondering where you are getting some of this from. What about the copula for topicalization: is é Tadhg a bhí ann? The above example with opening the window could be is é Tadhg a bhí á hoscailt etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Djronnqvist (talk • contribs) 08:09, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

Oh,you've already got topicalization covered. I am sorry, I started discussing the page before finishing reading it. Djronnqvist (talk) 08:11, 7 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah, there's a lot that could be added to this page. Be bold! —Angr 21:29, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

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"The predicate of the copula can also be an adjective, and the subject is then a definite noun."

I find that misleading, for the sample given. In 'is deas an lá é', the predicate is 'deas an lá' together, with 'é' being the subject. It's a way to emphasize the adjective -- 'It's a *nice* day' (as opposed to a bad one). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:BC64:B300:7C54:BCEA:157A:540A (talk) 22:16, 11 August 2017 (UTC)

No Yes and No?! What?
I find it unusual to say that there is no Yes ans No in Irish, even though there is.

Yes = Tá/Sea and No is Níl. --Kei_Jo (Talk to me baby! :þ) 13:09, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Tá and 'S ea mean "Is" or "are" and Níl means "Is not" or "are not". They are often Used as a positive response to questions starting with Bí (An bhfuil, An raibh etc) or Is (an), but they don't mean "yes" or "no". In response to a question with a different verb, such as "An bhfaca tú é", you'd answer "Chonaic" or "Ní fhaca", NOT Tá or 'S ea or Níl. The response to a yes/no question with any verb except Bí and Is is a repetition of the verb used in the question.Comhreir (talk) 15:13, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

The first part of this is all wrong.

Sea and tá would never be used to answer a question starting with an raibh, for instance; you would use 'bhí' or 'ní raibh' instead. And other tá nor níl would ever be used to answer a question in the copula. Sea wouldn't be used in the conditional/past tense of the copula. Sea is used as an attention marker nowadays, something it shares with English 'yeah', but it far from being a general 'yes' and doesn't appear as 'yes' outside of a positive answer to an indefinite copula question (an Francach é?), as definite ones (an é an francac é) use a different form (is é/í, ní hé/hí, pronounced sé, sí), as do ones that stress the adjective: 'an deas an lá é' -- is deas. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:BC64:B300:7C54:BCEA:157A:540A (talk) 22:14, 11 August 2017 (UTC)

Syntax question

I've got a question about the Irish Syntax. How would a sentence in the past tense look in a constituent grammar structure?