Ann (preposition)
- For other prepositions see prepositions
The preposition ann primarily means "in" although it has some secondary usages marking stative constructions, occupations and professions, as well as being used as the word meaning "there" in existentials, and the augment found with predicate clefts. Unlike most prepositions, ann does not lenite but takes the dative.
Contents
Forms
Simple forms
- bare form: ann 'on'
- indefinite form: ann an 'in a' (note that the an here is NOT the definite determiner. It's a reduplication of the "in" preposition)
- definite form: anns an 'in the' (also anns a', anns na etc.)
Basic inflected forms
Like most prepositions, ann can be inflected for person, number, and gender. For example, to say "in me", we use the single word annam.
| singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | annam | annainn | |
| 2nd | annad | annaibh | |
| 3rd | Masc | ann | annta |
| Fem | innte | ||
Emphatic Inflected forms
Special emphatic forms are used if we want to emphasize the pronoun in the inflected preposition. (e.g. ormsa "on ME")
| singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | annamsa | annainne | |
| 2nd | annadsa | annaibhsa | |
| 3rd | Masc | annsan | anntasan |
| Fem | inntese | ||
Possessive inflected forms:
Special forms are used for possessives. They are particularly frequently used in stative constructions (Mark 2004:20)
| singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | namL | narN | |
| 2nd | nadL | nurN | |
| 3rd | Masc | naL | nanN |
| Fem | naH | ||
nam is used instead of nan "their" in front of words beginning with the labial consonants <b>, <p>, <m>, and <f>
Uses
References
Mark, Colin (2004) The Gaelic-English Dictionary/Am Faclair Gàidhlig-Beurla. London: Routledge
Notes
In this document, as elsewhere, L indicates lenition and N indicates eclipsis, (prefixation of an n- before a word beginning with vowels, and a nasalization of the next consonant (not indicated in the orthography) and H indicates antilenition (the prefixation of h before words beginning with vowels).
