Difference between revisions of "Possessive Pronouns"
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*''for a definition see [[Possessive Pronoun (definition)]]'' | *''for a definition see [[Possessive Pronoun (definition)]]'' | ||
| − | There are two ways to indicate possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, our, their) in Gaelic. The first way, which is both more formal and indicates a | + | There are two ways to indicate possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, our, their) in Gaelic. The first way, which is both more formal and indicates a relationship between the possessor and the possessed item, uses a pronoun that comes before the noun. The second way, which can be used for a closer relationship (and is, in fact far more common) is to combine the use of a noun and an article followed by an inflected form of the preposition [[Aig (preposition)|aig]] |
==Prenominal possessive pronouns== | ==Prenominal possessive pronouns== | ||
Revision as of 15:30, 23 January 2013
- for a definition see Possessive Pronoun (definition)
There are two ways to indicate possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, our, their) in Gaelic. The first way, which is both more formal and indicates a relationship between the possessor and the possessed item, uses a pronoun that comes before the noun. The second way, which can be used for a closer relationship (and is, in fact far more common) is to combine the use of a noun and an article followed by an inflected form of the preposition aig
Contents
Prenominal possessive pronouns
Gaelic has pronouns roughly equivalent to English my, your, his, her, etc. However these tend to only be used when the possession is of a particularly close or personal nature. For example, they are used with body parts (my arm), family members (my mother), and possession that is clearly ownership and not temporary.
| Person | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | my | moL | our | àrN |
| 2 | your | doL | your | ùrN |
| 3 masc | his | aL | their | an/am |
| 3 feminine | her | aH | ||
Notes:
- L stands for lenition trigger, N stands for Eclipsis/nasalization trigger, H indicates the word prefixes an <h> in front of the following word. These letters are not written but are provided here as guides.
- am is used instead of an in front of words beginning with any labial consonant (i.e. <b, m, f, p>), eg. their table am bòrd
- before words beginning with vowels "mo" is reduced to mo', do is reduced to d', and aL his is deleted.
Examples
Before words beginning with consonants
- my foot: mo chas
- your foot: do chas
- his foot: a chas
- her foot: a cas
- our feet: àr casan
- your (pl) feet: ùr casan
- their feet: an casan
Before words beginning with vowels
- my father: m'athair
- your father: d'athair
- his father: athair
- her father: a h-athair
- our father: àr n-athair
- your (pl) father: ùr n-athair
- their father: an athair
Possessive Pronouns using Aig
To express a less close relationship between the possessor and the possessum, a combination of an article, a noun, and an accordingly inflected preposition, in this order, is used.
- my cat: an cat agam
- your cat: an cat agad
- his cat: an cat aige
- her cat: an cat aice
- our cat: an cat againn
- your (pl) cat: an cat agaibh
- their cat: an cat aca
This pattern can also be used with full NP possessors:
- Iain's Cat: an cat aig Iain"
