Personal Pronouns
- for a definition of Pronoun see Pronoun (definition)
Contents
Basic Grade
The basic personal pronouns of Gaelic are used in neutral contexts (without emphasis) to indicate pronouns such as I, you, he, she, we, they. There is no distinction between nominative and accusative pronouns. (i.e. there is no difference between I and me, he and 'him, she and her, we and us and they and them in Gaelic. Notes:
- There are two forms for the 2nd person singular form (thu and 'tu), tu is used after verbs in the relative future tense and conditional mood.
- The sibh is used both for plural you and as a polite form of the singular
- There is no neuter pronoun (it) in Gaelic. Instead either e or i is used depending upon the gender of the noun being used.
- In the plural there is no gender distinction, one form (iad) is used for both genders.
person | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
1st | mi | sinn |
2nd | thu/tu | sibh |
3rd masc | e | iad |
3rd fem | i |
Possessive Pronouns
- See main article at Possessive Pronouns
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.
Prepositional Pronouns
Inflected Prepositions with object pronouns
- See main article at Preposition Inflection
singular | plural | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
definite | 1 | 2 | 3 masc | 3 fem | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
aig | aig an | agam | agad | aige | aice | againn | agaibh | aca |
air | air an | orm | ort | air | oirre | oirnn | oirbh | orra |
ann | anns an | annam | annad | ann | innte | annainn | annaibh | annta |
à | às an | asam | asad | às | aisde | asainn | asaibh | asda |
bho | bhon | bhuam | bhuat | bhuaithe | bhuaipe | bhuainn | bhuaibh | bhuapa |
de (dhe) | dhen | dhiom | dhiot | dheth | dhith | dhinn | dhibh | dhiubh |
do | don | dhomh | dhut | dha | dhi | dhuinn | dhuibh | dhiabh |
fo | fon | fodham | fodhad | fodha | foidhpe | fodhainn | fodhaibh | fodhpa |
eadar | eadar an | -- | -- | -- | -- | eadarainn | eadaraibh | eatorra |
gu | (thun†) | (th)ugam | (th)ugad | (th)uige | (th)uice | (th)ugainn | (th)ugaibh | (th)uca |
chun | chugam† | chugad | chuige | chuice | chugainn | chugaibh | chuca | |
gun | no special inflected forms | |||||||
le | leis an | leam | leat | leis | leatha | leinn | leibh | leotha/leò |
mar | no special inflected forms | |||||||
mu | mun | umam | umad | uime | uimpe | umainn | umaibh | umpa |
o | on | uam | uat | uaithe | uaipe | uainn | uaibh | uapa |
rè | no special inflected forms | |||||||
ri | ris an | rium | ruit | ris | rithe | ruinn | ruibh | riutha |
ro (roimh) | ron | romham | romhad | roimh(e) | roimhpe | romhainn | romhaibh | romhpa |
thar | thar an | tharam | tharad | thairis | thairte | tharainn | <tharaibh | tharta |
trìd | no special inflected forms | |||||||
tro (troimh) | tron | tromham | tromhad | troimhe | troimhpe | tromhainn | tromhaibh | tromhpa |
†Note the chugam, chugad etc. forms are rarely used anymore, nor is the definite form thun |
Inflected Prepositions with possessive pronouns
The 1st person singular, 2nd person singular and 3rd person singular masculine forms here trigger lenition (indicated with a superscript L). 1st and 2nd person plurals trigger the prefixation of n- onto words beginning with vowels (nasalization), This is indicated with a superscript N. the pronunciation of the a consonant following these and the 3rd person plural is also frequently voiced or nasalized. Finally the 3rd person feminine forms prefix an <h> onto words beginning with a vowel. This is indicated with H. The superscript N, H, and L are not usually written out in the orthography of Gaelic and are presented here merely to remind you what Initial Consonant Mutation is being triggered.
Note: of the following only the possessive inflected forms of aig, ann, do and ri are in regular use. All the others quite rare or considered prescriptively inferior.
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 masc | 3 fem | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
aig | 'gamL | 'gadL | 'gaL | 'gaH | 'garN | 'gurN | 'gan |
ann | 'namL | 'nadL | 'naL | 'naH | 'narN | 'nurN | 'nan |
bho | bhomL | bhodL | bho aL | bho aH | bhorN | bhuN | bhon |
de (dhe) | dhemL | dhedL | dhe aL | dhe aH | dhe arN | dhe urN | dhen |
do | domL/dhamL | dodL/dhadL | dhaL | dhaH | dor/dharN | dhurN | don/dhan |
fo | fomL | fodL | fo aL | fo aH | forN | furN | fon |
gu | gumL | gudL | gu aL | gu aH | garN | gurN | gun |
le | lemL | led'L | le aL | le aH | lerN | lurN | len |
mu | 'mumL | 'mudL | mu aL | mu aH | marN | murN | man |
o | omL | odL | o aL | o aH | orN | urN | on |
ri | rimL | ridL | ri aL | ri aH | ri arN | ri urN | rin |
ro (roimh) | romL | rodL | ro aL | ro aH | rorN | rurN | ron |
tro (troimh) | tromL | trodL | tro aL | tro aH | trorN | trurN | tron |
- Note that the /n/ ending on the 3rd person plural will change to an <m> when the word precedes word beginning with <m, b, f, p>.
- Any preposition not in the list above simply combines the normal preposition with the normal possessive pronoun (e.g. "air mo")