Difference between revisions of "Possessive Pronouns"

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(Possessive Pronouns using Aig)
(Before words beginning with consonants)
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===Examples===
 
===Examples===
 
====Before words beginning with consonants====
 
====Before words beginning with consonants====
*My pig:  ''mo mhuc''
+
*my pig:  ''mo mhuc''
 
*your pig: ''do mhuc''
 
*your pig: ''do mhuc''
 
*his pig: ''a mhuc''  
 
*his pig: ''a mhuc''  
 
*her pig: ''a muc''
 
*her pig: ''a muc''
*Our pigs: ''àr mucan''
+
*our pigs: ''àr mucan''
*Your (pl) pigs: ''ùr mucan''  
+
*your (pl) pigs: ''ùr mucan''  
*their pigs: ''an mucan''  
+
*their pigs: ''an mucan''
  
 
====Before words beginning with vowels====
 
====Before words beginning with vowels====

Revision as of 01:22, 6 April 2012

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 less close relationships 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 adjective followed by an inflected form of the preposition aig

Prenominal 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.

Examples

Before words beginning with consonants

  • my pig: mo mhuc
  • your pig: do mhuc
  • his pig: a mhuc
  • her pig: a muc
  • our pigs: àr mucan
  • your (pl) pigs: ùr mucan
  • their pigs: an mucan

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 closer relationship between the possessor and the possessum, a combination of an article, a noun, and accordingly inflected preposition, in this order, is used. The followings are such examples.

  • 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

See Also