1. If it's a good shop, I will buy my shoes there.
2. Call me if you can.
3. If Colm isn't the leader, who is?
4. I talked to him, but even so, I was surprised.
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You will hear many people tell you that there are no words for 'yes' and 'no' in Irish. Well, that's some seafĂłid for you, because there are many. Very, very many. Lots many. Big many. You get the idea.
A yes/no question in Irish depends on what you're responding to. If the question contains a verb, i.e.
Notice that the actor (subject form) always follows the verb.
An exception would be if the verb is autonomous: no party is specified to be acting. You can read in depth about deriving impersonal verb forms in this post. For example, one cleans it:
1. If it's a good shop, I will buy my shoes there.
2. Call me if you can.
3. If Colm isn't the leader, who is?
4. I talked to him, but even so, I was surprised.
Last time on Comparatives, we learnt how to alter adjectives for comparatives and superlatives. We know how to express that CuĂĄn is younger than Ăine:
TĂĄ CuĂĄn nĂos Ăłige nĂĄ Ăine
However, when we want to emphasise that CuĂĄn is younger than Ăine, we have to use the copula. Here are two posts you might like to recap on:
Emphatic Forms 2: Sentence Construction
Masterpost: When to Use the Copula
Now, with that fresh in mind, compare the following pairs:
TĂĄ CuĂĄn nĂos Ăłige nĂĄ Ăine
Cuan is younger than Ăine
Is Ăłige CuĂĄn nĂĄ Ăine
CuĂĄn is younger than Ăine
NĂos is dropped in the copula form. This form is most often seen in seanfhocail:
Is measa na mnĂĄ nĂĄ an t-Ăłl
When the comparative sticks
Another important occasion where nĂos is dropped is if the sentence has the comparative (poorer) lumped together with the compared (people). Compare these two sentences:
TĂĄ daoine nĂos boichte nĂĄ PĂłl
There are people poorer than Paul
Feicfidh tĂș daoine is boichte nĂĄ PĂłl
Youâll see poorer people than Paul
Try it
Translate the following:
1. My father is stronger than your father.
2. I am the youngest person in the family.
3. This question is better than the other question.
Hover below for answers
1. Is lĂĄidre m'athair nĂĄ d'athair.
2. Is mise an duine is Ăłige sa teaghlach.
3. Is fearr an cheist seo nĂĄ an cheist eile.
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In English, we can stress different words to emphasise different parts of the sentence. Here we use the copula, but structure the sentences depending on what it is we want to emphasise.
Note: All of these use the relative clause, so hereâs a recap on that if necessary.
Relative clauses start with the relative pronouns who, that, which, whose, where, and when, which we will collectively call whom'st'ves. Whom'st'ves define or identify the noun that precedes them, i.e. the teacher whom I like.
Under the relative clause, the copula still uses is, ba, nach, nĂĄr and nĂĄrbh, but before a word starting with a vowel or an fh-, ba becomes ab. Nothing else changes with the copula.
So, again with whomâstâve, we use the copula (while deliberately taking the chance to demonstate ba):