Basic Irish Language I

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Module I

Lesson 3: Nouns and Articles

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In this lesson, we will introduce you to Irish nouns, their gender, and the use of definite and indefinite articles.

Irish Nouns

In Irish, nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine. Here are some examples of Irish nouns:

  • Fear (man) – masculine
  • Bean (woman) – feminine
  • Bord (table) – masculine
  • Cathaoir (chair) – feminine

The gender of a noun is important because it affects the articles and adjectives used with the noun.

Definite and Indefinite Articles

In Irish, there are two types of articles: definite and indefinite. Definite articles refer to a specific noun, while indefinite articles refer to a non-specific noun. Here are the Irish definite and indefinite articles:

  • An (definite article, singular) – pronounced “un”
  • Na (definite article, plural) – pronounced “nah”
  • A (indefinite article, singular) – pronounced “a”
  • Na (indefinite article, plural) – pronounced “nah”

Here are some examples of how the definite and indefinite articles are used in Irish:

  • An fear (the man) – masculine noun with definite article
  • Na mná (the women) – feminine noun with definite article in plural form
  • A bord (a table) – masculine noun with indefinite article
  • Na cathaoireacha (the chairs) – feminine noun with definite article in plural form

As you can see, the gender of the noun affects the article used with it.

Plural Nouns

In Irish, some nouns form the plural by adding an “-a” to the end of the word. For example, “bord” (table) becomes “bordanna” (tables) in the plural form. Other nouns form the plural by adding an “-í” or “-acha” to the end of the word. For example, “cathaoir” (chair) becomes “cathaoirí” (chairs) in the plural form, and “súil” (eye) becomes “súileacha” (eyes) in the plural form.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we introduced you to Irish nouns, their gender, and the use of definite and indefinite articles. Practice using the correct articles with different nouns, and become familiar with how nouns form the plural in Irish. Keep practicing and exploring the language to deepen your understanding of this fascinating language.