A Chairde,

I'll hate myself in the morning for asking this, but I'm having considerable difficulty with when to use Tá and when to us Is.

A friend provided me with the following rule of thumb:

"Tá is used when the predicate is an adjectival member.
Is is used when the predicate is a nominal member."

Is it correct to assume that "predicate" and "faisnéis" are the same, or is the Irish predicate determined by its position in the sentence? For example, in the following English sentence:

"Your works are wonderful," -- are wonderful -- is the predicate and wonderful is adjectival. Also, if the word order is reversed to read "Wonderful are your works," the predicate adjective remains intact without regard to position.

Assuming the accuracy of the above noted rule, should the sentence translate:

Tá do gníomhartha iontach; Is do gníomhartha iontach; Tá iontach iad do gníomhartha; or Is iontach iad do gníomhartha?

One last thing and "the rest is silence." Is "Tá do ghrá go síoraí" grammatically correct, and does the above rule apply to it?

I'll hang up now and listen.

Buíochas agus beannacta,
Pádraig

Tá do gníomhartha iontach; WRONG
Tá do gníomhartha go h-iontach; OK
Is do gníomhartha iontach; WRONG
Tá iontach iad do gníomhartha WRONG
Is iontach iad do gníomhartha OK

Don't ask me why, I can't bear all this grammatical jargon.

Tá + adjective doesn't work.
Tá + prep + noun + adjective works.

As a general rule, "Tá" is used when talking about activites and emotions, "Is" is used when applying adjectives (although you can also quite happily use "Tá" with adjectives).

Also, "Is" is used mostly in the 3rd person rather than 1st or 2nd.

Tá an cailín sin ciallmhar. (lit. "there is that girl clever" - the girl is clever).

Is ciallmhar í an cailín sin. (It is clever she is, that girl).

"Tá do ghrá go síoraí" is allright, as far as I know.

Hope this helps and perhaps someone can give you a better defintion of the rules, sleep well in Elsinore.

Le meas,
Oliver

Oliver, A Chara,

Thanks for the reply; apologies for the jargon; and may I say that you've managed to simplify what many persons (including myself) have managed to complicate beyond comprehension.

Also, just wanted to share with you that this posting comes from an area of Appalachia where, despite the Scots-Irish heritage of many, its nearly impossible to find locally the kind of information and interaction Daltaí na Gaeilge affords.

Your allusion to the allusion -- "sleep well in Elsinore" -- was as if from another planet.

Wherever you are, stay put.

Buíochas, A Chara,
Pádraig

A Phádraig:

Check the search option in the tree to the left of this page. I had the exact same question about a month ago. Can't say as I'm any closer to getting it right, though!!!

Hang in there in Appalachia--I'm a flatlander but have a strong affinity for that area. Dated a girl from the blazing metropolis of Grassy Creek, NC. She introduced me to many things wondrous and new about life, music, nature---special emphasis on nature, I might add!! What a wonderful girl she was. But, in the end she broke my heart. (Has the makin's of a bluegrass song or an Irish ballad, don't you think?)

I live in a flatland equivalent so I share your frustrations regarding information and interaction!! Hang in there, you'll get the hang of this faster than you think!


Le meas,

James

A Phádraig,
tuigim do scéal go maith, tá eolas agam ar an mothú uaigneach sin, gan duine ná diabhal san áit ar aon intinn leat. Áfach, ná bí ró-dhian orthu, táim cinnte gur daoine lách atá iontu agus i ndáiríre, is annamh iad ár leitheid: ní taitníonn Hamlet le chuile dhuine!

I understand your situation well, I know that isolated feeling without anyone around on your own wavelength. Still, don't be too hard on them, I'm sure they're decent people and really, the likes of us are rare: Hamlet doesn't suit everyone.

Ádh mór dhuit,

Oliver.

It's unbelievably simple.

Tá = is.

It's used to describe. It's all about adjectives. It's also used to tell where you are, what you're doing. All descriptions. But it never tells you WHAT YOU ARE.

Tá tú áthasach.
You're happy.

Táim ag an doras.
Táim ag rith.


-

Is = is.

It's used to define, to idenify, to point out.

Is that your brother?
An sin é do dhearthair.
Sin mo dhearthair. (That's my brother)

Is amadán thú. (You're an ejit)

You've just defined someone, said what they are. You've used a NOUN.


If you speak the language, you'll come to see that there's endless benefits in spliting is into "Tá and Is".

-Phil