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The Daltaí Boards » Archive: 1999-2004 » 2003 (January-June) » That "go" thing? « Previous Next »

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James
Posted on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 09:16 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

Probably too basic of a question but it came up in tonight's Irish study group and I didn't have the answer. Since I am the one-eyed man in this little kingdom of the blind I feel compelled to be able to explain it.

Deir sé go bhfuil Liam anseo.

Tá me go maith.

Tá an oiche go holc.

Deir siad go raibh fuar é.

There is a "go" that profoundly changes things in each of these examples. (My poor grammar aside) Can anyone help me understand what "go" represents? I'm not so naive to think it has a translation, per se, but it obvioulsy imparts a quality or implies something that I can't quite put my finger on.

Go raibh maith agaibh. (There it is again!)

Le meas,

James

OH! I've got a lady in my group whose name is Maureen. Could I get the Irish spelling of that name, le do thoil?

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Patrick Mac Gafraidh
Posted on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 10:08 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

Séamus, A Chara,

I believe Maureen is a diminutive of Máire using the ín suffix. That would produce, I believe:

Máirín.

Beannacht Dé,
Pádraig

P.S. I'm not about to mess with that "go" thing. Even if I knew, it would probably take half a dozen pages to explicate it. I did, however, try to clear up your confusion referred to in another r-phost concerning the expression, go brách.
P.

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Oliver Grennan
Posted on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 10:14 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

A Sheamais,
Ceist maith arís.

There are five different uses of "go" and indeed the dictionary seems to treat them as separate words which happen to be spelt the same.

1).With adverbs.
tá me go maith, rith mé go tapaidh.
I am good(ly), I ran quickly.

In both cases it links the verb with the adverb. Rather like in English linking "laugh" and "playful" with "ly" to make "laugh playfully"

2).dul go Corcaigh, suí go maidin
Go to Cork, Sit until morning

The meaning of "to" or "until"

3). Dúirt sé go bhfuil ocras air
He said that he is hungry

4). go gcuidí Dia leat
May god help you
Used in expressing a wish.

5). With "leith"
blian go leith ( a year and 1/2)
míle go leith ( a mile and 1/2)


so it's an essential Jack of all trades, de reir dealramh (apparently).

slán go fóill,

Oliver.

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Pádraig Mac Gafraidh
Posted on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 10:39 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

Oliver, A Chara,

Buíochas for your response to James' query about that "go" thing. When you decide to write your "Irish Grammar for Dumyankees" its this sort of conciseness that will send me straight to the bookseller. For now, I'll be cutting and pasting your post to my word processor to be enlarged, printed out and tacked up over my desk. Buíochas arís.

One other question: I've been saying things like tá sé leath i ndiaidh a seacht a chlog. Should there be a "go" in there somewhere?

And another: is there any historical record of a Papal dispensation allowing neophytes to disregard the fada? SHEESH.

Slán,
Pádraig

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Oliver Grennan
Posted on Friday, January 31, 2003 - 11:40 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

A Phádraig,
Thanks for the praise, it's great to know that I'm helping to demystify things. I just try and explain things the way I'd like to learn them myself, without recourse to "paritciples/present indicative" and all that other stuff which puts people off.

I usually hear on RnaG:
"'Sé an t-am anois; a leath uair tar éis a seacht"

although "i ndiaidh a seacht" is quite right too but is used by Donegal speakers.

I'm from Mayo so I'm biased towards the Connemara Irish - Mayo people always regard Galway as a kind of sister county.

Don't know about the Papal thing. A certain Pope Adrian IV did give a dispensation to a certain Henry II to conquer Ireland, so you probably don't need the Pope's blessing to leave out the odd fada!

Beir bua,
Oliver.

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james
Posted on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 06:59 am:   Edit Post Print Post

Oliver,

A you can also write the same grammar guide for dumb red-necks as your explanation was most helpful to this one!

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Deb Landrum
Posted on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 11:58 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

In my efforts to attempt translation before asking for someone to do it for me, I can usually make a few people grin...at my awkwardness. Here I go again...
I am trying to say "you are the reason that I exist" or "I exist because of you"

Thus far, I have come up with :tú an ciall sin mé bheith ann
OR
an ciall sin mé bheith ann tú

Am I even close? Seems like the first would be a better try, as the second just seems to flow awkwardly and seems to be missing a word or two

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Deb Landrum
Posted on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 12:00 am:   Edit Post Print Post

I am sorry - I didn't mean to post into this thread, I meant to start a new one....

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Aonghus
Posted on Monday, February 03, 2003 - 04:25 am:   Edit Post Print Post

Deb
I'd say
"Is tú fáth mo bheith ann" (You are the cause of my existance"
or
"Is tú cúis mo bheith ann" (same meaning)
or
"Táim ann toisc tusa" (I exist beacuse of you)

Ciall means meaning rather than reason.

I shan't be able to disect these grammatically for you - I'm more or less a native speaker and I just "know" these are correct!

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