I just finished watching "The Quiet Man" for the 5th or 6th time. I'm always quite attentive when Maureen O'Hara speaks as gaeilge le an tsagart in aice leis an abhainn. At the end of that scene she asks "An peaca é?" Wouldn't or couldn't that be "An bfhuil peaca é?"

Go raibh maith agaibh.

Le meas,

James

An peaca é? Is peaca é. Ní peaca é.

An bhfuil peaca déanta agat? Tá. Níl.


Dtuigeann tú?


Woman of the house! get me tay and be quick about it!

Those were the days... ;-)

Níl thigim.

An bhfuil sé mor? Tá.

An bhfuil sé beag? Níl.

An bhfuil an gaeilge agat?

I see "An bhfuil" as a standard interrogative construction. I understand that "An" is a part of that construction and stands alone in the "An peaca é" example. But why?

Le meas,

James

OH--and she came to the marriage with furniture AND money. My ex came with nothing and left with everything! My how times have changed!

How about:

An peaca é?
Is - a sin - it?

An bhfuil peaca déanta agam?
Is there - a sin - made - at me?


We shouldn't think that there are like-for-like equivalents for every Irish word in English but this gives the general idea of it.

James,

It's the copula thing again:-)

An peaca é? -- "peaca" is a noun. You use the copula to relate two nouns (or a noun and a pronoun).

An bhfuil sé mór? -- "mór" is an adjective. You use a form of tá to describe a noun or pronoun with an adjective or adverb.

--Al Evans

Much clearer. Thanks, Al! I didn't recognize "bfhuil" as a form of Tá, but, of course it is. I just didn't pick up on it.

Go raibh mile maith agat!

Le meas,

James