Tá ceist agam, ma's é do thoil é.

In the phrase “a cuid béarla” is the “cuid” necessary? Can one say “a béarla” for "her English?"

Ceist ana-mhaith - good question!

Strictly speaking, you never have to use cuid in any sentence of this sort - though I'd recommend you to do it. Leaving it out does have a rather strong hint of English (or at least non-Irish) influence. "a cuid Béarla" certainly sounds better and more idiomatic, but I wouldn't go as far as claiming that the version without "cuid" is outright wrong.

Here's what I liken it to:

In English, we say "a" before a singular noun:

I saw a dog.

Well, in the cases where you don't say a, eg.

I like cheese ( as opposed to "I like a cheese" )
I have water ( ass opposed to "I have a water" )

and then you put a person with it

her cheese
his water

then use "cuid"!

It's to do with the ability to quantify the thing. For instance, when you say:

I have a cheese.
I have a water.

It sounds like you have a portion of the thing, eg. one of those little single chunks of cheese, or a small bottle of water.

Jimnuaeabhrac,

According to the Christian Brothers, Graiméar Gaeilge,(13.8) "the word cuid is often used between a possessive adjective [mo, do, a, ár, bhur] and the noun being modified when the noun is

• an abstraction, e.g., mo chuid Gaeilge, a cuid eolais,, or
  
• in the plural, e.g., a cuid leabhar, or
  
• stuff that is difficult to count, e.g., a cuid gruaige, bhur gcuid siúcra."
  

So it is not necessary to use cuid, but it is the usual usage.

(Message edited by lúcas on September 21, 2004)

I forgot to add that it depends rather much on the word following the possessives. On the other hand, Lúcas pretty much did it. As a general rule (but also very reliable), the more abstract/"not-countable" the word, the greater is the need for cuid
(In anyone here speaks Finnish, Estonian or Hungarian - think about the use of the partitive case).

Go raibh maith agaibh!

---

quote:

# an abstraction, e.g., mo chuid Gaeilge, a cuid eolais,, or
# in the plural, e.g., a cuid leabhar, or
# stuff that is difficult to count, e.g., a cuid gruaige, bhur gcuid siúcra."

---

This is what I like to call "bullshit".

It's trying to explain something, but it just ain't.

"an abstraction". Define "an abstraction". Something which is abstract? Define "abstract". Nothing is more abstract than the adjective "abstract" itself. The explanation is worthless.

"the plural". Mo dheirfiúracha. I'd say "mo chuid deirfiúracha" if I had sliced them up into little pieces and stored them in a nice little carrier bag. Then they'd be quantifiable.

"stuff that is difficult to count". Ever hear of an electron microscope? What's being referred to here is quantities. Hair is a quantity. Love is a quantity. What's an easy way to tell if something is a quantity? Stick it into the following sentence:

I like X

if you come out with "a", as in:

I like a dog.

Then it's not quantifiable.

If you don't come out with a, then it is quantifiable:

I like love.
I like sugar.
I like water.
I like hair.

a chuid grá
a chuid siúcra.
a chuid uisce.
a chuid gruaige.

FnaB, a chara,

Ná taispeáin d'fhiacail san áit nach dtig leat greim a bhaint amach.

Seo an t-idirlíon, a Lúcais, níl aon bhrí ag an bhfrása sin anseo.

Cad is brí le "tig"? Feicim anois is arís é, agus tá an chuma air nach leanann sé aon rialacha gramadaí ar bith! Ar mo phas, tá scríofa "ní thig leo", ach ceapaim gurb ordú é, mar sin dá mba bhriathar é "tig", "ná tig" ab ea an t-ordú! Aon eolas?

Sa chás seo is malairt focail ar "féidir" é "tig"

ní thig leo == ní féidir leo

Ciallíonn ar rud ar do phas an rud céanna le "cannot"; the bearer cannot do X. i. níl cead agat X do dhéanamh.

FnaB, a chara,

An té is measa bearta agus béasa
Is lia a thugann toibhéim do gach aon neach;
Is léir dó locht gach duine ina éadán
Agus ní léir dó an locht a ndamnaítear é féin trid.

Go deas Lúcas, ach mholfainn

"Agus ní léir dó an locht tréna ndamnaítear é féin".

Níl sin foirfe ach oiread, ach bhí cuma tuatach ar an "tríd" deiridh úd.

B'fhéidir
"Agus ní léir dó an locht a dhamnaíonn é fhéin"?

Nó fiú
"Agus ní léir dó locht a dhamnaithe fhéin"

Damnú ar mar scéil, tá filíocht deacair....

Go raibh maith agat, a Aonghus, ach ní scríobh mé an dan sin. Fuair mé i mbailiúchán na seanfhocal Robert Shipboy Macadam é. Níl mé chomh ghlic.

Ar scor ar bith, cheap mé go raibh "trid" ina iartheachtaí sa chlásal coihneasta ag tagairt do "locht" sa phríomhchlásal. Measaim go bhfuil an Ghramadach cheart aige ach má tá cuma tuatach air, sin rud eile.

Tá tú go direach glan faoin deacracht filíochta. Is iontach deacair don béarloir cosuil liomsa an difríocht a thuiscint idir cuma tuatach agus cuma snasta i nGaeilge. Sin í an cúis a d'ordaidh mé an leabhar "Gaeilic Idioms." GRMA arís.

(Message edited by lúcas on September 24, 2004)

(Message edited by lúcas on September 24, 2004)

(Message edited by lúcas on September 24, 2004)

Fáilte romhat a Lúcas.
Cheap mé gurbh tusa a rinne an aistriúcháin ar bun véarsa Béarla. Tá an smaoineamh bunaithe ar an mBíobla (Matthias 7:3-5)