conas a déarfá "what once was" as in "I think of what once was" as gaeilge?

Smaoiním ar a raibh ann. (Féach "a 6.2" ar leathanach a haon in FGB.)

Nó: Smaoiním ar a raibh ann tráth.

Ah, go raibh míle maith agat. anois...

how about, "what once might have been"

Should be a future conditional belonging to a past time?

smaoiním ar a raibh beifí ann


b'fhéidir?

quote:

how about, "what once might have been"

Sin ceann deacair! Caithfidh mé mo mhachnamh a dhéanamh air.

quote:

smaoiním ar a raibh beifí ann

Ní féidir é sin a rá.

Antaine a dúirt:

quote:

conas a déarfá "what once was" as in "I think of what once was" as gaeilge?

agus Dennis a dúirt:

quote:

Smaoiním ar a raibh ann.

I'd translate that as 'I think about everything there was' or 'I think of everything that was there' but am I misunderstanding something here? Does 'ar a raibh' generally connote 'everything'?
Or are all these translations correct? Liz

It shouldn't be "everything" but rather one specific understood subject. With this sentence in context, it is actually the relationship between the speaker in the poem and the poem's subject.

quote:

Does 'ar a raibh' generally connote 'everything'?

Yes, pretty much, or "all", although this is fairly often translated "what". See de Bhaldraithe s.v. "what" for examples. If the focus is to be on a specific singular subject, you have little choice but to specify that using "rud" or "duine" or "an méid" or some other noun:

Smaoiním ar an rud a bhí ann... etc.

quote:

how about, "what once might have been"

Arbh fhéidir a bheith ann tráth/seal?