what is the difference between "tá siad seo mall" and "tá siad mall?" Is the first one something like "these are slow" as opposed to "they are slow?"

I don't suppose the second one would be "tá siad go mall" because then mall would be applying to tá and not siad, no? (although the whole "go+" is roughly equivalent to english "-ly" comparison i'm sure has its limits)

I suppose 'Tá siad seo go mall' would translate into Hiberno-English as 'These ones are slow'. You wouldn't hear it on the BBC, mind you.

I would think that it wouldn't be by itself. "this," "these," "that," and "those" have to refer to something more concrete. There would have to be a sentence that contains what they modify in front of it. Antain is right...you wouldn't see this sentence normally at all.

Feicim sa Foclóir Gaeilge Béarla, faoi seo:

(With 3 sg. or fl. pers. pron.) Tá sé [seo] ag imeacht, this person is leaving.

I suspect that there are other ways to state the same meaning in different words, and that not everyone would use this form under any and all conditions and that it could apply to non-person entities, et cetera, et cetera, but I think the gist of "siad seo" is that it is the plural form of the commonly heard "tá sé seo." [this is].

(Message edited by student on August 03, 2008)

I would interpret the "seo" as emphasis, i.e. these are particularly slow.

I hate to oversimplify but in this case I think it's OK:

é seo = this
é sin = that
iad seo = these
iad sin = those

Is fearr liom na cinn sin = I prefer those ones
Is fearr liom iad seo = I prefer these

Here's an interesting use of "seo", it's on the inside cover of my passport:

"ligean dá shealbhóir seo, saoránach d'Éirinn, gabháil ar aghaidh gan bhac gan chosc"

ligean dá shealbhóir seo = ligena [do a] shealbhóir seo = allow the holder of this

Near emphasis No emphasis ---- Far emphasis

this is -------- it is ------- that is
tá sé seo ---- tá sé ----- tá sé sin

these are ----- they are ---- those are
tá siad seo -- --- tá siad ---- tá siad sin

I'm probably missing something very obvious to everyone, but it seems to me that the words this, that, these, those, and their Irish equivalents sé seo, sé sin, siad seo, and siad sin contain emphasis inherently. That is, to say "these are [whatever]" in English there is emphasis conveyed by the word "these." Likewise in Irish, "tá siad seo [whatever]."

(Message edited by student on August 04, 2008)