Posted on Saturday, September 05, 2009 - 12:36 pm:
I'd translate "if I were you" dá mba mise thusa But sometimes you'll hear dá mba mise thú dá mba mé thú And what about the opposite, "if you were I"? dá mba tusa mise?
Accordding to Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí 1st person should come first, má thuigim i gceart: "16.41 Más forainmneacha mar atá in 16.40 an fhaisnéis agus an t-ainmní tugtar tús áite don chéad phearsa ar an dara pearsa. [...] dá mbamisethusa; dá mba méthú"
Bold is presumably meant to be predicate, so the first would rather mean: "if you wereI, the last "if I wereyou".
I thought so, too. But first person pronouns should always (!) be first according to good old Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithe Críostaí, regardless of their function (subject or predicate). 16.41 (Ionad na Faisnéise agus an Ainmní):
"Más forainmneacha mar atá in 16.40 an fhaisnéis agus an t-ainmní tugtar tús áite don chéad phearsa ar an dara pearsa. [...]: dá mbamisethusa; dá mba méthú"
but also in 13.62 (Ord na bhForainmneacha):
"Tugtar tús áite don chéad phearsa agus deireadh áite don tríú pearsa nuair a cheanglaítear dhá fhorainmneach nó forainmneach agus ainmfhocal le focail mar agus, nó, ná nó leis an gcopail. [...] dá mba mise tusa; dá mba mé tú d'imeoinn"
hence: dá mba mise t(h)usa = if you were I (me), dá mba mé t(h)ú = if I were you.