Not sure about this one. Was writing this today :

ná déan dearmad gur breithlá Cian inniu é

and it didn't look right and so I'm thinking it should be

ná déan dearmad gurb é breithlá Cian inniu é.

Would both be okay or is the second one the correct way to say 'Don't forget it's Cian's birthday today'?

... gurb é breithlá Chéin atá inniu.
or
... go bhfuil breithlá Chéin inniu.

No copula necessary, but a form of bí.
But if you use an additional copula it is "gurb é" because breithlá Chéin is definite.

Céin is genitive of Cian.

Lars

(Message edited by Lars on February 12, 2010)

Thanks for that Lars. I like the copula here more than using 'bí'.. as always can't put my finger on why that is exactly..

Now your first one: 'gurb é breithlá Chéin atá inniu'.
Dhá cheist atá a léimeann amach orm ón abairt sin.

Would I have to use the genitive of Cian? It sounds very different to and even unrecognisable from Cian. Would a séimhiú on Cian be okay without using genitive?

Also does that construction imply 'that it is Cian's birthday today' as opposed to somebody else's birthday?
Maybe I should say 'gurb é inniu breithlá Chéin/Chian' to emphasise his birthday is today?

or using bí as you suggested.. go bhfuil breithlá Chéin ann inniu?

Sorry if I sound overly analytical about this.. I'm looking at the copula properly for the first time.

quote:

Thanks for that Lars. I like the copula here more than using 'bí'.. as always can't put my finger on why that is exactly..

But bí is more idiomatic here, I think.
I wouldn't parse it as an identification sentence, so no reason for the copula alone.

quote:

Now your first one: 'gurb é breithlá Chéin atá inniu'.
Dhá cheist atá a léimeann amach orm ón abairt sin.

Would I have to use the genitive of Cian? It sounds very different to and even unrecognisable from Cian. Would a séimhiú on Cian be okay without using genitive?

Don't know.
You have to use the genitive, I think.
But I don't know if Céin is still used as genitive (the name Cian isn't so very common).

quote:

Also does that construction imply 'that it is Cian's birthday today' as opposed to somebody else's birthday?

Yes.

quote:

Maybe I should say 'gurb é inniu breithlá Chéin/Chian' to emphasise his birthday is today?

In case you use a sentence without bí:
gur inniu is é breithlá Chéin é. or:
gur inniu gurb é breithlá Chéin é.
In case you use bi (which I would prefer):
gur inniu atá breithlá Chéin ann
(é only between copula and definite nouns)

quote:

or using bí as you suggested.. go bhfuil breithlá Chéin ann inniu?

But here's no emphase.

Lars

Similarly to 'Inniu an Luan'/'Inniu Dé Luain' you can say 'Inniu breithlá Bhriain'.

So from that I'm thinking that you could just simply say 'Ná déan dearmad gur inniu breithlá Bhriain'.. leaving out the é pronoun at the end.

Meas tú an mbeadh sin ceart? An 'é' a fhágáil ar lár?

Lars, I am surprised at your comment that Cian isn't so very common. The Central Statistics Office lists it as the 11th most popular boy's name for 2008 and in the preceding 5 years it was in the top 10.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear Breithlá Chian although it is technically/historically not correct as far as I know. This could be another case of an outdated genitive.

I was writing invitations for my daughter's birthday party and referred to "cóisir Méibhe". I felt it was right but I was also afraid that the recipients would think I was a bit of a gobshite!

Lars.. tá mé tar éis píosa maith don tseachtain a chaitheamh ag breathnú ar an gCopail, agus tá an ceart agat- 'Bí' an briathar is feiliúnaí don abairt seo. Tuigim anois nach 'identity sentence' atá ann. Ní raibh tuiscint agam riamh seo ar na difríochtaí a bhaineann leo araon.

Go raibh maith agat!