Is this correct for "No one should die alone"?

Bás ní bhfaigeadh aon duine leis féin.

(Message edited by pádraig on August 04, 2010)

Bás ní bhfaigheadh aon duine leis féin.

an h was missing in "bhfaigheadh". Except for that, it's correct.

"No one should die alone"?

I'd say

Ní ceart d'aoinne bás a fháil ina aonar

Go raibh maith agat, a chara.

Is that the subjunctive in Padraig's translation? That nobody should die alone? Sorry, just a thought. I've not much of a clue yet of conjugating the subjunctive and just checking in for a second this evening.

It's never been clear to me whether Irish distinguishes between "would" and "should." Anybody???

"Bás ní bhfaigheadh aon duine leis féin" is a beautifully worded expression, with the object fronted and all. But it uses the conditional of "faigh", therefore it means "nobody would die alone", not "should".

To express the "should", perhaps you could go with the subjunctive: "bás nár fhaighe aon duine leis féin", literally "let noone die alone".

By the way, the subjunctive of "faigh", I had to look it up. It's so archaic it's got dust on it. But in an emotionally loaded sentence about death, it's not inappropriate at all.

Or if you think it is, then you could go with what Aonghus was suggesting, something along the lines of "ní ceart d'aon duine..." and so on.

So you see, Irish definitely does distinguish between "would" and "should". For "would" you'd normally use the conditional of a verb, as above. For "should", use one of the many constructions with "ba cheart", "is ceart", "ba chóir", "is cóir" and so on -- or use the subjunctive, as above, but with the caveat that it's archaic.

"Ní ceart duine ar bith básaigh ina aonar."

An ea??

Ní hea!

Ní ceart do dhuine ar bith bású ina aonar

W.r.t the subjunctive

Nár fhaighe duine bás ina aonar

means

Would that no-one dies alone

to me, i.e. a wish, not a recommendation

Please excuse my English. Seems like everyone has become fluent since I drifted off.

In "Briathra na Gaeilge" (Folens) I quickly found the subjunctive of faigh. There was no mention of it being archaic. I think this publication is fairly current. They translate "nár fhaighe aon duine" as "May no one ..." I think I'll go with Bás nár fhaighe aon duine leis féin. And GRMA, a Mhical, for pointing it out.

In case anyone's curious where the question came from, I was trying to capture a statement made some years ago by Mother Therese when an interviewer asked how she saw her mission. She replied, "No one should have to die alone." This strikes me as an especially powerful summation of her gift to the world.

The subjunctive isn't archaic itself, but it is used in sentences such as wishes and prayers, and it sounds literary if you use it to translate your sentence.

quote:

She replied, "No one should have to die alone." This strikes me as an especially powerful summation of her gift to the world.

I wouldn't use the subjunctive for this: She was stating a clear intention to do something about a clear injustice, not a pious wish.

Maybe:

Toisc nár cheart d'aoinne bás a fháil leis féin

(Because no one should die alone - the "because" is implied in her answer, but needed in this version)

What about the phrase in the "Hail Mary" prayer in Irish: A Naomh-Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé, guigh orainne peacaigh anois agus ar uair ár mbáis. Áiméan.

So - No one should have to die alone -- might be translated:

Níor chóir d'éinne againn a bheith inár n-aonar ar uair ár mbáis.

Too long?

Níor cheart a bheith i d'aonar ar uair do bháis.

Having read lots of Ó Cadhain I find this phrase coming to mind:

Mairg a gheobhadh bás ina aonar. (Sad the person who would die alone.)