GRAMMER 3: Prepositions, Séimhiú and Urú

Question 1

Preposition ‘on’

Answer 1

ar
orm
ort
air
uirthi
orainn
oraibh
orthu

Question 2

Preposition ‘to, for’

Answer 2

do
dom
duit
dó
di
dúinn
daoibh
dóibh

Question 3

Preposition ‘at, possession’

Answer 3

ag
agam
agat
aige
aici
againn
agaibh
acu

Question 4

Preposition ‘out of, from a place’

Answer 4

as
asam
asat
as
aisti
asainn
asaibh
astu

Question 5

Preposition ‘to, toward, for’

Answer 5

chuig
chugam
chugat
chuige
chuici
chugainn
chugaibh
chucu

Question 6

Preposition ‘under, about’

Answer 6

faoi
fúm
fút
faoi
fúithi
fúinn
fúibh
fúthu

Question 7

Preposition ‘before, in front of’

Answer 7

roimh
romham
romhat
roimhe
roimpi
romhainn
romhaibh
rompu

Question 8

Preposition ‘from’

Answer 8

ó
uaim
uait
uaidh
uaithi
uainn
uaibh
uathu

Question 9

Preposition ‘with’

Answer 9

le
liom
leat
leis
léi
linn
libh
leo

Question 10

Preposition ‘between’

Answer 10

idir
idir mé
idir tú
idir é
idir í
eadrainn
eadraibh
eatarthu

Question 11

When a preposition is followed by ‘an’, what is added to the noun that follows?

thar an +
ar an +
ag an +

Answer 11

+ urú

Question 12

State the appropriate urú for each letter

Answer 12

mb
gc
nd
dt
ng
bp
bhf

Question 13

What is added?
After the indirect relative particle a

Answer 13

urú

a mbíonn
a bhfuil

Question 14

What is added?
After the particles/conjunctions go, cá, dá, mura, sula

Answer 14

urú

Abair liom go dtiocfaidh tú.
Cá n-itheann tú do chuid bia?
Dá n-imeodh sé, bheinn sásta.
Mura bhfuil tú sásta leis sin, bíodh agat!
Críochnaigh an obair sula bhfága tú an teach!

Question 15

What is added?

To the verb after the following conjunctions (followed by the direct relative a): cad, ceard, cathain, cé, cén uair, conas, má, mar (= as, how), nuair, ó

Cad a…..
Cathain a…
Cé a….
Cén uair a….
Conas a….
Má….
Mar a….
Ó….
Nuair a….

Answer 15

Séimhiú

Cad a cheapann tú?
Cathain a thiocfaidh sé?
Cé a dhéanann an obair?
Cén uair a fhillidh sé?
Conas a dhéanfaidh sé e?
Má thagann sé in am
Mar a thuigimid uilig
Nuair a fhágann sí an baile
Ó cheapann tú é sin

Question 16

An Aidiacht Shealbhach

Explain An Aidiacht Shealbhach for nouns starting with:

(a) a consonant
(b) a vowel

Answer 16

Question 17

What is the difference between ‘i’ and ‘sa’?

Explain the grammar for each

Answer 17

'’i’ means ‘in a’

• ‘i’ adds an urú to the noun (i mbus)
• ‘i’ becomes ‘in’ if the noun starts with a vowel (in ionad siopadóireachta)

sa’ means ‘in the’

• ‘sa’ adds a séimhiú to the noun (sa bhaile)
• ‘sa’ becomes ‘san’ if the noun starts with a vowel or f (san urlár)

Question 18

What is the difference between ‘go’ and ‘go dti’?

Answer 18

‘go dti’ means ‘to the’

• if you are going somewhere with another word before it, for example ‘the’ or ‘my / your’, ‘every’, then use ‘go dtí’

‘go’ means ‘to’

• If the place you are going doesn’t have another word before it then use ‘go’ (e.g. Dublin, London, Cork)

Question 19

What is the difference between ‘chuig’ and ‘go dti’?

Answer 19

• They both mean ‘to the’
• Use ‘chuig’ if you are going to an event or to a person
• Use ‘go dti’ if you are going to a fixed place

Examples:

• Téim chuig an cheolchoirm (I go to the concert)
• Ní féidir liom an ticéad a aistriú chuig daoine eile (I can’t transfer the ticket to other people)
• An bhfuil tú ag dul go dtí an siopa? (Are you going to the shop?)

Question 20

What is the difference between ‘sula’ and ‘roimh’?

Explain the grammar of each

Answer 20

• They both mean ‘before’

Sula

• ‘Sula’ is used before verbs
• ‘Sula’ adds an urú to the verb (sula gcanaim)
• ‘Sular’ is used for the past tense, (except for the irregular verbs that don’t use ‘ar’ and ‘nior’ in the past tense)

Roimh

• ‘Roimh’ is used before nouns

Examples:

• Roimh an Nollag (before Christmas)
• D’ith mé sular thit mé (i ate before i fell)
• Bím ag damhsa sula gcanaim (i dance before i sing)

Question 21

Cad atá uait?

Answer 21

What do you want/ need?

Tá ________ uaim

I want/need ________