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More on “Before” i nGaeilge, or, When “Before” Also Means “After”! Posted by róislín on Oct 11, 2010
We’ve recently discussed seven ways to say “before” in Irish (cheana, roimh, sula, thar, os coinne, os comhair, ar tosach), based on one reader’s question. You might remember that I promised a few more, and here’s the first of several. If you want to say “the day before yesterday” or “the year before last” there…
An Intriacht “Fore!” i nGaeilge Posted by róislín on Oct 8, 2010
Before we finish up the query on “before,” there are a few more avenues to pursue. One fun one is the interjection “fore!” As I mentioned before, the English warning “fore!” might not initially seem related to “before” but in fact it is. “Before,” in English, is actually a compound word, consisting of Old English…
The Word “Before” in Irish, Part 3 Posted by róislín on Oct 4, 2010
Now we’ve taken care of five of the seven-plus ways to say “before” in Irish, which Seanchán had asked about (roimh, sula/sular, os coinne, os comhair, cheana). The remaining two that he asked about are “thar” and “ar tosach.” First, let me say that both “thar” and “ar tosach” have a variety of other meanings…
The Word “Before” in Irish, Part 2 Posted by róislín on Sep 30, 2010
We’ve taken care of two of the seven-plus ways to say “before” in Irish, which Seanchán, duine de lucht léite an bhlag seo, had asked about. Those were “roimh” (used with nouns or with pronoun endings like “romhat” or “romhaibh”) and “sula” used before verbs. The others were cheana, thar, os coinne, os comhair and…
How To Say “Before” in Irish – Let Me Count the Ways Posted by róislín on Sep 29, 2010
One of this blog’s readers, Seanchán, has written in with an interesting question. Cad é an difear idir na focail seo: cheana, roimh, sula, thar, os coinne, os comhair agus ar tosach. Ciallaíonn siad go léir “before.” Most have many other meanings as well. And before we finish the topic, we might be adding a…
Speaking of “Caillte” (lost, the actual verb) Posted by róislín on Sep 27, 2010
One thing the writers of Lost probably didn’t expect is that the title of their show could simply provide an opportunity to conjugate a verb. But why not? If “caillte” means lost, what are the other forms and idioms connected to this verb? It’s a first-conjugation verb with a slender root (caill, with “i” being…
Lost agus The Third Policeman: Suíomh Táirgí nó “Scavenger Hunt” Liteartha? Posted by róislín on Sep 25, 2010
By now, some of you may have checked out The Third Policeman. Ar léigh tú é? Ar thaitin sé leat? (Freagraí samplacha thíos). It’s interesting to consider the role of this úrscéal and the many other oibreacha liteartha mentioned in the series Lost. Would it be considered “suíomh tairgí” (product placement)? Not really, is dócha…