Augmented Prepositions

Augmented Prepositions

Pronouns in Gàidhlig can not follow verbal nouns as in English, e.g. I am doing it.
Instead the possessive adjective is placed before the verbal noun to indicate the person. There are two basic ways that this can happen :

**1. WITH PRESENT PARTICIPLES**
With present participles the verbal noun is already preceded by the preposition **a' / ag** (which are simply reduced forms of the preposition **aig**) :
Tha mi ag ithe	Tha mi a' faicinn

The preposition **aig** combines with the possessive adjectives to form what is termed an Augmented Prepositions :
gam - at my	gar - at our
gad - at your	gur - at your
ga - at his	gan / gam - at their
ga - at her	gan / gam - at their

**Uses:**
Tha e gam bhualadh * ‡ - He is hitting me / He hits me (lit. He is at my hitting)
Tha mi gad fhaicinn * - I am seeing you / I see you (lit. I am at your seeing (sing.)
Tha mi ga dhèanamh * - I am doing it / I do it (lit. I am at its doing) e.g. it = writing (m)
Tha mi ga h-ithe † - I am eating it / I eat it (lit. I am at its eating) e.g. it = dinner (f)
Tha e gar cuideachadh - He is helping us / He helps us (lit. He is at our helping)
Tha mi gur faicinn - I am seeing you / I see you (lit. I am at your seeing (pl.)
Tha i gan togail - She is lifting them / She lifts them (lit. She is at their lifting) Tha i gam bualadh - She is hitting them / She hits them (lit. She is at their hitting)

* Like the possessive adjectives, the 1st, 2nd & 3rd person singular augmented prepositions will lenite the verbal noun whenever possible.
† Like the possessive adjective, ga when referring to a feminine object requires h- before a verbal noun beginning with a vowel.

‡ When followed by a consonant **gam** and **gad** are frequently pronounced **ga mo** and **ga do** respectively :
Tha e gam bhualadh - He is hitting me / He hits me (lit. He is at my hitting)
Tha mi gad choimhead - I am watching you (lit. I am at your watching (sing.)

**2. VERBS OF ACTION**
Verbs expressing continuous actions use augmented prepositions based on **ann** (in) in place of ag, giving rise to the following :
nam - in my	nar - in our
nad - in your	nur - in your
na - in his	nan / nam - in their
na - in her	nan / nam - in their

The verbal nouns commonly affected are ones describing a condition: standing, sitting, lying, running, stopping, waking, stretching out, sleeping & being still/quiet/at rest :
Tha mi nam shuidhe * ‡ - I am sitting down / I am seated (lit. I am in my sitting)
Thu thu nad chadal * ‡ - You are sleeping / You are asleep (lit. You are in your sleeping (sing.)
Tha e na shìneadh * - He is stretched out (lit. He is in his stretching out)
Tha i na laighe - She is lying down (lit. She is in her lying)
Thàinig sinn nar ruith - We came running (lit. We came in our running)
Tha sibh nur dùisg - You are awake (lit. You are in your waking (pl.)
Tha iad nan seasamh - They are standing (lit. They are in their standing)
Tha sinn nar stad - We are stopped (lit. We are in our stopping)
Tha iad nan tàmh - They are still/at rest (lit. They are in their stillness)

* Like the corresponding possessive adjectives, the 1st, 2nd & 3rd person singular augmented prepositions will lenite the verbal noun whenever possible.

‡ When followed by a consonant **nam** and **nad** are frequently pronounced **na mo** and **na do** respectively:
Tha mi nam shuidhe - I am sitting down / I am seated (lit. I am in my sitting)
Thu thu nad chadal - You are sleeping / You are asleep (lit. You are in your sleeping (sing.)

The augmented prepositions using **ann** have another important use in expressing profession, trade etc :
Tha mi nam sheòladair - I am a sailor (lit. I am in my sailor)
Tha thu nad dhealbhaiche - You are a designer (lit. You are in your designer (sing.)
Tha e na shaor - He is a joiner (lit. He is in his joiner)
Tha i na saor - She is a joiner (lit. She is in her joiner)
Tha sinn nar banaltraman - We are nurses (lit. We are in our nurses)
Tha sibh nur ministearan - You are ministers (lit. You are in your ministers (pl.)
Tha iad nan sagartan - They are priests (lit. They are in their priests) Tha iad nam balaich - They are boys (lit. They are in their boys)

The augmented prepositions can be used with verbal nouns in any tense of the verb To Be.

All augmented prepositions are shown in

**Common Usage**
The augmented preposition of **aig** my also used where the possessive adjective ‡ follows the preposition **ann** :
Dè tha agad nur làimh? - What do you have in your hand?
Chan eil dad agam nam phòcaid - I don't have anything in my pocket
Tha rud aice na sùil † - She has something in her eye

† Not shown here but like the possessive adjective, na when referring to a feminine subject requires h- before a noun beginning with a vowel.
‡ Remember the possessive adjective in usually used in preference to the prepositional pronouns of aig when expressing close personal associations e.g. kinship, parts of the body etc (see ).

NEW WORDS

**Adverbs**
air ais - back	air falbh - away
cuideachd - also, too	uair - once (once upon a time)

**Nouns**
banaltram (m) - nurse	dealbhaiche (m) - designer
ministear (m) - minister	neach-teagaisg (m) - teacher
saighdear (m) - soldier	sagart (m) - priest
saor (m) - carpenter	seòladair (m) - sailor
sgrìobhadair (m) - writer	tàmh (m) - rest, stillness

**Verbs**
caidil, cadal - sleep	cuidich, cuideachadh - help
cuimhnich, cuimhneachadh (air) - remember	dùisg, dùsgadh - awake, wake up
laigh, laighe - lie down	sìn, sìneadh - stretch out
stad, stad - stop	tuig, tuigsinn - understand

**EXERCISE 1 Translate into English**
1.Tha e na sheasamh ris an doras	2.A bheil iad ga fhàgail aig an taigh? Tha
3.Bha e ga toirt dhan nighean	4.Tha e ag ràdh gun robh e uair na shaighdear
5.Am bi thu ga chur dhachaigh? Cha bhi	6.Bha i na laighe na leabaidh fhèin
7.Bidh iad daonnan nan ruith	8.Bha i gan cur air falbh anns a' bhogsa
9.Tha mi a' smaointinn gum bi iad ga cuideachadh le a h-obair	10.An robh an teine gur cumail blàth? Bha
11.Am biodh sibh ga fosgladh a-màireach? Bhiodh	12.Uair bha i na sgrìobhadair Gàidhlig

**EXERCISE 2 Translate into Gàidhlig**
1.He was a soldier but now he is a carpenter	2.He says that he wasn't throwing them away
3.Do you see it now? Yes I see it	4.They were all standing on the road
5.Was she sleeping in your bed last night? Indeed not	6.I think (that) you hear me very well
7.I don't remember him at all	8.Will you be taking him to the park tomorrow? Yes
9.I want you (sibh) to go down the street to the shop	10.Don't you understand me at all?
11.He was a teacher but he will soon be a designer	12.He is the priest in this parish and she is the minister

**ANSWERS - EXERCISE 1**
1.He is standing at(against) the door	2.Are they leaving him/it at home? Yes
3.He was giving it to the girl	4.He says that he was once a soldier
5.Will you be sending him home? No	6.She was lying in her own bed
7.They are always running	8.She was putting them away in the box
9.I think that they will help(will be helping) her with her work	10.Was the fire keeping you warm? Yes
11.Would you be opening it tomorrow? Yes	12.At one time she was a Gàidhlig writer

**ANSWERS - EXERCISE 2**
1.Bha e na shaighdear ach a-nis tha e na shaor	2.Tha e ag ràdh nach robh e gan tilgeil air falbh
3.A bheil thu ga fhaicinn a-nis? Tha, tha mi ga fhaicinn	4.Bha iad uile nan seasamh air an rathad
5.An robh i na cadal nad leabaidh a-raoir? Cha robh gu dearbh	6.Tha mi a' smaointinn gu bheil thu gam chluinntinn glè mhath
7.Chan eil mi ga chuimhneachadh idir	8.Am bi sibh ga thoirt dhan phàirc a-màireach? Bithidh
9.Tha mi gur n-iarraidh a dhol sìos an t-sràid dhan bhùth	10.Nach eil thu gam thuigsinn idir?
11.Bha e na neach-teagaisg ach a dh'aithghearr bidh e na dhealbhaiche	12.Tha e na shagart anns an sgìre seo, agus tha i na ministear

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