8
EXPRESSI|'rG TNIENIIONS
The
preposition
chtn
(toutardsl
followed by the verbal noun
expresses
an
intention;
Ti m6 chun dul abhaile anois. I am
going
to
go home nout,
Ti m6
chun
fanacht anseo. I am
going
to stay here.
T6 m6
chun bualadh
le Deirdre, I
intend
meeting Deirdre.
Notice
the difference
in word order here:
Td
m6 chun scriobh chucu.
but
T6 m6 chun litir a scriobh. I am
going
to urite a letter.
T6 m6
chun 6 a scriobh sios.
I am
going
to
utrite it doun,
ln the second two examples the verbal noun has a direct oblect,
and this must be
placed
before it. Here are some other examples:
T6 Brid
chun teach a cheannach.
Bridget
is
going
to buy a
bouse,
T6
m6 chun an leabhar sin a I am
going
to read that book.
16amh.
This is
the
normal
order of
verbal noun
clauses, which
you
have
met
before. Compare:
Ni f6idir liom
post
a {h6il.
Is maith liom peil
a
imirt.
9 USIA'6 BA WITH AD]ECTIVES
The
copula
(basic
form is) is
used to bring an
adjective to the
beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
Remember these examples
from
Unit 6:
16 brei a
fine
day Is bred an 16 6. lt's a
fne
day.
aimsir olc bad uteatber Is
olc an aimsir i. It's bad ueather.
I
am
going to
urite to them.
I
can't
get
a
iob.
I
like to
play
football.
276
Unlt
18 Booffidh me
hqt
ogaMft. 277
Note
6 here because li is masculine and i because ainsir
is
feminine.
The
past
tense form ba lenites,
giving:
Ba
bhre6 an
16
6. lt was a
fne
day,
B'olc
an aimsir i. lt uas bad uteathet
Ba
can also mean rzould be, according
to cont€xt. Here is
an
example
of how this works:
Cheannaigh
m6
bronntanas do
I
bougbt a
present
for
Mary.
Mhiire.
Ba
dheas an
smaoineamh €
sin. That was a nice idea.
Ceann6idh
m6
bronntanas di.
I'll
buy
ber
a
present.
Ba dheas an smaoineamh 6 sin. That would be a nice idea.
Some
funher examples
of ba
+ adlective:
Ba mhaith an smaoineamh 6. lt uasluould be a
good
idea,
Ba mh6r an chabhair 6. It utaslutould be a
geat
help.
Ba mh6r
an trua 6.
It uasluould be a
great
pity.
The last example is a very common expression but there is no basic
phrase
trua m6r
(gre4t pityl
corresponding to it.
10 SOME EXPRESSIONS OF TIME
o Dfueaeh
(iust,
immediatelyl
This word is
used
in various ways:
Tos6imid
direach ag a
naoi. We'll begin at nine on the dot.
Beidh
m6 direach chugat.
I'll
be uitb
you
straight auay.
Ti
s6 direach
imithe
amach.
He lras
iust
gone
out.
direach ina dhiaidh sin immediately after that