pron demonstrative relative, nasalising, that which, what
. On
the spelling á see
Celtica ii 339
-
40
. Orig. neut. art.,
GOI § 473
(cf. 5 a). Combines with ro to form arro
(in later lang. ar):
arrolegais,
Wb. 28d7
, but an- (the usual
form before vowels) is also found:
anrogadammar,
Wb.
15c22
.
anró gad,
Trip.² 1370
.
an ro-ráidis,
PH 726
.
an raibhe,
Keat. ii 265
. In later language also spelt i n-:
i n-atconnarc,
LU 3322
.
ind digní,
Mon. Tall. 134.20 (§ 21)
. Also ina n-:
ina mboí,
LU 8416
(H).
ina fuaratar,
Ann. Conn. 1235.13
. na
n-:
na tongat,
Sc.M² 16
.
na n-dingentar,
TBC-LL¹ 6179
.
na
ndenaid,
Auraic. 58
. In O.Ir. folld. by absolute and deuterotonic form of vb.
a n-asbiur,
Wb. 17d12
; but later the
conjunct and prototonic forms become common (see Bergin,
Ériu xi 139 n.1
):
a taibred,
Sc.M² 1
.
a sir,
Dán Dé xxiii 37
.
a ndenat,
PH 2858
. When the demonst. rel. is plural in
meaning personal pronouns referring to it are plural:
a
n-as sīrem diib,
Ériu ii 130 § 102
. The vb. may also be pl.
a mbid . . . de neithibh,
Desid. 5724
.
a rabhadar do liagaibh
cloch,
Keat. ii 3504
.
a bhfuilti corrtha those of you who are
tired,
Donlevy 216.6
.
Frequently cecha n-
whatever, however much, etc., see cech.
(a) As nom.:
an as suthin,
Wb. 13d9
. anasberthar ho giun
what is spoken,
5d14
.
for nem a (an v.l.) conrúalae . . . as mó
mílib míle,
Fél. Ep. 25
. arrobúi isind tsaltir nuli the whole
contents of the Psalter,
Mon. Tall. 133.11 (§ 16)
.
a nas aithgin
do airechaib feda iseadh is dire do athechaib feadha,
Laws iv
152.5 Comm.
seachnuim a mbí a n-éintigh,
Desid. 6426
.
a
dtarla dá chóir,
TSh. 762
.
(b) As accus.: á fil etarru what is between them,
Wb.
27d19
.
tuicci an gaibes in salm,
12d42
. a pridchimmeni what
we preach,
15b14
.
a forchongair do chomalnad,
5c23
. a
ndogensa what I shall do,
LU 8082
(
FB 6
).
tongu-sa a toinges
mo thúath,
MU² 928
. mā rosaigh a broth a n-rosaig a blas
`if its broth attains what its taste attains',
RC xii 86 § 91
.
ar
ordaigh an t-aingeal-sain,
Dán Dé xiv. 14
.
(c) With follg. partitive DI:
a ndudesta . . . di foirbthetu,
Wb. 1a9
.
a césme di cach imniud,
13c7
. anrofiugrad di Críst
`what has been figured of Christ',
15a34
.
a mbaī di mnāib . . .
hi Cūailṅge,
TBC-I¹ 868
.
a nrobíth leis día slōgaib,
1657
.
an
fogebed in gilla di scothaib,
Trip.² 365
.
ni hairemthar ar'
marbad do macaib rí,
RC xviii 173.13
. With different order
of words:
a n-du imnedaib . . . fo-daimi,
Ml. 55d11
.
a ndo
ligdath doadbat,
Ériu ii 114 § 39
.
With copula and superl.: a n-as sirem diib `the longest of
them',
Ériu ii 130 § 102
. a n-romba dech do thimthagaib
flatha fer nGaoidel the best of the garments . . .,
Corm. Y 1059
.
an-as dech foruaradar do echraidh in righ,
Marco P. 35
. i mba
fearr do cach berla ┐ a nba leithiu ┐ a mba caemu `what was
best . . .',
Auraic. 1053
.
in rop messa día muintir,
RC x. 184.24
.
Note also:
is a mbeo beres a n-as beodu ┐ i na[s] segondo,
TBC-I¹ 693
(compar. for superl.?). Less frequently with partitive gen.:
doberat a n-as dech sét in dúine,
TBFr. 419
.
con-aitcetar ferann fair .i. an ba dech Mide,
Dinds. 78
(
RC xv. 478
).
(d) With prec. prep. (frequent in later lang.): do-farget
(sic leg.) a rro-fera ar-a ferthar fris `he offers what he has
given for what is given to him',
Laws v 502.22
(see however
GOI 680
).
ni tabair dír[e] asa n-gatass,
Ir. Recht
22 § 24
(see
GOI 298, 680
). farnan bechtae on what
is not certain,
Bürgschaft 20 § 60
(
GOI 298, 680
).
bui dliged . . . fora raibhi do Thartraidhibh,
Marco P. 82
.
nach
smuainid air a nabruid,
Donlevy 468.13
. Gort an Óir ghairthear
don Mhaigh . . . ó n-ar bronnadh d'ór lais-sean . . . ann
`from the quantity of gold',
Keat. ii 4470
. tré n-ar imreadar
d'ulc air `on account of the injury they had done him',
4634
.
tréas a ndearnsad do bhagar air,
Desid. 3429
. Most frequently with DI, giving mod. dia, dá approximating to a new rel.
particle: duine d'a marand indíu any man of those now living,
PH 7318
.
gach ní dā ndubrais,
Feis Tighe Chonáin 105
.
na h-uili obuir
trocuire diar mol in eglus,
ZCP vi 25.4
. ni ternō nech dona
tainic anoir `of those that came . . .',
Dinds. 23
(
RC xv. 323
).
an aenridiri is lugha dob olc da roibhi ina aimsir,
ZCP vi
100.12
. gach aon dár fhás ┐ dá bhfásfaidh every one who has
sprung and will spring,
TSh. 13
. Temporal use:
feacht n-æn da roibhe Cond Cetcathach,
Ériu iii 150
.
fecht n-aen dá táncatar,
Acall. 361
.
laithe n-aen … da raibe Find,
5737
.
feacht n-aen da tainic Find,
5917
.
la da raibhi Crist,
Smaointe B. Chr. 1754
.
gach úair da dtéighinn ’na theach,
L. Cl. A. B. 187 § 9
.
fechtus dia m-bui E. hi Frémainn,
IT i 128 § 15
.
fecht eli da raibe C. .c. a nDruim Cet,
BCC 146.5
.
lá airithi da ndechaid C. .c. do Temraig,
126.20
.
feacht n-aon da ttainic Columcille,
Anecd. iii 6
.
feacht dia m-báttar,
Hy Fiach. 336.1
. Also with acht:
co tuctha
a longa leó acht a ndechaidh ar éicin,
RC xvii 361.17
(Tig.).
(e) When the antecedent is a noun the rel. clause is
syntactically gen.: ar comalnad andotairrngert `to fulfil
what he had promised',
Mon. Tall. 146.20 (§ 51)
.
i farrad na
n-dingentar innossa,
TBC-LL¹ 6178
.
cuirter fesa uathaib co hAth
Cliath ar cend ar ḟacsat and do Gallaib,
RC xviii 289.30
(Tig.).
ag soin críoch ar chanamor `that is the sum of what I have
sung',
TD 15.54
.
ag clos a ndoirtid,
Desid. 4282
.
ar son a
ndéineann,
731
.