Bilingual transcription: The genitive case

Bilingual transcription: An tuiseal ginideach

Watch this clip where Joy explains An Tuiseal Ginideach .

The genitive case of the noun often expresses possession or close association:

taigh ùr mo pheathar, ‘my sister’s new house’ (peathar not piuthar);

or mullach an togalaich, the roof of the building’ (togalaich not togalach).

But the genitive is also heard after some prepositions, for example ri taobh, ‘beside’: ri taobh na h-aibhne, ‘beside the river’ (na h-aibhne rather than an abhainn).

Or air beulaibh an t-sluaigh, in front of the crowd, an t-sluaigh rather than an sluagh.

You’ll also hear the genitive used after what we call present participles: a’ dèanamh, ag òl, ag iarraidh, a’ faicinn.

For example: Cha robh mi ag iarraidh an airgid ‘I didn’t want the money’ (airgid rather than airgead).

Nowadays this tends to be heard only when the noun is definite. So: ‘I could see alight’ is simply Bha mi a’ faicinn solas.

But ‘I could see the light’ Bha mi a’ faicinn an t-solais.