An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Elementary course of Gaelic

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NOTES.—(i) All the nouns in Group A have the same
form, with or without the definite article, in the nominative
and accusative singular. The dative case is also the same
as the nominative after a preposition followed by the
“indefinite ” article in English.
E.G. On a table, air bord ; at a town, aig baile.
On a paper, air paipear ; with a stick, le bata.
But when the preposition is followed by the “definite ”
article in English we have a different form in the dative
case in Gaelic.
E.G. On the table ;
Air a’ bhord;
At the town;
Aig a’ bhaile;
on the paper ;
air a’ phaipear;
with the stick:
leis a’ bhata.
(2) In the case of E nouns, in both groups, after a pre¬
position followed by the definite article we have similar forms
in the dative case :—
E.G. (a) With the man, leis an fhea.r ;
on the ring, air an fhkinne.
(b) With the tooth, leis an fhia.ca.il',
on the flesh, air an fhcbil.
(Note the “fh’s”—which are silent).
*(3) To translate the preposition “in'n followed by the
indefinite article we use “ann an” ; e.g., Ann an dorus,
in a door ; but before the labial consonants m, b, p, f, the
final ‘ n ’ of the preposition becomes ‘ m,' thus :—
In a pot, ann am poit (not ann an poit).
In a town, ann am baile (not ann an baile).
In a ring, ann am fainne (not ann an fainne).
* Ann an=in a, but the an must not be taken as standing for
English article a ; the an is a peculiar doubling of the ann, and is
by itself often used for ann an, thus ann an diithaich—in a country,
is often written, an duthaich. There is no indefinite article in Gaelic.