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Ionnsachadh

B1
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Complete for 2 points

An tuiseal ginideach iolra 1: neo-chinnteach

The genitive (possessive) case 1: indefinite

In A2 we met an tuiseal ginideach, the genitive (possessive) case. We use this case to indicate ownership. However we can also use it to show association.

We learnt about:

  • ainmearan singilte (singular nouns) in Cuspair 5 (Aig an Taigh) and Cuspair 8 (Cur‑seachadan); and we also learned about:
  • ainmearan iolra (plural nouns) in A2 Cuspair 4 (Daoine is Dàimhean).

The first rule to remember is that indefinite genitive (possessive) plurals all lenite, where possible.

bliadhnabliadhnaicheantòrr bhliadhnaicheana lot of years
bràthairbràithreandithis bhràithreantwo brothers (a twosome of brothers)
briosgaidbriosgaideanpacaid bhriosgaideana packet of biscuits
clasclasaicheanbarrachd chlasaicheanmore classes (an additional number of classes)
cùrsacùrsaicheantuilleadh chùrsaichean more courses (an additional number of courses)
duinedaoinemòran dhaoinemany people (a great number of people)
oidhcheoidhcheannangrunn oidhcheannana good  number of nights

The second rule is that plural genitives should have broad endings, where possible. In some cases, this means that the genitive plural is the same as the nominative singular.

balachbalaichcòignear bhalachfive boys (‘a fivesome of boys’)
òranòraingrunn òraina good deal of songs
catcaittòrr chatlots of cats
coinmòran chonmany dogs (‘a lot of dogs’)
oileanachoileanaichmòran oileanachmany students (‘a lot of students’)
buidheannbuidhneantuilleadh bhuidhneanmore groups (‘an extra number of groups’)

A good dictionary should detail these variations in each entry. You can also find these online in the LearnGaelic faclair (dictionary).