The compound preposition airson (for, for the sake of, on behalf of) can be used in different ways and can change meaning in context. Here are some common usages:
1. With time expressions meaning ‘for’:
Chaidh e a–null thairis airson bliadhna
He went abroad for a year.
2. With the genitive (possessive) case of nouns meaning ‘for, on account of’:
Cheannaich mi seòclaid airson na cèic.
I bought chocolate for the cake.
3. Often used in the construction ‘too something to be/do something’:
Tha mi ro òg airson a bhith a’ dràibheadh.
I’m too young to be driving.
4. With the verb bi: tha, bha, bidh. Tha mi airson … (I am for …) doing something:
Tha mi airson a’ chèic sin a cheannach.
I want to buy that cake.
Bha iad airson an obair sin a dhèanamh.
They wanted to do that work.
We saw in Cuspair 7 that to use airson with a pronoun we add the possessive adjectives: mo, do, a, a (h–), ar, ur, an/am between the two parts of the compound preposition: air mo shon (for me, for my sake), air a son (for her/its sake) and so on.
Tha obair ann an seo. An cuir thu a–steach air a son?
There is work here. Will you apply for it?
Rinn Dòmhnall sin air mo shon.
Donald made that for me.
airson + mo | air mo shon |
airson + do | air do shon |
airson + a | air a shon |
airson + a | air a son |
airson + ar | air ar son |
airson + ur | air ur son |
airson + an | air an son |
As with other compound prepositions, when a noun follows airson directly it should be in the genitive (possessive) case:
Tha mi a’ dol a chur a–steach airson na h–obrach.
I am going to put in for the job.