Good to see you
Math d' fhaicinn-sa
One of the most common mistakes seen and heard in Gaelic is when a pronoun is used in an inversion structure.
We have learned lots about inversion, but even at B2 sentences are often heard with grammar mistakes such as:
| ❌ Feumaidh sinn | |
| ✅ Feumaidh sinn an clàradh airson a' phrògraim. | We must record them for the programme. |
| ❌ An urrainn dhi | |
| ✅ An urrainn dhi ar cuideachadh le seo? | Can she help us with this? |
Feumaidh sinn an clàradh
We learned in Cuspair 5 that we do not use ga with inversion when we use a pronoun in place of a noun, or where a pronoun is the direct object of a verbal noun:
We should only use ga where there is a progressive meaning, where the verbal noun is an ongoing action.
In a modal sentence which expresses need, desire, or ability to do something, using structures such as:
| feumaidh mi … | I must … |
| is urrainn dhomh … | I can/I am able to … |
| thèid agam air … | I can … |
| bu toil leam … | I would like … |
| tha agam ri … | I have to … |
We need to use thepossessive adjective forms:
| mo | my |
| do | your |
| a | his |
| a (h-) | her |
| ar | our |
| ur | your |
| an/am | their |
| Feumaidh iad taighean a thogail. | They need to build houses. |
ach
| Feumaidh iad an togail ann am meadhan a' bhaile. | They need to build them in the middle of the town. |
| A bheil iad gam chreidsinn? | Are they believing me? |
ach
| Bu chòir dhaibh mo chreidsinn! | They should believe me! |
Here we use a buadhair sealbhach (possessive adjective) in place of a noun or pronoun:
| Tha agam ri d' fhilmeadh a-nis. | I have to film you now. [your filming] |
| Is urrainn dhuinn a dhèanamh san stiùidio. | We can do it in the studio. [its doing] |
| Tha e math d' fhaicinn . | It is good to see you. [your seeing] |
Remember that this construction is only used when the noun or pronoun is the direct object of the verbal noun.
If these are linked by a preposition the order is not changed:
| Bu chòir dhomh èisteachd ris an òran sin. | I should listen to that song. |
| Bu chòir dhomh èisteachd ris . | I should listen to it. |
And … remember that some of the possessive adjectives, and forms of ga , change the first letter that follows them, and that gan becomes gam with b, f, m, p :
| mo | gam | LENITION |
| do | gad | LENITION |
| a | ga | LENITION |
| a/a h- | ga/ga h- | H-VOWEL |
| ar/a n- | gar/gar n- | N-VOWEL |
| ur/ur n- | gur/gur n- | N-VOWEL |
| an/am | gan/gam (b, f, m, p) |