Until now we have used simple sentences with verbal nouns the –ing words, like dèanamh (doing), and tuigsinn (understanding). But if we want to say, for example, are you understanding me, we would not say a bheil thu a’ tuigsinn mi. That is an absolute no-no!
If we want to use a pronoun, that is to say mi, thu, e, i, sinn, sibh, iad as the object of a verbal noun, we use a prepositional possessive. We combine the preposition aig (at) with a possessive adjective such as mo (my). The Gaelic for ‘understanding me’, becomes ‘gam thuigsinn’, literally ‘at my understanding’.
And to say ‘I’m doing it’? Not a’ dèanamh e but ga dhèanamh!
Preposition | Prepositional Possessive | Lenites? |
aig + mo = | gam at my | Yes |
aig + do = | gad at your | Yes |
aig + a = | ga at his | Yes |
aig + a/a h- = | ga/ga h– (before vowels) at her | No |
aig + ar/ar n- = | gar at our | No |
aig + ur/ur n- = | gur/gur n- (before vowels) at your (pl) | No |
aig + an/am = | gan/gam (before b, f, m, p) at their | No |
aig + mo
at my
aig + do
at your
aig + a
at his
aig + a/a h
at her
aig + ar/ar n
at our
aig + ur/ur n-
at your
aig + an/am
at their
gam
at my
gad
at your
ga
at his
ga/ga h-
at her
gar
at our
gur/gur n-
at your
gan/gam
at their