Is e & ’s e
Is e and the shortened version ’s e are really important to learn in Gaelic. You cannot use tha e to join two nouns, or a noun and pronoun, together: you need is e, or its shortened version, ’s e.
Is e
it is (literally is it)
’S e
it is (literally is it)
’S e baile beag a th’ ann
it is a small town
You use Tha in the following scenarios
To make descriptive statements: tha an dùthaich beag – the country is small
To say where things are: tha e ann an Alba – he is in Scotland
With a verb: tha e ag èisteachd – he is listening
In the sentence ’S e baile beag a th’ ann, it is important to note that Is has been shortened to ’s as a vowel follows it. This is common. You might see the full version in other resources, so don’t be confused by this.