Can you describe someone else's characteristics and personality?
To describe a person’s characteristics, we use the copula structure in Irish.
This means that we use the noun and then the adjective.
For example, a tall man is translated as fear ard.
Cén sórt duine tú / é / í? - What type of person are you / he / she?
I am a friendly person. | Is duine cairdiúil mé. |
He is a funny person. | Is duine greannmhar é. |
She is a clever girl. | Is cailín cliste í. |
To put these types of descriptions into the negative form, change ‘Is’ to ‘Ní’.
To put these types of descriptions into the question form, change ‘Is’ to ‘An’.
I am a friendly person. | Is duine cairdiúil mé. |
I am not a friendly person. | Ní duine cairdiúil mé. |
Am I a friendly person? | An duine cairdiúil mé? |
The subjects used with the copula in Irish include:
mé | I |
tú | you |
é | he |
í | she |
muid | we |
sibh | you (plural) |
iad | they |