Irish prepositions are often used in combination with pronouns (forming prepositional pronouns) and can cause lenition or eclipsis depending on the context. Some prepositions have variations depending on dialect or context.
Ag (at, with, by)
Meaning: Indicates possession, location, or action.
Example: Tá leabhar ag Seán. (Seán has a book.)
Prepositional Pronouns: agam (at me), agat (at you), aige (at him), aici (at her), againn (at us), agaibh (at you pl.), acu (at them).
Ar (on, upon)
- Meaning: Indicates position, state, or subject of action.
- Example: Tá an cat ar an mbord. (The cat is on the table.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: orm (on me), ort (on you), air (on him), uirthi (on her), orainn (on us), oraibh (on you pl.), orthu (on them).
As (out of, from)
- Meaning: Indicates origin or movement out of something.
- Example: Tháinig sí as an teach. (She came out of the house.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: asam (out of me), asat (out of you), as (out of him/her), asainn (out of us), asaibh (out of you pl.), astu (out of them).
Chuig (to, toward)
- Meaning: Indicates direction or recipient.
- Example: Chuir mé litir chuig mo chara. (I sent a letter to my friend.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: chugam (to me), chugat (to you), chuige (to him), chuici (to her), chugainn (to us), chugaibh (to you pl.), chucu (to them).
De (of, from, off)
- Meaning: Indicates separation, origin, or material.
- Example: Bain an clúdach den bhosca. (Take the cover off the box.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: díom (off me), díot (off you), de (off him/her), dínn (off us), díbh (off you pl.), díobh (off them).
Do (to, for)
- Meaning: Indicates direction, purpose, or recipient.
- Example: Thug mé an leabhar do Mháire. (I gave the book to Máire.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: dom (to me), duit (to you), dó (to him), di (to her), dúinn (to us), daoibh (to you pl.), dóibh (to them).
Faoi (under, about)
- Meaning: Indicates location under something or topic of discussion.
- Example: Tá an madra faoin mbord. (The dog is under the table.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: fúm (under/about me), fút (under/about you), faoi (under/about him/her), fúinn (under/about us), fúibh (under/about you pl.), fúthu (under/about them).
Fé (under, as in a vow or obligation; rare)
- Meaning: Used in specific contexts like oaths or obligations.
- Example: Tá sin fé mo cheannsa. (That’s under my responsibility.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: Rarely used with pronouns in modern Irish.
I (in, into)
- Meaning: Indicates location or movement into something.
- Example: Tá mé i mo chónaí i mBaile Átha Cliath. (I live in Dublin.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: ionam (in me), ionat (in you), ann (in him/it), inti (in her), ionainn (in us), ionaibh (in you pl.), iontu (in them).
Idir (between, among)
- Meaning: Indicates position or relationship between entities.
- Example: Tá an teach idir an abhainn agus an sliabh. (The house is between the river and the mountain.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: Not commonly used with pronouns; typically used with nouns.
Le (with, by, to)
- Meaning: Indicates accompaniment, means, or time.
- Example: Bhí mé ag caint le mo dheirfiúr. (I was talking with my sister.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: liom (with me), leat (with you), leis (with him), léi (with her), linn (with us), libh (with you pl.), leo (with them).
Ó (from, since)
- Meaning: Indicates origin, time, or source.
- Example: Tháinig mé ó Chorcaigh. (I came from Cork.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: uaim (from me), uait (from you), uaidh (from him), uaithi (from her), uainn (from us), uaibh (from you pl.), uathu (from them).
Os (above, over, before)
- Meaning: Indicates position or precedence.
- Example: Tá pictiúr os cionn an dorais. (There’s a picture above the door.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: Not commonly used with pronouns.
Roimh (before, in front of)
- Meaning: Indicates position in time or space.
- Example: Bhí mé roimh an siopa. (I was in front of the shop.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: romham (before me), romhat (before you), roimhe (before him), roimpi (before her), romhainn (before us), romhaibh (before you pl.), rompu (before them).
Thar (over, beyond, across)
- Meaning: Indicates movement or position over something.
- Example: Chuaigh (chwuaigh) mé thar an droichead. (I went over the bridge.)
- **Prepositional Pronouns: tharam (over me), tharat (over you), thar (over him/her), tharainn (over us), tharaibh (over you pl.), tharu (over them).
Trí (through, by)
- Meaning: Indicates movement through or by means of.
- Example: Shi bhí** mé tr**í (through the window). (I walked through the window.)
- **Prepositional Pronouns: tríom (through me), tríot (through you), tríd (through him/her), trínn (through us), tríbh (through you pl.), tríothu (through them).
Um (around, about, at time)
- Meaning: Indicates approximate time or encircling.
- Example: Beidh mé anseo um a cúig a chlog. (I’ll be here around five o’clock.)
- Prepositional Pronouns: Rarely used with pronouns; typically with nouns.
Compound Prepositions
These are formed by combining prepositions with nouns and are used to express more specific relationships.
- Ar fud (throughout, all over)
- Example: Scaip na nuachtáin ar fud an tseomra. (The newspapers were scattered throughout the room.)
- ** Ar son (for the sake of)
- Example: Rinne mé é ar son mo chlann. (I did it for the sake of my family.)
- ** I gcoinne (against, opposite)
- Example: Vótáil mé i gcoinne an riail nua. (I voted against the new rule.)
- ** I dtaobh (about, concerning)
- Example: Labhair mé i dtaobh na ceiste. (I spoke about the issue.)
- ** In aice (beside, near)
- Example: Tá an scoil in aice leis an bpáirc. (The school is beside the park.)
- ** Os comhair (in front of, opposite)
- Example: Seas os comhair an scátháin. (Stand in front of the mirror.)
Notes:
- Lenition and Eclipsis: Prepositions like ar, le, ó, and others may cause lenition (e.g., ar an mbord) or eclipsis (e.g., i gCáir) depending on the noun or pronoun that follows. This varies by preposition and context.
- Dialectal Variations: Some prepositions (e.g., chuig vs. go dtí in some dialects) have regional variations.
- Pronunciation: Prepositional pronouns often have unique pronunciations that differ from their written forms (e.g., agam is pronounced as **/um/ in in some dialects).
- Contextual Usage: Some prepositions have idiomatic uses (e.g., le for for “with” in in “talking with” but but also for time duration).