an t-Alt Cinnteach
(the definite)
The definite article in Gaelic is ⟨an⟩ which precedes the noun and agrees with it in case, gender, number as well as depending on the initial consonant of the noun itself.
⟨an dath⟩ ‘the colour’
⟨am balach⟩ ‘the boy’, plural ⟨na balaich⟩ ‘the boys’
⟨an guth⟩ ‘the voice’
⟨an taigh⟩ ‘the house’
| Singular Masc. | Singular Fem. | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | an | an+L | na |
| genitive | an+L | na | nan |
| dative | an+L | an+L | na |
Masculine Form
a) vowels
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an t-___ | an ___ | an ___ | na h-___ | nan ___ | |
| an t-ugh | egg | an uighe | an ugh | na h-ughean | nan ughe |
b) gutturals ⟨c, g⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an+L ___ | |||||
| an guth | voice | a’ ghutha |
c) dentals & liquids ⟨d, l, n, r, t⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an ___ | an ___ | an ___ | na ___ | nan ___ | |
| an taigh | house | an taighe | na taighean |
‘an duine’ the man
d) labials ⟨b, m, p⟩
e) ⟨f⟩
am fear ‘the man’
f) ⟨s⟩ + vowel or liquid ⟨sa-, se-, si-, so-, su-, sl-, sn-, sr-⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an ___ | an t-___ | an t-___ | na ___ | nan ___ | |
| sa | |||||
| sl | |||||
| sn | |||||
| an srath | the valley | an t-sratha | an t-srath | na srathan | nan srathan |
g) ⟨s⟩ + ⟨sg-, sm-, sp-, st-⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an ___ | |||||
| sg | |||||
| sm | |||||
| an sporan | the purse | sporain | sporanan | ||
| an stèisean | the station | stèisein | stèiseanan |
| nom. (sg.) | gen. (sg.) | dat. (sg.) | nom. & dat. (pl.) | gen. (pl.) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a, e, i, o, u | an t- | an | don air an | na h- | nan |
| c, g (gutturals) | an | a’ ch | don ch air a’ ch | na | nan |
| d, t, l, n, r (dentals) | an | an | don an | na | nan |
| b, p, m (labials) | am bàrd | a’ bhàird | don bhàrd aig a’ bhàrd | na bàird | nam bàrd |
| f | am fear | an fhir | don fhear aig an fhear | na fir | nam fear |
| s+a, e, i, o, u, l, n, r | an s… | an t-s… | don t-s… aig an t-… | na s…. | nan s…. |
| s + g, m, p, t | an s… | an s… | don s…. aig an s…. | na s…. | nan s…. |
Feminine Form
a) vowels ⟨a, e, i, o, u⟩
b) gutturals ⟨c, g⟩
c) dentals & liquids ⟨d, l, n, r, t⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an ___ | na ___ | an ___ | na ___ | nan ___ | |
| an teòclaid | chocolate | na teòclaide | na teòclaidean |
d) labials ⟨b, m, p⟩
e) ⟨f⟩
f) ⟨s⟩ + vowel or liquid ⟨sa-, se-, si-, so-, su-, sl-, sn-, sr-⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an t-___ | na ___ | an t-___ | na ___ | nan ___ | |
| sg | |||||
| sn | |||||
| spìc | spike | spìce | spìcean | ||
| an t-sràid | the street | na sràide | an t-sràid | na sràidean | nan sràid(ean) |
g) ⟨s⟩ + ⟨sg-, sm-, sp-, st-⟩
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an ___ | |||||
| sg | |||||
| sm | |||||
| sp | |||||
| an stòbha | stove | stòbhachan |
| nom. | gen.sg. | dat.sg. | nom. & dat. pl. | gen.pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| an | an ___ | an ___ | na ___ | ||
| an sgoil | the school | an sgoile | an sgoil | na sgoiltean | nan sgoiltean |
| nom. (sg.) | gen. (sg.) | dat. (sg.) | nom. & dat. (pl.) | gen. (pl.) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a, e, i, o, u | an | na h- | don air an | na h- | nan |
| c, g (gutturals) | an | na | don ch air a’ ch | na | nan |
| d, t, l, n, r (dentals) | an | na | don an | na | nan |
| b, p, m (labials) | a’ bh | na | don bh aig a’ bh | na | nam |
| f | an | na | don fh… aig an fh… | na | nam |
| s+a, e, i, o, u, l, n, r | an t-s… | na | don t-s… aig an t-… | na | nan |
| s + g, m, p, t | an s… | na | don s…. aig an s…. | na s…. | nan s…. |
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