Irish:Articles and Gender

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Gaeilge
Irish
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Indo-European Celtic ga.png Ireland Extended Latin

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Articles and genders – Airteagail is cinéal

Irish has two genders, masculine and feminine – nouns are divided into natural genders and most inanimate objects are given a gender based on its suffixes. The singular definite article however is written as "an" regardless of gender, pronounced as "a" in front of consonants and "an" in front of vowels. The article an lenites feminine nouns and leaves masculine nouns unchanged, and as such the Irish Gaelic articles might seem much easier than their Scottish Gaelic equivalents. The plural is "na" for both masculine and feminine words.

There are no indefinite articles in the Gaelic language which means that e.g fear can mean man just as well as a man.


Singular nominative masculine

An: in front of a consonant

An t-: in front of a vowel


Singular genitive masculine

An +L: in front of all consonants and vowels save d,t and s

An t-: in front of s


Plural nominative masculine

na: in front of a consonant

na h: in front of a vowel


Plural genitive masculine

na +E: in front of all consonants save s

na: in front of s

na n-: in front of a vovel


Singular nominative feminine

An+ L: in front of all consonants save s, d and t

An: in front of a vowel and d and t

An t: in front of s


Singular genitive feminine

An : in front of all consonants and vowels save d,t and s

Na: in front of s, d and t

Na h: in front of a vowel


Plural nominative feminine

na: in front of a consonant

na h: in front of a vowel


Plural genitive feminine

na +E: in front of all consonants save s

na: in front of s

na n-: in front of a vowel


ga.png Irish pages
Introduction · Adjectives · Articles and Gender · Cases · Colours · Conjunctions · Mutation · Numbers · Prepositions · Pronouns · Syntax · Verbs
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