Gaelic may have no word for a, but it has more than one word for the. The word the in English
is called the definite article.
Mar eisimpleir:
am peann the pen,
an rùilear the ruler.
Choosing which the to use in Gaelic before a noun depends on:
- whether the noun is feminine or masculine
- whether the noun is singular or plural
- which letter the noun starts with.
The classroom objects you have been learning in this unit are all singular and masculine. Below are three words for the to use with masculine nouns.
am for nouns starting with b, f, m, p >>> am peansail the pencil
an t- for nouns starting with vowels >>> an t-aodach the clothes
an for nouns starting with any other letter >>> an leabhar the book
If the noun is feminine, the word for the will be:
a’ for nouns starting with b, c, g, m, p >>> a’ bhròg the shoe
an (+h) for nouns starting with f >>> an fhreagairt the answer
an t- for nouns starting with sl, sn, sr, s + vowel >>> an t-sràid the street
an for nouns starting with any other letter >>> an uinneag the window
If the noun is plural, the word for the will be: na
na brògan
na miotagan
