Chun

Overview

Physical World

Spatial Motion & Destination

• Direction — chun an chnoic — toward the hill — Movement in a specific direction.
• Proximity — chun na gaoithe — close to the wind — Establishing physical closeness or being “at” something.
• Postal/Correspondence — scríobh chugam — write to me — Sending information toward a recipient.

Purpose & Intent

• Preparation — lá chun taistil — a day for traveling — A time or state suited for a specific activity.
• Readiness — tá an féar chun bainte — the grass is ready for cutting — Indicating a state of being prepared for a process.

Experiential Domain

Time & Sequence

• Future/Upcoming — an Luan seo chugainn — next Monday — Lit. “this Monday coming to-us.”
• Clock Time — ceathrú chun a dó — quarter to two — Used to indicate time remaining before the hour.
• Threshold — tá sé chun a dó — it is almost two o’clock — Being on the verge of a specific time.
• Conjunction — chun gur ghlaoigh an coileach — before the cock crowed — Used temporally to mean “until” or “before.”

Verbal Noun Usage (In order to)

• Intention — chun teanga a fhoghlaim — in order to learn a language — Expressing the purpose of an action.
• Truth-telling — chun an fhírinne a rá — to tell the truth — Setting the stage for a statement.

Status & Result

• Transformation — dul chun olcais — to get worse — Moving toward a specific state of being.
• Finality — cuir chun báis — put to death — Bringing someone toward a final result.
• Neglect — dul chun dearmaid — to be forgotten — Moving into a state of being “out of mind.”

Idiomatic States

• Departure — chun bealaigh — on the way/away — Being in the state of having started a journey.
• Dismissal — chugat leat — away with you! — A command to leave.