Overview

Prepositions are short words like ‘on’, ‘in’, or ‘with’ that show the relationship between different parts of a sentence. In Irish, they are fundamental to forming basic sentences and have some unique features, such as causing mutations and changing their form when used with pronouns.

Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions consist of a single, short word. Many of these change their form depending on what follows them, particularly when used with pronouns. This leads to two main types: conjugated and unconjugated.

Conjugated Prepositions

Many common prepositions combine with personal pronouns to form a single word. These are known as conjugated prepositions, or réamhfhocail réimníthe. This is a core feature of Irish grammar.

For example, the preposition le (“with”) combines with pronouns like “me”, “you”, and “him” to create a new set of words:

• liom (with me)
• leat (with you)
• leis (with him)
• léi (with her)
• linn (with us)
• libh (with you, plural)
• leo (with them)

Unconjugated Prepositions

Some prepositions do not combine with pronouns. Instead, the preposition and the personal pronoun remain as separate words. These are called unconjugated prepositions, or réamhfhocail neamhréimníthe.

For example, the preposition gan (“without”) is followed by the standard personal pronouns:

• gan mé (without me)
• gan tú (without you)
• gan é (without him)
• gan í (without her)
• gan sinn/muid (without us)
• gan sibh (without you, plural)
• gan iad (without them)

Compound Prepositions

Compound prepositions are formed from a combination of a simple preposition and a noun, creating a multi-word phrase. Because the last part of a compound preposition is a noun, the noun that follows it must be in the genitive case.

Examples include phrases like in aice le (“near to” or “beside”) and ar bharr (“on top of”).

Grammar and Mutations

Prepositions have a significant effect on the words that follow them, often causing initial mutations like lenition or eclipsis.

The concept of case after prepositions is less prominent in modern Irish than in languages like German or Latin. The distinction between a preposition indicating location (traditionally taking the dative case) and one indicating direction (traditionally taking the accusative case) has been lost. Today, the dative is considered the default case after most prepositions.

A small number of simple prepositions require the genitive case. These are typically words that were originally nouns but now function as prepositions.

Meaning and Usage

Like in English, Irish prepositions have both literal and abstract meanings. Their literal meaning often relates to location or direction, such as ar (“on”), faoi (“under”), or i (“in”).

However, they are also used to build more complex phrases and idiomatic expressions. For example, prepositions are essential for forming phrases that substitute for verbs that don’t exist in Irish, such as “to have” (formed with ag) or “to want” (formed with ó). A full list of all possible meanings and uses is extensive.

Syntax

Irish uses prepositions, which come before the noun they relate to. They are placed directly before the noun, or before any article or determiner that accompanies the noun.

In a list, the preposition is usually repeated before each item.

• i nGaillimh agus i gCorcaigh - in Galway and in Cork

An exception is idir (“between”), which is used only once to connect the items.

• idir Gaillimh agus Corcaigh - between Galway and Cork