O (preposition)

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Gaelic preposition, meaning roughly "from". It can also mean "since". It governs the dative case, and triggers lenition on the following noun.


Simple forms

bare form: oL 'from/from a' definite form: on 'from the'


Basic inflected forms

Like most prepositions, o can be inflected for person, number, and gender. For example, to say "from me", we use the single word uam.

singularplural
1stuamuainn
2nduatuaibh
3rdMascuaitheuapa
Femuaipe


Emphatic Inflected forms

Special emphatic forms are used if we want to emphasize the pronoun in the inflected preposition. (e.g. bhuamsa "from ME")

singularplural
1stuamsauainne
2nduatsauaibhse
3rdMascuaithe-sanuapasan
Femuaipse


Possessive inflected forms:

There are two kinds of forms used when we want to use a preposition with a possessive pronoun. The first form is found primarily in writing, the reduced form is used in speech.

Full forms (traditionally used in writing)

singularplural
1sto moLo arN
2ndo doLo bhurN
3rdMasco aLo anN
Fembho aH

am is used instead of an "their" in front of words beginning with the labial consonants <b>, <p>, <m>, and <f>


Contracted forms (typically used in speech)

singularplural
1stomLo arN
2ndodLo 'urN
3rdMasc o aLo anN
Femo aH

am is used instead of an "their" in front of words beginning with the labial consonants <b>, <p>, <m>, and <f>

References

Mark, Colin (2004) The Gaelic-English Dictionary/Am Faclair Gàidhlig-Beurla. London: Routledge


Notes

In this document, as elsewhere, L indicates lenition and N indicates eclipsis, (prefixation of an n- before a word beginning with vowels, and a nasalization of the next consonant (not indicated in the orthography) and H indicates Antilenition (the prefixation of <h> before words beginning with vowels).