abair

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish at·beir, from Old Irish as·beir, from Proto-Celtic *ess- (compare Latin ex) + *bereti, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.

The verbal noun is from Old Irish rád (compare Scottish Gaelic ràdh), from the verb rádid (“talks”), from Proto-Celtic *rādī-, from Proto-Indo-European *reh₂dʰ- (“perform successfully”). Cognate with Sanskrit राध्नोति (rādhnoti, “succeeds”), Old Church Slavonic радити (raditi, “take care of, work”), Gothic 𐍂𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (rōdjan, “talk”), Lithuanian rodýti (“show”). The past participle is from the same stem.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈabˠəɾʲ/

Verb

abair (present analytic deir, future analytic déarfaidh, verbal noun rá, past participle ráite)

  1. say, utter
  2. mean, refer to
    Ní tú a deirim. ― I don’t mean you; I’m not referring to you.
  3. (In the 2nd sing. imperative or 1st plural imperative) say, suppose (to state for illustrative or approximate purposes)
    abair is nach mbeadh sé ann ― supposing he weren’t there
    fiche punt, abair ― twenty pounds, say

Conjugation

The d-initial forms of this verb are immune to lenition. They do, however, undergo eclipsis.

Conjugation of abair
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present deirim deir tú;
deireann tú;
deirir†		 deir sé, sí;
deireann sé, sí		 deirimid;
deir muid;
deireann muid		 deir sibh;
deireann sibh		 deir siad;
deireann siad;
deirid†		 a deir; a deireas; a deireann /
a ndeir*; a ndeireas*; a ndeireann*		 deirtear
past dúirt mé;
dúras;
dúrt		 dúirt tú;
dúrais		 dúirt sé, sí dúramar;
dúirt muid		 dúirt sibh;
dúrabhair		 dúirt siad;
dúradar		 a dúirt /
a ndúirt*		 dúradh
past habitual deirinn deirteá deireadh sé, sí deirimis;
deireadh muid		 deireadh sibh deiridís;
deireadh siad		 a deireadh /
a ndeireadh*		 deirtí
future déarfaidh mé;
déarfad		 déarfaidh tú;
déarfair†		 déarfaidh sé, sí déarfaimid;
déarfaidh muid		 déarfaidh sibh déarfaidh siad;
déarfaid†		 a déarfaidh; a déarfas /
a ndéarfaidh*; a ndéarfas*		 déarfar
conditional déarfainn / ndéarfainn‡‡ déarfá / ndéarfᇇ déarfadh sé, sí / ndéarfadh sé, s퇇 déarfaimis;
déarfadh muid / ndéarfaimis‡‡; ndéarfadh muid‡‡		 déarfadh sibh / ndéarfadh sibh‡‡ déarfaidís;
déarfadh siad / ndéarfaidís‡‡; ndéarfadh siad‡‡		 a déarfadh /
a ndéarfadh*		 déarfaí / ndéarfa퇇
subjunctive present go ndeire mé;
go ndeiread†		 go ndeire tú;
go ndeirir†		 go ndeire sé, sí go ndeirimid;
go ndeire muid		 go ndeire sibh go ndeire siad;
go ndeirid†		 — go ndeirtear
past dá ndeirinn dá ndeirteá dá ndeireadh sé, sí dá ndeirimis;
dá ndeireadh muid		 dá ndeireadh sibh dá ndeiridís;
dá ndeireadh siad		 — dá ndeirtí
imperative abraim abair abradh sé, sí abraimis abraigí;
abraidh†		 abraidís — abairtear
verbal noun rá
past participle ráite

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

In older literary language, and sometimes in spoken language, additional forms built on the stem abr- are found:

singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present dependent abraim abrann tú;
abrair		 abrann sé, sí abraimid;
abrann muid		 abrann sibh abrann siad;
abraid		 a n-abrann*;
a n-abras*		 abarthar
past habitual dependent abrainn abartá abradh sé, sí abraimis;
abradh muid		 abradh sibh abraidís;
abradh siad		 a n-abradh* abartaí
future dependent abróidh mé;
abród;
abróchaidh mé		 abróidh tú;
abróir;
abróchaidh tú		 abróidh sé, sí;
abróchaidh sé, sí		 abróimid;
abróidh muid;
abróchaimid;
abróchaidh muid		 abróidh sibh;
abróchaidh sibh		 abróidh siad;
abróid;
abróchaidh siad		 a n-abróidh*;
a n-abrós*;
a n-abróchaidh*;
a n-abróchas*		 abrófar;
abróchar
conditional dependent abróinn;
abróchainn / n-abróinn‡‡; n-abróchainn‡‡		 abrófá;
abróchthá / n-abrófᇇ; n-abróchthᇇ		 abródh sé, sí;
abróchadh sé, sí / n-abródh sé, s퇇; n-abróchadh sé, s퇇		 abróimis;
abródh muid;
abróchaimis;
abróchadh muid / n-abróimis‡‡; n-abródh muid‡‡; n-abróchaimis‡‡; n-abróchadh muid‡‡		 abródh sibh;
abróchadh sibh / n-abródh sibh‡‡; n-abróchadh sibh‡‡		 abróidís;
abródh siad;
abróchadh siad / n-abróidís‡‡; n-abródh siad‡‡; n-abróchadh siad‡‡		 a n-abródh*;
a n-abróchadh*		 abrófaí;
abróchaí / n-abrófa퇇; n-abrócha퇇
subjunctive present go n-abra mé;
go n-abrad		 go n-abra tú;
go n-abrair		 go n-abra sé, sí go n-abraimid;
go n-abra muid		 go n-abra sibh go n-abra siad;
go n-abraid		 — go n-abarthar
past dá n-abrainn dá n-abartá dá n-abradh sé, sí dá n-abraimis;
dá n-abradh muid		 dá n-abradh sibh dá n-abraidís;
dá n-abradh siad		 — dá n-abartaí

Synonyms

Derived terms

Mutation
Irish mutation
RadicalEclipsiswith h-prothesiswith t-prothesis
abair n-abair habair not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading
  • Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 305
  • "abair" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • "rá" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • “abair” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 2nd ed., 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
  • “adeirim” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 2nd ed., 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
  • “ráḋ” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 2nd ed., 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
  • Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 78.
  • Quiggin, E. C. (1906), A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 125, § 370.
  • “as-beir” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “rád” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • Entries containing “abair” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
  • Entries containing “abair” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish at·beir, from Old Irish as·beir, from Proto-Celtic *ess- (compare Latin ex) + Proto-Celtic *bereti, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ˈapɪɾʲ]

Adverb

abair

  1. Used as a modifier, suggesting excitement, much in the way that "how" is used.
    Abair oillteil! ― How dreadful!
    Abair gur àlainn e an-diugh! ― How beautiful that it is today!

Verb

abair (past thuirt, future their, verbal noun ràdh, past participle ráite)

  1. say

Participles
Tense \ Voice Active Passive
Present ag ràdh --
Past thuirt thuirteadh
Future their theirear
Conditional theireadh theirteadh

Derived terms

References
  • Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • “as-beir” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
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