Ba chóir dóibh agus ba cheart siad

[Meli]

Could someone give me a few examples using ba chóir dóibh or ba cheart siad?
I’m in fifth year and i’m doing my leaving cert next year. I have always struggled in Irish essays and stories. Topics such as ‘problems facing young people in todays world’, or ‘faults in the health system’ regularly come up. In such essays you have to say what should be done and what the government should be doing. I have no idea how to put that into words in irish. Although examples of it are in the school book, i can’t wrap my head around how to use such sentences.
I don’t understand the word order for ba chóir dóibh and ba cheart siad which both mean ‘they should’. What does it do to the sentence? If it changes the word order, then how so?

I would really appreciate it if someone could send me a few examples or explain to me how it works. Thank you

[Labhrás]

Could someone give me a few examples using ba chóir dóibh or ba cheart siad?
I’m in fifth year and i’m doing my leaving cert next year. I have always struggled in Irish essays and stories. Topics such as ‘problems facing young people in todays world’, or ‘faults in the health system’ regularly come up. In such essays you have to say what should be done and what the government should be doing. I have no idea how to put that into words in irish. Although examples of it are in the school book, i can’t wrap my head around how to use such sentences.
I don’t understand the word order for ba chóir dóibh and ba cheart siad which both mean ‘they should’. What does it do to the sentence? If it changes the word order, then how so?

I would really appreciate it if someone could send me a few examples or explain to me how it works. Thank you

“Ba cheart siad” is nonsense.

Ba cheart iad means: “they would be right”
Ba cheart dóibh means “they should”

So,
Ba cheart/chóir dóibh é a dhéanamh. = They should do it.

To understand such phrases, a literal translation is useful:
Ba cheart dóibh = Would-be right for-them -> it would be right for them -> they should

é a dhéanamh = it to do. -> do it
gan é a dhéanamh = without it to do -> not do it
an leabhar a léamh = the book to read -> read the book
an teanga a fhoghlaim = the language to learn -> learn the language
an cóta a chur orthu = the coat to put on-them -> put the coat at them
dul ar an ollscoil = go on the university -> go to university
teacht abhaile = come home -> come home
smaoineadh go dian = think hard -> think hard
gan smaoineadh air roimhe sin = without think on-it before-it that -> not think about it before that
etc.

All these are verbal noun constructions, “infinitive clauses”.
Modals like “should” don’t require the particle “to” in English.
In Irish “a” (= “to”) is always necessary with direct objects: é a shéanamh = to do it.
And “a” is put between the object and the verbal noun: é a dhéanamh = “it to do”
Verbal nouns without a direct object never require “a” in Standard Irish: teacht abhaile = to come home
(except for a bheith sometmes: [a] bheith i mBéal Feirste = to be in Belfast)

[Meli]

Thanks very much. That really helped. I’m trying to learn phrases that are written in such an order so I don’t mess up on the day of the exam

[Author]

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