- This topic has 4 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 11 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Just a simple question that probably doesn’t have a simple answer. When do you use “cuid” and when is it ok not to? How do you tell the situations apart?
Go raibh maith agaibh!
Sin cuid den fhadhb, shamhlóinn!
Mo chuid gruaige, ach mo shúile.
I suspect that cuid, as it means part or portion, is used when dealing with something not easily countable or that is shared with others – gruaig, bainne, Gaeilge, ….
http://potafocal.com/Metasearch.aspx?Text=cuid&GotoID=focloirbeag
It’s hard to give a comprehensive answer to that, but perhaps just a few points…
When using “my”, “your”… with uncountable nouns (time, water, sugar, education, training, knowledge of languages), you need to insert “cuid” and put the noun in the genitive case:
Mo chuid ama, do chuid uisce, a chuid traenála, bhur gcuid Gaeilge
It’s also common to insert “cuid” when referring to countable nouns in plural:
Mo chuid caranna, do chuid múinteoirí, a chuid duaiseanna
However, as Aonghus pointed out above, “cuid” is not used with plural when referring to certain body parts: mo shúile, do chosa, etc.
In all the above cases, “cuid” has no independent meaning, it just means “my time”, “your water”, “his prizes”, etc.
Apart from that, it’s basic meaning is “part” or “portion”, but also: cuid de na daoine (“some people”), ith do chuid (“eat your fill”), “mo chuid den tsaol” (“my life, my dearest”).
I’m sure others can think of more. 🙂
Actually, a Aonghuis, a Onuvanja, that does answer my question pretty well. I didn’t have a context I was really wondering about, but was wondering about the usage of “cuid” overall. This definately helps me as I was unsure what made some nouns need it in a possessive phrase and some nouns not.
Go raibh maith abaibh!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
