Something about this doesn’t sit right with me..

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Cad tuige mar sin nach mbainfí leas as seirbhís atá an rialtas ag íoc as cheana féin?

Shouldn’t atá = a bhfuil?

I only ask because this came from a Beo.ie article and I usually assume those are really well written and not full of grammatical errors. I’m not good with fine points of grammar, though. I keep thinking I’m probably missing something.

[féabar]

I am not sure but I think it is correct Irish becauwe “atá” refers to leas as seirbhís (benefit from the service) which you see is right in front of it. It seems that nested phrase there is just a simple direct relative clause in the middle of the sentence. These direct and indirect clauses are always tricky for me. I have to think of them in English to work my way through them.

[Labhrás]

Cad tuige mar sin nach mbainfí leas as seirbhís atá an rialtas ag íoc as cheana féin?
So, why shouldn’t one benefit from a service which the government pays for already?

Sílim: seirbhís (service) … as (for it) -> usually an indirect relative.
Scríobhfainn mar sin:
Cad chuige mar sin nach mbainfí leas as seirbhís a bhfuil an rialtas ag íoc as cheana féin?

[féabar]

I think Labhrás is right on this. I was not understanding the meaning of the sentence correctly. Labhrás, would the indirect always follow something with the idea of “for which”……?

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Yeah, it should be an indirect relative as far as I can tell.

Cad chuige mar sin nach mbainfí leas as seirbhís a bhfuil an rialtas ag íoc as cheana féin?

This is what I would have written.

[Héilics Órbhuí]

I am not sure but I think it is correct Irish becauwe “atá” refers to leas as seirbhís (benefit from the service) which you see is right in front of it. It seems that nested phrase there is just a simple direct relative clause in the middle of the sentence. These direct and indirect clauses are always tricky for me. I have to think of them in English to work my way through them.

Think about it like this: if there is a preposition acting on the object of the sentence, it’s indirect relative:
Who is the man that you are looking at / at whom you are looking? (a bhfuil tú ag féachaint air)
The table that the fork is on (a bhfuil an forc air)
The services that the government is paying for / for which the government is paying (a bhfuil siad ag íoc as)

[Héilics Órbhuí]

I think Labhrás is right on this. I was not understanding the meaning of the sentence correctly. Labhrás, would the indirect always follow something with the idea of “for which”……?

Yes, any time the idea is “for which, with which, out of which, from whom, for whom,” etc, you will have an indirect relative. You can either put the preposition at the beginning or the end of that clause, but it is more commonly at the end. That is it could be “as a bhfuil …. ag íoc” or “a bhfuil …. ag íoc as”.

[Seosamh Mac Muirí]

As Conamara an cainteoir a dúirt an méid sin a chairde. Bheinn ag súil leis an ‘atá’ ag cainteoir maith Gaeilge as an Spidéal go fiú sa ráiteas indíreach mar gur nós acu sin é a théann i bhfad siar. Thagair Liam Mac an Iomaire dó sin ar (an gclár) Leagan Cainte, blianta ó shin anois. Tagraítear do Sheán Bán Breathnach mar shampla de thogha an chainteora a bhfuil an nós seo aige. Is as an Spidéal é ar ndóigh. Bíodh gur níos faide siar an cainteoir áirithe a bhí i gceist, Treabhar, d’éist mé leis ar an ábhar gur thug sé uaidh é go neamhfhaiteach agus ar ndóigh, ní fios an gabhal gaoil a d’fhéadfadh leagan cainte mar é a roinnt, anuas dhá nó trí ghlúin, le duine. Mar nós cainte, i gCois Fharraige go sainiúil, d’fhéadfadh sé a bheith chomh fada siar le theacht na Normannach, ar Bhreatnaigh chuid acu.

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