nárbh

Irish

Alternative forms

• nárbh’, nár bh’ (superseded)

Particle

nárbh (before consonants nár) (introduces negative past/conditional copular clauses of various kinds; used before vowels and fh plus vowel)

1. wasn’t/wouldn’t... be? (used to introduce a negative question)

   Nárbh fhearr leat cupán tae?

   Wouldn’t you prefer a cup of tea?

2. which/who wasn’t/wouldn’t be (used to introduce both direct and indirect relative clauses)

   an bhean nárbh iascaire í ― the woman who wasn’t a fisherwoman

   an bhean nárbh fhearr léi bainne ― the woman who wouldn’t prefer milk

   • 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 194:

     Do bhíodar sé mhí gan fille, agus nuair a chonaic Máire an t-árthach ag teacht chun cuain, bhí sceitimíní ar a croidhe le lúthgháir agus le h-áthas, ní nárbh’ iongnadh.

     They were [away] six months without returning, and when Máire saw the vessel coming to port, her heart had raptures of gladness and joy, which was not surprising.

3. that... it wasn’t/wouldn’t be; whether/if... it wasn’t/wouldn’t be (used to introduce a negative past/conditional copular subordinate clause, including an indirect question)

   Dúirt sí nárbh fhearr léi cupán tae.

   She said that she wouldn’t prefer a cup of tea

   Ní raibh a fhios agam nárbh fhearr léi cupán tae.

   I didn’t know whether she would prefer a cup of tea.

Related terms

Irish copular forms

simple copular forms
		affirmative	negative	interrogative	negative interrogative
present/future
main clause		is	ní	an	nach
relative clause	direct		nach	–
	indirect	ar, arbv
other subordinate clause		gur, gurbv		an	nach
past/conditional
main clause		ba, b’v	níor, níorbhv	ar, arbhv	nár, nárbhv
relative clause	direct	ba, abv	nár, nárbhv	–
	indirect	ar, arbhv
other subordinate clause		gur, gurbhv		ar, arbhv	nár, nárbhv
present subjunctive
–		gura, gurabv	nára, nárabv	–
compound copular forms
base word		present/future		past/conditional
cá		cár, cárbv		cár, cárbhv
cé		cér, cérbv		cér, cérbhv
dá		–		dá mba, dá mb’v
de/do		dar, darbv		dar, darbhv
faoi		faoinar, faoinarbv		faoinar, faoinarbhv
i		inar, inarbv		inar, inarbhv
le		lenar, lenarbv		lenar, lenarbhv
má		más		má ba, má b’v
mura		mura, murabv		murar, murarbhv
ó (preposition)		ónar, ónarbv		ónar, ónarbhv
ó (conjunction)		ós		ó ba, ó b’v
trí		trínar, trínarbv		trínar, trínarbhv

^v Used before vowel sounds