Репост из: @miseds
#Lesson19
1. Comparative Degress of Adjective
(i) Comparative
To express the comparative form in Irish, you must use *níos* (from ní is — thing that is). In the past tense *ní ba* is technically required and often still seen in older writings. However, this has fallen out of usage in speech.
(ii) Superlative
To form the superlative, is is used before the adjective. "Sin í an bhean is airde". "Is é Seán an Ghaeilgeoir is fearr".
Literally translates to something like "That is the woman that is tallest"
(iii) Forms of the adjective
Thankfully, while there is often a different form of the adjective used for the comparative and superlative, they are the same to each other.
For two-syllable adjectives that end in a vowel, nothing changes. Dorcha, Níos Dorcha, is dorcha
One-syllable adjectives with a final vowel, take -(o)cha .
Buí, níos búiocha, is buíocha
In two or three syllable ones the syllable is lengthened:
te, níos teocha, is teocha
(iv) Adjectives with irregular comparative forms
See the list here. Perhaps the most common would be maith > fearr, dona > measa, mór > mó, beag > lú, fada > foide. But they're all important.
2. Use of "chomh" with adjectives
(i) With le
This is how you use the as X as structure. The normal adjective is used here.
Tá Z comh X le Y:
Z is as X as Y.
Tá sé chomh glic le sionnach — He's as sly as a fox.
(ii) With _is_ followed by a direct relative clause.
This is how you do it if you want to express a verb. So, "he was as happy as her"
Bhí sé chomh sásta is a bhí sise.
Here "is" is a shortened form of "agus". You can also hear "Bhí sé chomh sásta agus a bhí sise".
A common one might be "chomh mait agus is féidir" — as good as possible.
(iii) With *sin*
Comh X sin is basically "That X" or "So x". If using it in "so", *go/nach* are used.
An bhfuil sé chomh dona sin? - Is it that bad?
(iv) With céanna
chomh X céanna is to express "just as X".
Tá Davis chomh maith céanna — Davis is just as good.
(v) As exclamation
can be used to exclaim similar to "How X Y is"
Chomh ramhar le Santa — How fat Santa is!
(vi) In questions
When you want to express 'How X' something is, you have to use *chomh* in a question, with *cé*
*Cé chomh ard le Cáit* - How tall is Cáit?
Similar, if you want to use a verb, you need *is* and the relative clause:
*Cé chomh fada is atá tú ag foghlaim na Gaeilge* - How long have you been learning Irish?
3. Adverbs of Direction and Position
Irish has several adverbs that are used for direction and position, depending on where the speaker is. And, what's more, Irish distinguishes between being up, moving up, and coming from up.
Tá mé ag goil suas — I am going up (say, the stairs)
Tá spéir thuas — The sky is up
Tá mé ag teacht anuas — I am coming down (from up).
This holds for several distinctions. Please see the table and practice these. They can be quite difficult. Even I'm not 100% on them.
(ii) Adverbs ó thuaidh and ó dheas
Generally, ó thuaidh can function in the place of all three of te normal split. So it can mean 'going north', 'in the north', or 'coming from the north'. Same of ó dheas, except with 'south' instead of north. However, when they're used as adjectives in set phrases, aduaidh and aneas are used. See the examples here.
(iii): Usage
(a) So, where as English would generally use 'up' and 'down' the road, Irish tends to use the actual directions.
Síos is used for 'north', however, and 'suas' for south.
Tá sé ag goil síos an bóthar == He is going down the road == He is going north along the road.
Tá sí ag goil soir an bóthar == She is going eastwards along the road.
(b) See the examples here. It can be used to mean things like "Talk to the man inside" — Labhair leis an fear istigh. Or "Talk to the man who is coming inside" - Labhair leis an fear isteach. There is an implicit relative clause and such.
(c) Amach/amuigh can be combined with siar/thair to give a greater distance. I wouldn't be surprised if this can be done with thoir and soir as well.
