'You should'

pog it

Hey, I'm wondering about ways you would say 'You should' in Irish. In English the term can mean 'you should' as in
1.you should fill in the form and send it back
and then you get another kind of meaning
2. you should have a look at my website when you can..

this second one is more more informal, like what you'd say to a friend, acquaintance etc.

I'm slightly familiar with 'ba chóir duit' and 'ni mór duit' but would anyone know a more informal way to say 'you should'- as in my second example?

Or any alternatives would be really nice. Is there a difference in meaning between 'ni mór duit' and 'ba chóir duit'?

Mile buiochas

An gal gréine

In Donegal what would be said is "D'fhéad tú breathnú ar mo shuíomh-idirlíon nuair atá faill agat"
Not to be confused with "d'fhéadfá "= "you could"

conchubhar1

ways of translating must, have to (neccessity, obligation)

''one can use the substantive verb bí (with the appropriate tense) followed by the appropriate form of the preposition ar to translate must, have to:
tá orm imeact = i have to go
bhí ar na páistí dul a luí go luath = the children had to go to bed early
ní behidh uirthi íoc as an mbéile = she will not have to pay for the meal

the auxiliary verb caith (used almost entirely in the present and future tenses) is used to translate must, have to:

caitfidh tú fanacht anseo = you must remain here
caitfidh siad an doras a dhúnadh ina ndiaidh = they must close the door after them

the phrase ní mór (with appropriate tense) followed by the appropriate form of the preposition do (where subject is required) is used to translate must, have to:

ní mór dóíbh an madra a choinneáil sa teach = they have to keep the dog in the house

ní mór do dhuine a bheith cúramach = one must vbe careful

the phrase is éigeán, with appropriate tense, is followed by the appropriate form of the preposition do, where subject is required, is used to translate must, have to:

b'éigeán dó imeacht go luath = he had to leave early
is éigeán dom an obair a dhéanamh anois = i have to do the work now

note: many of the above constructions are interchangeable''

page 219 of nollaig mac congáils book - irish grammar book

conchubhar1

ní mór duit = its absolutely imperative

bá cóir duit = you should - but it is not essential (riachtanach)

pog it

An gal gréine wrote: »

In Donegal what would be said is "D'fhéad tú breathnú ar mo shuíomh-idirlíon nuair atá faill agat"
Not to be confused with "d'fhéadfá "= "you could"

Yeah the first thing I thought was 'd'fhéad' from d'fhéadfá and it was a polite way of saying 'you could' (if you want...). I've never heard that before.

So how would you translate that? Is faill there meaning when you have a chance and is equivalent of seans?

Thanks concubhar that's a great help- never noticed that page before in NMC. Cheers

conchubhar1

i have always struggles with translating should in irish - even after i found the above page

it is very very tricky

i still cant fully translate - '' should we(/ is it the right thing/would you recommend that) (we/i/it be done) do or read or include such and such''

MathsManiac

If my understanding of your original post is correct, you might also consider that the phrase "You should" is almost completely superflouous in the English version of your second example. The person is saying "you should" when they don't really mean "you should". It seems to me that, in the context you describe, the sentence attempts to convey the exact same meaning as "Have a look at my website when you get a chance". So, there doesn't necessarily have to be a corresponding superfluous phrase in the Irish version.

Equally, the speaker might just as readily have said, while intending the exact same meaning: "You might have a look at my website when you get a chance". (B'fhéidir go...)

Furthermore, the more informal the context, the less relevant it is to have an exact semantic and technically accurate match between the two language versions.

An gal gréine

So how would you translate that? Is faill there meaning when you have a chance and is equivalent of seans?


I was translating your No.2 "you should have a look at my website when you can"
Faill is another word for "deis" or "seans".

An gal gréine

"D'fhéad tú 'bheith ansin aréir" is commonly heard for
"You should've been there last night".
It's not meant as an imposition or duty that you should have been there.
It's implying that you missed out on the craic as you were'nt there.

conchubhar1

má tá an seans agat? má tá an t-am agat? má tá tú in ann?

pog it

MathsManiac wrote: »

If my understanding of your original post is correct, you might also consider that the phrase "You should" is almost completely superflouous in the English version of your second example. The person is saying "you should" when they don't really mean "you should". It seems to me that, in the context you describe, the sentence attempts to convey the exact same meaning as "Have a look at my website when you get a chance". So, there doesn't necessarily have to be a corresponding superfluous phrase in the Irish version.

Equally, the speaker might just as readily have said, while intending the exact same meaning: "You might have a look at my website when you get a chance". (B'fhéidir go...)

Furthermore, the more informal the context, the less relevant it is to have an exact semantic and technically accurate match between the two language versions.

B-fhéidir go..


yes that's one phrase you could use. Any more?