ní
ní
ní f
ní
FromOld Irishní(“something”,n ofnech) conflated with a reanalysis ofOld Irishaní(“that which”) asan ní(“the thing”).[1][2]
ní m (genitive singularní,nominative pluralnitheorneathanna)
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Alternative plural:neathanna
ní
ní[7]
The preverbal particle triggerslenition of a following consonant. It is not used in the past tense except for some irregular verbs. It takes the dependent form of irregular verbs. The copular form triggersh-prothesis of a following vowel.
In Kerry (at least, perhaps other dialects as well),/ɣ/ or/j/ is inserted betweenní and a verb form beginning with a back or front vowel, respectively (including cases where the verb form begins with a vowel due to the lenition off to silentfh). This can be represented bydh’ in dialectal texts, but it is not the past-tense markerdo, as it used in other tenses:[8][9]
| 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 | – | dámba,dámb’v | |||
| de/do | dar,darbv | dar,darbhv | |||
| faoi | faoinar,faoinarbv | faoinar,faoinarbhv | |||
| i | inar,inarbv | inar,inarbhv | |||
| le | lenar,lenarbv | lenar,lenarbhv | |||
| má | más | mába,máb’v | |||
| mura | mura,murabv | murar,murarbhv | |||
| ó(preposition) | ónar,ónarbv | ónar,ónarbhv | |||
| ó(conjunction) | ós | óba,ób’v | |||
| trí | trínar,trínarbv | trínar,trínarbhv | |||
v Used before vowel sounds
ní
ní
FromOld Irishní, fromProto-Celtic*nīs (compareWelshni), fromProto-Indo-European*neh₁ésti(“is not”) (compareSanskritन(na),Latinne,Gothic𐌽𐌹(ni)).
ní
ní
ní
di-(“oral”) +∅-(3rd person subject prefix) + -∅-(classifier) + -ní (neuter imperfective stem of root-NIID, “to say”).
ní
This verb is frequently used for quoted speech. To introduce quoted speech, just add the prefixá-(“thus”) to any of the forms of the verb. This modifies the meaning to something like "to say as follows" or "to say thus":
This is a neuter verb that uses only the imperfective mode. Other modes are suppleted by the active verbniih, reproduced below for convenience.
Paradigm: Neuter imperfective (∅), with some irregularities.
| neuter imp | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | dishní | diiʼní | dadiiʼní |
| 2nd person | diní | dohní | dadohní |
| 3rd person | ní | daaní | |
| 4th person | jiní | dajiní | |
| perfective | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | dííniid | diiʼniid | dadiiʼniid |
| 2nd person | dííníniid | dooniid | dadooniid |
| 3rd person | dííniid | dadííniid | |
| 4th person | jidííniid | dazhdííniid | |
| future | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | dideeshniił | didiiʼniił | dadidiiʼniił |
| 2nd person | didííniił | didoohniił | dadidoohniił |
| 3rd person | didooniił | dadidooniił | |
| 4th person | dizhdooniił | dazhdidooniił | |
| iterative | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | ńdíshʼniih | ńdiiʼniih | ńdadiiʼniih |
| 2nd person | ńdíʼniih | ńdóhʼniih | ńdadohʼniih |
| 3rd person | ńdíʼniih | ńdadiʼniih | |
| 4th person | nízhdíʼniih | ńdazhdiʼniih | |
| optative | singular | duoplural | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | dóshneʼ | dooʼneʼ | dadooʼneʼ |
| 2nd person | dóóneʼ | doohneʼ | dadoohneʼ́ |
| 3rd person | dóneʼ | dadóneʼ | |
| 4th person | jidóneʼ | dazhdóneʼ | |
FromProto-Celtic*nīs (compareWelshni), fromProto-Indo-European*neh₁ésti(“is not”) (compareSanskritन(na),Latinne,Gothic𐌽𐌹(ni)).
ní
For quotations using this term, seeCitations:ní.
Followed by thedependent form of the verb, which (in Old Irish) is not subjected to nasalization or lenition mutation unless a direct object pronoun is implied. Compare:
In Middle Irish increasingly, and in Modern Irish always,ní lenites the following verb.
ní
For quotations using this term, seeCitations:ní.
See relevant rows atAppendix:Old Irish conjugation of is.
ní
For quotations using this term, seeCitations:ní.
| Case | Animate | Neuter |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | nech | ní |
| Accusative | nech | |
| Genitive | neich | |
| Dative | neuch,neoch | |
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| ní alsonníin h-prothesis environments | ní pronounced with/nʲ-/ | ní alsonní |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
ní
FromCantonese你(nei5) (SV:nhĩ).Doublet ofnị.
ní
ní
1 Originally can only follow a nominal (being used attributively), hencenơi này(“this place; here”),nơi nào(“where”) (no longer completely true in the modern language). 2 Can be used on its own/is itself nominal, henceđây(“here”),đâu(“where”). 3 From earlier*C-raːw (where *C is nonspecific consonant). 4 Placed before the head:bâynhiêu(“this much”),bấynhiêu(“that much”),bao nhiêu(“how much”). 5 Placed after the head:nhanh vầy(“this fast”),nhanh vậy(“that fast/so fast”).
6 Originally, these demonstratives might have been used to assert that something isvisible and/orverifiable. They have been bleached quite thoroughly and currently are usually used like other distal demonstratives. The biggest trace of their evidentiality might be in their usage as final particles, often in reduced formscơ/cờ:[t]ừ đấy về tới Hà Nội, còn những ba cái cầu nữacơ mà! ("From there to Hanoi, there're still three more bridges to cross!") (Ba ngày luân lạc, 1943) and their (pretty much) obligatory use when locating an object:Không phải cái này mà là cáikia. ("Not this one,that one.") | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||