EXACT MATCHES
IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
ní1, m. (gs. ~, pl. nithe). Thing; something; (with neg.) nothing. 1. ~ a iarraidh ar dhuine, to ask s.o. for sth. Nithe a cheannach, to buy things. Nithe beaga atá uaim, little things I need. Nithe ceilte, hidden things, secrets. Nithe neamhaí, heavenly things. Nithe réadacha, real objects. Dhá ~ ar leith, two different things, matters. Os cionn gach uile ~, above all things. Níor tharla aon ~, nothing happened. Is mór an ~ é, it is a great thing, it means a lot. Ba mhór an ~ air é, it affected him very much. Is beag an ~ é, it matters little. Níorbh aon ~ é, it was nothing, of no consequence. Ní ~ liom é, I don’t care about it. ~ a dhéanamh de dhuine, to make much of s.o. Níor ~ linn iad, they meant nothing to us. Ós ~ go, since it happens that. Más ~ go dtiocfaidh sé, in the event of his coming. Dá mba ~ nach bhfeicfimis é, should it happen that we didn’t see him. ~ nár mhaith liom, something I wouldn’t like. ~ nach ionadh, no wonder. Lit:Ní thuigim ~ de, I understand nothing of it. Lit: ~ dár gcionta, some of our transgressions. 2. Gram: (Used with direct rel. forms of copula to introduce comparative a. or adv.) (a) Combines with is to form níos. See níos. (b) (With ba)Bhí siad ~ ba ghile ná an sneachta, they were whiter than snow. Dá mbeinn bliain ~ b’óige, had I been a year younger. Níor imigh sé ~ ba mhó, he didn’t go away any more. Ní fhanfadh sé ~ b’fhaide linn, he wouldn’t wait for us any longer.
ní2, f. (gs. ~). (In surnames) Daughter, descendant. 1. (In Ó surnames, lenites) Nuala Ní Bhriain, Nuala O’Brien. Máire Ní Ógáin, Mary Hogan. 2. (In Mac surnames) (a) Ní Mhic = nic. (b) Used sometimes in lieu of nic.
ní3, f. (gs. as s. ~, as vn. nite). 1. vn. of nigh. 2. Washing. ~ lámh, éadaigh, washing of hands, of clothes. ~ smál, washing away, cleansing, of stains. Fear nite mias, dishwasher.
ní4, neg. vb. particle. 1. (Lenites) (a) (Used with regular verbs except in past tense) ~ fheiceann, ~ fheicfidh, ~ fheicfeadh, sé iad, he does not, will not, would not, see them. (b) (Used with past tense of some irregular verbs) ~ fhaca sé mé, he didn’t see me. ~ dheachaigh mé leo, I didn’t go with them. ~ raibh focal as, he didn’t say a word. 2. (a) (Eclipses vb. faigh in past, fut. & cond.) ~ bhfuair, ~ bhfaighidh, ~ bhfaigheadh, sé é, he did not, will not, would not, get it. (b) (Does not lenite parts of vb. abair beginning with d) ~ deir, ~ déarfaidh, ~ dúirt, sí é, she does not, will not, did not, say it.
ní5. (In phrase) ~ mé, I wonder.
ní6 : is1.
ní7, var. pres. of déan2.
PHRASES
IN FOCLÓIR GAEILGE—BÉARLA
Ní raibh sé sásta faoi rá gur inis mé di é, he was not pleased that I told her.
Ní tú atá mé a rá, I am not referring to you.
Ní deir sin nach fear maith é, that does not mean that he is not a good man.
Ní raibh mé ach ag ~, I was only joking.
4. Ní raibh an teacht ~ ann, he had not the strength to recover.
Ní i bhfad uaidh a chonaic sé an t-~, he had real cause for anxiety.
Ní den ~ an chéad snáithe, you must spoil before you spin.
Ní ag teacht atá siad ~ ag imeacht, they are not coming but going.
Ní raibh agam ~ é, it was all I had.
Ní stadann sé ~ ag ithe, he never stops eating.
Ní dhearna sé ~ a cheann a chromadh, all he did was to bow his head.
Ní miste duit ~ an tsláinte a bheith agat, you needn’t care so long as you are in good health.
Ní rachaidh mé ~ a bhfaighidh mé scéala cinnte, I won’t go till I get definite news.
Ní chreidfeá ~ chomh hard leis, you wouldn’t credit that he is so tall.
Ní raibh mise ann ~ chomh beag, I wasn’t there either.
Ní raibh ~ agam labhairt, I couldn’t bear to speak.
Ní leithne an t-~ ná an timpiste, accidents will happen.
Ní leathdhuine mise agaibh, you needn’t take me for a half-wit.
Ní miste liom agam nó uaim é, I don’t care whether I have it or not.
Ní hé an chéad uair aige é, it is not his first time.
Ní raibh agam ach an teach a dhíol, I had no alternative but to sell the house.
Ní chluinim thú ag gleo na bpáistí, I can’t hear you because of the noise of the children.
Ní raibh aon ~ agam ar an leabhar a léamh, I hadn’t time, leisure, to read the book.
Ní gan ~ a gheall sé é, his offer was not unreserved.
Dá n-ólfadh, ~ an buidéal, ní dhéanfadh sé aon cheo air, if he did drink it, even the whole bottle, it would do him no harm.
Ní fhéadfainn, ~ mo dhícheall a dhéanamh, an chloch sin a thógáil, I could not lift that stone, even if I did my best.
Ní raibh a oiread ~ duine ann, there was not even one person there.
Ní raibh mé i m’~ riamh go dtí anois, never before was I in such a fix.
Ní hé an rud a deir sé atá ina ~ aige, he is not speaking his mind.
Ní bhfaighinn i m’~ é a dhéanamh, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Ní h~ liom iad, I don’t care for them.
Ní obair d’~ í, it is not (suitable) work for an inexperienced person, for a greenhorn.
Ní bhfaigheadh an diabhal ~ air, he is always on the alert, the devil himself couldn’t take him at a disadvantage.
Ní orm atá ~ aige, a ~, he is not minding me.
Ní hé is mó atá ar m’~, that is not what concerns me most.
Ní hé is ~ air, it is not what he deserves.
Fir agus mná agus ní áirím páistí, men and women, not to speak of children.
Ní haon ~ dom é, it is no use to me.
Ní bhfuair sé a chuid in ~, he had to work for his living.
Ní hé sin an chiall atá leis san ~ eile, that is not what it means in the other passage, context.
Ní raibh sé in ~ a bheith ag casaoid, he had no reason to complain.
Ní h~ dom é, I do not know him.
Ní dhéanfaidh sé mórán áithis, he won’t do much good.
Anois ní aithníonn sé na comharsana, now he doesn’t know his neighbours.
Ní aithníonn fear an tsaibhris leath a ghaolta, the rich man does not acknowledge acquaintance with half his relatives.
Ní aithním na litreacha, na dathanna, I cannot discern the letters, the colours.
Ní aithním eatarthu, I cannot distinguish between them.
Ní aithním an t-am, I cannot make out the time.
Ní raibh ~ súl ná béil air, his features were unrecognizable, he was all bespattered (with mud, etc.).
Ní h~ duit mé, you do not know me.