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Líofacht - - fluency
It is certain that pupils (daltaí) will have more fluent Irish as they leave (ag fágáil . . . . . dóibh) the primary school if (má) the teachers are given training (oiliúint) in the teaching of the new curriculum and if facilities (áiseanna) are provided (cuir . . . ar fáil)
There is a (little-known) verb líomh - - file, polish, which gives both líofa - - fluent and líofacht - - fluency. The older spelling, pre-1958, would show the connection: líomhtha = líofa and líomhthacht = líofacht. (Líofa is a verbal adjective - - aidiacht briathartha which will have a page here later and líofacht is an abstract noun - - ainmfhocal teibí which will also appear here. See Chapter 33 of NIG for abstract nouns)
má thugtar oiliúint do mhúinteoirí - - if teachers are given.
Tugtar is an briathar saor of the continuous present tense of tabhair - - give.
Má - - if ( with future possible meaning) takes the present tense in the má clause, the conditional clause, and the future in the second. Here the future is beidh . . . . ag - - will have or go mbeidh . . . . ag - - that . . . . will have
Má lenites the initial consonant of its following verb so tugtar - - is given becomes má thugtar - - if . . . is given.
Má chuirtear áiseanna ar fáil - - if facilities are provided This is a further example of má and the briathar saor.
Each of these topics an briathar saor and má will be given a page each in these notes eventually.
ag fágáil na bunscoile dóibh - - when they leave primary school. ag fágáil - - leaving is the verbal noun of fág - - leave.It is followed here by the tuiseal ginideach (TG) of bunscoil - - primary school. An bhunscoil - - the primary school is feminine and so an changes to na in the TG. Dóibh - - for them. Literally the phrase reads "leaving the primary school for them." (This structure would remind you of the English phrase "Off with you now" instead of "Go now.")
This structure is a useful addition to your store of idiomatic Irish and is an alternative to nuair a fhágann siad an bhunscoil - - when they leave primary school.
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