Is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná . . . (Literally) The thing which is most important is that most of the students have the ability to speak and understand Irish as they leave school and that they will have respect for it as an important part of their heritage and their identity.

Tábhachtach - - important becomes níos tábhachtaí - - more important and is tabhachtaí - - most important. You will find a discussion of the comparison of adjectives here céimeanna comparáide na n-aidiachtaí. (Later!!)

cumas labhartha - - ability of speaking, to speak, tuiseal ginideach of labhairt; (cumas) tuisceana - - ability to understand tuiseal ginideach of tuiscint.

formhór na ndaltaí - - most of the pupils tuiseal ginideach uimhir iolra of dalta - - pupil

ar fhágáil na scoile dóibh - - on leaving school (for them) is explained above.

uirthi - - on it referring to Gaeilge which is baininscneach - - feminine

meas - - respect takes the prepositions ag and ar . For example tá meas ag Seán ar Bheethoven. Seán respects Beethoven. Literally Seán has respect on Beethoven.

Nouns and prepositions will be discussed elsewhere in these pages later.

dá n-oidhreacht - - of their heritage (de + a = dá)
dá bhféiniúlacht - - of their identity (self-ness!)

mar chuid thabhachtach - - as an important part. Why the séimhiú? Mar -- as, is a preposition and lenites the initial consonant of the noun cuid - - part. Cuid is feminine and the initial consonant of the adjective tábhachtach - - important is lenited. In any case cuid is in the tuiseal tabharthach after mar which would also explain the séimhiú - - lenition. The tuiseal tabharthach will be discussed in these pages later.