sibh
Irish
Alternative forms
- ibh
Etymology
From Old Irish sib (compare Scottish Gaelic sibh, Manx shiu, from Proto-Celtic *swiswis (compare Welsh chwichwi), a reduplicated form of *swīs (“you, ye”) (see Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.
Pronunciation
- (Munster, Mayo, Ulster) IPA(key): /ʃɪvʲ/
- (Galway) IPA(key): /ʃɪbʲ/ (as if spelled sib)
Pronoun
sibh (emphatic form sibhse, conjunctive and disjunctive)
- you (plural), ye/you
- Bhí sibh ansin. ― You were there.
- Cloisim sibh. ― I hear you.
Usage notes
- Unlike many European languages, Modern Irish does not distinguish between "familiar" and "polite" second-person pronouns. Sibh is used to address two or more people, regardless of how well known those people are to the speaker. It is no longer used to address one single person.
- The emphatic form sibhse is also used as the vocative: Haigh sibhse! — "Hey you (all)!"
See also
Irish personal pronouns
| Number | Person (and gender) | Conjunctive (emphatic) | Disjunctive (emphatic) | Possessive determiner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | First | mé (mise) | mo L m' before vowel sounds | |
| Second | tú (tusa)1 | thú (thusa) | do L d' before vowel sounds | |
| Third masculine | sé (seisean) | é (eisean) | a L | |
| Third feminine | sí (sise) | í (ise) | a H | |
| Third neuter | — | ea | — | |
| Plural | First | muid, sinn (muidne, muide), (sinne) | ár E | |
| Second | sibh (sibhse)1 | bhur E | ||
| Third | siad (siadsan) | iad (iadsan) | a E | |
L Triggers lenition E Triggers eclipsis H Triggers h-prothesis
1 Also used as the vocative
The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun: e.g. "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “sibh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “sib”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “tú”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irish sib. Cognates include Irish sibh and Manx shiu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃiv/, /ʃu/
Pronoun
sibh
- ye, you (polite and/or plural)
See also
Scottish Gaelic personal pronouns
| simple | emphatic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | singular | plural | |
| First person | mi | sinn | mise | sinne |
| Second person | thu, tu1) | sibh | thusa, tusa1) | sibhse |
| Third person m | e | iad | esan | iadsan |
| Third person f | i | ise | ||
| *) sibh and sibhse also act as the polite singular pronouns. **) To mark a direct object of a verbal noun, the derivatives of gam are used. 1) used when following a verb ending in -n, -s or -dh. | ||||
References
- Edward Dwelly (1911), “sibh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “sib”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language