I'm having a bad brain day! I need a sentence using the present-tense negative of "abair." Does this sentence work?

Ní deir Seán go leor roimh a chéad cupán tae sa mhaidin

I'm going for "Seán doesn't say much before his first cup of tea in the morning," and second-guessing myself all over the place.

I know there are better ways to say this, btw, but I do have to use "abair" in this sentence (it's for a lesson on irregular verbs).

Redwolf

I can't help but read go leor as 'enough' as you have phrased it.
How about:
Ní deir Seán mórán roimh a chéad chupán tae ar maidin.

Some other suggested sentences:
Ní deir Seán paidreacha (riamh) mar ní chreideann sé i nDia.
Ní deir Seán focal riamh má scaoiltear rún leis.
Ní deir Sean, 'Go raibh maith agat' riamh mar níl béasa aige.

"Ní deir" is right in Standard Irish.

Should be "a chéad chupán tae" or maybe better "an chéad chupán tae aige". Btw in Ulster (and Connachta) it's "cupa".

But I would say "...sula n-ólann sé an chéad chupán tae".

I would also use "mórán" instead of "go leor" in a negative sentence (it's the way I feel it)

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

I agree - mórán is better for negative statements and questions.


ar maidin for "in the morning".


Not so much in Connemara, I think. Usually cupán, though I suppose the n is very weak and could sound that way.


Not that roimh is wrong, but sula n-ólann sé was the first thing that came to my mind as well.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

I read that somewhere though...



"saying something before the first cup of tea" sounds odd to me, I'd rather say "saying something before drinking...", otherwise you draw a parallel between an action (saying) and an object (cup of tea).

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Thanks all!

Redwolf

I think you could also say roimh ól, couldn't you? but you'd need the genitive, right?

roimh ól a chéad chupáin tae dó "before drinking his first cup of tea" (Correction please.)

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

or "roimhe an chéad chupán tae a ól dó" ?
but although it's right I wouldn't say it like that.

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Why "ní deir"?

I'd say "Ní dheireann.... " (sp?)
Assuming he doesn't say say much any day before tea.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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Ní deir is the standard form. Btw I think it exists in Munster and maybe in Ulster too. I'm used to say "chan abrann" or "cha ndeireann" but maybe it's possible to say "ní deir" too.

I would spell "ní dheireann" as you spelt it

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne