4 ms·
> perhaps "I haven't it" is syntactically more similar than "I don't have it" to what they actually say Neither is particularly close, as Irish doesn't have a
by messe 4y ago
> perhaps "I haven't it" is syntactically more similar than "I don't have it" to what they actually say
Neither is particularly close, as Irish doesn't have a verb for have, and uses Verb-Subject-Object rather than Subject-Verb-Object as english does:
- I haven't it
- I have-NEG it
- I don't have it
- I NEG.AUX have it
- Níl sé agam
- is-NEG it.NOM at-me
(Saying that "sé" is nominative isn't quite accurate, it's a little bit more subtle than that, but it's close enough).
- naniwaduni 4y agoSo something like "It isn't here", with the qualification that "here" doesn't quite express the contrasts available?
- messe 4y agoMore like, "It's not with me", at least in Hiberno English. We'd also say "on me" (in Hiberno-English) for possession, although it means that you have it on your immediate person: "Do you have it?" "Not on me / I don't have it on me" = it's not on my person.