HeyRuaHow to say “cardinal” in Irish
- Irish:
- cairdinéalach
- English:
- cardinal
- Word type:
- adjective
- More cardinal:
- níos cairdinéalaí
- Most cardinal:
- is cairdinéalaí
- Plural:
- cairdinéalacha
- Pronunciation:
- “KAR-jin-ay-lukh” /ˈkaɾʲdʲɪnʲeːl̪ˠəx/
What does “cairdinéalach” mean?
- cardinal
- Of chief or fundamental importance, as in the cardinal points or cardinal numbers.Also: principal, fundamental, chief.
“Cairdinéalach” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is cairdinéalach after pointe (point, masculine), after uimhir (number, feminine) and after a plural.
séimhiú (the h) the ending
After a feminine noun the adjective gets a séimhiú, an h after its first letter: uimhir chairdinéalach. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: pointe cairdinéalach.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, cairdinéalacha. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant; after other plurals it does not: uimhreacha cairdinéalacha.
More cardinal, most cardinal, very cardinal
Níl aon phrionsabal níos cairdinéalaí ná sin. There is no more fundamental principle than that.
| more cardinal | níos cairdinéalaí | in the past tense: ní ba chairdinéalaí |
|---|---|---|
| most cardinal | is cairdinéalaí | in the past tense: ba chairdinéalaí |
| as cardinal as | chomh cairdinéalach le | no change after chomh |
| very cardinal | an-chairdinéalach | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too cardinal | róchairdinéalach | ró- lenites |
“Cairdinéalach” in a sentence: Irish examples
With a masculine noun, a feminine noun, a plural, a comparison and on its own.
Other adjectives in Irish
More everyday Irish adjectives to learn next.
Cardinal in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for cardinal?
The Irish for cardinal is cairdinéalach (pronounced “KAR-jin-ay-lukh”). It comes after the noun: pointe cairdinéalach, a cardinal point; uimhir chairdinéalach, a cardinal number.
How do you say more cardinal and most cardinal in Irish?
níos cairdinéalaí is more cardinal and is cairdinéalaí is most cardinal. In the past tense they become ní ba chairdinéalaí and ba chairdinéalaí.
Why does cairdinéalach become chairdinéalach?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So uimhir chairdinéalach (a cardinal number) but pointe cairdinéalach (a cardinal point), because pointe is masculine.
What is the plural of cairdinéalach?
With a plural noun cairdinéalach becomes cairdinéalacha: pointí cairdinéalacha, uimhreacha cairdinéalacha.
How do you say very cardinal in Irish?
an-chairdinéalach. Too cardinal is róchairdinéalach, and as cardinal as is chomh cairdinéalach le.
What is the opposite of 'uimhir chairdinéalach'?
An ordinal number is 'uimhir ordúil', such as 'an tríú' (the third), whereas 'uimhir chairdinéalach' is a counting number like 'trí'.
