HeyRua| Irish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| os comhair | in front of, opposite | Tá sé ina sheasamh os comhair an tí.He is standing in front of the house. |
| os cionn | above, over | Tá pictiúr os cionn an tinteáin.There is a picture above the fireplace. |
| faoi bhun | below, under | Tá sé faoi bhun ocht mbliana déag.He is under eighteen. |
| in aice | beside, next to, near | Tá an banc in aice na farraige.The bank is beside the sea. |
| ar chúl | behind, at the back of | Tá an gairdín ar chúl an tí.The garden is behind the house. |
| i lár | in the middle of, in the centre of | Tá sé ina chónaí i lár na cathrach.He lives in the centre of the city. |
| i measc | among | Bhí sé i measc na ndaoine.He was among the people. |
| ar fud | throughout, all over | Tá daoine ag foghlaim Gaeilge ar fud an domhain.People are learning Irish all over the world. |
| trasna | across | Shiúlamar trasna na habhann.We walked across the river. |
| i dtreo | towards | Shiúil sí i dtreo na farraige.She walked towards the sea. |
| timpeall | around | Shiúlamar timpeall na cathrach.We walked around the city. |
| i rith | during, throughout (a time) | Bím ag obair i rith an lae.I work during the day. |
| le linn | during, in the time of | Le linn an chogaidh.During the war. |
| ar feadh | for (a length of time), throughout | Bhí mé ann ar feadh seachtaine.I was there for a week. |
| go ceann | for the next, until the end of | Beidh mé anseo go ceann seachtaine.I will be here for the next week. |
| i gceann | in (a time from now), at the end of | Beidh sé ar ais i gceann seachtaine.He will be back in a week's time. |
| tar éis | after | Tar éis an dinnéir.After the dinner. |
| i ndiaidh | after, behind | I ndiaidh an lóin.After lunch. |
| ar son | for the sake of, on behalf of, for | Rinne sé é ar son a mhuintire.He did it for the sake of his family. |
| thar ceann | on behalf of | Labhair sé thar ceann na scoile.He spoke on behalf of the school. |
| in aghaidh | against, per | Bhí sé in aghaidh an phlean.He was against the plan. |
| i gcoinne | against | Tá mé i gcoinne an smaoinimh sin.I am against that idea. |
| in ionad | instead of, in place of | Ól uisce in ionad an bhainne.Drink water instead of the milk. |
| de réir | according to | De réir na tuairisce, beidh báisteach ann.According to the report, there will be rain. |
| de bharr | because of, as a result of | Cuireadh an cluiche ar ceal de bharr na báistí.The match was cancelled because of the rain. |
| mar gheall ar | because of, on account of | Bhí mé déanach mar gheall ar an aimsir.I was late because of the weather. |
| i láthair | in the presence of, present | Dúirt sé é i láthair an dochtúra.He said it in the presence of the doctor. |
| le haghaidh | for, for the purpose of | Tá sé seo le haghaidh an dinnéir.This is for the dinner. |
| i gcomhair | for, in preparation for | Bia i gcomhair na hoíche.Food for the night. |
| ar nós | like, in the manner of | Rith sé ar nós na gaoithe.He ran like the wind. |
Two things to know
The noun after a compound preposition is in the genitive: os comhair an tí (not an teach), i lár na cathrach (not an chathair), tar éis an dinnéir. With a pronoun, the noun inside the preposition takes a possessive: os mo chomhair, in front of me; ina dhiaidh, after him; ar a son, for her sake. One exception on this list, mar gheall ar, takes ar instead of the genitive.
Compound prepositions in Irish: the questions people ask
What is a compound preposition?
A preposition made of two words, usually a simple preposition and a noun: os comhair (in front of), in aice (beside), ar son (for the sake of), i rith (during). The noun after it goes into the genitive.
Why is it os comhair an tí and not os comhair an teach?
Because comhair is a noun, and a noun that follows another noun goes into the genitive: an tí, of the house. The same happens after every compound preposition: i lár na cathrach, tar éis an dinnéir.
How do you say in front of me, after him, for her sake?
With a possessive inside the preposition: os mo chomhair, ina dhiaidh, ar a son. Each page gives the full set from me to them.