Does the meaning of "leor" change when it is preceded with "go", as in "go leor"

In the dictionary:

leor = Sufficient; ample
go leor = enough; plenty

If the meaning is the same, what is the function of "go"?

Also, how about "maith" and "go maith"?

Well, go will make an adverb out of any adjective, but in this case it is more idiom than anything else.

leor is an adjective. It is usually used with is, i.e., is leor ~ "it is enough ~"

go leor can function as an adjective (before or after a noun), or as a substantive, or as an adverb, and is usually used with tá:

Tá daoine go leor ann. "There are enough/plenty/lots of people there."
Tá go leor daoine ann. "There are enough/plenty/lots of people there."
Tá go leor (de rud) agat. "You have plenty."
Tá go leor leor airgid aige. "He has lots and lots of money."
Tá go leor le rá aige. "He has a lot to say."
Tá sé mór go leor. "It is big enough/pretty big."


Maith is used on it's own attributively, i.e., directly modifying a noun, e.g., duine maith "a good person", bean mhaith "a good woman".

When used predicatively, maith is one of eight adjectives that always take go as if they were adverbs:

Tá sé go maith. "He/it is good/well."
Tá sé go deas. "He/it is nice."
Tá sé go breá. "He/it is fine."
Tá sé go hálainn. "He/it is beautiful."
Tá sé go hiontach. "He/it is wonderful."
Tá sé go haoibhinn. "He/it is pleasant."
Tá sé go dona. "He is bad."
Tá sé go holc. "He is wicked."

All adjectives in Welsh take a parallel particle yn in the predicate. I am not sure if all adjectives used to take go in the predicate in Irish or not.

Hope this helps.

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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 was wondering about "álainn." I've always heard it with the "go" when used predicatively ("Tá sé go hálainn/Tá an gúna sin go hálainn," etc.), but the other day I heard someone say "tá an gúna seo álainn" the other day. Is that wrong, or just something I've not encountered before?

Redwolf

No, I think you are right. It should always be go hálainn. I had go deas twice. That's what I get for copying and pasting.

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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).

Thanks for your answer! I guess whats confusing me is that an idiom is a phrase with a figurative meaning over and above the literal meaning. Despite this, the meanings associated with "leor" (enough) and "go leor" (enough) are the same as far as I can tell, but maybe this is where I'm confused.

Comparing "léir" (clear, distinct, clever) and "go léir" (entirely), the meanings are so different which indicates that "go léir" is an idiom.

I think I'm also right in say that "go dtí" is an idiom in irish. "dtí" means "come", but "go dtí" means "to".

An idiom is just any turn of phrase "which is understood by speakers of a particular language despite its meaning not being predictable from that of the separate words." (SOED) Some idioms are more decipherable than others.

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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).

Go léir can also mean - all those present or everyone - as in this rhyme:

Ring-a-ring-a-rósaí,
Buidéal lán de phosies,
Ceann duitse is ceann domsa.
Is síos linn go léir.

But the question I have is this - if I wish Good Day to everyone, is it singular or plural? Dia dhuit or Dia dhaoibh go léir.

Go léir with a singular means whole, an lá go léir - the whole day, so duit go léir - to the whole of you (not excluding any part, your feet for instance)
With a plural it means all, na lae go léir - all the days, so daoibh go léir - all of ye.

Hope this helps.

Go raibh maith agat

Remember that "go" is also a preposition, meaning "to", so in a certain light, having "(something) go leor" can be seen as having it "to sufficiency".

Léir refers to sight, vision etc; so it's like standing on the mountain and saying "one day, son, all this will be yours," <wave hand across landscape><camera fades to black>

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