Take and Give seem to be the most common meanings associated with this word, but how do you know if its one or the other?

In this sentence:

Níor thug siad rud ar bith dom.

I know its give because of the use of dom (to me).

But these sentences are more confusing:

Thug sé an bia abhaile. (took)
Thug sé freagra ceart ar gach ceist. (gave)
Thug mé timpeall an bhaile uile iad. (took)

Is it a case of practice makes perfect?

When I saw this sentence:

Thug sí suas é tar éis fiche bliain.

I thought it meant "She brought it up after 20 years" when it actually means "She gave it up after 20 years".

It's pretty much a matter of practice, yes, and context.

Redwolf

This idiom of "confusing" bring and take exists in Hiberno-English to this day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-En ... l_pronouns

"Bring and take: Irish use of these words differs from that of British English because it follows the Gaelic grammar for beir and tóg. English usage is determined by direction; person determines Irish usage. So, in English, one takes "from here to there", and brings it "to here from there". In Irish, a person takes only when accepting a transfer of possession of the object from someone else – and a person brings at all other times, irrespective of direction (to or from).

-"Don't forget to bring your umbrella with you when you leave."
-"(To a child) Hold my hand: I don't want someone to take you.""

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

I think for all the bringing in those examples, I would have used 'thóg' and for all the giving, I would have used 'thug'!

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There's a form of the "bring/beir" thing that continues to be used in Southern dialects in the U.S.: People will say "carry" in contexts where other dialects might say "bring" or "take":

"Will you carry your Grandma to church on Sunday?"

"Carry me back to old Virginy"

Redwolf

barra79, I'm sure you meant 'tabhair', not 'tóg'. I've been known to get them mixed up myself sometimes

Does that link in with my earlier comment?

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