Hi all,

Hope everybody's been well since my last stop in.

I'd really appreciate if anybody could set me straight on a translation that's been bugging me. I searched the forum for it but the search terms were too broad so it turned up over 8000 results, none of which seemed right.

I wanted to write "if I were able" in an email today and realised I was stumped. Can't find it in either of my grammar books either. I initially thought something along the lines of "dar fhéidir liom", but that wouldn't be a copula construction, like the present tense "más feidir liom". So what would be, "dab fhéidir liom"?

Thanks in advance for any help on this. I know it's got to be a fairly rudimentary grammatical construction, but I just can't work it out.

Le meas,
Adrian.

Also:

Dá mbeinn in ann [rud a dhéanadh]
or in some places:
Dá mbeadh mé in ann [rud a dhéanadh]
or in Ulster:
Dá mbeinn ábalta [rud a dhéanadh]

Edited per the following comments. The particularly Ulster part which I meant to indicate was the use of ábalta, actually, but of course the verb should normally be mbeinn.

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Sorry but in Ulster, people say:

Dá mbeinn ábalta [rud a dhéanamh]

I don't know where people say "dá mbeadh mé"...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Aontaíom leat a lughaidh

South Connemara does about half and half, why 'Dhá mbeadh mé' probably being slightly more common. Maybe Bríd can confirm, but that's what I learned/heard there, heard from my teacher back at home (native from the region) and what another native speaking friend has told me.

Thanks for all the help with this. T'was driving me nuts.

Más buan mo chuimhne deireann Bríd s'againne "bheadh mé", leoga. Níl's agam cad chuighe nach luaightear sin i leabhar ar bith, fiú amháin leabharthaí fá dtaobh do Ghaedhilic Chonamara...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

In Munster, they don't tend to eclipse the ba

Dá ba Shásanach é = If he were English

Dá b'istoíche é = If it were during the night

With "maith, mise, dóigh, fuath" and a few other adjectives it can often be just dá:

Dá mise a bhí ann = If it were me who was there

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

'If I were able": D'fhéadfaí Dá bhféadfainn a rá chomh maith. An bhféadaim a rá gur briathar atá ann a thaitníonn liom.