Is "before...not" sul nach, sulnach, or something different entirely? It seems like something simple enough, but I found pretty much nothing for sul nach (as well as sulnach) online, so I'm asking you guys.

There are very few example in corpas.ria.ie:



Examples froim eDIL


I'd suppose, "sul nach" is impossible in Modern Irish.

Can you give examples of contexts in which one might need to say "before... not"?

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

"Say something before he doesn't feel like doing it", "Leave before you can't stay any longer", "See it before they aren't here anymore", etc.

I think people would say the sentence in another way in Irish.
Actually, I couldn't find any example of "sul nach" in Tobar na Gaedhilge...

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

Would "Feic é roimh ní bheith dóibh anseo feasta" work?

I think 'ar eagla nach...' would fit here

Tabhair dó é ar eagla nach ndeanfadh sé é.
Give it to him for fear he wouldn't do it .

If that's what you're driving at.

No, "ní bheith" is ungrammatical.

ní is a verbal particle (or copula form), it needs a verb but bheith is a verbal noun.
roimh gan bheith ... doesn't work either.

Then I guess this is somewhat off-topic, but how do you say things like "not doing", "not going", "not being", etc. in general? And I guess things like ní anois are ungrammatical as well?

gan
not to do it = gan é a dhéanamh
not to be = gan (a) bheith
etc.
even with other prepositions:
le gan (a) bheith = in order not to be

But not: roimh gan bheith ... whysoever
(It would be grammatical but it is not used.)


Ní anois is a copula/focussing construction, so: ní = is not
Ní anois atá mé anseo = (it is) not now that I am here
Ní anois é = It is not now.
etc.