Gàidhlig - Alphabet & Grammar Notes

I can see why everybody raves about Duolingo. It's an absolutely wonderful app! It makes learning languages fun, so much so that I actually look forward to my daily Gàidhlig lesson.

I have decided to record my recent progress here. One thing I'm concerned about, is that whilst I'm full of enthusiasm right now, it may wane with time, especially when I start to get bogged down with the grammar. However, if I can make sense of what I'm learning as I go along, then I'm hoping I will maintain my motivation.

These notes have been written for me, however I think I may as well share them with the world. I'm learning, however, and I may well make mistakes, so please don't rely on them.

The Gaelic Alphabet

A wee rhyme I have made up for me to remember the letters: There's no j, or k, or q, or anything after u.

Summarised from Daily Gaelic on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLVOL0c99sk

• Contains just 18 letters.
• It misses (from the Roman alphabet): J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y & Z.
• Vowels: A, E, I, O & U.
• Broad vowels: A, O & U.
• Slender vowels: I & E
• C's and G's are 'hard' in Gaelic, i.e. like a 'K'.
• Emphasis is usually placed on the first syllable, unless the second syllable is accented.
• Graves, or accents, make the vowel sound longer.
• The only letters that can appear in pairs together are: L, N & R.

e.g. letter D

Broad: Dà - 'dah' 

Slender: 'Dè -  'jay'

Broad Lenited: Dha - 'vah'

Slender Lenited: Dhith - 'yee'

[Nb: most consonants don't have four different sounds, the broad and slender may sound the same].

The importance of Stráchan

Strachan are very important in Gaelic. For example, ‘bas’ — without a stràc on the ‘a’ — means the the part on the inside of your hand between the fingers and the wrist, or ‘palm’ in English. But ‘bàs’ — with a stràc on the ‘a’ — means the end of life, or ‘death’ in English. That's a pretty big difference!

Also, see the difference between feis and féis! 

Sounds of Combinations of Letters

My notes from the pronunciation videos on the Learn Gaelic website.

Ch - when used before or after the broad vowels, 'a' 'o' & 'u', is pronounced 'cchh' as in 'loch'. When used before or after the slender vowels, 'e' or 'i', sounds like 'chee' as in 'duilich'.

Mh & Bh - there is no 'v' in the Galeic alphabet, so the 'vuh' sound can be made by these two letter combinations, e.g. 'Mhór' and 'sibh'.

Dh - if used before the broad vowels, it's pronounced 'gu' (as in 'gut'). If it is used before slender vowels, it is pronounced 'yuh' (as in 'young'). When in the middle or at the end of a word it is silent when it follows the slender vowels, e.g. céilidh.

Fh - is silent, except for a small number of words, eg. fhichead. There are some words where it is not silent, but pronounced 'huh', eg. fhéin. 

Gh - is pronounced 'guh' when proximate to broad vowels, e.g. 'mo ghuth'. It's pronounced 'yuh' when followed by slender vowels, e.g. 'a' ghealach'. e.g. gealach. Gh in the middle or at the end of a word is silent when it follows the slender vowels, e.g. 'dachaigh'. 

 

This is not necessarily correct, but patterns I am noticing:

I - is often pronounced 'ee' - e.g. ím (eem); iasg (ee-asg); isean (eeshan); mi (mee)

Si is pronounced 'shee' - e.g. sinn (sheen); sithean (shee-an); sibhse (sheev-sha)

Ti is pronounced 'ch' - e.g. tioraidh (cheer-ee); tim (cheem); tioram (chi-ram)

Uis is pronounced 'oosh' - uisge (oosh-ga); úiseil (ooshall)

Bh is pronounced 'th' or 'v'

Dh is often silent or pronounced 'ig' when at the end of a word. 

Broad and Slender Vowels

In Scottish Gaelic, slender vowels (i and e) play a crucial role in spelling because they influence the way consonants are pronounced. 

Slender vowels cause nearby consonants to be pronounced differently compared to when they are next to broad vowels (a, o, u). For example, the consonant 'd' in 'dè' (what) sounds different from the 'd' in 'dà' (two).  

Spelling Rules: To maintain the correct pronunciation, Scottish Gaelic has a spelling rule called 'caol ri caol agus leathann ri leathann,' which means 'slender with slender and broad with broad.' This rule ensures that vowels on either side of a consonant match in type (both slender or both broad). 

Lenition

Lenition on verbs

• striggered by the negative particle cha(n)
• triggered by the negative interrogative/subordinating particle nach
• triggered by past tense particles (do/null)/(do) dh’
• triggered by the relative particle a

Lenition on nouns

• triggered by some forms of the definite article an/a’
• triggered by some possessive agreement markers
• triggered by some prepositions:

- bho

- gu

- do

- anns a'

- air

- aig

• triggered by the numerals aon ‘one’ and dhà ‘two’
• realises some number/case inflection on nouns
  - words beginning with labials and velars in the masculine genitive after the article (after a' -- and an if before f) (also s --> t-s)
  - words beginning with labials and velars in the masculine dative after the article (after a' -- and an if before f) (also s--> t-s)
  - words beginning with labials and velars in the feminine common case after the article (after a' and an/__f) (also s --> t-s)
• obligatory on right-hand member of some compounds
• triggered by some derivational prefixes

Lenition on adjectives

• triggered by intensifiers glè ‘very’, ro ‘too’, and fior ‘truly’
• realises gender/number/case inflection on adjectives.after feminine nouns
• after dative masculine nouns

GRAMMAR

[Nb: again I emphasise that I am learning Gaelic. These are simply my notes and should never be relied upon! I am simply creating them as and when required, which is essentially when they appear on Duolingo.]

Duolingo doesn't explicitly teach grammar, at least not yet. However, one intuitively learns the sentence structure. Sentences begin with the verb.

e.g. Tha ceic math, literally 'is cake good'; though this is not a question, but a statement, i.e. 'a cake is good'.

Also the noun appears to precede the adjective, e.g. caileag bheag, literally 'girl small'.  

Finally, the adjective has to agree with the noun's gender: 

e.g. 1. masc. feasgar math (lit. 'evening good')
e.g. 2 fem. maddain bhlath (lit. 'morning warm')

Determining a noun's gender

I don't want to have to learn the gender of every noun, so a quick internet search elicited the following blog post, which I'm hoping will help: 

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/garg/2020/04/17/predicting-grammatical-gender-in-scottish-gaelic-with-machine-learning/

The author posts a list from a book published in 1923:

Masculine: -adh, -an/ean, as, ach, -aiche & -air.

Feminine: -ag, -achd/-eachd, -ad, /-ead, -e and -ir (for polysyllables only).

Jason, who produces the highly regarded YouTube channel Gaelic with Jason, has the following list for feminine nouns (click to enlarge):

The video is entitled How to Spot a Feminine Noun.

Column 2 - female nouns typically end in: -ag, -achd & -id.

Column 3 - female humans and animals, which are always feminine nouns, e.g. bò.

Column 4 - countries and languages are typically feminine, eg. gàidhlig.

Column 5 - the final vowel is 'i' or 'e', which are known as 'slender vowels'.

Lenition 

Lenition essentially means adding an 'h' after the first letter of the adjective, which changes the sound of the word, e.g. math (mah) & mhath (vah). Lenition doesn't apply to 'L', 'N' & 'R' (Non-Lenitable Rabble). 

Lenition appears to apply to adjectives describing female nouns, only.

Adjectives only lenite when they are the attribute to a noun. That's the type of sentence where you say something like "Calum has a silly sheep" - Tha caora ghòrach aig Calum.

Adjectives do not lenite when they are in predicate position, that's the type of sentence where you say "The sheep is silly" - Tha a' chaora gòrach.

[Nb: Adjectives in the first position - before the noun - are called ATTRIBUTIVE adjectives. Those in the second position - after the noun - are called PREDICATIVE adjectives.]

Sentence Structure

Typically, Gaelic sentences are formed of:

Verb - Subject - Everything else [adverbs follow the adjectives they're describing]

e.g. 1 - 'Tha sinn a' cluiche geama' (we are playing a game)

THE VERB 'TO BE' - BI

Bi is the singular imperative form, e.g. Bi faiceallach mus tuit thu! - 'be careful before you fall!', but is the headword used in dictionaries; it is one of the ten Irregular Verbs in Gaelic, so may cause confusion.

PRESENT TENSE

Tha is the present tense, independent form of the verb:

e.g. 1 - Tha mi toilichte - I am happy.
e.g. 2 - Chan eil peata aig Anna - Anna does not have a pet.

e.g. 3 - A bheil thu  à Sasainn? - Are you from England?

e.g. 4 - Nach eil e trang? - Isn't he busy?

HABITUAL PRESENT TENSE

Bidh is used to describe things done regularly and repeatedly. This is known as the habitual present. It is used in exactly same way as tha and bha.

Am bi thu a' ruith? - do you run?

Cha bhi i a' tighinn cómhla rinn. 

https://learngaelic.scot/grammar_hacks/bi.jsp

PAST TENSE

Bha is the independent form of the verb in the past tense, with robh being the dependent form:

[Duolingo - Section 2, Unit 9]

Past forms of the verb bi (tha) are independent bha and dependent robh. 

e.g. 1 - Bha mi anns a’ bhàta - I was in the boat,

e.g. 2 - An robh thu toilichte? - were you happy?
e.g. 3 - Cha robh mi sgíth - I was not tired.

FUTURE TENSE

 

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Scottish Gaelic also has emphatic personal pronouns, which are used to emphasise the pronoun. They're also used when introducing oneself or others, e.g. Is mise Gabriel.

Reflective personal pronouns are used when referring back to another noun used int he same clause, e.g. 'Donald loves himself'.

Possessive Pronouns:

PREPOSITIONAL PRONOUNS

Gaelic doesn't have a direct translation for the verb "to have". Instead the preposition aig (at) is used to show possession.

e.g. 1 - Chan eil peata aig Anna.  (Anna does not have a pet - lit. does not have pet at Anna

e.g. 2 - Tha each geal aig Anna.  (Anna has a white horse - lit. has horse white at Anna.)

[! Nb: I initially confused 'aig' with 'air': the former (aig) means 'at' someone and indicates possession; the latter (air) means 'on' someone.]

Agam - I have (aig + mi)

Agad - you have (aig + thu)

Againn - we have (aig + sinn)

Agaibh - you have (aig + sibh)

Aige - he has (aig + e)

Aice - she has (aig + i)

Aca - they have (aig + iad)

Mise / Tusa / Sinne/ Sibhse

These words are used for emphasis or clarification:

Mise: This means 'I' or 'me', e.g. 'Is mise Iain.' (I am Ian.)
Tusa: This means 'you' (singular), e.g. 'Tusa a rinn e.'  (You did it.)

Sinne: This means 'we', e.g. 'Is sinne Calum agus Lilidh.' (We are Calum and Lily.)
Sibhse: This means 'you' (plural), e.g. 'Sibhse a thàinig an seo.'  (You all came here.)

They have been introduced in Duolingo preceded by the word 'Is', e.g.

'Is mise Seumas.' - (Is misha Seumas - I am James.)

'Is mise Anna.' - (I am Anna.)

'Is tusa Iain.' - (You are Iain)

Is sinne Iain agus Máiri.' - (We are Iain and Maíri.)

'Is sibhse na h-oileanaich.' - (iss sheevsha) (You are the students.)

! I found this confusing. Why say 'Is Mise...' when you can say 'Tha Mi...'? ChatGPT to the rescue once more: 

Key Differences:

Context and Emphasis: 'Tha mi' is used for general statements about one's current state or location.
'Is mise' is used to emphasise who you are, especially in introductions or when clarifying identity. Structure:

* 'Tha mi' follows the structure of "subject + verb" and is used with adjectives, locations, and ongoing actions.
* 'Is mise' follows the structure of "copula + emphatic pronoun" and is used with nouns to make a strong, clear statement about identity.

Examples to Illustrate the Difference

* Describing a State: "Tha mi toilichte." - "I am happy." This describes your current emotional state.
* Identifying Oneself:"Is mise an tidsear ùr." - "I am the new teacher." This identifies your role or who you are with emphasis.

Có...?

Có - who (is), where, whom

! Nb: Tusa lenites when preceded by Có:

* Có thusa? (coh oosa - Who are you? (singular)) 

* Có sibhse? (coh sheevsha - Who are you? (plural))

* Use "thusa" (oosa) after prepositions, possessive pronouns, and certain particles that require lenition.

* Use "tusa" in positive statements, questions, and when emphasising "you" without the influence of lenition-causing elements.

The preposition 'á'

Is used to state someone is from (or not from) a particular place. This is often used in response to the question, 'Cò às a tha thu?' - Where are you from?

e.g. 1 Chan eil Màrtainn à Barraigh (Mártainn is not from Barra)

e.g. 2 Tha mi à Barraigh. - I am from Barra.

When a place name has a definite article in front of it, use às instead of à.

This activates the dative: 

e.g. 1 Tha mi às a' Ghearasdan. - I am from Fort William.
e.g. 2 Tha mi às an Òban. - I am from Oban.
e.g. 3 Tha mi às na Hearadh. - I am from Harris.

Orm & Ort

The words 'orm' and 'ort' are prepositional pronouns used to indicate the preposition "on" combined with pronouns:

• Orm - on me, e.g. 'Tha seacaid orm a-nis.'  (ha shak-adge oram a-niss - I have a jacket on now)
• Ort - on you, e.g. 

For a third party, one can use the word 'air', e.g. 'Tha léine shnog air Seumas.' (Seumas has a nice shirt on)

For ownership, 'aig', e.g. 'Tha léine shnog aig Seumas.' (Seumas has a nice shirt)

THE VOCATIVE CASE

This is one of Gaelic's four cases: 

• nominative - the 'normal' case.
• vocative - used when addressing someone.
• genitive - used to indicate possession.
• dative - used when governed by prepositions.

The vocative case is used when directly addressing someone or something. It's like saying someone's name when you're talking to them.

Three rules:

• Add "a": Put an "a" before the name when calling someone.
• Lenite the name, if lenitable.
• Gaelic drops the 'a' for vocative when the next syllable is a vowel.

The terms 'a-nis' & 'an-drásta'

I have been confused as to when I should use these, so consulted ChatPGT which stated the following:

*An-dràsta: Implies a sense of urgency or immediacy. It’s like saying "right now" or "at this exact moment."

e.g. 1 - "Tha mi trang an-dràsta."  (I am busy right now)

e.g. 2 - "Cuir fòn thugam an-dràsta." (Call me right now)

*A-nis: More generally means 'now', without the immediate urgency.

e.g. Tha mi a' dol dhachaigh a-nis."  (I am going home now)

Number Agreement

Aon (one)

The number one in Gaelic cause lenition on the noun that follows whenever possible:  

e.g. 1 - aon + bàta = aon bhàta (one boat)  

e.g. 2 - aon + piseag = aon phiseag (one kitten)

Nb: Aon does not lenite words beginning with s, d and t. It lenites words beginning with b, c, f, g, m and p. 

Dá (two)

The plural form of a noun is not used with the number two in Gaelic; the singular still applies. Dà also causes lenition on the noun that follows:  

e.g. 1 - dà + bàta = dà bhàta (two boats)  

e.g. 2 - dà + piseag = dà phiseag (two kittens)

Trí (three) and more

The accompanying noun is now pluralised

e.g. 1 - trì bàtaichean - three boats 

e.g. 2 - ceithir bàtaichean - four boats 

e.g. 3 - còig piseagan - five kittens

Cia mheud? - How many?

A common alternative to cia mheud is cò mheud, which means the same thing.

Unlike in English, Gaelic uses the singular form of the noun:

bàta - boat
bàtaichean - boats

Cia mheud bàta? - literally 'How many boat?'

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

The definitive article in Gaelic changes according to a noun's gender, case and the number of the noun it defines. Gender is simply a way of classifying nouns which indicates how it behaves in a sentence, nothing more - it's either masculine or feminine.

The basic form of the article is 'an'. 

Feminine Nouns:

an is used before words beginning with:

• consonants - except: b, c, g, m & p; sn, sl, sr & s + vowel
• a vowel.
• 'f' and followed by a vowel (these words are lenited - it appears that the 'fh' is silent).
• 's' with the exception of those that are followed by a vowel and the Non-Lenitable Rebels (n, l & r).

• If one considers an to be the basic form, then only the rules for a' and an t- need to be learned, as by default anything else is an.
• a' is used before words beginning with: b, c, g, m & p. These are lenited.
• an t- is used before: sn, sl, sr & s + vowel

Masculine Nouns:

• an is used before masculine words beginning with: c, g, s, t, d, l, n, & r.
• am is used before masculine words beginning with: b, f, m & p  [! Nb - these are all bilabials]
• an t- is used before masculine words beginning with: a vowel (a, e, i, o & u)
• There are, apparently, very few Gaelic words beginning with 'h', so no specific rule

Plural Nouns:

• Na  is used before plural nouns beginning with a consonant, e.g. Na bàtaichean.
• Na h-  is used before plural nouns beginning with a vowel, e.g. Na h-orainsearan.

Expressing Preferences

[Duolingo - Section 2, Unit 12]

• Am bu toil leat/leibh...? - Would you like...?

            - Bu toil - yes 

            - Cha bu toil - no

• An toil leat/leibh...? - Do you like...?

            - Is toil - yes

            - Cha toil - no

• Nach robh...? - Wasn't there?

Expressing Feelings

Feelings are expressed as being 'on' (air) the person:

e.g. 1-  Tha an t-acras orm - I am hungry (lit. is the hunger on me)

e.g. 2 - Tha an t-eagal air Micheal - Michael is scared (lit. is the fear on Michael)

Unless, the person's feeling is directed at another party, in which case the possessor 'has' the feeling which is 'on' someone else:

e.g. 1 - Tha gaol agam ort - I love you (lit. love I have, on you)

e.g. 2 - Tha gráin aig Lilidh air pinc - Lily hates pink (lit. hate of/at Lily, on pink) 

Ann an vs anns an

Anns is a definite noun. Ann an is used when not using the definite article; 'in (a)' - Ann an/Ann am = in

e.g. 1 - anns an taigh = in the house
e.g. 2 - ann an taigh = in a house

THE DATIVE CASE

Best described as the Prepositional Case. However, the Dative Case does not really apply following non-definite prepositions, though some nouns lenite following a preposition, especially the ones ending in 'o', e.g. ro, tro and bho.

e.g. 1 - Ann am baile - in a town.
e.g. 2 - Aig banca - at a bank.
e.g. 3 - Còmhla ri caraid - with a friend.
e.g. 4 - Air bòrd - on a table.

e,g, 5 - Tro bhaile - through a bank. [Notice the noun lenites!]

The Dative case is used when a definite noun follows a preposition. The rules are exactly the same as for definite feminine nouns (i.e. the feminine noun)

• an is used before words beginning with: 
• consonants - except: b, c, g, m & p; sn, sl, sr & s + vowel
• a vowel.
• 'f' and followed by a vowel (these words are lenited - it appears that the 'fh' is silent).
• 's' with the exception of those that are followed by a vowel and the Non-Lenitable Rebels (n, l & r)
• a' is used before words beginning with: b, c, g, m & p. These are lenited.
• an t- is used before: sn, sl, sr & s + vowel

So, essentially masculine definite articles become 'female', as in the nominative case:

e.g. 1 - an saoghal > anns an t-saoghal [add 'an t-' before 's']
e.g. 2 - am bórd mor  > a' bhórd mhór  [i.e. am becomes a' & is lenited]

Non-Lenitable Consonants (in the Dative Case)

SG, SM, SP, ST, D, L, N, R, T

e.g. 1 - an taigh: Anns an taigh (in the house)

e.g. 2 - an doras: Aig an doras (at the door)

Strictly speaking, feminine nouns should be slenderised (an extra i added) in the dative case.

Consider bòrd:

• bòrd - a table
• am bòrd - the table
• air bòrd - at a table [no article, therefore noun does not change in any way]
• air a' bhòrd - article, so now the dative rules apply; the definite article 'am' reduces an to a', and the moun lenites (just like feminine nouns [in nominative] with an article).

[Nb: for future use - some prepositions take the genitive case: by the side of the lake - ri taobh an locha
above of the mountain - thar na beinne
Pretty much all of those genitive ones can have an "of" in the translation]

Possession in Gaelic

There are two ways to indicate possession:

i) Alienable possession. Use of the definite article before the bound followed by the prepositional pronoun 'aig', 

e.g. 1. - An cat agam - my cat

e.g. 2. - An duine agad - your husband

ii) Inalienable possession. Use of possessive pronouns - i.e. mo, do, etc - which usually causes lenition.

e.g. 1 - mo làmh - my hand
e.g. 2. - do cheann - your head

Nb. when used with vowels, the possessive pronouns are contracted, e.g. d' athair - your father.

Adjectives which precede the noun

As a rule, adjectives come after the noun. However, there are some exceptions, these cause lenition:

Deagh (joo) - good 
Droch (droh-kch) - bad

Adjectives following plural vowels

Adjectives following plural nouns are lenited if possible, but lenition does not apply to adjectives starting with "m" (like "mòr"), along with N, L, R & S+vowels.

e.g. Na daoine mòra.

Le and Leis

• Use "le" when followed by a name, a regular noun, or a vowel sound.
• Use "leis" when followed by the definite article ("an/am"), a pronoun, or for smoother pronunciation.

'S e X a th' ann

This is a common construction in Scottish Gaelic, and I suspect Gàidhlig na h-Èireann, too.

'S - This is a contraction of is, the copula verb "to be" in Gaelic, used here to introduce an equational statement (saying something is equivalent to something else)

e - This is the pronoun "he" or "it," referring to the subject being described. In this construction, it acts as a placeholder for the thing being identified

X - This is the noun or description being inserted, such as togalach ("building") or poileas ("police officer").

a tha - This is a relative clause meaning "that is." a is the relative pronoun "that," and tha is the present tense of the verb bi ("to be").

ann - This means "there" or "in existence," often used to indicate presence or being.

So, literally, 'S e X a tha ann' translates to: "It is X that is there" or "It is X that exists."

List of Gaelic Resources:

Acair Books - https://acairbooks.com/

BBC Gaelic Revision - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zqnygk7

Beag air Bheag - https://www.bbc.co.uk/alba/foghlam/beag_air_bheag/

Ceolas - https://www.ceolas.co.uk/

Ceumannan - https://storlann.co.uk/ceumannan/

Cleachdi - https://www.cleachdi.scot/ [very useful for finding Gaelic events]

Daily Gaelic - https://daily-gaelic-school.thinkific.com/

Duolingo (history of courses) - https://duolingodata.com

e-sgoil - https://www.e-sgoil.com/gaidhlig/

Fandom Gaelic - https://duonotes.fandom.com/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic

Gaelic forum - https://www.foramnagaidhlig.net/ 

Gaelic Grammar Wiki - https://gaelicgrammar.org/

Gaelic Run (Grammar game) - https://gaelicrun.gordonmaloney.info/play

Gaelic suffixes - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Scottish_Gaelic_suffixes

Gaelic with Jason - https://www.youtube.com/c/GaelicwithJason

Google in Gaelic - https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=gd 

Guide to verb 'to be' - https://www.celtic-languages.org/Guide_to_Scottish_Gaelic_to_be,_the_linking_verbs:_substantive_bi,_tha_%26_the_copula_is 

Guide to pronunciation - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Scottish_Gaelic_pronunciation

Learn Gaelic's Grammar Hacks - https://learngaelic.scot/grammar_hacks/

Love Gaelic - https://www.lovegaelic.com/

Slighe - https://www.slighe.org/

The Grammar of Scottish Gaelic - https://lingsocmonash.wordpress.com/2018/04/06/the-grammar-of-scottish-gaelic-part-2/

Notes for future use:

aig is used to express possession (what you have, whether or not you own it)
le is used to express ownership (whether or not you currently have it)

Past tense

In some cases an sin = ann, e.g. Cha robh mi an sin madainn an-dè = Cha robh mi ann madainn an-dè.

I was there yesterday morning - Bha mi ann madainn an-dè

Was she climbing - An robh i a' sreap?

"Tha x ann" is how gaidhlig expresses existentials. It helps to think of it as equivalent to "there is X" vs "X is there", the former describes existence while the latter describes location. It is only by coincidence that English uses the word "there" in both.

Nb:

'Cò às a tha thu' actually means 'who' are you from, i.e. what family or social/clan group are you from. (Which then automatically told people the township, island or area, traditionally speaking.) So it's a traditional way of thinking about place that's all part of the heritage, the 'dualchas', that is built into a language. [Source: https://www.foramnagaidhlig.net/foram/viewtopic.php?t=1965&start=60]

1) When you start a sentence with NACH or any other part of the verb IS, and follow it immediately by a preposition (in this case, LE) you have to insert ANN. I don't know why or how to translate it. I note the two people who have offered translations have ignored it.
2) Yes, LE translates as "with" but note that in Scottish Gaelic, it's only used for ownership, rather than simply "having". For anyone who knows Irish or Welsh, note the difference in that Irish LE and Welsh GYDA (both "with") are used for "having" with no implication of ownership.