Caibidil a Cúig: Prepositions (Réamhfhocail)

A simple preposition "for" as in English does not exist in Irish. For is used quite widely in partially very different uses in English ("for a week ", "for 10 dollars ", "only for you ", "good for him " etc.). In Irish one must use different prepositions:

for in a temporal sense

• ar feadh ("on duration ") or go ceann ("until head "): is used, if the action introduced by the duration has already ended (with other words: other verbs than bí)
  Tháinig sé ann ar feadh seachtaine = He came here for a week
• le ("with"): is used, if the time at the moment of speaking the action, or a third party action, has just been ended, or is still going on, mostly with the verb bí, in German more often seit instead of für, in English more perfect or past perfect
  Bhí mé ann le seachtain = I was there for a week, I was there since a week

for a purpose

• le haghaidh ("with face "):
  Cheannaigh mé sin le m'aghaidh = I bought it for myself

for a favor

• do ("to"):
  Rinne mé sin dó = I did that for him

for a goal

• ar son ("on well-being "):
  Rinne mé ar son an airgid é = I did it for the money
  Glacaigí agus ithigí uile é seo: óir is é seo mo chorp a thabharfar ar bhur son = Take and eat all of this, for this is my body, given for you.
• de/mar gheall ar ("of/as promise on "), in Ulster

for an amount of money

• ar ("on"):
  Cheannaigh mé ar phúnt amháin é = I bought it for a pound

gratitude for

• as ucht ("out of chest "), as ("out"):
  Go raibh maith agat as an gcabhair = Thank you for the help
• ar son ("on well-being "), more common in Ulster

good for

• do ("to"):
  maith dó = good for him, olc duit = bad for you

for = in place of

• thar cheann ("over head "):
  Bhí sé ann thar mo cheann = he was there for me

for something (i.e. pro-)

• i leith ("in side") or i bhfabhar ("in favor"), ar thaobh ("on side ")
  Tá mé i leith fanacht anseo = I'm for staying here , Tá sé ar thaobh Shasana = He's for England

for = of its kind

• mar le ("as with ")
  is breá an aimsir í, mar le geimhreadh = For Winter, it's delightful weather!
• de ("of")
  Is fear maith é d'fhear Sasanach = He is a good man for an Englishman.
• maidir le ("considering")
  Maidir le Sasanach níl sé ag déanamh go holc = For an Englishman he doesn't do that badly.