i ndán

See also: indan

Irish

Etymology

Literally “in fate”. The homophony with in ann (“able”) in some accents has led some authors to believe the two are the same form, e.g. Sjoestedt-Jonval who gives táim i ndán as the orthography of [t̪ˠɑːi̯mʲ ə n̪ˠɑ̃ːn̪ˠ] “I can”.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /əˈn̪ˠɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /əˈn̪ˠɑːnˠ/, /əˈn̪ˠɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /əˈn̪ˠaːnˠ/, /əˈn̪ˠaːn̪ˠ/
• Homophone: in ann (some accents)

Adjective

i ndán (predicative only)

1. in store [with do ‘for’] (as fate)

   Bhí an bás i ndán dó.

   Death was in store for him; he was fated to die.

   má tá sé i ndán daoibh casadh ― if you are fated to return

   Cá bhfios nach dá chlaíomh féin atá i ndán a mharú.

   Who knows but that it is his own sword that is destined to kill him.

   má tá i ndán go… ― if it turns out that…

2. to happen (as the predicate of is in hypotheticals)

   dá mba i ndán go… ― if it should happen that…

   mura i ndán is nach bhfeicfinn arís é ― in case I shouldn't see him again

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “i ndán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 87