Labhrás wrote:
Cúmhaí wrote:
An Sionnach Glic wrote:
I've heard people say 'isteach sa teach"
An Sionnach Glic wrote:
Btw Cúmhaí I've ...
You are right to be skeptical. There are few resources out there that can be considered entirely trustworthy. My approach is if anything is even remotely similar to English to assume it is not correct and to think of some other way to say it.
Until today I probably would have said "dul isteach sa teach" but now that I have seen the two options, I will now favor "dul sa teach isteach" since it is less similar to the English and therefore presumed better until evidence is provided otherwise ;-)
I never thought about word order here.
Searching in Nua-Chorpas na Gaeilge, I must admit there is not a single reference of "sa teach isteach" but 78 citations of "isteach sa teach".
(by native speakers, overall the ratio is 1:283).
More usual would be "isteach sa teach" because you are not actually emphasising 'into' over 'house'... you are making a statement.
I think sometimes it gives a little emphasis to the motion, adds to the storytelling, is not just an ordinary statement:
Seán kicked him OUT the door = Chic Seán an doras amach é. (with the motion of going out the doorway, putting emphasis on the 'amach', the result of the kick... OUT the door.
... but you could just as well say: Chic Seán amach an doras é.
Caitheadh an doras amach é = OUT the door he was thrown.
... but then again you might just as easily say: Caitheadh amach an doras é.
But:
Chuaigh sé amach an doras = He went out the door. Chuaigh sé isteach sa teach = He went into the house.
... it can be a bit of a grey area really...