On the contrary, it is quite common. If you have a verb with an object (déanaim rud) and you need to use the verbal noun then the construction becomes rud a dhéanamh, e.g., ba mhaith liom rud a dhéanamh.

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

A Bhreandán,

GRMMA for the reply. I have been getting a lot very prompt response here from a lot very helping people, appreciate it!

I understand that you have to use "a + verbal noun" say to "to do". "I have water to drink." "I have things to do", etc.

However, in the sentence "I want it", "Táim á iarraidh.", there is no "a" in the statement sentence (which should be a dropped "ag" in this case), because there is no verb "to". Therefore, I thought the question would be "Cad atá tú iarraidh?", without the "a", is it not right?

Another question related to this, so is it right to think that after "ag" and "a", it has to be the verbal noun to follow?

Thanks a million!

Song

you have to put an "a" there because the object of "iarraidh" (which is "cad") is before.
You say: rud a iarraidh ; an rud atá mé a iarraidh ; cad atá tú a iarraidh?.



yes. However, there are many "a" words in Irish... You may find a conjugated verb after "a" (an rud a dhéanaim = the thing I do) but it's not the same "a" as the one you use before a verbal noun. But normally, conjugated verbs don't look like verbal nouns and vice-versa so normally it's easy to see the difference.

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

A Lughaidh,

Thank you very much for the reply.



I thought the "a" in "atá=a+tá" plays the part for being behind "cad"?

What if I only want to say "What do you want?" rather than "What do you want to do"?



Am I correct to understand the "a" after the conjugated verb means"that/which" and before a verbal noun means "to" (as in "to do"?)




Song

yes, that's right



What do you want = Cad atá tú a iarraidh? (cad is the direct object of iarraidh)
What do you want to do = Cad atá tú ag iarraidh a dhéanamh? (cad is the direct object of "déanamh"), ie. what are you at-wanting to do?


before the conjugated verb, yes.



yes.

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