"Múinteoir is ea an bhean."

Translation: The woman is a teacher.

[Asskrha1234]

why have the ¨ea¨ at all?

[ginagillen]

what's wrong with the teacher is a woman?

[galaxyrocker]

The an is before "woman" not "teacher". Also, note that this is emphasis (the woman is a teacher)

[skahmed]

What about 'Is múinteoir an bhean'?

[galaxyrocker]

Close. It'd be Is múinteoir í an bhean, since with a definite noun, the object pronoun is needed.

But, yes, that would work. And there is a difference between the two phrases, with the one given by the problem Múinteoir is ea an bhean being emphasis ("The woman is a teacher")

[becky3086]

I too put "The teacher is a woman". I knew there was no "an" before teacher but I just didn't understand to turn the whole sentence around. I kept thinking that made it a question but, of course, it doesn't. It is always odd for me that I can't translate a sentence in Irish without hearing the whole sentence. You can't translate as you read the sentence.

[KPatrickWV]

Whoa, what's going on with the syntax here? Why is it not VSO?

[SeamusWeixel]

I believe the copula does that for emphasis. It drives me to distraction. It is explained at http://nualeargais.ie/gnag/kopul5.htm#unbestimmtes%20Prädikat.

[alan290737]

In english we emphasize a word by saying it louder. In irish we do it by altering the word order.

In this sentance "teacher" is being emphasized

[MicheleTreCaffe]

learning another language is a bit like an American learning about another country: 'what?! they LIKE their nationalized healthcare??!!!'