Idir dhá chomhairle: What’s with idir (between and both)?

The word ‘idir’ can cause a small bit of confusion among learners. Does it mean ‘between’ or ‘both’? Well, it can mean either of those words. The word itself is used in many different phrases too and you may have used it before without realising what it truly meant.

Some examples of phrases using idir

• idir dhá chomhairle (lit. between two minds i.e. conflicted)
• idir fhir agus mná (men and women alike)
• idir X agus Y (between X and Y)
• idir neamh is talamh (lit. between heaven and earth but means everything is ‘up in the air’ in this sense e.g. tá rudaí idir neamh agus talamh).
• idir dhá cheann na meá (lit. between the two heads of the scales but means as in things could go either way e.g. to hang in the balance / a bheith idir dhá cheann na meá).
• idir dhá linn (between time)
• Tá mé idir eatarthu (lit. I’m between the two of them, the two options)

For all persons in the singular, idir is followed by the appropriate pronoun

Why does idir have different forms in the singular?

You may be confused by the eadrainn, eadraidh, eadarthu forms in the above table. Why does idir not have forms like its plural counterparts e.g. eadram (idir mé). Well, let’s consider the awkwardness of clearly inflecting “idir” for one person when another is also involved. For example, consider “eadram agus é” versus “idir mé agus é”.

Particularly, given that “idir” focuses on comparing on constrasting two things by their very nature, “eadram agus é” is sort of lopsided. And it’s unusual to have “idir” with just “mé”, so there aren’t too many contexts where you’d even be using a bare “eadram” (i.e. one not followed by something else) Whereas “eadrainn” comes up a lot e.g. coinnigh eadrainn é (keep it between us).

Older singular forms these days would be very rare to see. As an example, the singular form ‘eadrum’ is found in Bedell’s Bible, which was translated by native speakers in the 17th century:

Gn9:12: Aguſ a duḃaiɼt Día, agſo coṁaɼṫa an ċunnaɼṫa do ním eadɼum féin aguſ ſiḃſi aguſ gaċ uile ċɼétúiɼ béo dá ḃfuil maille ɼiḃ, a ngeinealaċuiḃ ſíoɼɼuiḋe.

You can see the early forms here “etrom” and such as well or check out Léamh.org which is more focused on Early Modern Irish, so closer to Modern Irish than much of what you’d get in DIL.

If using idir for ‘both’ there will be lenition on the following noun. For example:

1. Bhí idir bhuachaillí agus chailíní sa seomra: There were both boys and girls in the room.
2. Idir bheag agus mhór: Both small and big

If using idir for ‘between’ in terms of distance between two places or in terms of time then there’s no lenition. For example:

1. idir Baile Átha Cliath agus Cill Dara / between Dublin and Kildare [Distance]
2. idir meánoíche agus a haon a chlog / between midnight and one o’clock [Time]
3. idir uaireanta itheacháin / between eating times [Time]

Note: Except for ‘idir dhá linn’ which does have to do with time but “dhá” is permanently lenited. Except in “an dá” (or in non-standard stuff where it’s possible to get “a dá” and “a ndá”).

What the Caighdeán Oifigiúil says about idir on pg 174.

It translates as follows:

10.2.5 After certain simple prepositions

The noun is lenited after the simple prepositions as follows – (proceeds to list but we’re jumping to (d))

(d) idir, when to do with alike/both e.g. idir bheag agus mhór; idir chailíní agus bhuachaillí. The noun is not lenited that comes after agus or is in the case that it starts with d, t, or s e.g. idir shúgradh is dáiríre; idir mhná rialta agus sagairt:

Tá idir fhocail agus phictiúir sa leabhar.
Beidh idir dhaoine óga agus seanóirí i láthair.

Note that you do not lenite a noun after idir when eatarthu (between) is meant e.g. idir Corcaigh agus Gaillimh; idir breith agus baisteadh; idir tithe; idir béilí:

Bhí an páiste ina dhúiseacht idir meán oíche agus breacadh an lae.
Thosaigh troid idir beirt fhear lasmuigh den siopa.

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