Divehi to Irish: two people, a named group and an institution are different counts
Plural marking does not provide an exact headcount
A Divehi message can refer to several people, to one named person and their companions or to an institution acting through its members. These expressions all involve people, but they do not supply the same information for an Irish translation. Establish the intended group before choosing a counting expression.
Gnanadesikan explains that Divehi human nouns take plural marking even when plurality is already clear from context. That grammatical requirement does not mean every human plural identifies a specific number. A reference to people can remain numerically open unless the source supplies a count.
The Foras na Gaeilge dictionary describes beirt in its personal-number use as referring to two people. It explicitly allows the two to be considered together or separately. The word therefore establishes a count, rather than independently proving that the people travelled, worked or arrived together.
For an attendance message, retain both facts when the source gives them: how many people are involved and whether they form a joint party. A translation can correctly count two attendees while still giving the wrong impression about whether they are expected together.
A named person and companions do not become several people with that name
The Divehi grammar describes -men̊ with names and kinship terms as an associative plural. Its example involving Maumoon means that person and an associated group. The group is not a collection of individuals all sharing the name, and the expression alone does not fix how many companions belong to it.
If a Divehi source says a named guest and their party are coming, preserve the group relationship without guessing its size. An Irish expression specifically counting two would add information unless the source or surrounding conversation establishes that only one companion is involved.
This matters for accommodation or transport. A host can know whose party is arriving without knowing the number of places required. Keep that uncertainty visible rather than letting a compact target reference silently settle the booking.
The dictionary also records beirt in uses referring back to things or animals. Its range should therefore not be reduced to an absolute claim that every occurrence necessarily names humans. In the personal-count use discussed here, read the noun or previous reference that establishes what is being counted.
An institution’s plural form need not identify separate institutions
Gnanadesikan notes that Divehi institutions can take human plural marking when their members perform an action. Her government example illustrates a collective institution treated through the people who act for it. A visible human plural does not automatically report several governments.
For an Irish translation of an organizational announcement, separate the institution from any named representatives. The source may attribute a decision to the organization without stating that exactly two officials made it. A personal counting expression would require additional support from the message.
Check the finished account by identifying the group’s basis: an explicit numeral, a named person with associates or an institution acting collectively. Then retain any actual number separately. This preserves the Divehi reference without turning a plural grammatical form into an invented headcount or treating two individually mentioned people as an inseparable party.
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