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Two earlier examples, which show the most regular form of the genitive will be quoted. Cladach and cruach are masculine and feminine respectively. With definite articles, in the genitive and coupled with ceann, they are ceann a’ chladaich (cyown uh CHLAteech) and ceann na cruaiche (cyown nuh CROOeechuh). Notice how the masculine noun is aspirated by the article a’, and its final syllable is slenderised from A to AI with a slenderisation of pronunciation resulting. Notice also how the feminine article becomes na, and does not cause lenition, and how the second syllable of cruach slenderises. Cruach also gains a third syllable, which forms an E ending. For feminine nouns beginning with a vowel the article becomes na h-; as in Cnoc na h-Eaglaise - The Hillock of the Church. (Note that na h- is the same for both genders in nominative plurals before a vowel).

Generally articles applying to masculine nouns in the genitive become similar to feminine nouns in the nominative. So, a’ applies to lenitable words like cladach, whilst an applies to non-lenitable nouns like lochan (small loch) and nouns beginning with a vowel like allt. The latter gives us Taigh an Uillt (Tie un Ooltch) - Taynuilt. An t- applies to nouns beginning with an S, like sruth (sroo), meaning a current or stream, giving Creag an t-Sruith (crayk un TROOee), Strathyre. Here, after heavy rain, a jet of water runs down the face of a large boulder.