18. The Verb

1. The root of the Gaelic Verb is the Second Person Singular of the Imperative Mood-

E.G. Buail, strike (thou); òl, drink (thou).

The Regular Gaelic Verbs can be divided conveniently into two groups:

GROUP A:- THE CONSONANT GROUP

i.e., All verbs beginning with a consonant (except f followed by a vowel).

E.G. tilg, throw; cum, hold; tog, lift; freagair, answer.

GROUP B:- THE VOWEL GROUP

i.e., All verbs beginning with a vowel (or f followed by a vowel).

E.G. òl, drink; ith, eat; fàg, leave.

TENSE FORMATION

2. The Gaelic Verbs - with the exception of tha, bheil, is - have no simple Present Tense.

E.G. I struck, Bhuail mi: a definite verbal form. But, 'I strike' is rendered into Gaelic thus:-

Tha mi a' bualadh = literally, I am at striking. The present tense (so called), then, is a "Compound" of the verb 'Bi' and the 'Verbal Noun' of the verb to be translated.

3. Let, us, then, take for the present discussion the three Principal Parts of the Verb, namely:

The Root Verb, The Past Tense, and The Future Tense.

In GROUP A, the past tense is formed by aspirating the root verb, and the future tense by adding 'idh' to the root. Thus:

	Roots	Past	Future
tilg	throw	thilg	tilgidh
till	return	thill	tillidh
freagair	answer	fhreagair	freagairidh

Note that, when the vowel of the root verb is broad (a,o,u), the future ending is 'aidh.' E.G.

gearr, cut	gheàrr	gearraidh
cum, hold	chum	cumaidh
tog, lift	thog	togaidh

GROUP B. These form the past tense by prefixing dh' to the root, and the future tense just like group A.

E.G.	ith, eat	dh'ith	ithidh
	imich	dh'imich	imichidh
but,	ol, drink	dh' òl	òlaidh

4. Verbs in F followed by a vowel form their future tenses just like the verbs of the other two grous, but the past tense is formed in two steps, as it were, thus:

First - by prefixing dh' to the now aspirated root.

Second - by prefixing dh' to the now aspirated root. E.G.

Root.	Past.	Future.
folaich, hide	dh'fholaich	folaichidh
fan, stay/remain	dh'fhan	fanaidh
fosgail, open	dh'fhosgail	fosgailidh
		*(fosglaidh)

Thus the formation of the Past Tense of these (f + vowel verbs is really a "combination" of these methods of Groups A and B.

VOCABULARY

PERSONAL NAMES

Iain, John	Seumas, James
Calum, Malcolm	Péigi, Peggy
Mòr, Sally, Sarah	A Mhòr, O ! Sally!

VERBS

caidil, sleep	paisg, fold
seas, stand	cruinnich, gather
gabh, take

ADVERBS

as, out of; out	dhachaidh	homeward
ann, in it; there	dachaidh

NOUNS

bainne, milk	sòbhraichean, primroses
airgiod, money	leabaidh, a bed

X. - LEUGHADH

Iain! Tha do leabhar air a' bhòrd. Tog e agus cuir air an t-suidheachan e. Có chuir ann e? Chuir Seumas, ach cuiridh mise anns a' chiste e. Tilg clach air a' chat sin, agus buail an cù leis a' bhata. Có mharbh an sionnach an dè? Mharbh mise, ach bhris Calum a chas le maide. Dhòirt a' mhaighdean an sùgh anns an t-soitheach agus dh' òl am balach e. Phaisg am fear an t-iasg anns a' phàipier. Shuidh am fear anns an t-seómar, ach sheas a' bhean anns an dorus. Chaidil a' chuileag air an làr, ach dùisgidh i am màireach. Dh' éirich mise anns a' mhaduinn agus dh' òl mi bainne. Chunnaic mi sealgair anns a' choille, bata ann an abhainn, sneachd air na cnuic, searrag ann an slochd. Có dh' òl am bainne as an t-soitheach? Dh' òl Màiri am bainne agus dh' ith i an t-aran. Seas air an stòl, a Mhòr, agus cuir as an solus. Bha Màiri agus Seonaid anns an achadh an dé; bhuain iad sòbhraichean agus thug iad dachaidh iad. C'àit' an robh Péigi agus Mòr? Bha iad a muigh air an t-sràid. Agus c' uin' a thainig iad dachaidh iad. Thainig iad an raoir, ach chaill Mòr a sporan. Bha toll air an sporan agus thuit an t-òr gus an làr. Tog an t-òr, a Mhòr. Dh' éirich Mòr agus chruinnich i an t-òr agus chuir i ann an soitheach e. Ghabh iad an suipeir agus chàirich Mòr an toll air an sporan.

QUESTIONS

An ith e aran?	Ithidh e aran , or,
Will he eat bread?	Cha 'n ith e aran.
Nach òl e bainne?	Olaidh e bainne, or
Will he not drink milk?	Cha 'n òl e bainne.
Dé rinn e?	Dh' òl e bainne.
What did he do?	Bhuail e dorus, etc
Dé nì e?	Olaidh e bainne, or, ithidh e aran, or,
What will he do?	buailidh e dorus, etc.

Further questions on these lines should now be introduced so as to bring into use the various tenses of the verbs dealt with in the lesson.

XI. - LEUGHADH

READING EXERCISES ON THE F VERBS.

Fàg do leabhar air a' bhòrd, 'Iain, agus freagair a' cheist so. Dh' fhag e an leabhar agus fhreagair e a' cheist. Fosgail do leabhar, a Chaluim, agus leugh sgeulachd. "Fuirich gus am maireach," fhreagair Calum. Dh' fheòraich am maighstir de 'n ghille, "Có dh' fhàg a bhoineid anns an sgoil?"

"Freagraidh mi sin am màireach," ars' am balach. Fuirich thusa aig an taigh, a Mhàiri, agus fritheil an leanabh. "Cha fhritheil mise gu math e," arsa Màiri, "ach fàgaidh mi aig Seonaid e. "C' ait' am beil i an dràsda?" dh' fheòraich a mathair. "Fosgail an dorus agus chì thu i." Dh' fhosgail iad an dorus agus thàinig Seonaid a steach.

VOCABULARLY

leugh, read.	arsa (ars'), says (said).
sgeulachd, story.	fritheil, attend.
ceist, a question.	an dràsda, just now.