Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 17

Seas, _stand_, Seasamh.

10. The following Verbs form the Infinitive irregularly:--

Beuc, _roar_, Beucaich.

Buir, _bellow_, Buirich.

Geum, _low_, Geumnaich.

Glaodh, _cry_, Glaodhaich.

Caisd, _listen_, Caisdeachd.

Eisd, _hearken_, Eisdeachd.

Marcaich, _ride_, Marcachd.

Thig, _come_, Teachd, tighinn.

Faigh, _find_, f.a.ghail, faotainn.

Eirich, _rise_, Eirigh.

Iarr, _request_, Iarraidh.

Taisg, _lay up_, Tasgaidh.

Coidil, _sleep_, Codal.

Fuaigh, _sew_, Fuaghal.

Gluais, _move_, Gluasad, gluasachd.

Tuit, _fall_, Tuiteam.

Teirig, _wear out_, Teireachduinn.

Teasairg, _deliver_, Teasairgin.

_Compound Tenses._

The _compound Tenses of the first order_ are made up of the several simple Tenses of the auxiliary verb Bi _be_, and the Infinitive preceded by the Preposition ag _at_. Between two Consonants, ag commonly loses the _g_, and is written _a'_; as, {83} ta iad a' deanamh _they are doing_. Between two Vowels, the _a_ is dropped, and the _g_ is retained; as, ta mi 'g iarruidh _I am asking_. When preceded by a Consonant, and followed by a Vowel, the Preposition is written entire, as, ta iad ag iarruidh _they are asking_.

When preceded by a Vowel, and followed by a Consonant, it is often suppressed altogether; as, ta mi deanamh _I am doing_[53].

The _compound Tenses of the second order_ are made up of the simple Tenses of Bi and the Infinitive preceded by the Preposition iar _after_[54].

Pa.s.sIVE VOICE.

_Simple Tenses._

The _Preterite_ Affirm. and Negat. is formed from the same Tense in the Active, by adding _adh_. The Preter. Subj. adds _teadh_.

The _Future_ is formed from the Fut. Act. by changing the Terminations in the Affirm. and Subj. into _ar_, (more properly _far_, as of old) and adding the same syllable in the Negative.

The _Imperative_ is formed from the Imperat. Act. by adding to the second pers. sing. _tar_, _thar_, or _ar_.[55]

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The _Participle_ is formed by adding _te_ to the Root[56].

There is no distinction of Number or Person in the Tenses of the Pa.s.sive Voice.

Verbs which suffer a syncope in the Infinitive, suffer a like syncope in the Pret. Aff. and Neg. throughout the Future Tense, and in the Imperative.

_Compound Tense._

The _compound Tenses of the first order_ are made up of the simple Tenses of the auxiliary Bi and the Pa.s.sive Participle.

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The _compound Tenses of the second order_ are made up of the simple Tenses of _Bi_ and the Infinitive preceded by the Preposition _iar_ and the Possessive p.r.o.noun corresponding in Person to the p.r.o.noun, or to the Noun, which is the Nominative to the verb.

_Use and Import of the Moods and Tenses._

The _Affirmative_ or _Indicative_ Mood expresses affirmation, and is used in affirmative propositions only, as, Do bhuail mi _I struck_, bha mi ag bualadh _I was striking_.

The _Negative_ or _Interrogative_ Mood is used in negative propositions and interrogative clauses, after the Particles ni _not_, cha _not_, nach _which not_, _that not_, _not?_ mur _if not_; also, gu, gur, _that_, an, am, whether used relatively or interrogatively; as, cha d'fholaich mi _I did not hide_, mur buail sinn _if we shall not strike_, nach robh iad _that they were not_, gu robh iad _that they were_; am buail mi? _shall I strike?_ It is used in the Future Tense after ged _although_; as, ged bhuail e mi, _though he strike me_[57].

The _Subjunctive_ Mood is used in the Preterite, either with or without conjunctions; as, bhuailinn _I would strike_, na'm, mur, nach, &c., buailinn _if, unless, &c., I should strike_. In the Future it is used only after the conjunctions ma _if_, o, o'n _since_, and the Relative _a_ expressed or understood; as, ma bhuaileas mi _if I shall strike_, am fear a bhuaileas mi _the man {86} who will strike me_, or _the man whom I shall strike_; an uair a bhuaileas mi, tra bhuaileas mi _the time [in] which I shall strike, i. e., when I shall strike_; c'uin [cia uine] a bhuaileas mi?

_what [is] the time [in] which I shall strike? i. e., when shall I strike?_

The _Imperative_ Mood expresses desire, whether purpose, command, or request; as, buaileam _let me strike_, buailibh _strike ye_.

The _Infinitive_[58] is, in all respects, a noun, denoting the action or energy of the verb, and commonly preceded by a Preposition which marks the time of the action; as, ag bualadh _at striking_, am bualadh _the striking, the threshing_. It a.s.sumes a regular genitive case, bualadh g. s. bualaidh; as, urlar-bualaidh _a threshing floor_. The Infinitive sometimes loses the termination, and is regularly declined in its abridged form; thus, cruinnich _a.s.semble_, inf. cruinneach-adh per. apocop. cruinneach g. s.

cruinnich; hence, aite-cruinnich _a place of meeting_, Acts xix. 29, 31, so, fear-criochnaich, Heb. xii. 2, fear-cuidich, Psalm x.x.x. 10, liv. 4, ionad-foluich, Psalm x.x.xii. 7, cxix. 114, litir-dhealaich, Matt. v. 31[59].

There is no part of the Active Voice that can, strictly speaking, be denominated a Participle. The Infinitive preceded by the Preposition ag _at_, corresponds in meaning to the present Participle; and preceded by iar _after_, it corresponds to the participle of the past time; as, ag bualadh _at striking_, or _striking_; iar bualadh _after striking_, or _struck_[60].

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Many words, expressing state or action, take the Preposition _ag_ before them, and may be considered as Infinitives of Verbs, whereof the other parts are not in use; as, ag atharrais _mimicking_, ag gaireachdaich _laughing_, a' fanoid, a' magadh _mocking_, _jeering_.

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The _Participle_ pa.s.sive is an adjective, denoting the completion of the action or energy expressed by the verb; as, arbhar buailte _threshed corn_.

The _Simple Tenses_ which belong to all verbs are the Preterite or Future, besides which the verb Bi to _be_, and the defective verb Is I _am_, have a Present Tense[61].

The _Present_ expresses present existence, state, or energy.

The _Preterite Affirmative_ and _Negative_ expresses past time indefinitely. The _Preterite Subjunctive_ corresponds to the English Tenses formed by the auxiliaries _would_, _could_, &c. In general it denotes that the action or energy of the verb takes place eventually or conditionally.

The Pret. Aff. or {89} Neg. is used sometimes in this sense, like the English, when the Pret. Subj. occurred in the preceding clause of a sentence, as, na'm biodh tus' an so, cha d' fhuair mo bhrathair bas, _if thou hadst been here, my brother had not [would not have] died_; mur bitheamaid air deanamh moille bha sinn a nis air pilltinn air ar n-ais, _if we had not lingered, we had [should have] now returned_, Gen. xliii. 10.

The _Future_ marks future time indefinitely. This Tense is used in a peculiar sense in Gaelic, to signify that an action or event takes place uniformly, habitually, according to ordinary practice, or the course of nature. Thus; Blessed is he that _considereth_ the poor, expressed according to the Gaelic idiom, would be, Blessed is he that _will consider_, &c. A wise son _maketh_ a glad father, in Gaelic would run, A wise son _will make_, &c. Your patient, I am told, is in a bad way; he neither _enjoys_ rest, nor _takes_ medicine. Nay, his situation is worse than you know of; yesterday, he became delirious, and is now almost unmanageable; he _tosses_ his arms, and _endeavours_ to beat every one within his reach. In Gaelic, _will enjoy--will take--will toss--will endeavour_. In like manner, a great many Gaelic Proverbs express a general truth by means of the Future tense; _e.g._, bithidh duil ri fear feachd, ach cha bhi duil ri fear lic, _There _is_ hope that a man may return from war, but there _is_ no hope that a man may return from the grave_; literally, there _will be_ hope--there _will be_ no hope. Teirgidh gach ni r' a chaitheamh, _every thing_ wears _out in the using_; literally,--_will wear_ out[62].

The _Compound Tenses_ mark different modifications of time, {90} which will be easily understood by a.n.a.lysing their component parts.

In the _Active Voice_, the compound tenses of the first order denote that the action is going on, but not completed at the time specified by the auxiliary verb, or its adjuncts; as, ta mi ag bualadh, _I am at striking_, i.e., _I am striking_; bha mi ag bualadh an de, _I was striking yesterday_.

Those of the second order denote that the action is newly completed and past, at the time marked by the auxiliary verb; ta mi iar bualadh, _I am after striking_, i.e., _I have struck_, _Je viens de frapper_; Bha mi iar bualadh, _I was striking_, i.e., _I had struck_.

In the _Pa.s.sive Voice_, the compound tenses of the first order denote that the action is _finished_ at the time marked by the auxiliary verb; ta mi buailte, _I am struck_.

Those of the second order denote that the action is _newly finished_ at the time marked by the auxiliary[63]; ta mi iar mo bhualadh, _I am after my striking_, or, _I am after the striking of me_, which has always a pa.s.sive signification; that is, it is always understood, from this form of expression, that _striking_ is the action of some agent different from the person struck. It is equivalent to _I have been struck_, _Je viens d'etre frappe_.

A set of Compound Tenses, of a structure similar to these last, having the preposition ag, in place of iar, is sometimes used, and in a pa.s.sive sense, denoting that the action is _going on_ at the time marked by the auxiliary; as, tha 'n tigh 'g a thogail, _the house is at its building_, i.e., _a-building_; sea bliadhna agus da fhichead bha 'n teampull 'g a thogail, _forty and six years was this temple in building_. John ii. 20, 1 Kings vi.