Difference between revisions of "Abair (irregular verb)"

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(→‎Impersonal/Passive Voice)
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Gaelic verbs don't technically have a [[Passive (definition)|Passive]] verb form. Instead the passive is typically represented through a [[Periphrastic (definition)|periphrastic]] construction using the verbs ''Rach'' or ''Tha'' + the passive marker ''air''. It does, however, have an [[Impersonal (definition)|impersonal]] form. The '''Impersonal''' is used to indicate an indeterminate subject. ''thuirteadh''  can be best translated as "someone said".  When used with a pronoun, the pronoun represents the logical object of the verb. So "thuirteadh e" means "Someone said it".  This is often translated as "it was said", hence the typical "passive" label.  
 
Gaelic verbs don't technically have a [[Passive (definition)|Passive]] verb form. Instead the passive is typically represented through a [[Periphrastic (definition)|periphrastic]] construction using the verbs ''Rach'' or ''Tha'' + the passive marker ''air''. It does, however, have an [[Impersonal (definition)|impersonal]] form. The '''Impersonal''' is used to indicate an indeterminate subject. ''thuirteadh''  can be best translated as "someone said".  When used with a pronoun, the pronoun represents the logical object of the verb. So "thuirteadh e" means "Someone said it".  This is often translated as "it was said", hence the typical "passive" label.  
  
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Since Gaelic doesn't distinguish between subject and object pronouns (unlike it's sibling [[Modern Irish]]), it is very difficult to determine if these pronouns are subjects or objects. We list them here as if they were subjects, with the understanding that the pronouns in the following tables represent the logical objects of the verb (the person who was said, not the sayer).
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Since Gaelic doesn't distinguish between subject and object pronouns (unlike it's sibling [[Modern Irish]]), it is very difficult to determine if these pronouns are subjects or objects. We list them here as if they were subjects, with the understanding that the pronouns in the following tables represent the logical objects of the verb (the thing that was said, not the sayer).
  
 
====Past tense====
 
====Past tense====
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{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
 
{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
 
! !!Declarative!!Question!!Negative!!Negative Question||Relative Future<sup>1</sup>
 
! !!Declarative!!Question!!Negative!!Negative Question||Relative Future<sup>1</sup>
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|-
 
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! 1
 
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|cluinnear mi ||an cluinnear mi ||cha chluinnear mi||nach cluinnear mi||a chluinnear mi
 
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|-
 
−
!2
 
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|cluinnear thu ||an cluinnear thu ||cha chluinnear thu||nach cluinnear thu||a chluinnear thu
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
!3 masc
 
!3 masc
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|cluinnear e||an cluinnear e||cha chluinnear e||nach cluinnear e||a chluinnear e
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|theirear e||an abrar e||cha abrar e||nach abrar e||a theirear e
 
|-
 
|-
 
!3 fem
 
!3 fem
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|cluinnear i||an cluinnear i||cha chluinnear i||nach cluinnear i ||a chluinnear i
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|theirear i||an abrar i||cha abrar i||nach abrar i ||a theirear i
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|-
 
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! 1 pl
 
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|cluinnear sinn ||an cluinnear sinn ||cha chluinnear sinn||nach cluinnear sinn||a chluinnear sinn
 
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|-
 
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!2
 
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|cluinnear sibh ||an cluinnear sibh ||cha chluinnear sibh||nach cluinnear sibh||a chluinnear sibh
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
!3 pl
 
!3 pl
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|cluinnear iad||an cluinnear iad||cha chluinnear iad||nach cluinnear iad||a chluinnear iad
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|theirear iad||an abrar iad||cha abrar iad||nach abrar iad||a theirear iad
 
|}
 
|}
 
Notes
 
Notes

Revision as of 20:51, 30 July 2012

The irregular verb Abair means "to say". Abair is one of 11 irregular verbs in Gaelic. I

Uses

A common idiomatic usage: when used by itself, it means something along the line "what a" or "Say, look"

  • Abair latha math 'what a good day'
  • Abair duine laghach "what a nice man'
  • Abair car breagha 'what a beautiful car'

Summary of forms

  • Independent forms of the verb abair are used without any particles.
  • Dependent forms of the verb abair are used after an, nach, gun and other verbal particles.
  • Unlike regular verbs, the dependent past tense particle do is never used with abair.


context independent After Cha(n) Dependent
basic forms active past thuirt (or thubhairt) tuirt
Future their abair
Relative Future --- their
impersonal1 past thuirteadh tuirteadh
future theirear abrar
relative future --- theirear
Conditional Mood active theireadh2
(theirinn1 in 1st singular) 		abradh2
(abrainn1 in 1st sing)
impersonal theirte abairte
Imperative Mood 2nd person singular abair1,3 ---
plural abairibh1,3
verbal noun radh

Notes:

  • 1 these forms are not used with any subject, they contain the subject in the inflection of the verb (Pro-Drop)
  • 2 takes tu rather than thu in the 2nd person.
  • 3 Abair is rarely used to mean "Say" in the imperative, instead the regular verb can is more often used.

Non Conditional Moods (indicative, interrogative, negative)

Active Voice

Past tense

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question embedded
1 thuirt mi an tuirt mi cha tuirt mi nach tuirt mi gun tuirt mi
2 thuirt thu an tuirt thu cha tuirt thu nach tuirt thu gun tuirt thu
3 masc thuirt e an tuirt e cha tuirt e nach tuirt e gun tuirt e
3 fem thuirt i an tuirt i cha tuirt i nach tuirt i gun tuirt i
1 pl thuirt sinn an tuirt sinn cha tuirt sinn nach tuirt sinn gun tuirt sinn
2 pl thuirt sibh an tuirt sibh cha tuirt sibh nach cuala sibh gun tuirt sibh
3 pl thuirt iad an tuirt iad cha tuirt iad nach tuirt iad gun tuirt iad


Present tense

As is common in Gaelic, there is no present tense form of the verb. When a simple present meaning ("I say something") or a progressive meaning (I am saying something) is intended, the periphrastic construction is used with the present tense of the verb bi (be), i.e., tha, along with the verbal noun.

Tha mi ag ràdh
be.pres 1s prog say.vn
I'm saying/I say

Future tense

The future tense in Gaelic is used to express the idea that an event will happen sometime after the speech time. Unlike English, the future tense can also be used with a present tense meaning, to express the idea that an action is habitual.

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question Relative Future1
1 their mi an abair mi cha abair mi nach abair mi a their mi
2 their thu an abair thu cha abair thu nach abair thu a their thu
3 masc their e an abair e cha abair e nach abair e a their e
3 fem their i an abair i cha abair i nach abair i a their i
1 pl their sinn an abair sinn cha abair sinn nach abair sinn a their sinn
2 pl their sibh an abair sibh cha abair sibh nach abair sibh a their sibh
3 pl their iad an abair iad cha abair iad nach abair iad a their iad

Note:

  1. the relative future is used after certain particles such as ma or the particle used with questions a.


Impersonal/Passive Voice

Gaelic verbs don't technically have a Passive verb form. Instead the passive is typically represented through a periphrastic construction using the verbs Rach or Tha + the passive marker air. It does, however, have an impersonal form. The Impersonal is used to indicate an indeterminate subject. thuirteadh can be best translated as "someone said". When used with a pronoun, the pronoun represents the logical object of the verb. So "thuirteadh e" means "Someone said it". This is often translated as "it was said", hence the typical "passive" label.

Since Gaelic doesn't distinguish between subject and object pronouns (unlike it's sibling Modern Irish), it is very difficult to determine if these pronouns are subjects or objects. We list them here as if they were subjects, with the understanding that the pronouns in the following tables represent the logical objects of the verb (the thing that was said, not the sayer).

Past tense

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question
3 masc thuirteadh e an tuirteadh e cha tuirteadh e nach tuirteadh e
3 fem thuirteadh i an tuirteadh i cha tuirteadh i nach tuirteadh i
3 pl thuirteadh iad an tuirteadh iad cha tuirteadh iad nach tuirteadh iad

Notes:


Present tense

The use of a passive in the present tense is odd, even in English. We leave this blank here.


Future tense

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question Relative Future1
3 masc theirear e an abrar e cha abrar e nach abrar e a theirear e
3 fem theirear i an abrar i cha abrar i nach abrar i a theirear i
3 pl theirear iad an abrar iad cha abrar iad nach abrar iad a theirear iad

Notes

  1. the relative future is used after certain particles such as a the particle used with questions, or ma "if".

Conditional Mood

Active

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question
1 chluinninn1 an cluinninn cha chluinninn nach cluinninn
2 chluinneadh tu2 an cluinneadh tu cha chluinneadh tu nach cluinneadh tu
3 masc chluinneadh e an cluinneadh e cha chluinneadh e nach cluinneadh e
3 fem chluinneadh i an cluinneadh i cha chluinneadh i nach cluinneadh i
1 pl chluinneadh sinn (chluinneamaid3) an cluinneadh sinn (an cluinneamaid3) cha chluinneadh sinn (cha chluinneamaid3) nach cluinneadh sinn (nach cluinneamaid3)
2 pl chluinneadh sibh an cluinneadh sibh cha chluinneadh sibh nach cluinneadh sibh
3 pl chluinneadh iad an cluinneadh iad cha chluinneadh iad nach cluinneadh iad

Notes:

  1. The 1st person singular form is never used with an overt pronoun, the verb contains the pronoun already.
  2. The pronoun tu is used here instead of thu
  3. The 1st person plural has a special inflected form, which like the first person singular is never used with a pronoun. This 1st person plural form is rarely used anymore.


passive

Declarative Question Negative Negative Question
1 chluinnte mi an cluinnte mi cha chluinnte mi nach cluinnte mi
2 chluinnte thu an cluinnte thu cha chluinnte thu nach cluinnte thu
3 masc chluinnte e an cluinnte e cha chluinnte e nach cluinnte e
3 fem chluinnte i an cluinnte i cha chluinnte i nach cluinnte i
1 pl chluinnte sinn an cluinnte sinn cha chluinnte sinn nach cluinnte sinn
2 pl chluinnte sibh an cluinnte sibh cha chluinnte sibh nach cluinnte sibh
3 pl chluinnte iad an cluinnte iad cha chluinnte iad nach cluinnte iad


Imperative Mood

The Imperative mood is used when giving a command. 2nd person imperatives are the most common. In English these are translated with by just the verb "Hear!". 1st and 3rd person imperatives translated loosely as "Let me hear", "let us hear", "let he/she/them hear". The 1st person plural and third person imperatives are the same as the conditional forms except without lenition

person form
singular 1 cluinneam1
2 cluinn1
3 masc cluinneadh e
3 fem cluinneadh i
plural 1 cluinneamaid1
2 cluinnibh1
3 cluinneadh iad

Notes

  1. The 1st and 2nd person forms are used without subject pronouns.


References

  • Black, Ronald (2006) Cothrom Ionnsachaidh Peebles: Self-published.
  • Byrne, Michel (2002) Gràmar na Gàidhlig. Eilean Leòdhais: Stòrlann-Acair.
  • Deiseal Earranta tta (2006) Reference Cards: Sealbhairean Roimhearach/Riochdairean Roimhearach.
  • Mark, Colin (2004) The Gaelic-English Dictionary/Am faclair Gàidhlig-Beurla. London: Routledge
  • Mark, Colin (2006), Gaelic Verbs: Systemised and Simplified" 2nd Edition. Edinburgh: Steve Savage Publishers. http://www.savagepublishers.com/138.html
  • Lamb, William (2003) Scottish Gaelic. 2nd edition. Munich: Lingcom Europa
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