Passives

The Passive form can be formed using the verbs both 'be' and 'go'. Furthermore, 'be' can be formed using a transitive and a perfective particle.

The Passive

Bhrisd	Iain	a'	ghloinne
break.PAST	Iain	the.sf	glass.sf
'John broke the glass'

(Reed, 2008)

Bhrisd	a'	ghloinne
break.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf
'The glass broke'

(Reed, 2008)

Bha	a'	ghloinne	brisde
be.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	break.va
'The glass was broken.'

(Reed, 2008)

Bha	a'	ghloinne	brisde	le	Iain.
be.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	break.va	*with	Iain
'The glass was broken (*by John).'
Ungrammatical because verbal adjective disallows an agent

(Reed, 2008)

'Go' Passives

Chaidh	a'	ghloinne	a	brisdeadh.
go.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	poss.3sf	break.va
'The glass was broken.'

(Reed, 2008)

Chaidh	a'	ghloinne	a	brisdeadh	le	Iain.
go.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	poss.3sf	break.va	with	Iain
'The glass was broken by John.'

(Reed, 2008)

Perfective Transitive Particle Form

Bha	a'	ghloinne	air	a	brisdeadh.
be.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	perf	tran(poss.3sf)	break.va
'The glass was broken.'

(Reed, 2008)

Bha	a'	ghloinne	air	a	brisdeadh	with	Iain.
be.PAST	the.sf	glass.sf	perf	tran(poss.3sf)	break.va	with	Iain
'The glass was broken by John.'

(Reed, 2008)

Verbal Adjective Constructions

Tha	a'	ghloinne	air	a	brisde
be.PRES	the.sf	glass.sf	break.va
'The glass was broken.'

(Reed, 2008)

Tha	a'	ghloinne	air	a	brisde	le	Iain
be.PRES	the.sf	glass.sf	break.va	with	Iain
'The glass was broken (*by John).'

(Reed, 2008)

• Passive (definition)
• Impersonal (definition)