Verb Inflection

Past Tense

Declarative

With regular verbs in declarative context, the past tense is formed by leniting the first consonant of the imperative. With vowel initial forms, one prefixes an orthographic <dh'> (pronounced as [ɣ] before broad vowels and [j] before slender ones). Forms beginning with f, are both lenited and preceded by <dh'>

Imperative	Past Tense	English
fàg!	dh'fhàg	left
ionnsaich	dh'ionnsaich	learnt
pòg!	phòg	kissed
obair!	dh'obair	worked
sabaid!	shabaid	fought
sgrìobh!	sgrìobh	wrote
ruith	ruith	run
seas!	sheas	sat
teasgaisg!	theagaisg	taught
tog	thog	lifted

chart based on a similar one in Fisher (2004)

In Negatives, Questions and Embedded Clauses

In negatives, questions and declarative embedded clauses, the verb takes its dependent form. In the past tense the dependent form is usually identical to the normal past, but preceded by the particle do. Do is required in formal speech and in prescriptive writing but is often left out in rapid speech. Some dialects (e.g. Lewis) tend to leave the particle off more frequently.

Past Tense	Question	Negation	Negative Question	Embedded clause	English
phòg	an do phòg	cha do phòg	nach do phòg	gun do phòg	kissed
dh'obair	an do dh'obair	cha do dh'obair	nach do dh'obair	gun do dh'obair	worked
shabaid	an do shabaid	cha do shabaid	nach do shabaid	gun do shabaid	fought
sheas	an do sheas	cha do sheas	nach do sheas	gun do sheas	sat
thog	an do thog	cha do thog	nach do thog	gun do thog	lifted

chart based on a similar one in Fisher (2004)

Relative Future

see also Relative Future

External Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic_grammar#Verb_forms_and_tense

References

• Fisher, Muriel (2004) Scottish Gaelic Level 2. Each-Mara Productions.
• Mark, Colin (200X) Gaelic Verbs: Systemised and Simplified. Savage Publishers.
• https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0809&L=GAIDHLIG-B&D=0&P=81674