Bi (irregular verb)

The irregular verb bi is one of two verbs "to be" in Gaelic. It is often called the substantive be (as opposed to the copula Is). It is used

Bi is also used as the primary auxiliary

Bi is one of 11 irregular verbs in Gaelic. It uses an irregular suppletive form in the simple past and the impersonal past. These forms (along with the active relative future), and active conditional irregularly require that when using a 2nd person singular (you), that the pronoun surfaces as tu instead of thu.

Summary of forms

• Independent forms of the verb bi are used without any particles.
• Dependent forms of the verb bi are used after an, nach, "cha(n)" and other verbal particles (except cha).
• Unlike regular verbs, the dependent past tense particle do is never used with tha.

context			independent	After Cha(n)/gun/nach	after a'/an question particle
basic forms	active	past	bha	robh
		Present	tha	eil	bheil
		Future	bidh/bithidh
		Relative Future1	---
	impersonal1	past
		future
		relative future	---
Conditional Mood	active		bitheadh/biodh (bithinn2 in 1st sing)		2 in 1st sing)
	impersonal		(in Lewis)		(in Lewis)
Imperative Mood	1st person	singular	2	---
		plural	2
	2nd person	singular	2
		plural	2
	3rd person
verbal noun			(sometimes)

Notes:

• ¹ with the relative future and impersonal forms of this verb, the pronoun tu is used instead of thu
• ² these forms are not used with any subject, they contain the subject in the inflection of the verb (Pro-Drop)

Non Conditional Moods (indicative, interrogative, negative)

Active Voice

Past tense

	Declarative	Question	Negative	Negative Question
1	Bha mi	an robh mi	Cha robh mi	nach robh mi
2	Bha thu	an robh thu	Cha robh thu	nach robh thu
3 masc	Bha e	an robhl e	Cha robh e	nach robh e
3 fem	Bha i	an robh i	Chan robh i	nach robh i
1 pl	Bha sinn	an robh sinn	Cha robh sinn	nach robh sinn
2 pl	Bha sibh	an robh sibh	Cha robh sibh	nach robh sibh
3 pl	Bha iad	an robh iad	Cha robh iad	nach robh iad

Present tense

	Declarative	Question	Negative	Negative Question
1	Tha mi	a' bheil mi	Chan eil mi	nach eil mi
2	Tha thu	a' bheil thu	Chan eil thu	nach eil thu
3 masc	Tha e	a' bheil e	Chan eil e	nach eil e
3 fem	Tha i	a' bheil i	Chan eil i	nach eil i
1 pl	Tha sinn	a' bheil sinn	Chan eil sinn	nach eil sinn
2 pl	Tha sibh	a' bheil sibh	Chan eil sibh	nach eil sibh
3 pl	Tha iad	a' bheil iad	Chan eil iad	nach eil iad

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	bithidh mi	am bi mi	cha bhi mi	nach bi mi	a bhitheas mi
2	bithidh thu	am bi thu	cha bhi thu	nach bi thu	a bhitheas tu2
3 masc	bithidh e	am bi e	cha bhi e	nach bi e	a bhitheas e
3 fem	bithidh i	am bi i	cha bhi i	nach bi i	a bhitheas i
1 pl	bithidh sinn	am bi sinn	cha bhi sinn	nach bi sinn	a bhitheas sinn
2 pl	bithidh sibh	am bi sibh	cha bhi sibh	nach bi sibh	a bhitheas sibh
3 pl	bithidh iad	am bi iad	cha bhi iad	nach bi iad	a bhitheas iad

Note:

1. the relative future is used after certain particles such as ma or the particle used with questions a.
2. Note that in the relative future the pronoun tu is used in lieu of thu.

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Impersonal/Passive Voice

FIX FIX FIX FIX FIX FIX

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. X can be best translated as "someone heard". Use of a pronoun is completely optional. So "XXX" is a completely well-formed sentence. When used with a pronoun, the pronoun represents the logical object of the verb. So "chualas mi" means "Someone heard me". This is often translated as "I was heard", 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 person who was heard, not the hearer).

Past tense

	Declarative	Question	Negative	Negative Question
1	chualas mi	an cualas mi	cha chualas mi	nach cualas mi
2	chualas tu1	an cualas tu	cha chualas tu	nach cualas tu
3 masc	chualas e	an cualsa e	cha chualas e	nach cualas e
3 fem	chualas i	an cualas i	cha chualas i	nach cualas i
1 pl	chualas sinn	an cualas sinn	cha chualas sinn	nach cualas sinn
2 pl	chualas sibh	an cualas sibh	cha chualas sibh	nach cualas sibh
3 pl	chualas iad	an cualas iad	cha chualas iad	nach cualas iad

Notes:

1. The pronoun tu is used here instead of thu

Present tense

The use of a passive in the present tense is odd, even in English. But if forced, one would use a passive periphrastic construction using the present tense of the verb bi followed by the derived subject followed by air and finally the verb in verbal noun form:

Tha	mi	air	cluinntinn
be.pres	1s	passive	hear.vn
"I am heard"

Future tense

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