Thoir (irregular verb)
The irregular verb Abair means "to give", "to take with", "to take from", depending upon which preposition it is used with. their is one of 11 irregular verbs in Gaelic.
Contents
Uses
- thug do "gave
- thug le take with thug mi leam an leabhar I took the book with me. THe preposition is obligatory.
- thug bho "take from"
Summary of forms
- Independent forms of the verb their are used without any particles.
- Dependent forms of the verb their 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 | Dependent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| basic forms | active | past | thug | tug | |
| Future | 3 | ||||
| Relative Future | --- | ||||
| impersonal1 | past | ||||
| future | 3 | ||||
| relative future | --- | ||||
| Conditional Mood | active | X2 (X1 in 1st singular) |
X2,3 (X1,3 in 1st sing) | ||
| impersonal | X | X | |||
| Imperative Mood | 2nd person | singular | X1,3 | --- | |
| plural | X1,3 | ||||
| verbal noun | X | ||||
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.
Non Conditional Moods (indicative, interrogative, negative)
Active Voice
Past tense
| Declarative | Question | Negative | Negative Question | embedded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | thug mi | an tug mi | cha tug mi | nach tug mi | gun tug mi |
| 2 | thug thu | an tug thu | cha tug thu | nach tug thu | gun tug thu |
| 3 masc | thug e | an tug e | cha tug e | nach tug e | gun tug e |
| 3 fem | thug i | an tug i | cha tug i | nach tug i | gun tug i |
| 1 pl | thug sinn | an tug sinn | cha tug sinn | nach tug sinn | gun tug sinn |
| 2 pl | thug sibh | an tug sibh | cha tug sibh | nach tug sibh | gun tug sibh |
| 3 pl | thug iad | an tug iad | cha tug iad | nach tug iad | gun tug 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 | chan abair mi | nach abair mi | a their mi |
| 2 | their thu | an abair thu | chan abair thu | nach abair thu | a their thu |
| 3 masc | their e | an abair e | chan abair e | nach abair e | a their e |
| 3 fem | their i | an abair i | chan abair i | nach abair i | a their i |
| 1 pl | their sinn | an abair sinn | chan abair sinn | nach abair sinn | a their sinn |
| 2 pl | their sibh | an abair sibh | chan abair sibh | nach abair sibh | a their sibh |
| 3 pl | their iad | an abair iad | chan abair iad | nach abair iad | a their iad |
Note:
- 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 |
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 | chan abrar e | nach abrar e | a theirear e |
| 3 fem | theirear i | an abrar i | chan abrar i | nach abrar i | a theirear i |
| 3 pl | theirear iad | an abrar iad | chan abrar iad | nach abrar iad | a theirear iad |
Notes
- 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 | theirinn1 | an abrainn | chan abrainn | nach abrainn |
| 2 | theireadh tu2 | an abradh tu | chan abradh tu | nach abradh tu |
| 3 masc | theireadh e | an abradh e | chan abradh e | nach abradh e |
| 3 fem | theireadh i | an abradh i | chan abradh i | nach abradh i |
| 1 pl | theireadh sinn (theireamaid3) | an abradh sinn (an abramaid3) | chan abradh sinn (chan abramaid3) | nach abradh sinn (nach abramaid3) |
| 2 pl | theireadh sibh | an abradh sibh | chan abradh sibh | nach abradh sibh |
| 3 pl | theireadh iad | an abradh iad | chan abradh iad | nach abradh iad |
Notes:
- The 1st person singular form is never used with an overt pronoun, the verb contains the pronoun already.
- The pronoun tu is used here instead of thu
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 masc | theirte e | an abairte e | chan abairte e | nach abairte e |
| 3 fem | theirte i | an abairte i | chan abairte i | nach abairte i |
| 3 pl | theirte iad | an abairte iad | chan abairte iad | nach abairte iad |
Imperative Mood
The imperative of abair is rarely used to mean "say!". Instead it often has the meaning of "What an X" Abair an duine What a guy!".
To express an imperative meaning say, most speakers will use the regular verb can instead.
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
