An Caighdeán Oifigiúil: Chapter 5: Verbs (pp. 69-106)

5.1 Regular Verbs

5.1.1 There are two conjugations of regular verbs.

5.1.2 The First Conjugation concerns:

(a) verbs from monosyllabic roots, e.g. bog, bris, caith, mol, with which are counted verbs ending in -igh, e.g. breoigh, clóigh, cráigh, iaigh, luaigh, reoigh, sáigh;

(b) verbs from polysyllabic roots that end in -áil, e.g. sábháil, tarrtháil; and some specific polysllabic verbs, e.g. adhlaic, ceiliúir, gearán, seachaid, taispeáin, tíolaic.

5.1.3 The Second Conjugation concerns:

(a) verbs from polysyllabic roots ending in -(a)igh, e.g. ceannaigh, imigh;

(b) verbs from polysyllabic roots that end in -(a)il, -(a)in, -(a)ir, -(a)is and that undergo syncope in conjugation, e.g. agair, codail, cogain, iompair, tochail;

(c) a small number of specific verbs such as foghlaim, fulaing, tarraing, tuirling.

5.1.4 The conjugation of a compound verb is usually the same as the verb forming it:

(a) the verbs aisíoc, athdhear and comhlíon are in the first conjugation, in conjunction with íoc, dear and líon; and

(b) the verbs athchomhairligh, comhdhlúthaigh and comhshínigh are in the second conjugation, in conjunction with comhairligh, dlúthaigh and sínigh.

5.1.5 The Subjunctive Mood

(a) If a sentence has an optative function, it is always in the subjunctive mood, e.g. Go raibh maith agat; Go dté tú slán. In the following cases, there is a choice between the present subjunctive mood and the present tense when the verb in the main clause has a primary tense:

(i) after the temporal conjunctions ach a, go, nó go, sula, e.g. Gheobhaimid an scéal ceart ach a dtaga (a dtiocfaidh) Pól; Ná beannaigh don diabhal go mbeannaí (go mbeannóidh) sé duit; Beidh tú ann nó go bhfása (nó go bhfásfaidh) coincleach ort; Beidh siad ann sula mbuailtear (sula mbuailfear) clog an aingil;

(ii) after the final conjunctions go, nó go, e.g. Féach é go bhfeice (go bhfeicfidh) tú; Suigh nó go raibh (nó go mbeidh) do scíth déanta agat;

(iii) in open protasis after mura, e.g. Mura gcuire (mura gcuirfidh) tú, ní bhainfidh tú.

(b)

(i) The forms of the past subjunctive mood are the same as the dependent forms of the imperfect tense (except for the verb bí) (see the Dependent Form, 5.1.8). It is also possible to use the forms of the conditional mood instead of the past subjunctive if the main clause is in the past tense, the imperfect tense or the conditional mood, e.g. Tháinig (thagadh, thiocfadh) sí isteach sula bhfeictí (bhfeicfí) í. For the verb bí, the past subjunctive forms are the same as the conditional mood.

(ii) In the tables in this chapter, the present subjunctive mood is indicated with the particle go. Although it is true that eclipsis follows this particle and some others, the same is not the case for all particles that accompany the subjunctive mood. Lenition follows nár, e.g. Nár fhana sé i bhfad.

5.1.6 The Negative Particle

The negative particle is ní (níor) and it is indicated in the tables in which the negative form is given.

5.1.7 The Independent Form

The independent form is the form of the verb that is used in an explicative affirmative main clause, e.g. bhí mé; ceannóidh sé; mholfadh sí. Unless otherwise stated, the independent form is given in the conjugation in the other part of this chapter, except for in the Present Subjunctive Mood.

5.1.8 The Dependent Form

It is the dependent form that follows conjunctions, relative pronouns and these verbal particles: a/ar (= the relative particle), a/ar (= the amount that), an/ar, cá/cár, dár (de or do + a(r)) and dá (conditional), go/gur, mura/murar, nach/nár, ní/níor, sula/sular (see 10.4.2 and 10.8.2).

Note: it is only in the past tense that the versions ending in -r above are used (but see 5.4.5).

5.1.9 Tense of the Verb with má and nuair

It is the imperfect tense that follows má to convey a future condition, e.g. Déanfaidh mé um thráthnóna é má bhíonn deis agam. It is the future tense that follows nuair when referring to something that will happen later on, e.g. Glan é nuair a thiocfaidh tú isteach amárach.

5.1.10 Muid

One can use muid with the analytical form of the verb in the first person plural in preference to the synthetic forms of the verb (given in the table) in every mood and tense. Equal status is given to the analytical form muid and the synthetic forms in the first person plural.

5.2 The First Conjugation

5.2.1 Verbs from monosyllabic roots that end in a consonant other than -gh

Note: Regular independent verbs are lenited in the indicative past (except for the autonomous form) and imperfect tenses, and in the conditional mood. There is more information in 10.4 on the other cases in which dependent and independent verbs are lenited, and the cases in which they are eclipsed are discussed in 10.8.

(a) It is like mol that regular verbs from monosyllabic roots ending in a broad consonant are conjugated, and verbs from monosyllabic roots ending in a slender consonant are conjugated like bris.

(b) If a root ending in -t or -th (e.g. at, loit, caith, leath) takes an affix beginning with -t- (e.g. -tar/-tear, -taí/-tí, -tá/-teá, -ta/-te), the -t(h)t- becomes -t-:

(c) If a root ending in -bh or -mh (e.g. gabh, ríomh) takes an affix beginning with -th- (e.g. -tha in the verbal adjective), the -bhth-/-mhth- becomes -f-:

(d) Before -f-, the clusters -bh, -mh and -th are maintained, e.g. scríobhfaí, ríomhfá, chaithfeá:

5.2.2 Verbs from polysyllabic roots

Note: For verbs ending in -áil, note that the forms usually take a slender -t-, e.g. athchúrsáiltear, d’athchúrsáiltí, athchúrsáilte; sábháiltear, shábháiltí, sábháilte; but take a broad -f-, e.g. athchúrsálfar, d’athchúrsálfaí; sábhálfar, shábhálfaí.

(a) Verbs that conjugate like sábháil:

(b) Verbs that conjugate like tíolaic:

(c) Verbs that remain slender throughout (not including the verbal noun) in their conjugation:

(d) Verbs that remain broad throughout in their conjugation:

Note: Verbs from the roots adhain, adhair and sleabhac undergo syncope in their conjugation as if they came from the roots adhn-, adhr-, sleabhc-, e.g. adhnann sé, adhrfaidh sí, sleabhctha, except in the analytical past tense, e.g. d’adhain sé, d’adhair sí, shleabhac siad, and in the verbal adjectives for adhain, adhair, e.g. adhainte, adhartha.

5.2.3 Verbs from monosyllabic nouns ending in -gh

A) Cráigh, dóigh

Note: For verbs that conjugate like cráigh and dóigh, note that the forms usually take a slender -t-, e.g. chráiteá, cráitear; dhóiteá, dóitear, but a broad -f-, e.g. cráfaidh tú, chráfaí; dófaidh tú, dhófaí.

(a) Verbs that conjugate like cráigh, dóigh:

(b) Verbs with a specific verbal noun:

B) Léigh, nigh

For verbs with a short vowel in their root, the vowel is left unlengthened before -t, e.g. nitear, niteá, nite, but ním, níodh, nífí, etc. However, léigh, etc. maintain a long vowel throughout, e.g. léitear, léiteá, léite.

(a) Verbs that conjugate like léigh:

(b) Verbs that conjugate like nigh:

(c) Verbs with a specific verbal noun:

5.3 The Second Conjugation

5.3.1 Verbs from polysyllabic roots ending in -(a)igh

Note: Note that it is verbs from polysyllabic roots ending in -aigh that conjugate like beannaigh, and the ones ending in -igh conjugate like cruinnigh; but there are exceptions in the verbal noun (see 5.5.2) and the odd exception in the verbal adjective, e.g. dathaigh, daite; dlúthaigh, dlúite; táthaigh, táite.

5.3.2 Verbs from polysyllabic roots ending in -(a)il, -(a)in, -(a)ir, -(a)is that undergo syncope in conjugation

(a) Verbs that conjugate like ceangail:

(b) Verbs that conjugate like díbir:

5.3.3 Other verbs in the Second Conjugation

(a) Verbs from roots ending in -aim, -(a)ing do not undergo syncope:

(b) Other verbs that don’t undergo syncope:

5.4 Irregular Verbs

5.4.1 There are eleven irregular verbs. They are: abair, beir, bí, clois/cluin, déan, faigh, feic, ith, tabhair, tar, téigh.

5.4.2 The irregular verbs do not keep the same root throughout their conjugation and some have a special dependent form.

5.4.3 The root of the verb in the imperfect and the past tense are the same in all irregular verbs, e.g. cloisimid, chloisimis; deirim, deirinn; tugann sí, thugadh sí. Apart from bí, the present subjunctive mood is also the same, e.g. go gcloise; go ndeire; go dtuga.

5.4.4 The root of the verb in the future tense and the conditional mood are the same in all irregular verbs, e.g. déarfaidh mé, déarfainn; déanfaidh tú, dhéanfá; tabharfaidh siad, thabharfaidís.

5.4.5 The Dependent Form

The dependent form follows conjunctions, relative pronouns and these verbal particles: a/ar (the relative particle), a/ar (i.e. an méid a/ar), an/ar, cá/cár, dá/dár (from de/do + a(r)) and dá (conditional), go/gur, mura/murar, nach/nár, ní/níor, sula/sular (see 10.4.2 and 10.8.2). The dependent form is given with ní or go in the tables.

(a) The above particles are used with the irregular verbs in the same way that they are used with regular verbs.

However, the versions ending in -r of those particles are not used in the past tense, indicative mood, with the verbs abair, bí, déan (for forms beginning with dearn-), faigh, feic, téigh.

(b) The verb abair is not lenited at all, e.g. ní deirim (deirimis, dúirt sé, déarfainn), má deir tú (deiridís), na rudaí a déarfaidh (a déarfadh) sé.

(c) The relative particle a joins with the verb bí in the present tense – atáim, atá, atáimid, atáthar. Before the subjunctive forms of bí, the form ná is used instead of nár, e.g. Ná raibh maith agat.

Note: As mentioned in 5.4.5(b), the verb abair is not lenited in any instance.

*a bheith is usually used, except for after chun or certain simple prepositions, e.g. chun bheith, as bheith, gan bheith, le bheith.

Note: Note that déan is a regular verb except for in the past tense, and that the past tense is conjugated in two distinct ways, as shown in the table above. In the first of them, the dependent and independent forms of the verb are also distinct.

Note: Feic is a regular verb, apart from in the past tense.

Note: Ith is a regular verb, except in the future tense and the conditional mood.

5.5 The Verbal Noun

5.5.1 Verbal Nouns in the First Conjugation

In the table below, the various types of verbal noun in the first conjugation are shown.

5.5.2 Verbal Nouns in the Second Conjugation

In the table below, the various types of verbal noun in the second conjugation are shown.

5.6 Declension of the Verbal Noun

5.6.1 The Genitive

(a) the form of the genitive of the verbal noun is usually the same as the verbal adjective in the cases explained in the table below:

Note: There is no regular genitive according to one of the declensions (see 3.3.4) for verbal nouns ending in -(e)adh or a long vowel, e.g. bearradh, cló, cónaí.

(b) The genitive of the noun, according to the declension to which it belongs, is used:

(i) for certain verbal nouns:

(ii) for regular nouns that are used to perform the function of verbal nouns without any further verbal conjugation:

Note: For the verbal nouns of the type listed in (b)(ii) above, there is no form for the verbal adjective. There are also some certain verbal nouns lacking a verbal adjective form, e.g. achainí, uair na hachainí; fónamh, fear fónaimh; gol, racht goil; guí, faoi bhrí na guí; maireachtáil, slí mhaireachtála.

(iii) for the alternative versions that many verbal nouns have to convey continuity, frequency, abstraction, noise, strength, secondary meaning or a single action, e.g. aistriú to aistriúchán; liú to liúireach:

(c) There are some verbal nouns that have two forms in the genitive – the form of the verbal adjective and the form according to the noun declensions:

(i) The form of the verbal adjective is used when an object accompanies the verbal noun.

(ii) The other form is used when the verbal noun has a nominal or adjectival function.

5.6.2 The Plural

There are some verbal nouns that are used as regular nouns as well. They have a plural form according to the declension to which they belong.

(a) In the case of verbal nouns ending in -(e)adh, it is usual to put -taí (-tí) in place of -(e)adh if the root ends in -ch, -d, -l, -ll, -n, -rr, -s or -t, and -thaí (-thí) if it ends in another consonant, e.g. baisteadh, baistí; casadh, castaí; cinneadh, cinntí; moladh, moltaí; pósadh, póstaí; tarscaoileadh, tarscaoiltí; bloscadh, bloscthaí; colscaradh, colscarthaí; crapadh, crapthaí; loscadh, loscthaí; madhmadh, madhmthaí; scríobadh, scríobthaí; speireadh, speirthí; tíolacadh, tíolacthaí, or a handful of times -teacha, -thacha, e.g. filleadh, fillteacha; gearradh, gearrthacha.

(b) In the case of polysyllabic verbal nouns ending in -(i)ú, this is replaced with -(u)ithe, e.g. athrú, athruithe; ceartú, ceartuithe; cruinniú, cruinnithe; fiosrú, fiosruithe; míniú, mínithe; ordú, orduithe; scrúdú, scrúduithe; toiliú, toilithe.

(c) In the case of verbal nouns ending in -áil, the l is broadened and -acha is added, e.g. admháil, admhálacha; ofráil, ofrálacha.

(d) In the case of verbal nouns ending in -cht, to this -aí is added, e.g. gluaiseacht, gluaiseachtaí; and -í is added to verbal nouns ending in -lt, -nt, -rt, e.g. bagairt, bagairtí; creidiúint, creidiúintí; oscailte, oscailtí; tairiscint, tairiscintí.

(e) In the case of monosyllabic verbal nouns ending in a vowel, -nna is added or, occasionally, -ite, e.g. breo, breonna; brú, brúnna; cló, clónna; dó, dónna; liú, liúnna; meá, meánna; sú, súnna; crú, crúite; rá, ráite; sá, sáite.

5.7 The Verbal Adjective

5.7.1 Prefixes to the Verbal Adjective

The prefixes do-, in-, so- are used with verbal adjectives to create participles, e.g. dochoiscthe, dofheicthe, doghluaiste, dothuigthe, indéanta, inscrúdaithe, sofheicthe, sofhoghlamtha, sophacáilte. (See 4.12 for more information on the verbal adjective.)