The Verbal Noun. Past and Future of "to be"
by Myles Dillon
T he English present participle is expressed by the preposi- tion ag (ig) "at" and a verbal noun: td se ag teacht "he is coming", td se ag 61 "he is drinking". The verbal noun of regular verbs is usually formed by adding -adh (pron. a) to the stem, and, if there is an object, it appears in the genitive case: td se ag dunadh an dorais "he is shutting the door" (lit. "at shutting of the door"); td se ag gearradh adhmaid "he is cutting wood"; tdid ag baintfheir "they are mowing hay" (see p. 14). briseadh (brisha) bualadh (booala) casadh (kosa) dunadh (doona) gearradh (gyara) Honadh (leena) magadh (moga) stracadh (sdroka) Regular Verbal Nouns breaking, to break striking, to strike turning, to turn shutting, to shut cutting, to cut rilling, to fill, mocking, to mock tearing, to tear Some Irregular Verbal Nouns (see Lesson XX) baint (bwint) cailliuint (ko-lodnt) cur dul fanuint (fo-nodnt) feachaint (feeachint) iarraidh(eearig) taking, to take; cutting, to cut losing, to lose putting, to put going, to go waiting, to wait looking, to look asking, to ask; trying, to try 44 61 drinking, ra. (raa) rith (rih) scriobh (shgree, shgreev) stad (sdod) teacht (tacht) LESSON VI to drink saying, to say running, to run writing, to write stopping, to stop coming, to come 45 The past of td, like the present, has absolute and dependent forms. The future has only one set of forms: Past Absolute Sg. 1 do bhios (vees) 2 do bhis (veesh) 3 dobhise (vee she) PL l do bhlomair (veemir) bhiobhair (veeoor) bhi sibh (vee shiv) 3 dobhiodar (veedar) Future Dependent rabhas (rous) bead (bed) rabhais (roush) beir (ber) raibh se beidh se (rev she) (be she) 2 do h rabhamair (roumir) rabhabhair (rouoor) raibh sibh (rev shiv) rabhadar (roudar) beimid (bemeed) beidh sibh (be shiv) beid (bed) beidsiad The verbal noun of td is bheith "to be". { VOCABULARY abhaile (a-vali) home amach (a-mdch) out amaireach (a-maarach) to- morrow aris (a-reesh) again ar maidin (er-madin) this morning a thuilleadh (a-hili) any more bearradh (bara) clipping, shaving, to shave buaint (booint) reaping, to reap caint (kaynt) f. talk; ag caint talking coirce (korki) m. oats eile (eli) other 46 IRISH faechaim (feeachim) ar / look at, watch fos (fos) yet, still garda (gaarda) m. civic guard leis (lesh) also; with him; ag caint leis talking to him obair (obir) f. work; ag obair working piocadh (pyuka) picking, to pick; pioctha (pyukihi) picked prata (praata) m. potato ra (raa) saying, to say sasta (saasda) satisfied scuabaim (sgooabim) / sweep tarrac (torak) drawing, to draw teacht (tacht) coming tuirseach (tir-shoch) tired Exercise 14 1. Taimid ag 61 uisce. 2. Bhiomair ag caint leis an ngarda. 3. An raibh Sean anso ar maidin? 4. Do bhi; agus bhi se ag feachaint ar an gcapall 6g. 5. An rabhais ag caint leis? Bhios. 6. Beidh se ag teacht aris amaireach. 7. Ta na fir ag briseadh chloch ar an mbothar. 8. Ca bhfuil na garsuin eile? 9. An bhfuilid ag piocadh na bpratai? 10. Taid tuir- seach anois, agus nil na pratai go leir pioctha fos. 11. Beid siad ag dul abhaile amaireach, agus rri bheid ag teacht a thuilleadh. Exercise 15 1. They were cleaning the windows. 2. We were working on the roads. 3. Will you be coming again tomorrow? 4. Are you going home now? 5. The priest is saying Mass now. 6. Margaret and Eileen are watching the men reaping the oats. 7. Will they be clipping the horses? 8. No; it is cold still. 9. Were they breaking the stones? 10. No; they were bringing (drawing) in the hay. 11. She is sweeping the floor. 12. We are tired, but we are not satisfied yet. .