INTRODUCTION WHAT IS A VERB ?
A verb is a word which generally conveys an action of some sort, although it may not always be to do with simple movement. So common verbs in English are BREAK, RUN, WALK, TELL, DISCUSS etc
When you look up an Irish verb in a dictionary the entry will be for what is known as the verb stem (or root) Eg CUIR to put, BRIS to break, ABAIR to say and DÓIGH to burn.
The Glance Card shows this verb stem in the first column, because it also doubles as the imperative form* for the second person singular. (*imperative: ‘Tell the truth!’, ‘Walk away’)
Do not confuse this with the infinitive**, which is what many people would expect to find in a dictionary. The infinitive is mostly (but not always) different from the stem. After you read all the instructions given here for both sides of the card, go back and see if you can find the four examples on the card where the imperative is the same as the infinitive.
**The Infinitive:
The construction ‘To + simple form of verb, but used as a noun, adverb or adjective
To run away was the only solution.
‘to run’ used as a noun
The grandmother came to the house to tell a story.
‘to tell’ used as an adverb (to explain why she came)
The grandmother always had a story to tell.
‘to tell’ used as an adjective (to further explain ‘story’)
HOW MANY TYPES OF VERB ARE THERE IN IRISH ?
Irish has three main types of verb. These are known as
First conjugation (or type 1) and sometimes also referred to as short verbs
Second conjugation (or type 2) and sometimes also referred to a long verbs
Irregular verbs
WHAT MAKES A VERB IRREGULAR ?
The basic definition of irregularity is common to most European languages and means that the verb stem changes completely when going to another tense.
In English we say “I go to the shops” but in the past tense it becomes “I went to the shops” so the stem has changed completely from go to went. Not many English speakers would even think of this as an irregular verb simply because they have been saying it correctly from about the age of three. But anyone learning English as a second language has to hear and understand this.
The same thing happens in Irish: some verb stems change when going from one tense to another. The good news is that while English has at least 200 irregular verbs Irish has only 11.
In addition to the stem change some of these 11 verbs have other slight peculiarities but they are mostly beyond the scope of the Glance Card.
TELLING THE DIFFERENT VERB TYPES APART
You will have to learn the 11 irregular verbs off by heart pretty quickly so the main question remaining is how do you distinguish between the rest, namely the First and Second conjugations ? Here are the rules:
If a verb stem has one syllable it always belongs to the first conjugation.
Simple examples are bris, meaning to break and cuir meaning to put
This also includes those of one syllable where the stem ending is – igh, but the stem itself contains a long vowel or diphthong (examples are dóigh (to burn) and buaigh (to win).
It also includes those where the stem ending is – igh but the stem itself does not contain a long vowel or diphthong (examples are suigh (to sit down), and nigh (to wash). These verbs, while technically first conjugation, actually use second conjugation endings everywhere except in the future and conditional, but they are still classed as first conjugation. Most textbooks fail to identify these verbs at all, which causes big problems for Irish language learners.
If a verb stem has two syllables it generally belongs to the second conjugation
About half of all second conjugation verbs have a second syllable ending in -igh (eg coinnigh (to keep).
Most of the remaining second conjugation verbs have two syllables of which the second ends in –in, or –il, or -ir, or –is.
There are a handful of other endings found in the second conjugation eg –aim and –ing. In addition, any two syllable stems ending in -(a)ic belong to the first
conjugation.Remember also that by putting a prefix onto a verb you are just changing the usage and not its basic structure so ath-scríobh means to rewrite and is still first conjugation; fo-lig means to sub let and is still first conjugation.
So what are the exceptions ? Well if a verb with a two syllable stem has a fada in the second syllable then its counted as first conjugation and so it uses the first conjugation endings (eg TIONÓIL meaning to collect and COIMEÁD meaning to keep) Try pronouncing it with the wrong endings and you’ll soon see why
In addition, any two syllable stems ending in -(A)IC belong to the first conjugation. Remember also that by putting a prefix onto a verb you are just changing the usage and not its basic structure so
ath-scríobh means to rewrite and is still first conjugation
fo-lig means to sub let and is still first conjugation
So what are the exceptions?
If a verb with a two-syllable stem has a fada in the second syllable, then its counted as first conjugation and uses the first conjugation endings (eg tionóil meaning “to collect” and coimeád meaning “to keep”). Try pronouncing it with the wrong endings and you’ll soon see why.
In addition, any two syllable stems ending in -(a)ic belong to the first conjugation. Remember too that by putting a prefix onto a verb you are just changing the usage and not its basic structure so:
ath-scríobh means to rewrite and is still first conjugation
fo-lig means to sub let and is still first conjugation
WHAT CAN THE CARD SHOW ME ?
Using the card you will be able to find and add the correct endings for any verb type when using the three main tenses: namely the past, the present and the future.
You can form three types of grammatical construction in each tense. This example uses the past tense:
Affirmative statement - Joe broke the Window - Bhris Joe an fhuinneog
Negative statements – Joe didn’t break the Window – Níor bhris Joe an fhuinneog
Questions - Did Joe break the window – Ar bhris Joe an fhuinneog ?
IS THAT THE WHOLE STORY ?
There are certain other types of grammatical construction that you will eventually need but the card does not go this far so don’t get flustered trying to make it work
Negative question – Didn’t Joe break the Window ? Nár bhris Joe an fhuinneog ?
Affirmative indirect speech – Sam said that Joe broke the window – Dúirt Sam gur bhris Joe an fhuinneog
Negative indirect speech - Sam said that Joe didn’t break the window – Dúirt Sam nár bhris Joe an fhuinneog
Likewise, the past present and future are the most commonly encountered tense, and that’s what the card concentrates on, but there are others that won’t be found on the card .
The past habitual – Joe used to break windows
The conditional - Joe would break windows
WHAT ELSE IS NOT COVERED ?
The Glance Card only has limited space so it can’t show you everything. Beginners should note that the following are not covered at all
No guide for overall pronunciation – you will have to listen to an Irish speaker
No mention of when to use lenition or eclipsis, known in Irish as séimhiú and urú. This is actually quite important when using verbs so consult your textbooks for more details
Imperatives (Ordú) can be used in Irish for first, second and third person, and in singular and plural forms. The card just shows the second person singular because that’s also the same as the verb stem.
AND FINALLY ……
You can ignore the letters A-R, and the numbers 1-11, down the edges of side 1 and likewise the letters A-M down the edges of side 2. These do not relate to any of the content on the card.
