AN GAODHAL.
193
LESSONS IN GAELIC.
THE GAELIC ALPHABET.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
a
a
aw
m
m
emm
b
b
bay
n
n
enn
c
c
kay
o
o
oh
d
d
dhay
p
p
pay
e
e
ay
r
r
arr
f
f
eff
s
s
ess
g
g
gay
t
t
thay
i
i
ee
u
u
oo
l
l
ell
XX. LESSON. — Continued
Translation of Exercise 1.
1. Raibh an aimsir garbh an nae nuair bí
sibh air an muir? 2. ní raibh; bhí an
aimsir breágh, gidh gur raibh an ghaoth árd
& an mhuir garbh. 3. raibh siad air bhárr
an chnoic? 4. ní rabhadar air bhárr an
chnoic, acht bhídar aig a bhun. 5. raibh
treoir agaibh? 6. ní raibh treoir ag¬
ainn, mar nach rabhamar air bhárr an
chnoic. 7. ní raibh sé fuar, gidh gur raibh
ceo air thaobh an chnoic. 8. ní maith liom
ceo air chnoc. 9. an t-amharc ó bhárr,
tar an tír, & tar an mhuir níor b'fhada
é 10. bhídar báid air an muir, agus
daoine air an tráigh, a bhí an-bhán, & long
anns an g-cuan. 11. bhí an ghrian dearg
a dul faoi. 12. bhí an ghealach lán agus
mór, & lonrath; agus bhí an speur gorm
gan neul. 13. tá an cliú a tá aig an
tír so an-mhór. 14. an m-bídheann tú
moch aig an muir & aig an tráigh? 15.
ní bhídhim ; ní bh-fuilim slán, agus ní maith
liom bheith aig an bh-fairge go deire an
t-samhraidh. 16. tá an tádh ort a bheith
ann so air thaobh an ghleinn áluine so.
17. tá ádh orm; acht mar deir an sean
sguel, "bídheann ádh air amadán. 18.
is mian liom a bheith anns an tír áluin
so. 19. beannacht Dé ort. 20. slán
leat.
Conjugation of the verb “to be.” do
bheith, — continued. Indicative Mood,
Perfect Tense.
This tense, like the first perfect in French, the
historic perfect in Latin, the aorist in Greek, con¬
veys the idea of time past generally, whether some¬
time ago, or just now passed — and is translated in¬
to English either by the remote perfect, was; or
by the present perfect, have been.
Singular.
1. bhidheas, veeyes, I was.
2. bhidh is, veeyish, thou wast.
3. bhí sé, he (or it) was; bhí sí, she
(or it) was.
Plural.
1. bhí-mar, veemar, we were.
2. bhí-bhar, veewar, you were.
3. bhí-dar, veedar, they were.
The Analytic form of this tense is very simple.
(See Lesson XIX.)
1. bhí mé, I was; or have been.
2. bhí tú, thou wast.
3. bhí sé, he (or it) was; bhí sí she
(or it) was.
Plural.
1. bhí sinn, we were.
2. bhí sibh, you were.
3. bhí siad, they were.
Sometimes the particle do — and in
the ancient language ro — is placed be¬
fore this tense. Its use in this respect
in Irish, is not unlike that of the par¬
ticle “to" before the infinitive mood in
English verbs. Rabhas [and not bhidh¬
eas, the direct perfect of the verb do
bheith "to be”], follows those particles in¬
to which ro enters, forming the latter
part of a compound; as, gur, that [com¬
pounded of go, that, would that, ; and
ro, sign of the perfect tense], e.g., gur
rabhas, that I was; nár, that not [neg-
ative interrogative], as, nár rabhas, was
I not; nár mholas, did I not praise; nár,
may not, [compounded of the particle
ná, not, and ro]; a negative used when
a wish is expressed ; as, nár raibh sé,
may he be not; nár mholaidh sé, may
he not praise; níor, not; from ní, not,
and ro; nachar, which not. [See prece¬
ding Lessons.]
Interrogative and Negative Perfect.
1. ar rabhas, rowas, was I?
2. ar rabh-ais, rowish, wast thou.
3. ar rabh, rowv shay, was he.
Plural.
1. ar rabh-mar, rowmar, were we?
2. ar rabh-bhar, rowmar, were we?
3. ar rabh-dar, rowdhar, were they
