Vitaee wrote:
Also,
Cepaim gur ríomhairí tábhachtach == "I think computers are important" or "I think computers were important".
In the last case, since "r" does not take lenition the only way to tell if it's supposed to be past or present tense is context.
Do I have this correct?
No. In this case you have an adjective (
important) as a predicate so you need the verb
bí, not the copula.
Ceapaim go bhfuil ríomhairí tábhachtach – ‘I think computers are important’
Ceapaim go raibh ríomhairí tábhachtach – ‘I think computers were important’
Perhaps, to put emphasis or to mark it is a subjective judgment, you could use a structure like in
is deas é sin – but I think you need a definite noun then (not sure though, can indefinite noun be a subject of such construction?), so something like:
Ceapaim gur tábhachtach [iad] na ríomhairí – ‘I think
the computers are important’ (as alternative to
ceapaim go bhfuil na ríomhairí tábhachtach)
Cf.
The copula and adjectives on GnaG.