For a complete list of wombat explanations, see: viewforum.php?f=34
Most of the conversation in this thread will come from earlier threads, or from:
- http://www.erinsweb.com/gaelic1.html lessons 10, 11, and 12
- The "cheat sheet" below
Lessons 10, 11, and 12 on Erin's Web focus on when to use tá and when to use the copula is. That shouldn't be too difficult for you if you've been participating in our previous practice threads and playing Fiche Ceist. So below I've given you some sentence structures that will allow us to talk about the past and future.
Cheat sheet
You're familiar now with tá, which is the present tense of the verb bí. If you've been hanging around here for a while, you may have picked up some other forms of the verb. Here's a handy table:
Code: Select all
+---------+---------------+--------+------------+
| | Bhí | mé | anseo |
| Past | An raibh...? | tú | ansin |
| | Ní raibh | sé | ann |
+---------+---------------+ sí | tinn |
| | Tá | muid | ard |
| Present | An bhfuil...? | sibh | sásta |
| | Níl | siad | láidir |
+---------+---------------+ Cáit | go hálainn |
| | Beidh | Seán | go dona |
| Future | An mbeidh...? | an cat | . . . |
| | Ní bheidh | . . . | |
+---------+---------------+--------+------------+
Pronunciation
Bhí VEE
An raibh AN ROW
Ní raibh NEE ROW
Beidh BAY
An meidh UN MAY
Ní bheidh NEE VAY
There are also a few combined forms that are used in some dialects. Until you're ready to focus on one dialect in particular, you can use either form:
táim = tá mé
táimid = tá muid
bhíomar = bhí muid
beimid = beidh muid
Here are some questions to help get the conversation flowing. If any of the words below are unfamiliar, you should be able to find them in the previous lessons, or you can ask here on this thread.
Anois...
Now...
Cá bhfuil tú i do chónaí?
Cad é an aimsir inniú?
An maith leat seacláid?
An bhfuil tú óg? Sean?
An bhfuil Gaeilge easca?
Nuair a bhí tú óg...
When you were young...
An raibh tú mór?
An raibh tú beag?
An raibh tú sean?
An raibh tú salach?
An raibh tú dána?
Cá raibh tú i do chónaí?
Nuair a bheidh tú sean...
When you are old...
An mbeidh tú dathiúil?
An mbeidh tú láidir?
An mbeidh tú lag?
An mbeidh tú tuirseach?
To the extent possible under law, Amy de Buitléir has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.