Blair Collection > Kelt or Gael

The Kelt or Gael. 35
The tenses are structurally three, present, past,
and future ; but the highest degree of refinement
of time can be, and is, expressed by means of
auxiliaries.
The root of the verb ; in ^ the making of its
numbers and persons, moods and tenses, suffers
both internal and external modifications, as the
noun does, in the making of its numbers and
cases. The verbs are conjugated affirmatively,
negatively, and interrogatively. The moods are
six — imperative, indicative, consuetudinal, poten-
tial, conditional, and infinitive.
There is no true verb to have in Irish or
Welsh ; the verb to be, in 'one of its forms, is
used instead, either as a principal verb or as an
auxiliary. Thus, Instead of saying, I have it,
the Irish form would be, ta se agum, the
equivalent of which Is the French c'est a mol,
it is with me, or to me.
It Is said there are five auxiliary verbs In
Irish. I think, however, It Is better to say there
are several parts to the verb to be ; thus as, or Is,
equals he, she, or it is'; tha or ta equals he, she,
or it Is, also ; full equals he, she, or it is, in
another sense ; and be, or bidh, he, she, or it is,
or exists, in the sense of a principal verb; and
ralb, was. Is Is thus conjugated In the indicative
present— is me, I am; is thu, thou art; is se, he
or It is ; is si, she Is : when the s of se and si is
aspirated, they are written Ishe, isshi, he is, she
is. The plurals are is sinn, is sibh. Is siad.