An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Elementary course of Gaelic

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Tense Formation.
2. The Gaelic Verbs—with the exception of tha, bheil,
is—have no simple Present Tense.
E.G. I struck, Bimail mi : a definite verbal form. But,
‘ I strike ’ is rendered into Gaelic thus :—
*Tha mi a’ bualadh= literally, I am at striking. The
present tense (so called), then, is a “Compound” of the
verb * Bi ’ and the ‘ Verbal Noun ’ of the verb to be trans¬
lated.
3. Bet us, then, take for the present discussion the three
Principal Parts of the Verb, namely :
The Root Verb, The Past Tense, and
The Future Tense.
In Group A, the past tense is formed by aspirating the
root verb, and the future tense by adding ‘ idh ’ to the root.
Thus : Roots.
tilg throw,
till, return,
freagair, answer
Past. Future.
thilg. tilgidh.
thill. tillidh.
fhreagair. freagairidh
(|freagraidh).
Note that, when the vowel of the root verb is broad
(a, o, u), the future ending is ‘ aidh.’
E.G. gehrr, cut. ghearr. gearraidh.
cum, hold. chum. cumaidh.
tog, lift. thog. togaidh.
Group B. These form the past tense by prefixing dh’
to the root, and the future tense just like Group A.
E.G. ith, eat. dh’ ith. ithidh.
imich, go. dh' imich. imichidh.
but, 61, drink. dh’ 61. olaidh.
* a', standing for ag, is sign of present participle, ag being a form
of preposition, aig = at. Thus, ag bualadh, for euphony, a' bualadh —
at striking (a-striking). Ag is used before initial vowel verbs, as
ag 61 = at drinking .
f Many of those verbs have a syncopated (or shortened) form in
the future tense, like freagraidh, and fosglaidh.