Irregular Formation of the Verbal Noun. Syntax of the Verbal Noun.
by Myles Dillon
ALESSON XX We have seen (p. 44) that verbs of the first conjugation normally form the verbal noun by adding -adh (-a) to the stem (-eadh if the stem ends in a slender consonant); dunaim "I shut", vn. dunadh; millim "I destroy", vn. milleadh. 1 Verbs of the second conjugation (a) change the z of the stem to -(i)u or (b) add -t to il, in, ir; (a) diultaim "I refuse", vn. diultu; cruinnim "I collect", vn. cruinniu; (b) cimUm "I rub", vn. cimilt; seachnaim "I avoid", vn. seachaint;fdgraim "I announce", vn.fogairt; labhraim "I speak", vn. labhairt; insim "I tell", vn. insint (irreg.). See p. 67. There are also irregular formations which must be learned for each verb, (i) Some verbs use the stem as verbal noun: ceanglaim "I bind", vn. ceangal; cuirim "I put", vn. cur; fdsaim "I grow", vn. fas; machnaim "I consider", vn. machnamh 2 ; olaim "I drink", vn. 61; rithim "I run", vn. rith; siulaim "I walk", vn. siul; sndmhaim "I swim", vn. sndmh. (ii) Some verbs add -uint to the stem: caillim "I lose", cailliuint; creidim "I believe", creidiuint; fanaim "I wait, stay", fanuint; leanaim "I follow", leanuint; scaraim "I separate, part from", scaruint (These words are stressed on the second syllable, p. 11). (iii) Vn. in -ink cloisim "I hear" vn. cloisint; fdgaim "I 1 buailim "I strike" has vn. bualadh with broad I. 2 Some verbs with stems ending in a broad consonant form the 3 sg. past (and 2 sg. imperative) with a slender final: do cheangail se, do mhachnaimh se. 114 LESSON XX 115 leave" m. fdgaint; feachaim "I look", vn. feachaint; ligim "let", vn. ligint; tuigim "I understand", vn. tuiscint (irreg.); chim "I see", vn.feiscint (irreg.). (iv) Vn. in -amh: caithim "I spend, am obliged to (do)", vn. caitheamh; deinim "I do", vn. deanamh; leim "I read", vn. leamh; mdithim "I forgive", vn, maitheamh; sdsaim "I satisfy", vn. sdsamh; seasaim "I stand", vn. seasamh; tuillim "I earn", vn. tuilleamh. Feitheamh "to await" occurs only as a vn. (v) Vn. in -ail; gheibhim,faighim "I get", vn.fdil; gabhaim "I take", vn. gabhdil. Teim "I go", vn. dul; tagaim "I come", vn. teacht. The commonest uses of the verbal noun correspond (a) to the English present participle (p. 44) and (b) to the infini- tive (p. 79). These are by now familiar. Other uses are as follows: (a) Purpose is expressed by the prep, chun "towards" with a verbal noun construction: bhios chun dul arm "I intended to go there"; chuaigh se arm chunfeir do bhaint "he went there to cut hay". The noun may be nominative or genitive after chun in this construction (p. 79). (b) The preposition le "with" is used in the construction: td litir le scriobh agam "I have a letter to write"; td bo le diol agam "I have a cow to sell" (p. 84). (c) The verbal noun sometimes occurs in the genitive case, which generally has the same form as the past participle (p. 41). The commonest use is when the vn. in the genitive depends upon an agent-word in the nom.-acc: fear deanta brog "shoemaker" (lit. "man of making of shoes"); lucht diolta an eisc "the people who sell fish"; lucht leite pdipear "people who read newspapers". However, the colloquial form is rather: fear brog do dheanamh, lucht eisc do dhiol, lucht pdipear do leamh. n6 IRISH VOCABULARY ait: i n-ait eigin eile some- where else thar n-ais (hor-nash) back ceannai (ka-nee) m buyer cois (kosh) beside, c. gen. ceannach (kya-noch) vn. buying, to buy dearmhadaim (da-roddim) / forget; na deannhad (da- rood) don 't forget deireadh (deri) m. end deacair (dyokir) difficult fagaint (faagint) vn. leaving, to leave fliuch (fluch) wet glaoch (glach) calling, to call; glaoch chun to call upon, visit gno (gno) m. business ionadh (oona) f. wonder la saoire (laa-seeri) m. holiday Peadar (padar) Peter pioc (pyuk) nothing seachaint (shachint) vn. avoiding, to avoid siucra (shookiri) m. and f. sugar sroisim (sroshim) / reach, arrive at staisiun (sdaa-shoon) m. sta- tion tabhairt (toort) vn. bringing, to bring tagtha (togahi) come (partic.) Exercise 46 1. D'iarramair uirthi fanuint linn. 2. Durabhair Horn gan teacht. 3. Is deacair e sin do chreidiuint. 4. Ba mhian leis an gceannai an capall do cheannach uaim. 5. Thanadar anso chun airgid do bhailiu. 6. Is mor an trua an la do 1 bheith 2 chomh fliuch. 7. Nach mor an ionadh gan iad do bheith 2 tagtha? 8. B'fhearr dosna paisti an tarbh do sheachaint. 9. Chuadar go Corcaigh chun an la saoire do chaitheamh ann. 10. Ta an sean-duine ina shui cois na tine. 11. Iarrfaimid air sceal d'insint. 12. Tiocfaimid thar n-ais oiche eile chun deireadh an sceil do chloisint. 13. Beidh mo mhathair ina codladh nuair a shroisfimid an baile. 14. Dhearmhada- mair an t-airgead do thabhairt linn. 1 After a vowel, in speech, but not writing, expect aspiration. 2 The verb, 'to be', is often elided in speech. LESSON XX 117 Exercise 47 I. They will be going to Killarney tomorrow. 2. 1 asked them to buy me (for me) sugar and flour. 3. We shall be waiting for them at the station. 4. I told them not to call on my brother, for he is away (as baile). 5. When you are (hit.) coming back, do not forget to bring Peter and Sheila with you. 6. The buyer has come (say "is come") to look at the horse. 7. Is it not a pity that my father is not here to meet him (say "before him")? 8. 1 should not like to sell the horse without his being there. 9. 1 shall tell the buyer to come some other day. 10. Perhaps he has business to do somewhere else. II. We asked the old man to tell us a story, but it was very long and we did not wait to hear the end of it (say "its end"). 12. The people of the house were asleep when we reached home. E .