Caibidil a Trí: The Verb (an Briathar)Irregular Verbs (na Briathra Neamhrialta) |
bí = be |
Irregular due to: various stems in the present (tá). Special habitual present (stem bí)
Stem
bí also in the preterite, imperfect, imperative.
Stem
beidh/beadh in the future, conditional and subjunctive preterite (here it is rather the same as the conditional instead of the imperfect!)
Special dependent forms in the present (fuil) and preterite (raibh).
Stem
raibh also in the subjunctive present
Preterite particles are not used.
see here for the (non-standard) forms used in Munster
indicative | imperative | conditional | subjunctive | |||||
present | preterite | imperfect | future | present | preterite | |||
1st person sg. | tá mé, táim | bhí mé | bhínn | beidh mé | bím | bheinn | go raibh mé | dá mbeinn |
2nd person sg. | tá tú | bhí tú | bhíteá | beidh tú | bí | bheifeá | go raibh tú | dá mbeifeá |
3rd person sg. | tá sé | bhí sé | bhíodh sé | beidh sé | bíodh sé | bheadh sé | go raibh sé | dá mbeadh sé |
1st person pl. | táimid | bhíomar | bhímis | beimid | bímis | bheimis | go rabhaimid | dá mbeimis |
2nd person pl. | tá sibh | bhí sibh | bhíodh sibh | beidh sibh | bígí | bheadh dibh | go raibh sibh | dá mbeadh sibh |
3rd person pl. | tá siad | bhí siad | bhídís | beidh siad | bídís | bheidís | go raibh siad | dá mbeidís |
autonom | táthar | bhíothas | bhítí | beifear | bítear | bheifí | go rabhthar | dá mbeifí |
Habitual present and dependent forms
indicative | |||||
habituell | dependent | ||||
present | present
(an, go, nach, a) |
present
(ní) |
present
(cha) |
preterite
(an, go, nach, ní, cha, a) |
|
1st person sg. | bím | an bhfuil mé | níl mé, nílim | chan fhuil mé | an raibh mé |
2nd person sg. | bíonn tú | an bhfuil tú | níl tú | chan fhuil tú | an raibh tú |
3rd person sg. | bíonn sé | an bhfuil sé | níl sé | chan fhuil sé | an raibh sé |
1st person pl. | bímid | an bhfuilimid | nílimid | chan fhuilimid | an rabhamar |
2nd person pl. | bíonn sibh | an bhfuil sibh | níl sibh | chan fhuil sibh | an raibh sibh |
3rd person pl. | bíonn siad | an bhfuil siad | níl siad | chan fhuil siad | an raibh siad |
autonomous | bítear | an bhfuiltear | níltear | chan fhuiltear | an rabhthas |
Relative form
present | |
1st person sg. | atáim, atá mé |
2nd person sg. | atá tú |
3rd person sg. | atá sé |
1st person pl. | atáimid |
2nd person pl. | atá sibh |
3rd person pl. | atá siad |
autonom | atáthar |
derivatives
verbal noun | bheith | |
genitive of the verbal noun | noun | - |
infinitive | - | |
participle of necessity* | beite |
As the relative form, atá (= ... that is) is used. It counts as a compound of a (the direct relative particle) and tá.
The verb tá was once always atá, but today the prefix a- only remains in the relative form.
níl (= is not) is a compound of ní and fuil, so: ní fhuil > níl (fuil is the actual stem of all dependent forms in the present). In Ulster it is spoken bisyllabic, so that there the spelling ní fhuil is more fitting.
In Ulster, the negative particle cha(n) is used instead of ní. Then one writes rather chan fhuil (instead of níl).
(comp. chan eil in Scotland)
Although cha mostly lenites, forms of the verb bí, beginning in b-, are readily eclipsed: cha mbionn, etc.
In the subjunctive present, also go mbí, go mbé is used.
*beite is not used as the verbal adjective ("was"), only as the participle of necessity (lit.: "it is necessars to be "): is beite a + verbal noun = one should, is beite do...a + verbal noun = someone should