The
Future Tense - Regular Verbs
The formation
of the Future Tense of regular verbs is identical to that seen in 
for
the verb To Be. As you discovered the Future Tense of
the verb To Be is used with the present participle to
express both a continuous future action and a repeated present action :
| Bidh iad a' cluich anns a' phàirc - They
will be playing in the park |
| Bidh iad a' cluich anns a' phàirc a
h-uile là - They play in the park every day |
In contrast, the Future Tense of
a verb must be used to express an immediate future action as well as a repeated action in
the present.
The dependent
form of the verb is identical to the root. To get the independent form of the verb take
the root and add either -idh or -aidh according to the
spelling rule :
| Verbal Noun |
Root |
Independent |
Dependent |
| bualadh - hitting |
buail |
buailidh |
buail |
| fàgail - leaving |
fàg |
fàgaidh |
fàg |
| leughadh - reading |
leugh |
leughaidh |
leugh |
| ruith - running |
ruith |
ruithidh |
ruith |
| sgrìobhadh - writing |
sgrìobh |
sgrìobhaidh |
sgrìobh |
| seasamh - standing |
seas |
seasaidh |
seas |
| togail - lifting / building |
tog |
togaidh |
tog |
| òl - drinking |
òl |
òlaidh |
òl |
As with the verb To Be
add either Cha / Chan (before a vowel), An
/ Am or Nach to the dependent to get the negative and
interrogative forms of the verb.
Example
Uses : 
| Buailidh mi - I will hit |
| Cha bhuail mi - I will not hit |
| Am buail mi? - Will I hit? |
| Nach buail mi? - Will I not hit? |
|
| Fàgaidh mi - I will leave |
| Chan fhàg mi - I will not leave |
| Am fàg mi? - Will I leave? |
| Nach fhàg mi? † - Will I not leave? |
|
| Leughaidh mi - I will read |
| Cha leugh mi - I will not read |
| An leugh mi? - Will I read? |
| Nach leugh mi? - Will I not read? |
|
| Ruithidh tu ‡ - You will run |
| Cha ruith thu * - You
will not run |
| An ruith thu? - Will you run? |
| Nach ruith thu? - Will you not run? |
|
| Sgrìobhaidh mi - I will write |
| Cha sgrìobh mi - I will not write |
| An sgrìobh mi? - Will I write? |
| Nach sgrìobh mi? - Will I not write? |
|
| Seasaidh tu ‡ - You will stand |
| Cha sheas thu * - You
will not stand |
| An seas thu? - Will you stand? |
| Nach seas thu? - Will you not stand? |
|
| Òlaidh tu - You will drink |
| Chan òl thu - You will not drink |
| An òl thu - Will you drink? |
| Nach òl thu? - Will you not drink? |
|
| Togaidh mi - I will lift |
| Cha thog mi * - I will
not lift |
| An tog thu - Will you lift? |
| Nach tog thu? - Will you not lift? |
|
* cha / chan
should only lenite verbs beginning with b, f, m,
p, c or g. However there is a growing tendency
with the regular verbs to lenite whenever possible.
† nach lenites verbs beginning with f.
‡ As with the verb To Be the second person singular
becomes tu with the independent form of the verb.
With
the Dependent Clause
Some examples are given below.
The pattern is the same as the verb To Be (see 
) :
| Tha e ag ràdh gum buail e mi - He says that he will hit me |
| Tha e ag ràdh nach buail e mi - He says that he will not hit me |
| Tha e ag ràdh gum fàg e - He says that he will leave |
| Tha e ag ràdh nach fhàg e - He says that he will not leave |
The Relative Verb
Some examples are given below.
The pattern is the same as the Future Tense of the verb To Be (see ) :
| Is mise a bhuaileas thu - It's I who will hit you |
| Is mise a bhuaileas tu - It's I who you will hit |
| Is mise nach fhàg thu - It's I who will not leave you |
| Seo an leabhar a leughas tu * - Here's the book
you will read |
| Agus seo an leabhar nach leugh thu - And here's the book you will
not read |
* remember that
after the relative future verb the second person singular subject becomes tu
With
Interrogative Pronouns
Some examples are given below.
The pattern is the same as the Future Tense of the verb To Be (see ) :
| Dè sgrìobhas tu anns an litir? - What will you write in the
letter? |
| Cò thogas dealbh dhìom? - Who will take a photograph of me? |
| Carson a bhuaileas tu am balach? - Why will you hit the boy? |
| Ciamar a sheasas i? - How will she stand? |
| Cuin a dh'fhàgas tu? - When will you leave? |
| Càit an òl sinn? - Where will we drink? |
With Conjunctions
Some examples are given below.
The pattern is the same as the Future Tense of the verb To Be (see 
) :
| Sgrìobhaidh mi litir mus fàg mi - I will write a letter before
I leave |
| Ma dh'fhàgas tu an taigh, bidh mi nam aonar - If you (will)
leave the house, I'll be alone |
| Leughaidh mi an leabhar fhads a dh'itheas mi dìnnear - I'll read
the book while I (will) eat dinner |
| Mura fàg thu an dràsta bidh tu fadalach - Unless you (will)
leave now you will be late |
Saying Yes and No
The pattern is the same for the verb To Be. You need to use the positive
or negative forms of the verb in the Future Tense :
| An sgrìobh thu litir thugam?- Will you write me a letter? |
Sgrìobhaidh - Yes |
Cha sgrìobh - No |
| Nach òl thu am bainne? - Will you not drink the milk? |
Òlaidh - Yes |
Chan òl - No |
Repeated Actions in the Present
The meaning is understood from the context :
| Gabhaidh e bracaist a h-uile madainn - He takes breakfast ever
morning |
| Sgrìobhaidh sinn litir thuige a h-uile là - We write (to) him a
letter every day |
Able To Do
The Future Tense may convey the idea of being able to do something. This meaning is
usually understood from context :
| An sgrìobh thu litir dhomhsa?- Will you / Can you write a letter
for me? |
| Am buail thu an doras a-rithist? - Will you / Can you knock the
door again? |
| An òl thu an t-uisge gu luath? - Will you / Can you drink the
water quickly? |
NEW WORDS
Adjectives
| fadalach - late (in arriving) |
|
Nouns
| beagan (m) - little |
drama (m) - dram of drink |
| post (m) - post |
|
| teanga (f) - tongue |
|
Verbs
| gabh, gabhail (ri) - accept, betake, have |
leig, leigeil (le) - let, allow |
| tog dealbh, togail dealbh - take a photograph |
|
Verbal phrases
| Tha mi nam aonar - I am alone |
Tha sinn nar n-aonar - We are alone |
| Tha thu nad aonar - You are alone |
Tha sibh nur n-aonar - You are alone |
| Tha e na aonar - He is alone |
Tha iad nan aonar - They are alone |
| Tha i na h-aonar - She is alone |
|
EXERCISE 1 Translate into English
| 1.Togaidh mi taigh ùr anns a' ghleann |
2.Tha e ag ràdh nach till e gus madainn a-màireach |
| 3.Cha chuir mi seachad bliadhna anns an obair sin |
4.Cò cheannaicheas cù dhomhsa? |
| 5.Tha mi cinnteach gun caidil thu gu math a-nochd |
6.'S e Calum a phòsas mo nighean a-màireach |
| 7.Càit am fuirich sinn nuair a tha sinn an Glaschu? |
8.'S e duine làidir a ghluaiseas a' chlach seo |
| 9.Nach cùm thu do theanga! |
10.Leughaidh mi riut an litir a fhuair mi bhuapa |
EXERCISE 2 Translate into Gàidhlig
| 1.Will you put this letter in the post for me? |
2.I start work about mid-day |
| 3.Will you not sit down and keep quiet? |
4.Who will take a dram with me? It's I who will |
| 5.Will you please open the window a little |
6.It's me who will sing at the ceilidh tonight |
| 7.I will speak to them tomorrow |
8.Who will buy me a new coat? |
| 9.I will not want anything else |
10.It's my mother who will not let me (leam) to go
to the beach |
ANSWERS - EXERCISE 1
| 1.I'll build a new house in the glen |
2.He says he won't return until tomorrow morning |
| 3.I won't spend a year in that job |
4.Who'll buy a dog for me? |
| 5.I'm sure that you'll sleep well tonight |
6.It's Calum who marries my daughter tomorrow |
| 7.Where will we stay when we are in Glasgow? |
8.It's a strong man who can (will) move this stone |
| 9.Won't you hold your tongue! |
10.I'll read (to) you the letter I got from them |
ANSWERS - EXERCISE 2
| 1.An cuir sibh an litir seo anns a' phost dhomh? |
2.Tòisichidh mi ri obair mu mheadhan-là |
| 3.Nach suidh thu sìos agus cùm sàmhach? |
4.Cò ghabhas drama còmhla rium? 'S mise a ghabhas |
| 5.Am fosgail sibh an uinneag beagan |
6.'S mise a sheinneas aig a' chèilidh a-nochd |
| 7.Bruidhnidh mi riutha a-màireach |
8.Cò cheannaicheas còta ùr dhomh ? |
| 9.Chan iarr mi càil eile |
10.'S i mo mhàthair nach leig leam a bhith a' dol dhan tràigh |
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