More Incomplete Verbs

More Incomplete Verbs

You have already met the first group of the incomplete verbs based on the verb Is in .

Group2: This group consists of true auxiliary verbs. These are regular verbs but are only found in two tenses.

a. The Auxiliary Verb **Faod** :
Forms	Future Tense	Conditional Tense
Statement	Faodaidh mi / tu ‡ / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they may	Dh'fhaodainn - I might/ought Dh'fhaodamaid † - We might/ought Dh'fhaodadh tu ‡ / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - you / he / she / we / you / they might/ought
Negative statement	Chan fhaod mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they may not	Chan fhaodainn - I might/ought not Chan fhaodamaid - We might/ought not Chan fhaodadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - you / he / she / we / you / they might/ought not
Interrogative	Am faod mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - May I / you / he / she / we / you / they? Faodaidh - Yes Chan fhaod - No	Am faodainn? - Might/Ought I? Am faodamaid? - Might/Ought we? Am faodadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - Might/Ought you / he / she / we / you / they? Dh'fhaodadh - Yes Chan fhaodadh - No
Negative interrogative *	Nach fhaod mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - May I / you / he / she / we / you / they not? Faodaidh - Yes Chan fhaod - No	Nach fhaodainn? - Might/Ought I not? Nach fhaodamaid? - Might/Ought we not? Nach fhaodadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - Might/Ought you / he / she / we / you / they not Dh'fhaodadh - Yes Chan fhaodadh - No
Relative	'S mi / tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad a dh'fhaodas - It's I / you / he / she / we / you / they who may	'S mi / tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad a dh'fhaodadh - It's I / you / he / she / we / you / they who might/ought

b. The Auxiliary Verb **Feum** :
Forms	Future Tense §	Conditional Tense
Statement	Feumaidh mi / tu ‡ / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they will need (=must)	Dh'fheumainn - I would need Dh'fheumamaid † - We would need Dh'fheumadh tu ‡ / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - You / he / she / we / you / they would need
Negative statement	Chan fheum mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they will not need	Chan fheumainn - I would not need Chan fheumamaid - We would not need Chan fheumadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - You / he / she / we / you / they would not need
Interrogative	Am feum mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - Will I / you / he / she / we / you / they need? Feumaidh - Yes Chan fheum - No	Am feumainn? - Would I need? Am feumamaid? - Would we need? Am feumadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - Would you / he / she / we / you / they need? Dh'fheumadh - Yes Chan fheumadh - No
Negative interrogative *	Nach fheum mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - Will I / you / he / she / we / you / they not need? Feumaidh - Yes Chan fheum - No	Nach fheumainn? - Would I not need? Nach fheumamaid? - Would we not need? Nach fheumadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad? - Would you / he / she / we / you / they not need? Dh'fheumadh - Yes Chan fheumadh - No
Relative	'S mi / tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad a dh'fheumas - It's I / you / he / she / we / you / they who will need	'S mi / tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad a dh'fheumadh - It's I / you / he / she / we / you / they who would need

‡ Remember tu replaces thu after the verb endings -idh in the future and -adh in the conditional.

† This synthetic verbs ending in -maid are becoming less common and are being replaced by the generic verbal forms followed by sinn.

* Words beginning with f are usually aspirated after the negative particle Nach

§ Although structurally a future in most instances this is best translated with a present mood. See examples below.

Example Uses

As described for Group 1 incomplete verbs in when the verbs **Faod** and **Feum** are followed directly by a verb, the verbal noun is used. Exceptions in both literature and the spoken language are the verbs **To Be** (a bhith), **To Go** (a dhol) and **To Come** (a thighinn) :
Feumaidh mi saor-là - I (will) need a holiday
Faodaidh a h-uile duine seinn - Everyone may sing
Am faod mi leughadh? - May I read?
Chan fheum sinn cobhair - We do (will) not need help
Am feum mi seinn? Chan fheum - Must I sing? No
Dh'fhaodadh an duine a bhith cinnteach - The man ought to have been sure / The man ought to be sure
Am feumadh iad càr? Dh'fheumadh - Would they need a car? Yes
Dh'fheumamaid suidhe sìos - We would need to sit down
Feumaidh sinn suidhe sìos - We must (need to) sit down
Chan fheumadh iad a thighinn - They wouldn't need to come
Chan fhaod i a dhol dhan chèilidh - She may not go to the ceilidh
Am feum mi a dhol dhachaigh? Feumaidh - Must I (Do I need) go home? Yes
'S e Iain a dh'fheumas deoch uisge - It's Iain who needs a drink of water

As described for Group 1 Incomplete Verbs (see ) when the verbs **Faod** and **Feum** are followed by the verbal noun taking a direct object **word order reversal** takes place. Here the object comes first followed by **a + lenited verbal noun**. The a is dropped before verbal nouns beginning with vowel or beginning with **f + vowel** :
Am faod mi ceòl a chluinntinn? - May I hear some music?
Feumaidh e an t-uisge òl - He must drink the water
Am feumainn an càr agad a ghlanadh? Dh'fheumadh - Would I need to clean your car? Yes
Am faod sinn an dealbh fhaicinn? - May we see the film?
Am faodadh sibh sin a dhèanamh? Chan fhaodadh - Ought you have done that? / Ought you do that? No
Chan fheumamaid Beurla a bhruidhinn - We wouldn't need to speak English

As described for Group 1 incomplete verbs in when the object of the sentence is a pronoun then the pronoun is replaced by its possessive adjective placed before the verbal noun. The possessive adjectives mo, do and a (his/its) lenite the verbal noun whenever possible :
Faodaidh tu an toirt? - You may take them
Chan fhaod thu a bhualadh - You may not hit him
Am feum iad a ghluasad? - Must they move him/it?
Feumaidh Ealasaid d' fhaicinn? - Elisabeth must see you?
Dh'fheumamaid a thogail - We would need to build it (taigh = masculine)
Nach fhaodadh sinn a cur dhachaigh ? - Ought we not send her home?

Some Idiomatic Uses of Feum and Faod

**Feumaidh** meaning **Surely** with the **Dependent Clause** :
Feumaidh gum bi e ann - Surely he'll be there
Feumaidh gun robh iad ceàrr - Surely they were wrong
Feumaidh nach tig i anns an stoirm seo - Surely she'll not come in this storm

**Dh'fhaodadh** meaning **Maybe**/**Perhaps** when followed by either positive or negative dependent clause :
Dh'fhaodadh gum bi e ann - Maybe he'll be there
Dh'fhaodadh gun robh iad ceàrr - Perhaps they were wrong
Dh'fhaodadh nach tig i anns an stoirm seo - Maybe she'll not come in this storm

Group 3: This group consists of a true auxiliary verb which is only found in the past tense.

(a) The Auxiliary Verb **Theab** meaning **Nearly** or Almost. It is only found in the past tense :
Forms	Past Tense
Statement	Theab mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they nearly
Negative statement	Cha do theab mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - I / you / he / she / we / you / they didn't nearly
Interrogative	An do theab mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - Did I / you / he / she / we / you / they nearly
Negative interrogative	Nach do theab mi / thu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad - Did I / you / he / she / we / you / they not nearly

Example Uses

As described for Group 2 verbs above when the verb **Theab** is followed directly by a verb, the verbal noun is used. Exceptions in both literature and the spoken language are the verbs **To Be** (a bhith), **To Go** (a dhol) and **To Come** (a thighinn) :
Theab mi tuiteam - I almost fell
An do theab thu bàthadh? - Did you nearly drown?
Cha do theab i a thighinn - She almost didn't come
Nach do theab i a dhol fodha? - Did it not almost sink?

As described for Group 2 verbs above when the verb **Theab** is followed by the verbal noun taking a direct object **word order reversal** takes place. The object comes first followed by **a + lenited verbal noun**. The a is dropped before verbal nouns beginning with vowel or beginning with **f + vowel** :
Theab mi an càr a bhualadh - I nearly hit the car
An do theab thu an duine a mharbhadh? - Did you nearly kill the man?
Cha do theab iad a' phiseag a shàbhaladh - They almost didn't save the cat
Nach do theab sinn an taigh a sgriosadh? - Didn't we almost ruin the house?

As described for Group 2 verbs above when the object of the sentence is a pronoun then the pronoun is replaced by its possessive adjective placed before the verbal noun. The possessive adjectives mo, do and a (his/its) lenite the verbal noun whenever possible :
Theab mi a bhualadh - I almost hit him/it
An do theab thu a mharbhadh? - Did you nearly kill him?
Cha do theab iad a sàbhaladh - They almost didn't save it (piseag = feminine)
Nach do theab sinn a sgriosadh? - Didn't we almost ruin it (taigh = masculine)?

In both literature and the spoken language the sense of **Almost** or Nearly is more commonly expressed by the use of the assertive verb with the adjective mòr. Compare with some examples from the use of **Theab** :
Using Theab		Using Assertive Verb
Theab mi tuiteam	I almost fell	Cha mhòr nach do thuit mi
An do theab thu bàthadh?	Did you nearly drown?	Nach mòr nach do bhàth thu?
Cha do theab i a thighinn	She almost didn't come	Cha mhòr gun tàinig i
Nach do theab i a dhol fodha?	Did it not almost sink?	Nach mòr gun deach i fodha?
Theab mi an càr a bhualadh	I nearly hit the car	Cha mhòr nach do bhuail mi an càr
An do theab thu an duine a mharbhadh?	Did you nearly kill the man?	Nach mòr nach do mharbh thu an duine?
Cha do theab i a' phiseag a shàbhaladh	She almost didn't save the cat	Cha mhòr gun do shàbhail i a' phiseag
Nach do theab sinn an taigh a sgriosadh?	Didn't we almost ruin the house	Nach mòr gun do sgrios sinn an taigh?
Theab mi a bhualadh	I almost hit him/it	Cha mhòr nach do bhuail mi e
An do theab thu a mharbhadh?	Did you nearly kill him?	Nach mòr nach do mharbh thu e?
Cha do theab iad a sàbhaladh	They almost didn't save it	Cha mhòr gun do shàbhail iad i
Nach do theab sinn a sgriosadh?	Didn't we almost ruin it?	Nach mòr gun do sgrios sinn e?

Group 4: This is made up of a miscellany of very incomplete verbs

(a) **Arsa** meaning **Said** which is only ever used with quoted text. It is usually abbreviated to **ars'** before vowels and is always used with emphatic pronouns :
"Ciamar a tha thu?" ars' esan - "How are you?" he said
"Tha mi gu math," arsa mise - "I'm well," I said

(b) Imperatives: A small number of verbs which only exist as imperatives :
Singular / Familiar	Plural / Formal
siuthad - go on, proceed	siuthadaibh - go on, proceed
thalla (fhalbh ‡) - go away, shoo	thallaibh (fhalbhaibh ‡)- go away, shoo
tiugainn - come along	tiugainnibh - come along
trobhad - come hither	trobhadaibh - come hither

‡ fhalbh and fhalbhaibh meaning go away/shoo are pronounced the same as thalla and thallaibh.

NEW WORDS

**Adjectives**
duilich - difficult, sorry

**Nouns**
fiaclair (m) - dentist	puinnsean (m) - poison
feòil (f) - meat, flesh	piseag (f) - kitten

**Verbs**
aidich, aideachadh - admit, confess	bàth, bàthadh - drown
rach fodha, dol fodha - sink	marbh, marbhadh - kill
sàbhail, sàbhaladh - save	sgrios, sgriosadh - ruin
togair, togairt - want, desire

**EXERCISE 1 Translate into English**
1a.Cha mhòr nach do bhris e a chas nuair a thuit e 1b.Theab e a chas a bhriseadh nuair a thuit e	2.Feumaidh mi a dhol dhan dotair a-màireach
3.Tha mi glè dhuilich ach feumaidh mi falbh	4a.Theab e tuiteam sìos na staidhrichean 4b.Cha mhòr nach do thuit e sìos na staidhrichean
5.Am feum thu a bhith ag ithe cho luath? Feumaidh	6.Am faod mi an dealbh dhìot fhaicinn? Chan fhaod
7.Trobhad agus bheir mi dhut mìlseag	8.Siuthad, dèan na thogras tu
9.Càit am faod mi mo chàr fhàgail?	10.Faodaibh sibh suidhe far na thogras sibh
11a.Theab mi am puinnsean òl 11b.Cha mhòr nach do dh'òl mi am puinnsean	12a.Thuirt e gun do theab e a òl 12b.Thuirt e nach mòr nach do dh'òl e e

**EXERCISE 2 Translate into Gàidhlig**
1."I'm so sorry", she said	2.They almost fell into the river
3.I must admit that I would prefer coffee	4.You may not sit in that chair, it's mine
5.I've got toothache. I must see the dentist tomorrow	6.I must say that I think he is an evil boy
7.Go on, jump across the river	8.Come with me to the shops
9.I would need to be certain that he wasn't going to spend the money on rubbish	10.They must not stay away from school
11.I almost drank the dirty water	12.He said he almost ate it (feòil = feminine)

**ANSWERS - EXERCISE 1**
1.He nearly broke his leg when he fell	2.I must go to the doctor tomorrow
3.I am very sorry but I must leave	4.He almost fell down the stairs
5.Must you eat so fast? Yes	6.May I see the picture of you? No
7.Come here and I'll give you a sweet	8.Go on, do as you please
9.Where can (may) I leave my car	10.You may sit where you like (desire)
11.I almost drank the poison	12.He said he almost drank it

**ANSWERS - EXERCISE 2**
1."Tha mi cho duilich," ars' ise	2a.Theab iad tuiteam dhan abhainn 2b.Cha mhòr nach do thuit iad dhan abhainn
3.Feumaidh mi aideachadh gum b' fheàrr leam cofaidh	4a.Chan fhaod thu suidhe anns a' chathair sin, is leamsa i 4b.Chan fhaod thu suidhe anns a' chathair sin, 's ann leamsa a tha i
5.Tha dèideadh orm. Feumaidh mi am fiaclair fhaicinn a-màireach	6.Feumaidh mi ràdh gu bheil mi a' smaointinn gur balach olc e
7.Siuthadaibh, leumaibh thairis air an abhainn	8.Tiugainn leam do na bùithean
9.Dh'fheumainn a bhith cinnteach nach robh e a' dol a chosg an airgid air sgudal	10.Chan fheum iad fuireach air falbh bhon sgoil
11a.Cha mhòr nach do dh'òl mi an t-uisge salach 11b.Theab mi an t-uisge salach òl	12a.Thuirt e gun do theab e a h-ithe 12b.Thuirt e nach mòr nach do dh'ith e i

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