Verbal Noun and Infinitive

Verbal Nouns, the Present Participle, and the Infinitive

**Verbal Nouns**
Verbal nouns, like other nouns, are either masculine or feminine (although the vast majority are masculine). Here are some basic guidelines to gender of verbal nouns :
Masculine	the word ends in -adh (the most common ending)	sgrìobhadh - writing
Masculine	the last vowel is broad i.e. either a, o or u	ceannach - buying
Feminine	the word ends in -achd	coiseachd - walking
Feminine	the last vowel is narrow i.e. either e or i	seinn - singing

The verbal nouns are used in the same way as they are in English :
anns an sgrìobhadh - in the writing
seinn mhath - good singing
le coiseachd - by walking

**The Present Participle**
The present participle is formed from the verbal noun by adding either ag or a'. ag is placed before a verbal noun beginning with a vowel, and a' in all other cases.
The present participle is used in much the same way as in English to convey a continuous action in the present tense :
Tha mi ag obair - I am working
A bheil sibh a' cluich? - Are you playing?
Chan eil e a' sgrìobhadh - He isn't writing
Bha iad a' fuireach - The were staying
An robh iad a' seinn - Were they singing?
Cha robh mi ag ithe - I wasn't eating

In spoken Gàidhlig the a in a' and ag is hardly pronounced, particularly if the preceding word ends in a vowel :
Written	Pronounced
Tha e ag iarraidh	Tha e kiarraidh
Tha mi a' coiseachd	Tha mi coiseachd

Using the present participle and the past tense of the verb **To Be** conveys a continuous action in the past :
Bha mi a' seinn - I was singing
An robh e ag òl? - Was he drinking?
Cha robh iad a' dol - They were not going

There are a number of common Present Participles that do not always express continuous actions :
Present Participles	Action
ag iarraidh - wanting	Tha mi ag iarraidh airgead - I want some money
ag iarraidh - wanting	Bha mi ag iarraidh airgead - I wanted some money
ag obair - working	Tha mi ag obair ann am banca - I am working in a bank / I work in a bank
ag obair - working	Bha mi ag obair ann am banca - I was working in a bank / I worked in a bank
a' creidsinn - believing	Tha mi a' creidsinn sin - I believe that
a' creidsinn - believing	Bha mi a' creidsinn sin - I believed that
a' smaointinn - thinking	Tha e a' smaointinn - He is thinking / He thinks
a' smaointinn - thinking	Bha e a' smaointinn - He was thinking / He thought
a' ciallachadh - meaning	Tha e a' ciallachadh - It means
a' ciallachadh - meaning	Bha e a' ciallachadh - It meant

**Infinitives**
The infinitive is formed from the verbal noun preceded by a. This a is the remains of the preposition do (meaning to) and like do will lenite an initial consonant whenever possible :
a bhith - to be a dhol - to go a chluiche - to play a sheinn - to sing a thogail - to build, to lift	lenition of initial consonant after the preposition a
a dh'fhuireach - to stay a dh'ithe - to eat a dh'òl - to drink	lenited fh is silent and like verbal nouns beginning with a vowel lenition is marked by adding dh' immediately after the preposition a
a leughadh - to read a nighe - to wash a ruith - to run a sgrìobhadh - to write	verbal nouns beginning with l, n, r, sg, sm, sp or st cannot be lenited in writing

As in English it is possible to convey the future tense by using the verbal noun **a' dol - going** followed by an infinitive :
Tha mi a' dol - I am going	Tha mi a' dol a sheinn aig a' chèilidh - I am going to sing at the ceilidh Tha mi a' dol a cheannach leabhar - I am going to buy a book Tha mi a' dol a dh'fhaicinn an duine - I am going to see the man

The present participle **iarraidh** is followed by the verbal noun. Three exceptions to this rule are with
**a thighinn - to come**, **a dhol - to go** and a bhith - to be :
Tha mi ag iarraidh coiseachd air an fheur - I want to walk on the grass
Tha i ag iarraidh a dhol dhan phàirc - She wants to go to the park
Tha e ag iarraidh a thighinn dhachaigh - He wants to come home
Tha iad ag iarraidh a bhith trang - They want to be busy

NEW WORDS

**Conjunctions**
no - or

**Nouns**
airgead (m) - money, silver	banca (m) - bank
òrd (m) - hammer	talla (m) - hall
pàirc (f) - park

**Placenames**
Dun Deagh - Dundee	Obar Dheathain - Aberdeen
Peairt - Perth	Portrìgh - Portree
Struighle - Stirling	Tairbeart - Tarbert

**Verbs**
The first element is the verb root (equivalent to the second person imperative) followed by the verbal noun
bruidhinn, bruidhinn (ri) - speak (to)	buail, bualadh - strike
ceannaich, ceannach (do) - buy (for)	cluich, cluiche - play
coisich, coiseachd - walk	cuir, cur - put, place
fàg, fàgail - leave	faic, faicinn - see
fuirich, fuireach (ri) - stay, wait (for)	iarr, iarraidh (air) - want, ask (for)
iasgaich, iasgach - fish	ionnsaich, ionnsachadh - learn
ith, ithe - eat	leugh, leughadh (ri) - read (to)
leum, leum - jump, leap	obraich, obair - work, operate
òl, òl - drink	rach, dol - go
ruith, ruith - run	seinn, seinn - sing
sgrìobh, sgrìobhadh (gu) - write (to)	till, tilleadh - return
tog, togail - build , lift	tòisich, tòiseachadh (ri) - start, begin (to)

**EXERCISE 1 Translate into English**
1.An robh sibh ag iarraidh seinn aig a' chèilidh? Bha	2.Bha a' chaileag a' cluich leis a' chù
3.Chan eil iad a' fuireach ann an Struighle	4.Tha mi a' leughadh pàipear aig an uinneig
5.Chan eil iad a' tilleadh gus a' mhadainn	6.A bheil sinn a' dol dhan talla? Tha
7.Bha an gille ag iasgach aig a' mhuir	8.Nach robh thu a' ruith air an rathad? Cha robh
9.Nach eil i ag obair aig an taigh?	10.Tha i ag iarraidh sgrìobhadh gun fhear sin
11.Tha mi ag iarraidh a dhol gu Dun Deagh	12.Tha iad a' cur iasg ann an uisge
13.Bha iad ag ithe mun bhòrd	14.Tha Màiri a' dol a dh'ithe anns an taigh-òsta

**EXERCISE 2 Translate into Gàidhlig**
1.He was speaking to (ri) Calum	2.The car is not starting
3.He was learning Gàidhlig	4.I want to go to the park with the dog
5.Do you want to return to the beginning	6.The bad boy was running in (air) the street
7.Was it wet or dry on the moor? It was wet and cold	8.They stay in Perth, but they are from (à) Portree
9.I am going to buy a new book with the money	10.He was striking with the hammer
11.I am going to leave Tarbert because I am going to Aberdeen	12.The fish (na h-èisg) were leaping out of (a-mach às) the water

**ANSWERS EXERCISE 1**
1.Were you wanting to sing at the ceilidh? Yes	2.The girl was playing with the dog
3.They don't live (stay) in Stirling	4.I am reading a paper at the window
5.They aren't returning until (the) morning	6.Are we going to the hall? Yes
7.The boy was fishing at (the) sea	8.Were you not running on the road? No
9.Is she not working at home (the house)?	10.She wants to write to that man
11.I want to go to Dundee	12.They are putting a fish in water
13.They were eating around (about) the table	14.Màiri is going to eat in the hotel

**ANSWERS EXERCISE 2**
1.Bha e a' bruidhinn ri Calum	2.Chan eil an càr a' tòiseachadh
3.Bha e ag ionnsachadh Gàidhlig	4.Tha mi ag iarraidh a dhol dhan phàirc leis a' chù
5.A bheil sibh ag iarraidh tilleadh dhan tòiseachadh	6.Bha am balach dona a' ruith air an t-sràid
7.An robh e fliuch no tioram air a' mhonadh? Bha e fliuch agus fuar	8.Tha iad a' fuireach ann am Peairt, ach tha iad à Portrìgh
9.Tha mi a' dol a cheannach leabhar ùr leis an airgead	10.Bha e a' bualadh leis an òrd
11.Tha mi a' dol a dh'fhàgail Tairbeart oir tha mi a' dol gu Obar Dheathain	12.Bha na h-èisg a' leum a-mach às an uisge

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