[languages] oh is THAT why--

[kaberett]

I decided, a couple of days ago, that the combination of "wanting to play with my pens some more" and "still really struggling to keep several common Irish verbs that go t-[vowel]-[b/g/d/...] correctly associated with their meanings" meant it was time to copy out Irish verb tables.

It transpired that part of the problem with remembering the difference between the verbs for "give" and "take" in their standard English meanings is that they're the same word. So I feel better about not being able to remember which of the t-[vowel]-[consonant???] clusters were which on that front!

And also, I dug out some verb tables, which came along with:

There are eleven irregular verbs in Standard Irish; individual dialects have a few more. Most of them are characterized by suppletion, that is, different roots are used to form different tenses. Analytic forms are indicated by the symbol +. The preterites of many irregular verbs take the nonpreterite forms of preverbal particles, i.e. an (interrogative particle) and ní (negative particle), instead of ar (pret. interrogative particle) and níor (pret. negative particle). Some verbs have different independent and dependent forms in certain tenses; the independent forms are used when no particle precedes the verb, and also after má "if" (open conditional) and the direct relative particle a, while the dependent forms are used after all other particles.

So this told me one thing that I knew (eleven irregular verbs, tables for which I wanted to copy out), one I didn't know and didn't know I wanted to know (suppletion), and one I didn't know and definitely did want to know but had not got around to looking up independently (independent and dependent forms).

Comments

[aldabra]

I remember the hilarity in O-level Greek class when the (ancient) textbook told us, "Certain verbs admit of a second formation." Infuriatingly, I can't reach the ancient textbook in the current house with my actual hip, so I can't tell you how many dozens of tables the first formation of the verbs had taken, but it was many.

[kaberett]

... oh NO.

[hairyears]

I really should learn some Gaelic, what with being an actual Irish Citizen.

[kaberett]

That was my impetus, yes!

Am I standing in a paddy field?

[hairyears]

Wait, what?

Re: Am I standing in a paddy field?

[kaberett]

... ah! I see the confusion! I meant: I started learning Irish when I applied to have my citizenship recognised!