CLEACHTADH
(KLAK*-tuh);
PRACTICE WITH "IF" SENTENCES
Some
of these sentences do not have two parts or clauses,
but the meaning should be clear to you. Irish
usage is fairly close to English in most situations
calling for the conditional (an modh coinníollach).
Mura
mbeadh mo mhála ann, cén áit
an mbeadh sé ann?
Dúirt
Ciaran liom go mbeadh biseach air féin.
B'fhéidir
nach mbeidís i Siceágó.
B'fhéidir
nach mbeidís i Siceágó, dá
mbeimis ann rompu (ROHM-pu).
Nach
mbeadh sibh sásta, mura mbeinn ag obair
amárach?
D'fhiafraigh
sé díom an mbeinn ag dul abhaile
tar éis an cheachta (HYAHK*-tuh).
Dúirt
mé leis nach mbeinn ábalta bheith
(AW*-buhl-tuh ve) in oifig an phoist roimh (rev)
a naoi a chlog.
Bheadh
bróga nua agam, dá mbeadh am go
leor (oum goh lohr) inniu chun iad a cheannach.
Mura
mbeifeá tar éis bheith breoite,
bheadh Seán ábalta cuairt a thabhairt
ort (KOO-ahrt uh HOO-irt OH-ruht) inné.
Key:
If my bag weren't there, where would it be?
Ciaran told me that he would get better. Perhaps
they wouldn't be in Chicago. Perhaps they wouldn't
be in Chicago, if we were there before them. Wouldn't
you-all be satisfied if I weren't at work tomorrow?
He asked me would I be going home after the lesson.
I told him that I wouldn't be able to be in the
post office before nine o'clock. I would have
new shoes if I had time enough today to buy them.
If you weren't after being sick (hadn't been sick
previously), Seán would have been able
to visit you yesterday.
Before
beginning with the conditional forms for the other
verbs beside "tá", go through
this practice for "tá":
Cuir
Gaeilge ar: I would be. If she were. Wouldn't
they be? We would be. If you weren't. You-all
wouldn't be. If I were. Would we be? If he had
money. He wouldn't have money. They would be afraid.
If you weren't afraid.
Key:
Bheinn. Dá mbeadh sí. Nach mbeidís?
Bheimis. Mura mbeifeá. Ní bheadh
sibh. Dá mbeinn. An mbeimis? Dá
mbeadh airgead aige. Ní bheadh airgead
aige. Bheadh eagla orthu. Mura mbeadh eagla ort.
Remember
that each one of the above sentences is usually
accompanied by another one, such as in: I would
be, if you were here. Or: If you were here, I
would be.
"IF"
SENTENCES WITH REGULAR VERBS
All
verbs can express conditions. The rules are the
same as for "tá". With "má",
meaning "if", and "mura",
meaning "if not", the condition is one
that is possible. An example: Má chuireann
sé an nuachtán ar an staighre, feicim
é (maw* K*IR-uhn shay* un NOO-uhk*taw*n
er un STEYE-re FEK-im ay*); If he puts the newspaper
on the stairs, I see it.
The
word "má" causes aspiration of
the first consonant of the following verb, but
"mura" causes eclipsis. An example:
Mura gcuireann sé an nuachtán ar
an staighre, ní fheicim é; If he
doesn't put the newspaper on the stairs, I don't
see it.
Several
examples with "má" and "mura"
for regular verbs:
Má
bhriseann tú é, íocfaidh
tú as; if you break it, you will pay for
it.
Má
n-ól sé é, ní fhaca
mé é; if he drank it, I didn't see
it.
Mura
rithimid abhaile, ní fheicfimid d'athair;
if we don't run home, we won't see your father.
Má
deir sé é sin, creidim é;
if he says that, I believe him.
Note
that "má" does not aspirate the
"d" in "deir" and "dúirt".
It causes an "n" sound to precede a
verb beginning with a vowel, "a, e, i, o,
u".
With
the second conjugation - verbs like "imigh"
- the usage is similar. For example:
Má
n-imím ar a sé a chlog, feicim mo
chara; if I depart at six o'clock, I see my friend.
Mura
mbailimid an bruscar, cuirimid sa chistin é;
if we don't collect the trash, we put it in the
kitchen.
"DÁ"
and "MURA" WITH REGULAR VERBS
When
a condition is not possible, "dá"
(or "mura") with the modh coinníollach
express the meaning. Learn these forms first:
chuirfinn
(K*IR-hin), I would put
chuirfeá
(K*IR-faw*), you would put
chuirfeadh
sé (K*IR-huhk* shay*), he would put
chuirfeadh
sí (shee), she would put
chuirfimis
(K*IR-hi-mish), we would put
chuirfeadh
sibh (shiv), you-all would put
chuirfidís
(K*IR-hi-deesh), they would put
chuirfí
(K*IR-fee), people would put
Note
that the "f" in the forms is given its
usual sound in only two cases, for "you would
put" and for "people would put".
Learn
these forms for "cas" now:
chasfainn
(K*AHS-hin), I would turn
chasfá
(K*AHS-faw*), you would turn
chasfadh
sé (K*AHS-huhk* shay*), he would turn
chasfadh
sí (K*AHS-huhk* shee), she would turn
chasaimis
(K*AHS-hi-mish), we would turn
chasfadh
sibh (shiv), you-all would turn
chasfaidís
(K*AHS-hi-deesh), they would turn
chasfaí
(K*AHS-fwee), people would turn
Try
these practice sentences now:
Chasfainn
anseo, dá mbeadh a fhios agam cá
bhfuil sí. Mura mbeadh airgead aige, chuirfinn
amach é.
Key:
I would turn here, if I knew where she was.
If he didn't have money, I would put him out.
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