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Rules of the tenses

Riaghailtean nan tràthan

Let's take a look at the verb rules for each of the tenses we have seen, past, future and conditional. Some dialects lenite  f  after  nach .

AN TRÀTH CAITHTE - REGULAR

FIRST LETTERADDQUESTIONPOSITIVENEGATIVENEGATIVE QUESTION
consonants _hAn  do  chuir?Chuir Cha  do  chuir Nach  do  chuir?
l, n, r, sg, sm, st, sp An  do  leugh?LeughCha  do  leugh Nach  do  leugh?
f-vowels dh'fh_An  do dh'fhàg?Dh'fhàgCha  do dh'fhàgNach  do dh'fhàg?
Vowels dh'_An  do dh'ith?Dh'ith Cha  do dh'ithNach  do dh'ith?

AN TRÀTH TEACHDAIL - REGULAR

FIRST LETTERADDQUESTIONPOSITIVENEGATIVENEGATIVE QUESTION
consonants _(a)idhAn cuir?Cuiridh Cha chuirNach cuir?
l, n, r, sg, sm, st, sp _(a)idhAn leugh?Leughaidh Cha leugh Nach leugh?
f-vowels _(a)idhAm  fàg?Fàgaidh Chan  fhàg Nach fàg?*
Vowels _(a)idhAn ith?IthidhChan  ith Nach ith?

We saw an tràth  cumhach  (the conditional tense) in Cuspair 2, Cuspair 4 and Cuspair 5. Here are some examples with regular and irregular verbs:

AN TRÀTH CUMHACH - REGULAR

FIRST LETTERADDQUESTIONPOSITIVENEGATIVENEGATIVE QUESTION
consonants _h_(e)adhAn cuireadh ?Chuireadh Cha chuireadhNach cuireadh?
l, n, r, sg, sm, st, sp _(e)adhAn leughadh ?LeughadhCha leughadhNach leughadh ?
f-vowels dh'_h_(e)adhAm  fàgadh ?Dh'fhàgadhChan fhàgadh Nach fàgadh?*
Vowels dh'_(e)adhAn itheadh?Dh'itheadhChan  itheadhNach itheadh ?

AN TRÀTH CUMHACH - IRREGULAR

QUESTIONPOSITIVENEGATIVENEGATIVE QUESTION
rachAn rachadh?RachadhCha  rachadhNach  rachadh?
An deigheadh?DheigheadhCha  deigheadhNach  deigheadh?
thigAn tigeadh?ThigeadhCha  tigeadhNach  tigeadh?
thoirAn toireadh?BheireadhCha  toireadhNach  toireadh?
dèanAn dèanadh?DhèanadhCha  dèanadhNach  dèanadh?
faighAm faigheadh?GheibheadhChan fhaigheadhNach  faigheadh?*
faicAm faiceadh?ChitheadhChan fhaiceadhNach  faiceadh?*
canAn canadh?ChanadhCha  chanadhNach  canadh?

That's quite a lot to remember, but you can always save these useful tables in your favourites or bookmarks. 

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FAQs

What does “Level” mean (A1, A2, B1, B2)?

All courses and resources on SpeakGaelic are organised according to internationally recognised language levels. If you have learnt a language before you may be familiar with this terminology—the SpeakGaelic levels map onto those defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Within SpeakGaelic, levels are colour-coded to help you find your way about.

A1 is “Inntrigeadh” (Entry). Absolute beginners should start here!

A2 is “Bunaiteach” (Foundation). Widen your knowledge of sentences and frequently-used expressions. Communicate simple tasks and basic descriptions.

B1 is “Eadar-mheadhanach” (Intermediate). Start becoming an independent user of Gaelic.

B2 is “Adhartach” (Advanced). Complete your journey to becoming an independent user of Gaelic.

How do I type the Gaelic accents?

Tap or click on a letter to put it on your clipboard, you can then paste it anywhere:

Lowercase letters:

Uppercase letters:

Alternatively, these methods may work for you:

Windows

Some simple ways to type grave accents in MS Windows, depending on which version you use. The grave accent ` is next to the number 1 at top of keyboard.

à, è, ì, ò, ù Ctrl+`, release and type letter;

À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù Ctrl+Shift+`, release and type letter

OR

Alt key + character code on the numeric keypad on right of keyboard (laptops will vary). Ensure that the NUMLOCK is on.

à Alt+133 or 0224
è Alt+138 or 0232
ì Alt+141 or 0236
ò Alt+149 or 0242
ù Alt+151 or 0249

À Alt+0192
È Alt+0200
Ì Alt+0204
Ò Alt+0210
Ù Alt+0217

Mac

Push and hold a character to bring up a menu and choose.

E.g. hold the letter e to choose the letter è

What is the Gaelic Alphabet?

Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu

For more information visit LearnGaelic’s Scottish Gaelic Alphabet

How do I pronounce Gaelic sounds?

SpeakGaelic always gives you a sound file for the word you are learning. For more information on individual sounds, visit LearnGaelic’ Sounds section.

What are slendar and broad vowels?

The slender vowels are e and i.

All the others are broad.

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