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Shil mé gur chara leat é - - I thought he was a friend of yours.
| Grammar point: The Copula - An Chopail - The Verb
"is" |
We have met structures using this verb already: is
maith liom - - I like.
There are just two "tenses" expressed by this verb which is
called an chopail. Is expresses the present and ba
the past or the conditional.
Taking the phrase is maith liom (I like) the forms you
should know are listed below.
Since "ba mhaith liom" generally means I would like
rather than I liked I have put aimsir caite (past tense)
in brackets below. There are other phrases with ba which do
express the past tense: "ba fhear breá é Pádraig"
(Pádraig was a fine man) for example, but avoid trying to
say "I liked the film" using "ba mhaith liom".
Say "Thaitin an scannán liom" instead.
| THE PRESENT TENSE - - AN AIMSIR LÁITHREACH |
| Dearfach - - Positive |
Is maith liom |
I like |
| Diúltach - - Negative |
Ní maith liom |
I do not like |
| Ceisteach - - Interrogative |
An maith leat |
Do you like |
| Claoninsint dearfa - - Reported positive |
gur maith liom |
that you like |
| Claoninsint diúltach - - Reported negative |
nach maith liom |
that I do not like |
|
. |
|
| (PAST) / CONDITIONAL - - (AIMSIR CAITE) / MODH COINNÍOLLACH |
| Dearfach - - Positive |
Ba mhaith liom |
I would like |
| Diúltach - - Negative |
Níor mhaith liom |
I would not like |
| Ceisteach - - Interrogative |
Ar mhaith leat |
Would you like |
Claoninsint dearfa -
- Reported positive |
gur mhaith leat |
that you would like |
Claoninsint diúltach -
- Reported negative |
nár mhaith leat |
that you would not like |
|
. |
|
| |
| Now I would like to show the forms with "áil"
instead of maith i.e. the forms with a vowel. |
| |
| THE PRESENT TENSE - - AN AIMSIR LÁITHREACH |
| Dearfach - - Positive |
Is áil liom |
I wish |
| Diúltach - - Negative |
Ní háil liom |
I do not wish |
| Ceisteach - - Interrogative |
An áil leat |
Do you wish |
Claoninsint dearfa -
- Reported positive |
gurb áil liom |
that you wish |
Claoninsint diúltach -
- Reported negative |
nach áil liom |
that I do not wish |
|
. |
|
| (PAST) / CONDITIONAL - - (AIMSIR CAITE) / MODH COINNÍOLLACH |
| Dearfach - - Positive |
B'áil liom |
I would wish |
| Diúltach - - Negative |
Níorbh áil liom |
I would not wish |
| Ceisteach - - Interrogative |
Arbh áil leat..? |
Would you wish . . ? |
| Claoninsint dearfa - - Reported positive |
gurbh áil leat |
that you would wish |
Claoninsint diúltach -
- Reported negative |
nárbh áil leat |
that you would not wish |
|
. |
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Shíl mise gur chara leatsa é Colm - I thought that Colm was a friend of yours. This is reported speech - claoninsint . The direct speech would be "ba chara leat é" or "is cara leat é" (After an introductory verb in "a historic tense" in reported speech the present tense changes to past. More on this later.) |
