GRAMMAR

We return to "tá" this week, following your introduction to "is". Before we take up the new work, review "tá" quickly by reciting "támé, tátú, etc. Níl mé, níl tú, etc. An bhfuil mé, an bhfuil tú, etc. Nach bhfuil mé, nach bhfuil tú, etc." Review lessons 4 to 6 if you have forgotten any of this. It is vital to know.

To say the equivalent of "I am reading" in Irish, we add a word called a verbal noun to "támé", with the preposition "ag", meaning "at", before the verbal noun. Learn these examples:

Táméag léamh (taw* may* uh LAY*-uhv), I am reading.

Níl séag scríobh (neel shay* uh shkreev), He is not writing.

An bhfuil siad ag imeacht? (un vwil SHEE-uhd eg im-AHK*T), Are they departing?

Nach bhfuil túagéisteacht? (nahk* vwil too eg AY*SH-tyahk*t), Aren't you listening?

Pronounce the "ag" as (uh) before a verbal noun starting with a consonant, and as (eg) before a verbal noun starting with a vowel.

This grammar form serves as in English--to show that an action is going on at present. There is also a way, as in English, to say that an action takes place off and on but may not be going on now. To understand the difference, compare "I am walking" with "I walk".

A few verbs do not follow this pattern.. Irish is much like English in this. In Irish we say:

"I understand you", not "I am understanding you".

"I see it", not "I am seeing it".

"I hear him", not "I am hearing him".

The first part of a verbal noun nearly always looks and sounds somewhat like the imperative of the verb, although the verbal noun is usually longer and has an added syllable. From now on, learn the verb's imperative and verbal noun together, as in the vocabulary below.

The term "ag léamh" (uh LAY*-uhv) literally means "at reading". "I am reading a book" becomes "I am at reading of a book". The word "book" in this form takes a slightly different look and pronunciation from the one you have learned, (LOU-wuhr). It changes to "leabhair" (LOU-wir), the genitive case. We will introduce you to this by the phrase method, so that you will have a good background and an inventory of examples by the time we begin studying how nouns change.

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