Táim is an irregular verb. Its verbal noun is bheith /vʹeh/, which is always found lenited in the modern language. There is no verbal adjective.
Audio files were read by Eoiní Mhaidhc Ó Súilleabháin, native speaker in the Cork Gaeltacht, August 10th-11th 2010.
Simple present tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | táim audio | tɑ:mʹ | nílim audio | nʹi:lʹimʹ | |
you s. | taíonn tú (tánn tú) | tɑ:n tu: | níleann tú | nʹi:lʹən tu: | |
he | tá sé | tɑ: sʹe: | níl sé | nʹi:lʹ sʹe: | |
we | táimíd | tɑ:mʹi:dʹ | nílimíd | nʹi:lʹimʹi:dʹ | |
you pl. | táthaoi (tánn sibh) | tɑ:n sʹivʹ | níleann sibh | nʹi:lʹən sʹivʹ | |
they | táid siad | tɑ:dʹ sʹiəd | nílid siad | nʹi:lʹidʹ sʹiəd | |
one | táthar | tɑ:hər | níltear | nʹi:lʹtʹər |
Note: relative forms are produced by prefixing a- to the verb, eg atá. This reflects the fact that the verb táim was originally atáim. The relative form can have the t lenited in pronunciation, especially after a word ending in a vowel. Second-person singular forms táir, taoi and taíonn tú are found in literature — all three are found in PUL’s works, but he doesn’t use tánn tú. The traditional second-person plural form táthaoi /tɑ:’hi:/ is found in PUL’s works. AÓL has tánn tú and tánn sibh. The third-person plural form is properly táid siad and not just táid, as attested in literature going back centuries, although tá siad is more common nowadays, under the influence of Standardized Irish. The negative second-person singular is nílir and níleann tú in PUL’s works, with níl sibh in the negative second-person plural. AÓL has níleann tú, but his second-person plural form is not attested. PUL has an bhfuilir? and an bhfuileann tú? in the second-person singular interrogative and an bhfuil sibh? and an bhfuiltí? in the plural. AÓL has an bhfuileann tú? and an bhfuileann sibh?, as well as a’ bhfuilthí? in one passage.
Habitual present tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | bím audio | bʹi:mʹ | ní bhím audio | nʹi: vʹi:mʹ | |
you s. | bíonn tú | bʹi:n tu: | ní bhíonn tú | nʹi: vʹi:n tu: | |
he | bíonn sé | bʹi:n sʹe: | ní bhíonn sé | nʹi: vʹi:n sʹe: | |
we | bímíd | bʹi:mʹi:dʹ | ní bhímíd | nʹi: vʹi:mʹi:dʹ | |
you pl. | bíonn sibh | bʹi:n sʹivʹ | ní bhíonn sibh | nʹi: vʹi:n sʹivʹ | |
they | bíd siad | bʹi:dʹ sʹiəd | ní bhíd siad | nʹi: vʹi:dʹ sʹiəd | |
one | bítear | bʹi:tʹər | ní bítear | nʹi: bʹi:tʹər |
AÓL had nuair a bhítar in one passage. So it is likely he would have had ní bhítar. PUL had a slender -tear ending; AÓL a broad -tar.
Simple past tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | do bhíos audio | də vʹi:s | ní rabhas audio | nʹi: rous | |
you s. | do bhís | də vʹi:sʹ | ní rabhais | nʹi: rousʹ | |
he | do bhí sé | də vʹi: sʹe: | ní raibh sé | nʹi: revʹ sʹe: | |
we | do bhíomair | də vʹi:mirʹ | ní rabhamair | nʹi: roumirʹ | |
you pl. | do bhíobhair | də vʹi:u:rʹ | ní rabhabhair | nʹi: rouu:rʹ | |
they | do bhíodar | də vʹi:dər | ní rabhadar | nʹi: roudər | |
one | do bhíothas | də vʹi:həs | ní rabhthas | nʹi: rouhəs |
Note: bhíothas is always lenited.
Future tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | bead, beidh mé audio | bʹed, bʹe mʹe: | ní bhead, ní bheidh mé audio | nʹi: vʹed, nʹi: vʹe mʹe: | |
you s. | beidh tú | bʹe tu: | ní bheidh tú | nʹi: vʹe tu: | |
he | beidh sé | bʹe sʹe: | ní bheidh sé | nʹi: vʹe sʹe: | |
we | beimíd | bʹemʹi:dʹ | ní bheimíd | nʹi: vʹemʹi:dʹ | |
you pl. | beidh sibh | bʹe sʹivʹ | ní bheidh sibh | nʹi: vʹe sʹivʹ | |
they | beid siad | bʹedʹ sʹiəd | ní bheid siad | nʹi: vʹedʹ sʹiəd | |
one | beifar | bʹefər | ní beifar | nʹi: bʹefər |
Negative autonomous not found in AÓL; he probably had ní bheifar.
Conditional tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | do bheinn audio | də vʹeŋʹ | ní bheinn audio | nʹi: vʹeŋʹ | |
you s. | do bheifá | də vʹefɑ: | ní bheifá | nʹi: vʹefɑ: | |
he | do bheadh sé | də vʹex sʹe: | ní bheadh sé | nʹi: vʹex sʹe: | |
we | do bheimís | də vʹemʹi:sʹ | ní bheimís | nʹi: vʹemʹi:sʹ | |
you pl. | do bheadh sibh | də vʹex sʹivʹ | ní bheadh sibh | nʹi: vʹex sʹivʹ | |
they | do bheidís | də vʹedʹi:sʹ | ní bheidís | nʹi: vʹedʹi:sʹ | |
one | do bheifí | də vʹefʹi: | ní bheifí | nʹi: vʹefʹi: |
Note: the autonomous form here is permanently lenited, even in older forms of Cork Irish.
Past habitual or imperfect tense
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | do bhínn audio | də vʹi:ŋʹ | ní bhínn audio | nʹi: vʹi:ŋʹ | |
you s. | do bhíthá | də vʹi:hɑ: | ní bhíthá | nʹi: vʹi:hɑ: | |
he | do bhíodh sé | də vʹi:x sʹe: | ní bhíodh sé | nʹi: vʹi:x sʹe: | |
we | do bhímís | də vʹi:mʹi:sʹ | ní bhímís | nʹi: vʹi:mʹi:sʹ | |
you pl. | do bhíodh sibh | də vʹi:x sʹivʹ | ní bhíodh sibh | nʹi: vʹi:x sʹivʹ | |
they | do bhídís | də vʹi:dʹi:sʹ | ní bhídís | nʹi: vʹi:dʹi:sʹ | |
one | do bhítí | də vʹi:tʹi: | ní bhítí | nʹi: vʹi:tʹi: |
Note: the autonomous form here is permanently lenited, even in older forms of Cork Irish. The second-person singular is not found in AÓL, but it is given in PUL’s works with -th-. It is not bhíteá.
Imperative mood
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | bím audio | bʹi:mʹ | ná bím audio | nɑ: bʹi:mʹ | |
you s. | bí | bʹi: | ná bí | nɑ: bʹi: | |
he | bíodh sé | bʹi:x sʹe: | ná bíodh sé | nɑ: bʹi:x sʹe: | |
we | bímís | bʹi:mʹi:sʹ | ná bímís | nɑ: bʹi:mʹi:sʹ | |
you pl. | bídh | bʹi:gʹ | ná bídh | nɑ: bʹi:gʹ | |
they | bídís | bʹi:dʹi:sʹ | ná bídís | nɑ: bʹi:dʹi:sʹ | |
one | bítear | bʹi:tʹər | ná bítear | nɑ: bʹi:tʹər |
Note: Amhlaoibh Ó Loingsigh had both bídh and bígis as the second-person plural.See comments above on bítear.
Present subjunctive (optative)
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | go rabhad audio | gə roud | ná rabhad audio | nɑ: roud | |
you s. | go rabhair | gə rourʹ | ná rabhair | nɑ: rourʹ | |
he | go raibh sé | gə revʹ sʹe: | ná raibh sé | nɑ: revʹ sʹe: | |
we | go rabhaimíd | gə roumʹi:dʹ | ná rabhaimíd | nɑ: roumʹi:dʹ | |
you pl. | go raibh sibh | gə revʹ sʹivʹ | ná raibh sibh | nɑ: revʹ sʹivʹ | |
they | go rabhaid siad | gə roudʹ sʹiəd | ná rabhaid siad | nɑ: roudʹ sʹiəd | |
one | go rabhthar | gə rouhər | ná rabhthar | nɑ: rouhər |
Note: other than raibh, the above forms are exceedingly rarely found. Apart from raibh, I have found one instance of ná rabhair in PUL’s works, and one instance of go rabhthar; the other forms are not attested. With this verb, the subjunctive forms are only used in optative contexts; otherwise the future forms are used. In other words, you can say ná rabhair riamh gan airgead, as this is a wish, but after sara, nú, chun, go and others, you would use forms like fan go mbeidh mé ansan. I haven’t identified optative usages in AÓL.
Imperfect subjunctive
affirmative form | negative form | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | dá mbeinn audio | dɑ: mʹeŋʹ | mara mbeinn audio | mɑrə mʹeŋʹ | |
you s. | dá mbeifá | dɑ: mʹefɑ: | mara mbeifá | mɑrə mʹefɑ: | |
he | dá mbeadh sé | dɑ: mʹex sʹe: | mara mbeadh sé | mɑrə mʹex sʹe: | |
we | dá mbeimís | dɑ: mʹemʹi:sʹ | mara mbeimís | mɑrə mʹemʹi:sʹ | |
you pl. | dá mbeadh sibh | dɑ: mʹex sʹivʹ | mara mbeadh sibh | mɑrə mʹex sʹivʹ | |
they | dá mbeidís | dɑ: mʹedʹi:sʹ | mara mbeidís | mɑrə mʹedʹi:sʹ | |
one | dá mbeifí | dɑ: mʹefʹi: | mara mbeifí | mɑrə mʹefʹi: |
Note: this is the only verb the imperfect subjunctive forms of which are identical to the conditional.