Cork Irish

Gheibhim is an irregular verb with faighim in the dependent. The dependent form was traditionally spelled with a broad -gh- in most tenses (eg, faghaim) and a slender -gh- in the future and conditional only, although this distinction is not observed today. The verbal noun is fáil /fɑ:lʹ/. The verbal adjective is fálta /fɑ:lhə/; more traditional alternatives in use in parts of Munster include faighte and fachta. Fálta was used in Peadar Ua Laoghaire’s works; I have heard both faighte and fachta in the present-day Cúíl Aodha Gaeltacht.

Audio files were read by Eoiní Mhaidhc Ó Súilleabháin, native speaker in the Cork Gaeltacht, August 10th-11th 2010.

Habitual present tense

Note: this verb was historically do-gheibhim, explaining the lenition. The negative form is ní fhaighim, and not the Kerry form ní bhfaighim cited in the book Teach Yourself Irish. In traditional Cork Irish, the autonomous form will be found unlenited after ní and after the relative particle, although current usage varies.

Simple past tense

Note: the past-tense autonomous form is not lenited after do or níor or after the direct relative particle. The autonomous is also found as do fuarthas; the traditional form was do frith. The future forms are an bhfuair?, etc.

Future tense

Note: The future was traditionally gheobhad, but the form is generally delenited in Cork Irish today (this means that gheibhim shares a future form with gabhaim in the absolute, and sometimes in the dependent too, in Cork Irish). The dependent is either ní gheobhad or the traditionally correct ní bhfaighead. In traditional Cork Irish, the autonomous form will be found unlenited after ní and after the relative particle, although current usage varies.

Conditional tense

Note: gheibhim shares a conditional form with gabhaim in the absolute at least.

Habitual past or imperfect tense

Note: in historical Irish, the imperfect was do gheibhinn, and this form is found in literature and the Irish of some speakers today (my reader preferred do gheibhinn, and supplied an audio file for that form too:  Audio). In traditional Cork Irish, the autonomous form will be found unlenited after ní and after the relative particle, although current usage varies. The autonomous positive can also be do fachtí. The second person singular can also be d’fhaighteá /dəitɑ:/.

Imperative mood

Note: the imperative forms are problematic. The current forms are faigh /fəigʹ/ and faighgidh /fəigʹigʹ/, but the latter form introduces an adventitious g sound. The forms used by Amhlaoibh Ó Loinsigh were faig /fɑgʹ/and either faigh /fəigʹ/or faighgis /fəigʹisʹ/ in the plural.

Present subjunctive

Note: in traditional Cork Irish, the autonomous form will be found unlenited after nár, although current usage varies.

Imperfect subjunctive

Note: the second person singular can also be dá bhfaighteá /dɑ: vəitɑ:/.