Using Verbs in Scots Gaelic: Present Continuous

In A First Lesson in Scots Gaelic we learned the verb tha (to be) with the personal pronouns and some adjectives, so that we can now say:

• “A’ bheil thu fuar?” “Chan eil. “

A nice word to introduce at this stage would be idir [eejir] (at all). This word is used a lot in conversation: sometimes three times in a row!

• “A’ bheil thu fuar?” “Chan eil (mi) idir. “ (Not at all!)

Part A: What would you answer to these questions?

1. A’ bheil sibh trang?

2. Ciamar a tha thu?

3. Nach eil iad sgìth?

Part B: What questions may have prompted these responses?

1. Tha. Tha mi blàth.

2. Chan eil. Tha e mòr.

3. Tha gu math, tapadh leat.

(Sample answers are given at the end of this article.)

The guide to pronunciation (written in square brackets after each Gaelic word) follows normal English pronunciation, with the following additions:

• X indicates the sound of "ch" in German "ach" and Scots "loch"
• G indicates a guttural "g" sound, getting towards the "r" in French "croissant"
• ö is the sound of "ö" in German "schön" or as in French eau.

These present continuous verbs all have a’ in front (or ag, for those beginning with a vowel).

• a’ tighinn [a chee in] = coming
• a' dol [a doll] = going
• a’ bruidhinn [a bree in] = talking
• a’ smaointean [a smön chin] = thinking
• a’ deanamh [a jay a noo] = doing/making
• ag obair [ag oh bir] = working
• ag ionnsachadh [ag yon su XaG] = studying
• a’ cluich [a klooX] = playing
• a' peantadh [a pentaG] = painting
• ag ithe [ag iXe] = eating
• ag ol [ag oll] = drinking

Get this list of verbs as a download.

(Some verbs do not fit into this structure, but we will deal with those in a later lesson.)

Simply use the tha + pronoun structure followed by the verb. For example:

• Tha mi a' tighinn. = I'm coming.
• Tha e ag ionnsachadh. = He's studying.
• A' bheil thu ag obair? = Are you working?
• Tha sinn a' cluich. = We're playing.

Translate these sentences.

1. Tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gàidhlig.

2. A' bheil sibh a' tighinn?

3. A' bheil iad trang? Tha. Tha iad ag obair.

4. Chan eil e a' cluich. Tha e a' peantadh.

5. Tha e a' bruidhinn, nach eil? Chan eil. Tha e a' smaointean.

(Answers are at the end of the article.)

Part A

1. Tha. / Tha mi. / Tha. Tha mi trang. / Chan eil. Chan eil mi trang idir.

2. Tha mi gi math, tapadh leat/leibh.

3. Tha, tha iad (glè) sgìth./ Chan eil. Chan eil iad sgìth (idir).

Part B

1. A' bheil thu/sibh blàth? / Nach eil thu/sibh blàth?

2. A' bheil e beag? / Nach eil e beag?

3. Ciamar a tha thu/sibh?

1. I'm learning/studying Gaelic.

2. Are you coming?

3. Are they busy? Yes, they're working.

4. He isn't playing. He's painting.

5. He's speaking, isn't he? No, he's thinking.