The Old Irish a subjunctive, which is the most widespread and productive subjunctive conjugation, is found with both weak and strong verbs. The endings are almost exactly the same as in the class A I presents, with a few exceptions as indicated below.
See Category:Old Irish a subjunctive verbs for a list of verbs belonging to this class.
Nondeponent endings
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A sample verb for this class is marbaid (“to kill”). In the present subjunctive, the endings are the same as in the A I present indicative except for the first- and second-person singular. The past subjunctive endings are identical to the imperfect indicative endings of class A I:
Present subjunctive
|
|
1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| Absolute
|
marba
|
marbae
|
marbaid
|
marbmai
|
marbthae
|
marbait
|
marbthair
|
marbtair
|
| Conjunct
|
·marb†
|
·marbae
|
·marba
|
·marbam
|
·marbaid
|
·marbat
|
·marbthar
|
·marbtar
|
| Relative
|
|
|
marbas
|
marbmae |
|
marbtae
|
marbthar
|
marbtar
|
| †In class B II verbs, the first-person singular conjunct is also attested with a slender final consonant, e.g. gaibid has both ·gab and ·gaib in the first-person singular present subjunctive.
|
Past subjunctive
| 1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| ·marbainn
|
·marbtha
|
·marbad
|
·marbmais
|
·marbthae
|
·marbtais
|
·marbthae
|
·marbtais
|
In class A II verbs, the endings are the same, but the final consonant of the root is slender (palatalized), which has an effect on the spelling. An example is léicid (“to leave”):
Present subjunctive
|
|
1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| Absolute
|
léicea
|
léice
|
léicid
|
léicmi
|
léicthe
|
léicit
|
léicthir
|
léictir
|
| Conjunct
|
·léic
|
·léice
|
·léicea
|
·léicem
|
·léicid
|
·léicet
|
·léicther
|
·léicter
|
| Relative
|
|
|
léices
|
léicme |
|
léicte
|
léicther
|
léicter
|
Past subjunctive
| 1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| ·léicinn
|
·léicthea
|
·léiced
|
·léicmis
|
·léicthe
|
·léictis
|
·léicthe
|
·léictis
|
In class B IV, the n of the present indicative stem is absent in the subjunctive, and the endings are added directly to the vowel that ends the root. In the case of vowel-initial endings, the two vowels merge in some cases. As this is a rather small class, many forms are unattested. An example is crenaid (“to buy”); the forms marked with * below are not attested, but are likely to have been the forms.
Present subjunctive
|
|
1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| Absolute
|
*crïa
|
*cri(a)e
|
*criïd
|
*cremi
|
*crethe
|
*criït
|
crethir
|
cretir
|
| Conjunct
|
·créu
|
·cri(a)e
|
·crïa
|
·crïam
|
*·criïd
|
·criet
|
·crether
|
*·creter
|
| Relative
|
|
|
*crïes
|
*creme |
|
crete
|
*crether
|
*creter
|
Past subjunctive
| 1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| *·criïnn
|
*·cretha
|
·crïad
|
·cremmis†
|
*·crethe
|
·cretis
|
·crethe
|
·cretis
|
| †Attested in a different verb, but not in crenaid
|
Deponent endings
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A sample verb for this class is labraithir (“to speak”). The endings are the same as in the class A I present indicative except for the first person singular forms of the present subjunctive:
Present subjunctive
|
|
1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| Absolute
|
labrar
|
labraither
|
labraithir
|
labraimmir
|
labraithe
|
labraitir
|
labraithir
|
labraitir
|
| Conjunct
|
·labrar
|
·labraither
|
·labrathar
|
·labrammar
|
·labraid
|
·labratar
|
·labrathar
|
·labratar
|
| Relative
|
|
|
labrathar
|
labrammar |
|
labratar
|
labrathar
|
labratar
|
Past subjunctive
| 1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| ·labrainn
|
·labratha
|
·labrad
|
·labraimmis
|
·labraithe
|
·labraitis
|
·labraithe
|
·labraitis
|
Here too, the stem of A II verbs ends in a slender consonant, which affects the spelling:
Present subjunctive
|
|
1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| Absolute
|
foilsiger
|
foilsigther
|
foilsigidir
|
foilsigmir
|
foilsigthe
|
foilsigitir
|
foilsigthir
|
foilsigtir
|
| Conjunct
|
·foilsiger
|
·foilsigther
|
·foilsigedar
|
·foilsigmer
|
·foilsigid
|
·foilsigetar
|
·foilsigther
|
·foilsigter
|
| Relative
|
|
|
foilsigedar
|
foilsigmer |
|
foilsigetar
|
foilsigther
|
foilsigter
|
Past subjunctive
| 1st sg.
|
2nd sg.
|
3rd sg.
|
1st pl.
|
2nd pl.
|
3rd pl.
|
Passive singular
|
Passive plural
|
| ·foilsiginn
|
·foilsigthea
|
·foilsiged
|
·foilsigmis
|
·foilsigthe
|
·foilsigtis
|
·foilsigthe
|
·foilsigtis
|
Further reading
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- McCone, Kim (1997) The Early Irish Verb (Maynooth Monographs 1), 2nd edition, Maynooth: An Sagart, →ISBN, pages 36–39
- Strachan, John, Bergin, Osborn (1949) Old-Irish Paradigms and Selections from the Old-Irish Glosses, Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, →ISBN, pages 43–49
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2017) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, §§ 597–612, pages 380–87
