Page:Irish Made Easy - Shán Ó Cuív.pdf/39

 the noun which it qualifies. We add to our vocabulary a few more words and give examples of the use of the adjective, as well as of the article and the verb. Thus we have Mac a son, An Mac, the son, tá an mac, the son is, tá an mac lag, the con is weak, mac lag, a weak son, etc.

Further examples are as follows:—Mac óg. An mac óg. Cú óg. An cú óg. Cú lag. An cú lag. Bó óg. Fál fliuch. Gé óg. An gé óg. Tá gé ansò. Tá an gé óg. Tá cú ansò agus té sé óg. Tá bó óg anson. Tá bó eli ansò. Tá Eilin óg. Tá sí ansó. Seán óg. Tá Seán óg. Tá Seán óg ansó.

In learning to speak any language one of the first requirements is to get a command of the verb which expresses existence—the verb to be in English. As the chief object of these lessons is to get students to speak Irish from the very commencement, we shall plunge into the difficulties of this verb at once. We, therefore, add to our vocabulary the past and future tenses of tá. Thus we have—tá, is; ví, was; beg, will be. Using the words anocht, amáireach, and iné we give examples of the use of the verb in the different tenses. Thus we have:—

Tá Eilín ansò. Ví sí ansò iné. Beg Seán ansò amáireach. Ví mac ansò iné agus ví sé óg. Tá Brían ansò agus beg Pádraig ansò amáireach. Tá Pádraig óg. Ví Síle ansò iné. Ví cú óg ansò iné. Ví, agus ví mac