Caibidil a Trí: The Verb (An Briathar)

• The verbal adjective is the equivalent of the German Partizip II or the past participle (worn, washed, broken etc.)
• Together with the prefixes so-, do-, in- it takes on the meaning similar to English adjectives ending in -able (inite = edible)
• It is used as a normal adjective (but is rarely used comparatively). Since it belongs to the 3rd declension of adjectives (ending in a vowel) , it remains unchanged in the genitive and the plural.

form:

b, g are devoiced by the suffix -tha, -the: -btha [-p@], -gtha [k@].
* -fa is the simplified spelling for *bhtha / *mhtha  e.g.: scríobh - *scríobhtha > scríofa
** -dta is pronounced [-t@] (this original form was most likely -dtha)

verbs of the 2nd conjugation:
 

final sound	form	example
igh	verb stem (without -gh) + the	salaigh - salaithe, coinnigh - coinnithe
il	verb stem + te	oscail - oscailte
in	verb stem* + ta	consain - consanta
ir	verb stem* + tha	imir - imeartha
im	verb stem* + tha	foghlaim - foghlamtha
ing	verb stem + the	tuirling - tuirlingthe

* Depalatalisation of the verb stem (imir becomes imeartha, foghlaim becomes foghlamtha)
il, ir, in:  Here also, the form ending in igh is possible: e.g. oscail - osclaithe instead of oscailte

Use:

1. attributive adjective: an cruiscín briste = the broken jar
2. predicative adjective  (either passiv or active)
   e.g.: Tá an bord briste = The table is broken (passive).
   e.g.: Tá mé ólta = I am drunk (active)
3. in the predicative use transitive verbs take on the passive, the agent is introduced with ag:
   e.g.: Tá an bord briste agam = the table was broken by me (lit.: "is the table broken by-me")
4. in a predicative use one can also make it the perfect:
   • transitive verbs: introduction of the agent with ag (perfect/passive):
     e.g.: Tá an bord briste agam. = I broke the table. (lit.: "is the table broken by-me")
   • intransitive verbs (only the perfect):
     e.g.: Tá mé imithe go hÉirinn. = I went to Ireland. (lit.: "was I went to Ireland ")
5. predicative with other verbs
   e.g.: Chonaic mé scríofa mar sin é. = I saw it written.
6. (rare) as the participle of necessity (rangabháil an riachtanais) with the copula (mostly negative):
   e.g.: Ní gearánta dom ar an aimsir = I have no grounds to complain about the weather (lit.: "not-is to-complain to-me on the weather ")
7. the genitive form of the verbal noun has often the same form as the verbal adjective:
   e.g: pósadh-pósta, suí-suíte, loighe-loite, caitheamh-caite
8. The use in (temporal, modal) participial constructions, as in German, is not common.

prefixes so-, do-, in-

participle of ease (rangabháil na fusachta):
so- = "easily"   e.g: sobhriste = fragile, soshábhála = easily rescued

participle of difficulty (rangabháil na deacrachta):
do- = "difficult, impossible "   e.g.: dobhriste = unbreakable, doshábhála = unrescuable

participle of suitability (rangabháil na hoiriúnachta):
in- = "possible"   e.g.: inbhriste = breakable, inite = edible, insábhála = rescuable

These 3 participles can (less commonly) also be formed out of normal nouns (in the genitive form):
so-: so-iompair = carryable, sotheagaisc = teachable
do-: doláin = unfillable, dofhaisnéise = indescribable, doleithscéil = inexcusable, do-amhrais = undoubtedly
in-: intráchta = passable, inairm = appropriate, to be armed, inrúin = capable, to keep a secret

participle of comparison (rangabháil na comparáide)
The prefix in- can act as the participle of comparison with the genitive of nouns. In this case a partner of comparison is included with le. It is an extension of the participle of suitability : (in ... le = as possible... as). A degree of equation is made (equative):
e.g.: Níl sí incheoil le Pól = She can't make music like Paul can
Ní raibh aon fhear inchamáin le Pól = There was no man who was as able with the hurley stick as Paul.