Form a picture in your mind of the phrase’s meaning and of the subject (whether “I”, “you”, “he”, etc.) as you say these phrases aloud:

Thiocfainn (HUHK-hin). Ní fheicfimis í (nee EK-hi-mish ee). An ndéarfadh sibh é sin? (un NYAY*R-huhk shiv ay* shin). Nach rachfá liom? (nahk* RAHK*-faw* luhm). Dá gcloisfidís (daw* GLISH-hi-deesh). Mura bhfeicfeadh sí thú. Dá dtiocfaimis libh. Chloisfeadh sé sinn. An rachaidís léi? Ní déarfá é sin. Nach dtiocfadh sí linn?

Key: I would come. We wouldn’t see her. Would you-all say that? Wouldn’t you go with me? If they were to hear. If she were not to see you. If we came with you-all. He would hear us. Would they go with her? You wouldn’t say that. Wouldn’t she come with us?

Here are the rest of the irregular verbs. Say all forms out loud, repeating them until you are familiar with them and can picture in your mind the meaning of each phrase.

“Déan” (day*n), do or make, has a future form: déanfaidh mé (DAY*N-hee may*), I will do. The conditional is:

dhéanfainn (YAY*N-hin), I would do

dhéanfá (YAY*N-faw*), you would do

dhéanfadh sé (YAY*N-huhk* shay*), he would do

dhéanfadh sí, she would do

dhéanfaimis (YAY*N-hi-mish), we would do

dhéanadh sibh, you-all would do

dhéanfaidís (YAY*N-hi-deesh), they would do

dhéantaí (YAY*N-tee), people would do

The rest of the forms for “déan” have these first elements:

Ní dhéanfainn, I would not do. An ndéanfainn? (un NAY*N-hin), would I do? Nach ndéanfainn?, wouldn’t I do. Dá ndéanfainn, if I were to do. Mura ndéanfainn, if I were not to do.

The verb “ith” (i), eat, is irregular only in the future tense and the conditional mood. Íosfaidh mé (EES-hee may*) is “I will eat”. The conditional is:

d’íosfainn (DEES-hin), I would eat

d’íosfá (DEES-faw*), you would eat

d’íosfadh sé (DEES-huhk* shay*), he would eat

d’íosfadh sí, she would eat

d’íosfaimis (DEES-hi-mish), we would eat

d’íosfadh sibh, you-all would eat

d’íosfaidís (DEES-hi-deesh), they would eat

d’íosfaí (DEES-fwee), people would eat

The rest of the forms of the conditional begin with:

Ní íosfainn, I would not eat. An íosfainn?, would I eat? Nach n-íosfainn?, wouldn’t I eat? Dá n-íosfainn, if I were to eat. Mura n-íosfainn, if I were not to eat.

The verb “tabhair” (TOO-ir), give, becomes tabharfaidh mé (TOOR-hee may*), I will give, in the future tense. The conditional is therefore:

thabharfainn (HOOR-hin), I would give

thabharfá (HOOR-faw*), you would give

thabharfadh sé (HOOR-huhk* shay*), he would give

thabharfadh sí, she would give

thabharfaimis (HOOR-hi-mish), we would give

thabharfadh sibh, you-all would give

thabharfaidís (HOOR-hi-deesh), they would give

thabharfaí (HOOR-fwee), people would give

Other forms in the modh coinníollach begin with:

Ní tharfainn, I would not give. An dtabharfainn? (un DOOR-hin), would I give? Nach dtabharfainn?, wouldn’t I give? Dá dtabharfainn, if I were to give. Mura dtabharfainn, if I were not to give.

“Beir air” (ber er), seize it or grab it, has “béarfaidh mé air” (BAY*R-hee may* ar) for the future, and the conditional is:

bhéarfainn (VAY*R-hin) air, I would seize it

bhéarfá (VAY*R-faw*) air, you would seize it

bhéarfadh (VAY*R-huhk*) sé air, he would seize it

bhéarfadh sí air, she would seize it

bhéarfaimis air, we would seize it

bhéarfadh sibh air, you-all would seize it

bhéarfaidís air (VAY*R-hi-deesh er), they would seize it

bhéarfaí (VAY*R- fwee) air, people would seize it

Na foirmeacha eile:

Ní bhéarfainn air, I would not seize it. An mbhéarfainn air? (un MAY*R-hin er), would I seize it? Nach mbhéarfainn air?, wouldn’t I seize it? Dá mbhéarfainn air, if I were to seize it. Mura mbhéarfainn air, if I were not to seize it.

The irregular verb most extensively changed in the modh coinníollach is “faigh” (faye), get. An aimsir fháistineach:

gheobhainn (YOH-in), I would get

gheofá (YOH-faw*), you would get

gheobhadh sé (YOH-uhk* shay*), he would get

gheobhadh sí, she would get

gheobhaimis (YOH-i-mish), we would get

gheobhadh sibh, you-all would get

gheobhaidís (YOH-i-deesh), they would get

gheofaí (YOH-fwee), people would get

The other forms are similar to the negative ní bhfaighidh mé, etc:

ní bhfaighinn (nee VWEYE-in), I wouldn’t get

ní bhfaighfeá (nee VWEYE-faw*), you wouldn’t get

ní bhfaigheadh sé (nee VWEYE-uhk* shay*), he wouldn’t get

ní bhfaigheadh sí, she wouldn’t get

ní bhfaighimis (nee VWEYE-i-mish), we wouldn’t get

ní bhfaigheadh sibh, you-all wouldn’t get

ní bhfaighfí (nee VWEYE-fee), people wouldn’t get

Related forms begin with:

An bhfaighinn?, would I get? Nach bhfaighinn?, wouldn’t I get? Dá bhfaighinn, if I were to get. Mura bhfaighinn, if I were not to get.

In the next lesson, we will look at ways to make use of the conditional easier for conversation.