In certain situations it is not correct to use the primary form of the future tense - the relative must be used instead (there is no form in English equivalent to the relative as such; English would use the future or even the present tense).

HOW TO FORM IT

1. Take the stem form of a regular verb (i.e. the part to which tense endings are usually attached).

2. Lenite an initial consonant (f- may be retained).

3. Finally add -ym for the 'I' form, and -ys for all the others. For 'we', use -mayd, not shin.

Examples following this procedure:

1. (troggal) trogg-,   -(cooinaghtyn) -cooinee,    (foddym); fodd

2. Lenite to: hrogg-,   -chooinee-,    - odd-.

3. Add endings:

hroggym 'I shall lift'
hroggysmayd 'we shall lift'
hroggys oo/eh/ee/shiu/ad 'you/he (etc.) will lift'

chooineeym 'I shall remember' chooineeysmayd 'we shall remember' chooineeys oo/eh/ee/shiu/ad 'you/he (etc.) will remember'

oddym 'I can / shall be able' oddysmayd 'we can / shall be able'

oddys oo/eh/ee/shiu/ad 'you/he (etc.) can/will be able'

Exceptions:

1. The relative of 'to be' is vee'm 'I shall be', veesmayd, vees.
 

2. Of the irregular verbs, only two regularly have a relative:

clashtyn: chlinnym, chlinnysmayd, chlinnys

goaill: ghoym, ghoysmayd, ghoys (also spelt ghowym etc.)

Some other forms occasionally occur in the Bible and in Manx grammars and dictionaries (e.g. jirrys, heeys) but are best
ignored and replaced by the usual primary form of the future.

WHEN TO USE IT

The relative is used in 4 clearly defined circumstances, and then only when the verb has a future tense:
 

1. In relative clauses conveying the idea 'who/which/ that...'

e.g. yn dooinney ghoys ayns laue yn obbyr shen
'the man who will undertake the work'

mie lhiat y gioot chionneeys ee?
'do you like the gift she will buy?'

nee'm cooney leshyn choonys lhiams
'I shall help the one who helps me.'

2. When the clause begins with s' or she, whether expressed or understood,

e.g. s'atchimagh vees yn sterrym noght
'the storm tonight will be terrible'

she eshyn eiyrys orroo
'it is he who will follow them'

eshyn freillys ny annaghyn, t'eh freayll yn annym echey hene
'he who keeps the commandments keeps his own soul (Prov. 19: 16)

It will be noted in these examples that the sentence ao in fact contain relative clauses, and so could be included in (1) above.

3. In a positive question, following interrogative adverbs or pronouns, such as c'red, c'raad, cuin, quoi, caid, kys, cre'n aght/fa/oyr, cre (what, but not cre where),

e.g. quoi oddys y chlashtyn eh ?
'who can hear it?' (John 6:60)

cuin roshys ad y charrick?
'when will they reach the rock?'

kys inshys ee da?
'how will she tell him?'

cre hirrym?
'what shall I be looking for?'

4. In a subordinate clause after one of the following words
tra, choud's, derrey, myr, chamoo, cho...as, erbee (say, - ever)
my (=if, but not my = before),

e.g.
my oddym
'if I can'

my chreckys eh e hie-troailt
'if he sells his caravan

(but my greck eh ... or roish my greck eh 'before he sells')

tra chaillym yn stiurtys
'when I lose my stewardship' (Luke 16:4)

- derrey vees y jymmoose er ny chooilleeney
'until the anger is avenged' (Dan 11:36)

choud's vees y drogh-earish ayn
'as long as the bad weather is here'

cho tappee as oddysmayd 'as quickly as we can'
chamoo oddys ad baase y gheddyn arragh 'neither can they die any more' (Luke 20:36)

quoi erbee scarrys rish e ven, as phoosys ben elley, t'eh brishey poosey
'whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery' (Luke 16:18)

verym freggyrt da dooinney erbee vrieys jee'm
'I will answer any man who asks me'
 

NOTE
In this matter of the relative, three popular misconceptions have arisen and are now widespread:

1. The relative may UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES be used after cha, nagh, mannagh, dy, or wherever the secondary form of the verb would be expected; thus,

mannagh bee yn caa ayd (not vees)
foddee dy vod eh feddyn magh (not oddys)
tra nagh gooinee shiu er arragh (not chooineeys)
choud's nagh vaag ad eh (not aagys)

2. It is commonly thought (partly because of the type of English to be found in the Authorised Version of the Bible) that oddym, oddys contain the idea of 'may', whereas in modern English they both mean 'can', 'shall be able'; 'may' can be rendered by a variety of other ways, e.g. 'I may go' foddee dy jem, or 'I may stay up for an hour now' foddym (or: ta kied aym) tannaghtyn er-chosh rish oor nish.

3. In spite of some Biblical usage, verbs ending in -ee should not lose this before -ys (as the -ee is an integral part of the stem); thus eneeys (not enys) from fenaght 'enquire. Unfortunately, Cregeen's dictionary frequently errs in this respect.

REMEMBER

Correct use of the relative shows a good and stylish command of the language; but for those who really cannot master it, the possibility remains of using a circumlocution instead, e.g. my nee eh creek e hie-troailt (see (4) above). In fact nee may be used to replace any regular relative form except oddym, oddys (cho tappee as oddysmayd would have to become cho tappee as ta shin (or veesmayd) abyl). It is not possible correctly to avoid using vee'm, vees.