LESSON 1.
THE REGULAR VERBS.
The imperative singular and the verbal noun are the stems from which the other parts branch. Some verbal-nouns remain in form like the imperative. A few others undergo internal change, but the great majority are formed by adding one of the various terminations —ey, aghey, agh, aght, al, eil, ym, yn, etc. Initial vowel stems prefix the letter g to the verbal-noun.
Examples of the various forms of verbal-nouns.
Imperative.
screeu write.
lhaih read.
caill ose
brish break.
foshil open.
kionnee buy.
fuirree wait.
freggyr reply.
follee hide.
troy lift.
leeid lead.
giall promise.
chaggil gather.
ee eat.
iu drink.
insh tell.
eeck pay.
eeassee lend, borrow.
Verbal-Noun.
screeu writing.
lhaih reading.
coayl losing.
brishey breaking.
fosley opening.
kionnaghey, kionnagh buying.
fuirraght, fuirraghtyn waiting.
freggyrt replying.
follaghey, follaghtyn hiding.
troggal lifting.
leeideil leading.
gialdyn promising.
chaglvm gathering
gee eating.
giu drinking.
ginsh telling.
geeck paying.
geeassaghey, geeassaght lending, borrowing.
The present tense always consists of the verbal-noun and the auxiliary (ta, vel):
Ta mee screeu, ta mee brishey, ta mee kionnaghey, etc.
VeI ad screeu? Cha nel oo screeu. Nagh vel eh screeu?
The past tense is formed from the imperative stem:—
Screeu mee I wrote.
Cha screeu mee I did not write.
If the initial letter of the imperative is a mutable consonant, this in the past tense undergoes the changes, or mutations, caused by the possessive pronouns:—
Vrish mee I broke, etc.
If the initial letter is a vowel, the letter d, or occasionally j, is prefixed to the stem:—
Diu mee I drank.
Jeeck mee I paid, etc.
A stem with initial f drops the f and prefixes d:—
Doshil mee I opened, etc.
In the past tense, we can also say:
"Va mee screeu” and " Ren mee screeu.' This applies to all verbs.
1.—Translate into English.
Trooid marym nish, trooid marym nish,
Trooid marym, ghraih my chree,
As inshyms dhyts cre haink orrym,
Er loghyn Italy.
Neem's coamrey oo lesh sheeidey bwaagh
Sheeidey bwaagh foddee eh ve,
My hig uss marym, ghraih my chree,
Dys loghyn Italy.
As braagyn berchagh veryms dhyts,
Braagyn jeh airh ta buigh,
My trig uss marym, ghraih my chree,
Dys loghyn Italy.
O soie uss rish my lhiattee nish
Soie liorym, ghraih my chree,
As inshyms dhyts cre hig orrin,
Er loghyn Italy.
—(From "Manx Ballads and Music," by A.W. Moore.)
2.—Translate into Manx.
AN ISLANDER.
Ah, little Mona, native land of mine,
That fostered me between the hills and bays,
I render thanks to God That I was born in thee
Not in some larger land whose wide domains
Could never all be known and loved by me
As old familiar scenes: But thou art all my own.
—(From "Quacks and Twitters, by A. A. Patterson.)
CONVERSATIONAL PHRASES.