ABSTRACT
Irish has two non-finite verb forms (forms unmarked for tense or person) that serve various functions. The primary such forms, known as verbal nouns, can function as regular nouns, but also fulfill the roles of the verb forms known in other languages as gerunds (as in Swimming is good for you), infinitives (I like to swim ), and participles (Máire is swimming now). The Irish verbal noun (VN) has a variety of structural features to be described in further detail in this and the following chapter. The second non-finite form, the verbal adjective, likewise has a dual function, as an ordinary adjective in some instances, but also as a verbal form equivalent to the past participle in English and other European languages.
