ABSTRACT
The verb forms of the conditional mood were introduced with the verb tenses in Chapters 9–12, and some conditional functions have been illustrated in other chapters, including Chapters 15, 23, and 24. These include modal functions indicating uncertainty, expression of the future tense within a past context, and to express hypothetical situations with as if. The conditional forms are used more frequently in Irish than in English, appearing in contexts where English translations might well use a different verb form. Céard a cheapfá faoi sin? ‘What do you think of that?’ Ní bheadh mórán suime agam ann. ‘I’m not very interested in it.’ Ní dhéanfadh sé an obair. ‘He refused to do the work.’ Cé a d’fheicfinn ach Neasa? ‘Who should I see but Neasa?’ Ní ghlacfadh sé leis an leithscéal sin. ‘He won’t accept that excuse.’ B’fhéidir go dtiocfadh sé. ‘Maybe he’ll come/he might come.’ Thuigfinn cén fáth a d’inis sé bréag. ‘I can understand why he lied.’ Ní fear é a chuirfeadh rudaí ar an méir fhada. ‘He’s not a man likely to put things off.’
