gabh

See also: gábh

Irish

Alternative forms

• gaibh (Munster)

Etymology

From Old Irish gaibid (“grasp; receive”), from Proto-Celtic *gabyeti, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-. Cognate with English habit.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡavʲ/ (corresponding to the variant gaibh)
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ɡo/, /ɡau/^[1]
• (Cois Fharraige, Mayo) IPA^(key): /ɡo/^[2]
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡoː/^[3]

Verb

gabh (present analytic gabhann, future analytic gabhfaidh, verbal noun gabháil, past participle gafa)

1. (transitive) take
2. (transitive) arrest (take into legal custody)
3. (intransitive) go
4. (intransitive) come
5. (transitive) perform (music)

Usage notes

• In Connemara, the future, conditional, and second-person singular imperative of this verb supply forms of téigh. In Ulster, the entire imperative supplies alternative forms of both tar (“come”) and téigh (“go”).

Conjugation

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	gabhaim	gabhann tú; gabhair†	gabhann sé, sí	gabhaimid	gabhann sibh	gabhann siad; gabhaid†	a ghabhann; a ghabhas / a ngabhann*; a ngabhas*	gabhtar
	past	ghabh mé; ghabhas	ghabh tú; ghabhais	ghabh sé, sí	ghabhamar; ghabh muid	ghabh sibh; ghabhabhair	ghabh siad; ghabhadar	a ghabh / ar ghabh*	gabhadh
	past habitual	ghabhainn	ghabhtá	ghabhadh sé, sí	ghabhaimis; ghabhadh muid	ghabhadh sibh	ghabhaidís; ghabhadh siad	a ghabhadh / ar ghabhadh*	ghabhtaí
future		gabhfaidh mé; gabhfad	gabhfaidh tú; gabhfair†	gabhfaidh sé, sí	gabhfaimid; gabhfaidh muid	gabhfaidh sibh	gabhfaidh siad; gabhfaid†	a ghabhfaidh; a ghabhfas / a ngabhfaidh*; a ngabhfas*	gabhfar
conditional		ghabhfainn / ngabhfainn‡‡	ghabhfá / ngabhfᇇ	ghabhfadh sé, sí / ngabhfadh sé, s퇇	ghabhfaimis; ghabhfadh muid / ngabhfaimis‡‡; ngabhfadh‡‡ muid	ghabhfadh sibh / ngabhfadh sibh‡‡	ghabhfaidís; ghabhfadh siad / ngabhfaidís‡‡ / ngabhfadh siad‡‡	a ghabhfadh / ar ghabhfadh*	ghabhfaí / ngabhfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go ngabha mé; go ngabhad†	go ngabha tú; go ngabhair†	go ngabha sé, sí	go ngabhaimid; go ngabha muid	go ngabha sibh	go ngabha siad; go ngabhaid†	—	go ngabhtar
	past	dá ngabhainn	dá ngabhtá	dá ngabhadh sé, sí	dá ngabhaimis; dá ngabhadh muid	dá ngabhadh sibh	dá ngabhaidís; dá ngabhadh siad	—	dá ngabhtaí
imperative		gabhaim	gabh	gabhadh sé, sí	gabhaimis	gabhaigí; gabhaidh†	gabhaidís	—	gabhtar
verbal noun		gabháil
past participle		gafa

	singular			plural			relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	geobhaidh mé; geobhad	geobhaidh tú; geobhair†	geobhaidh sé, sí	geobhaimíd	geobhaidh sibh	geobhaidh siad; geobhaid	a gheobhaidh, a gheobhas / a ngeobhaidh*, a ngeobhas*	geofar
conditional	gheobhainn / ngeobhainn‡‡	gheofá / ngeofᇇ	gheobhadh sé, sí / ngeobhadh sé, s퇇	gheobhaimís / ngeobhaimís‡‡	gheobhadh sibh / ngeobhadh sibh‡‡	gheobhaidís / ngeobhaidís‡‡	a gheobhadh / ar gheobhadh*	gheofaí / ngeofa퇇

conjugation of gabh (first conjugation – A)

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

in older literary language and some parts of Munster, alternative future and conditional forms (identical to the independent future/conditional forms of faigh, but without lenition in the future) are found:

Derived terms

• aisghabh
• gabh in ionad
• gabh mo leithscéal
• gabh seilbh ar
• gabhaigí mo leithscéal
• gabháil cheoil
• gabhdóir
• urghabh

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gabh	ghabh	ngabh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

1. Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 129
2. Focail Fholaithe, "gabh i leith"
3. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 131, page 51

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gabh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “gaibid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gaibid (“grasp; receive”), from Proto-Celtic *gabyeti, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ-.

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ɡ̥ɔ/^[1]
• (Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /ɡ̥a/, /ɡ̥av/^[2]

Verb

gabh (past ghabh, future gabhaidh, verbal noun gabhail, past participle gabhte)

1. take, accept, receive, have

   Gabh cupa tì. ― Have/take a cup of tea.

2. contain, hold
3. sing, say, give, deliver, perform

   Gabh òran! ― Give [us] a song!

4. get infected
5. assume, pretend
6. burn, kindle, ferment
7. undertake, endeavour, be concerned with
8. arrange
9. can

   Cha ghabh sin a dhèanamh. ― That can't be done.

   cho teth 's a ghabhas ― as hot as possible

10. must, be compelled to
11. enlist, engage as a servant
12. make secure
13. entertain, treat
14. acknowledge
15. worry
16. conceive, become pregnant
17. beat, belabour
18. betake, repair, proceed, go (motion)
19. rest

Derived terms

• a' gabhail a-steach (“including”)
• cho luath sa ghabhas (“as soon as possible”)
• gabh a-steach (“include”)
• gabh air mhàl (“rent”) (from somebody)
• gabh àite (“take place”)
• gabh brath (“take advantage”)
• gabh dragh de (“be worried by”)
• gabh gaol air (“fall in love with”)
• gabh mo leisgeul (“excuse me”)
• gabh socair (“take it easy”)
• gabh tlachd ann (“enjoy”)
• gabh ùine (“take [one's] time”)

 

References

1. Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
2. Mac Gill-Fhinnein, Gordon (1966) Gàidhlig Uidhist a Deas, Dublin: Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “gabh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “gaibid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language