I have a May 2005 copy of this book - a light blue booklet. Although the past subjunctive of the verb is said elsewhere to be the same in form as the Imperfect (minus the lenition), on p112 a full rundown of the verb "to be" has the following entries for the past subjunctive:

beinn
beifeá
beadh sé
beimis
beadh sibh
beidís
beifí

These are the same as the conditional, not the imperfect. Is this a misprint, or is bheith the only verb that has a past subjunctive like the conditional??

I also have a pre-war edition of this book, with no date. In section 329 it gives the past subjunctive as:

go mbínn
go mbítheá
go mbíodh sé
go mbímís
go mbíodh sibh
go mbídís
go rabhthas

These look right. Has anyone else found any misprints in the Christian Brothers' Grammar?

Er.. now I am confused. On p144 of Dillons' Teach Yourself Irish, he has the same forms for the past subjunctive of bheith as published in the May 2005 Christian Brother's Grammar - ie the same as the conditional and not the imperfect.

In Christian Brothers' 'Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí', they also give past subjunctive forms as beinn, beifeá, beadh sé... I thought it was a mistake as well, but since it is to be found in most grammar books, maybe it does exist.

In Donegal Irish, the past subjunctive is like the habitual past anyway: dá mbínn, dá bhítheá, dá mbeadh sé, dá mbeadh muid... You can find that in traditional songs, so I know it is right.

"Taobh amigh den bhriathar bí is ionann ... foirm an fhoshuitigh chaite agus foirm an ghnáthchaite spleách." § 350 Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí

Mar sin, nuair a deirim "dá mbeinn i láthair" ní féidir a bheith cinnte an é an foshuiteach caite nó an coinníollach atá á úsáid agam. Bheadh ceachtar acu ceart tar éis "dá". Ach níl le déanamh ach "dá mbínn" a thabhairt do Ghoogle chun samplaí de seo a fháil ó Altan agus ó Chlannad, díreach mar a dúirt Lughaidh.

Is cosúil go bhfuil an ceart ag na Bráithre, áfach, ó thaobh na staire de. "Beinn" an foshuiteach caite sa tSean-Ghaeilge:

dia·mbeinn = dá mbeinn.

Do we ever use the past subjunctive in Modern Irish nowadays?

Nó an aimsir mharbh é?

quote:

Nó an aimsir mharbh é?

Níl sí marbh go huile is go hiomlán fós! Dála an scéil, is "modh" atá ann go hoifigiúil, ní "aimsir". Ní bhainimse féin úsáid as an bhfoshuiteach caite, ach is féidir é a úsáid tar éis "dá". Seo cúpla sampla as FGB (s.v. "dá"):

Dá bhfágainn, dá bhfágfainn, agat é

Dá dtéinn, dá rachainn, leis

Tá ceachtar acu ceart, an foshuiteach caite ("téinn") nó an coinníollach ("rachainn").