An bhfuil duine éigin go fhios aige a rá as Bearla. (Is there anyone that knows how to say in English). past and future and question forms.

Present Question Form
I am able = Is féidir liom. Are you able? = An féidir leat?

Past
I was able =
Were you able? =

Future

I will be able=
Will you be able?=

I need to know the past and future for: Is féidir liom/leat, etc. if it exists.

Go raibh mile maith agat,
Faberm

There isn't an interrogative past-tense form or future tense for the copula, so maybe you can use the adjective ábalta.

Ba fhéidir liom = I was able...
(or maybe it's b'fhéidir liom)
I wonder if you're better off with "bhi mé ábalta" since b'fhéidir often means "maybe."

An raibh tú ábalta? = Were you able ..?

Beidh mé ábalta = I will be able...

An mbeidh tú ábalta? = Will you be able?

Anyway, I'm sure the pro's will correct what I wrote above and offer their personal favorites to boot.

(Message edited by bodhrán on April 25, 2010)

There is no future form of the copula (or at least it hasn't been used since the 19th century) - but there is a past tense with interrogative forms too.

The past tense of "is féidir liom" is "b'fhéidir liom", and the interrogative form is "arbh fhéidir leat?"

There are many ways to say I can/I am able in Irish:

1. Is féidir liom (rud a dhéanamh)
2. Táim ábalta (ar rud a dhéanamh)
3. Féadaim (rud a dhéanamh)
4. Tagann liom (rud a dhéanamh)
5. Táim i ndán (rud a dhéanamh)

5
Táim in ann = I am able ?
Táim i ndán = I am fated?

it's a while since I looked at this - an bhfuil an ceart agam?

eadaoin

Tá.

No, Eadaoin. If you look at the discussion on this subject on GAEILGE-B, you will see that táim i ndán means "I can", and tá sé i ndán dom means "it is in store for me/I am fated to".

Táim in ndán is often written táim in ann because in the Connemara ann is pronounced /ɑ:n/, and so the spelling ann works for them. But ann is pronounced /aun/ in Munster, and so the spelling does not work for Munster as i ndán is pronounced /ə nɑ:n/ and not /ə naun/, even in Munster.

I ndán is the origin of the phrase, and it is so spelled in the works of Tomás Ó Criomhthain among others.

A Eadaoin, a chara, tá an ceart agatsa. Níor eitigh páipéar dúch riamh, má thuigeann tú leat mé.

It's /ə NaN/ i gConamara, with a long (or semi-long) front vowel, which contrasts with "ann" ("there") /ɑ:N/.

@ David_w,

Just a small error:

i ndán = fated to, in destiny (i ndán dó = in his destiny)

What you're looking for is 'in ann', meaning capable of. It's a common error.


Back to the question, as stated by others, the following come naturally to me:

I was able: Bhí mé in ann/ bhí mé ábalta
Were you able?: An raibh tú in ann/ ábalta?

I will be able: Beidh mé in ann/ ábalta.
Will you be able?: An mbeidh tú in ann/ábalta?

>>>Just a small error:
>>>i ndán = fated to, in destiny (i ndán dó = in his destiny)
>>>What you're looking for is 'in ann', meaning capable >>>of. It's a common error.


Umpáin, it must be a common error if Peig Sayers and Tomás Ó Criomhthain both made it! In actual fact, dán is the origin of "i ndán".

Tá sé i ndán dóm, it is in store for me, my destiny, I am fated to

Táim i ndán = I am capable of (doing something)


"in ann" makes no sense and this phrase is NOT pronounced "ann" in Munster.

See the discussion on GAEILGE-B for further details (provided by Róman, formerly of this parish).