Editing Openai/69186d20-2d14-8013-b9c6-c09000f173f6 (section)

=== Assistant: 2511141547ET ===
251114_1547ET

===== In modern Irish teaching grammar, verbs are usually split like this (talking about regular verbs): =====
* Class 1 verbs - One-syllable in the root: mol, ól, bris, ceannaigh is actually Class 2; think mol, ól, ceannaigh see below. - Present habitual: -ann - mol → molann sé - ól → ólann sé - 1sg: molaim, ólaim etc.
* Class 2 verbs - Typically multi-syllable or stems ending in -igh / -il / -(a)ir etc. - Present habitual: -íonn - inis → insíonn sé - labhair → labhraíonn sé - 1sg: inisim, labhraím

The deeper historical distinction is about how the stem interacts with a broad vs slender theme vowel:
* Class 1: essentially -(a)ann type themes.
* Class 2: -(i)íonn type themes (palatalizing /i/ before the ending).

For you as a learner, the practical rule is:

: 

(Of course, there are detailed sub-classes if you open an OLD or McCone, but that’s the Duolingo-level story.)

===== Scottish Gaelic has broad vs slender stems and different conjugation patterns, but people don’t usually talk about “Class 1 / Class 2” in the exact Irish way. =====

Key points for Scottish Gaelic:
* Present independent forms are mostly periphrastic: - Tha mi a’ bruidhinn. – “I am speaking.”
* The finite present forms (where they exist) are much more restricted and often just 3rd person (e.g. can “say” → can “he says”).

When grammars do talk about verb classes, they tend to distinguish things like:
* Verbs whose stem ends in broad consonant vs slender consonant.
* Verbs in -ich, -il, -air etc. which behave a bit like Irish -igh/-il/-(a)ir verbs.
* Consonant-stem vs vowel-stem verbs.

So the motif is similar (stem shape & broad/slender decide the paradigm), but:

: 

Functionally:
* Irish: still has a robust synthetic present with -ann / -íonn.
* Scottish: present is mostly analytic periphrasis (tha + verbal noun); finite forms are more restricted and the classification is less central in basic grammar.

===== Welsh doesn’t have the same broad/slender dimension at all, so its verb classes are organized on different criteria. =====

In traditional grammars, Welsh verbs get grouped roughly by:
* Stem-final consonant type (e.g. -d, -n, -r, -l, -i),
* Whether they have a vowel-final stem (credu “believe”) vs consonant-final (cerdded “walk_),
* How they behave in different tenses (present/future ending -af, -i, -a; preterite -ais etc.).

You’ll see references to “weak/regular verbs” vs “strong/irregular verbs”; also the special behavior of bod “to be”, mynd “go”, gwneud “do”, cael “get”, etc.

Examples:
* Regular present/future (synthetic): - prynaf “I buy”, prynith “he/she buys”, etc.
* Many speakers now use periphrastic forms with bod + verbal noun: - dw i’n prynu – “I am buying / buy.”

So:

: 

===== - Irish: “Class 1 vs Class 2” is a modern pedagogical shorthand for two major regular present-habitual patterns: -ann vs -íonn, tied to stem syllable count and broad/slender theme vowels. =====
* Scottish Gaelic: shares the broad vs slender system and broadly similar historical background, but modern usage leans so heavily on tha + verbal noun that the “conjugation classes” are less salient; you won’t see a clean two-class -ann/-íonn-style division.
* Welsh: completely different architecture (no broad/slender; different endings; heavy use of periphrastic forms). Verb classes are there, but defined along different axes (stem-final segment, vowel vs consonant stem, etc.).

If you want to go more technical, next step we can line up a three-column mini-paradigm: Irish labhraíonn, Scottish a’ bruidhinn, Welsh yn siarad and show how each language’s “basic present” is built from verb+noun vs finite verb endings.