Appendix:Old Irish s future verbs

The s-future is generally used in verbs that take the s-subjunctive. It is characterized by a reduplication of the initial consonant with the vowel i (usually lowered to e when the root vowel is a) as well as the suffix -s- (which assimilates to an r that immediately precedes it).

The initial consonant of the root is of course lenited after the i of the reduplicating syllable. In some cases, further phonological changes have obscured the reduplication, and in a few cases there is no trace of reduplication at all, so that the s-future is essentially identical to the s-subjunctive.

The future stem is used to form the conditional tense (called “secondary future” in some sources including Thurneysen and Strachan) as well as the future itself.

See Category:Old Irish s future verbs for a list of verbs that take the s-future.

Examples of stem formation
The root vowel is generally deleted by syncope when a syllabic ending follows the s; when it is not deleted, the vowel varies according to the form. The location of the sometimes syncopated vowel is shown with "(V)" below. The basic pattern shows a reduplicating syllable with the vowel i:


 * → gig(V)s-
 * ·rig → ·rir(V)s-
 * → lil(V)s-
 * → ·cich(V)s-
 * ·ding → did(V)s-
 * → bib(V)s-
 * ·loing → ·lil(V)s-
 * ·claid → ·cichl(V)s-
 * → sil(V)s-
 * → sif(V)s-/sibs-

In the following cases. the s has assimilated to a preceding consonant and the root vowel is always syncopated:
 * → iorr-
 * ·ceird → ·cicherr-
 * ed- → íss- – inflected like an asigmatic a future, not a regular s-future
 * → sïass-
 * ·finnadar → ·fïass-
 * → ·mïass-

In cases like the last three in the list above, the ïa contracts to e when the s is followed by a vowel, thus completely obscuring the reduplication:
 * ·fïastar but ·fesatar
 * but

In the following cases, the reduplicating vowel has been lowered to e because of the a originally in the root syllable:


 * → mem(V)s-
 * → nen(V)s-
 * → sel(V)s-

In prototonic forms starting with and, the consonant of the reduplicating syllable is deleted and the o of the prefix contracts with the i of the reduplicating syllable into :


 * → ·foíl(V)s-
 * → ·foích(V)rr-
 * → ·tóeth(V)s-

However, in the prototonic forms of (future of ), the reduplicating syllable is deleted without diphthongization:
 * from *·ro-ṡais for *·ro-ṡi-ṡais
 * from *·ro-ṡaisset for *·ro-ṡi-ṡaisset

If a verb has two (or more) prefixes, then the reduplicating syllable disappears:
 * (= ) → do·fon(V)s-
 * (= ) → ar·fur(V)s-
 * (= ) → do·essarr-
 * (= ) → do·immarr-
 * (= ) → con·dess-

Non-deponent endings
The forms shown below for are constructed on the basis of attested endings.

Deponent endings
No complete paradigm of the deponent conjugation is attested, but many endings can be deduced on the basis of other conjugations. Taking as an example onto which attested and deduced endings can be added, we can derive the following: