After so many irregular verbs, we can take a breather and coinnich (meet), one of Gaelic’s many regular verbs. We use it with the preposition ri in most cases. The verbal noun (-ing word) is a’ coinneachadh (meeting). We form the past tense by leniting.
Choinnich mi ri mo chèile o chionn deich bliadhna.
I met my partner ten years ago.
To form the future tense, we add -idh to the end.
Coinnichidh mi riut feasgar an-diugh.
I’ll meet you this afternoon.
And remember that the future tense can also have a habitual meaning.
Coinnichidh mi rithe sa mhadainn.
I’ll meet her in the morning / I meet her in the morning (habitual)
Future/habitual
coinnich!
meet!
an coinnich?
will/do meet?
nach coinnich?
won’t/don’t meet?
coinnichidh
will/do meet
cha choinnich
won’t/don’t meet
Past
an do choinnich?
did meet?
nach do choinnich?
didn’t meet?
choinnich
met
cha do choinnich
didn’t meet
Cuin a choinnich thu ri a h-athair?
When did you meet her father?
Am bi thu a’ coinneachadh ris a h-uile latha?
Do you meet him every day?
Cuin a choinnich thu ri do chèile?
When did you meet your partner?
Cò ris a bhios tu a’ coinneachadh?
Whom will you be meeting?
Càit am bi sibh a’ coinneachadh?
Where will you be meeting?
Cuin a bhios iad a’ coinneachadh?
When will they be meeting?
Am bi thu a’ coinneachadh ri na pàrantan?
Will you be meeting the parents?
When meeting with people we can cèilidh on them (visit them in their home) You will hear Cèilidh in English used in a different context.
Bha mi a’ cèilidh air mo sheanair a-raoir.
I was visiting (on) my grampa last night.