Wir Ain Leed — Auxiliary and Modal Verbs
Auxiliary verbs may best be explained by using the following sentence as an example:
Andrew might have been building a shelter.
biggin is the main verb conveying the major elements of meaning in the sentence. Auxiliary verbs add elements of meaning to the main verb biggin. The action may then be presented as:
possible - micht.
having been in the past - hae.
hae [he] and [hɛ] in southern Scots, also hiv [hɪv, hʌv] and [hɛv] in north east central and west central Scots. Contracted to 'v.
being in progress rather than as complete - been.
Auxiliary verbs have two important properties:
they can be negated by adding na.
they can occur at the beginning of a question.
All auxiliary verbs are modal verbs except be, dae and hae. Modal verbs cannot act alone as the main verb in a sentence. Modal verbs indicate whether an event or state is possible or necessary or whether a desire to do something is being expressed. These verbs have:
no in ending.
no s ending.
the general properties of auxiliary verbs.
In Scots the auxiliary verbs, and their moods and tenses, are much the same as they are in Standard English except that:
They are rarely used in the subjunctive mood (the mood expresses the mode or manner of an action or of a state of being), the indicative (the mood of the verb that expresses fact) is preferred in its place.
The active infinitive (the subject of the verb is the doer of the action, the verbal idea being expressed without reference to person, number or time) is used in preference to the passive infinitive (the subject is the person or thing that sustains, rather than performs the action of the verb, the verbal idea once again being expressed without reference to person, number or time).
The present participle (in or of the present tense) with the verb tae be (to be) is frequently used.
I imagine.
I won't say that.
I don't care.
Auxiliary verbs
(ought to)
*Sall is now probably obsolete having been replaced by will and sud by shoud.
Scots inscribed bowlDaes also has the more frequent spelling dis.
Some other verbs such as bide (await, stay), come, care, dow (to be able), gang (go), gaed (went), lat (let), need , ocht (ought), uise (use), want (lacking, desiring) and wit or wat (to know) may also function as auxiliaries, but that is now mostly obsolete except for need.
Much as in Standard English, particularly after pronouns, is may be contracted to 's (after a sibilant consonant the full form is is used). Similarly, haed, hiv, will and wad may be contracted to 'd, 'v, 'll and 'd. Haes may also be contracted to 's, except after a singular pronoun, where it is usually haes or the contracted form of hiv, 'v.
The present and past tense of the auxiliary verb be.
After a single pronoun:
1st person singular: am (contracted 'm)
3rd person singular: is (contracted 's see above)
Plural in all persons: are (contracted 're)
The plural present of be is the same as for the third person singular, is or 's, after any subject except after the pronouns we, ye/you, thay where it is usually we are or we're. Similarly, the plural present of hae is haes, except after the first person pronoun we, where it is usually we hae, we hiv or we'v.
The past tense of the auxiliary verb be is generally wis in the singular and plural, except after the pronoun thay, where it is usually thay war, occasionally thay wis in more colloquial styles.
The lambs are out in the field.
The swallows have come.
These are pretty flowers.
Those who come first are served first.
Him and I are not on friendly terms.
He's gone off home.
Those are fine cattle.
The windows were all closed.
We were all asleep.
We were going home.
Cattle were cheaper then.
Both of them were in the house.
Present and past tense
Be for indicates the sense of 'want'.
I don't want that at the moment.
I don't want any more.
The present habitual be [biː, beː, bɪ] and bes [biːs, beːs, bɪs], used for repeated habitual actions, is highly recessive but still occurs in Ulster Scots.
They play football on Saturday.
It often rains here.
Burns Night is celebrated in Ulster.
Fish are sold at the market every friday.
We go dancing every Saturday.
In colloquial speech hae is often omitted after wad and shortened to 'a' after coud, haed, micht, shoud and wad.
You would have thought that he had done it.
I knew the days when he would have been satisfied with less.
He could have done it.
I would have had to do it.
I would have been able to have done it.
As well as ability, permission is expressed by infinitive use of can rather than the old-fashioned mey, and by get tae and get plus the gerund.
You may have the day off tomorrow.
I won't be able to go tomorrow.
They are allowed to play outside until eight in the evening.
The school children are allowed to come in when it rains heavily.
They were allowed to go to the match.
Maun only expresses the conclusive meaning. Obligation is expressed by hae tae, hiv tae and need tae.
You must go home.
(It is time to ...)
You must be exhausted.
(judging by your appearance)
You must inquire about the job by nine.
(Otherwise someone else will get it.)
I must take the cows out(side).
You must paint the house.
I must call my grandmother.
I must to do it now.
She must be able to laugh.
I must go to work.
We must be there at six.
The past tense of maun is buid, denoting a logical, moral or physical necessity. It is generally used with a personal subject and is usually followed by the preposition tae.
It had to be.
And a-soldiering I had to go.
The Helix, FalkirkWill and wad are generally used where Standard English has 'shall' or 'should', except where shoud is used in the sense of 'aught to'.
Children ought to keep quiet.
You should to learn to look before you leap.
In the first person will indicates simple future.
They will do it tomorrow.
She will do that later.
I'll dare him to do it if I meet him in town.
Will is also used to indicate supposition.
I see someone has been speaking to you.
You are likely to be the same boy who was here yesterday evening.
Sall, now generally replaced by will, indicates an intention. Sall is often shortened to s' [z] (often illogically written 'se).
I will wager.
I'll give you my guarantee.
I will uphold.
You will not be here - I shall still be there.
Double Modals
South of the Forth, Scots uses many double modal constructions.
He may be able to come tomorrow.
He may be able to do it. (in the future)
I ought to be able to repair the fence.
He ought to be able to take it with him. (in the future)
She'll be able to look after the child.
He'll have to be able to do it. (in the future)
The lad should be able to clean the cow shed. (condition)
The horse can surely pull the cart.
Every child in town ought to be able to say that.
She would be be able to milk the cows, if she tried.
They used to be able to swim far, but not now.
Negating the infinitive
Scots inscribed teapotThe auxiliary verbs are usually negated by affixing na. Some change their spelling and/or pronunciation in the process.
Infinitive
*Daena and haena may also take the more frequent alternative spellings dinna and hinna. Divna (do not) is an emphatic form.
** Sall and sanna are probably obsolete, having been replaced by will and winna, although will and the contracted form 'll may be negated using the adverb no.
***The negation of daur is daurna or durstna, the former usually in the sense of a 'dare' and the latter usually in the sense of a 'challenge' or 'venture'.
Those usually occur:
In all persons of the plural except immediately following a personal pronoun.
Where the subject is a plural noun.
Where the plural pronoun is separated from the verb by some other word or words.
See the verb ending s.
Don't be scared.
I haven't any onions.
I don't know your brother.
He won't slap the child.
He mustn't take more apples.
You mustn't go.
He can't lift that large stone (over there).
She has no intention to wash the floor.
I daren't tell.
He daren't tell her he was on a drinking bout.
In colloquial speech daena is often shortened to dae' [de] and canna to ca' [ka].
Don't do that.
I don't know who it was.
He can't tell you where it is.
I can't do that.
Negative present
Note daesna may also take the more frequent alternative spelling disna.
I am not going home because she isn't coming too.
She hasn't seen himm and he doesn't know where he is.
Am and are are now usually negated using the adverb no.
I'm not well.
You're not shy.
Negative past
** Sud, sudna and the form sanna, are probably obsolete, having been replaced by shoud and shoudna.
The past tense wisna is generally used in the singular and plural except before or after the pronoun thay where it is usually thay warna, although thay wisna may also occur.
His new shirt didn't fit.
I wasn't going to build a house in winter.
They weren't going to help me either.
He wouldn't come.
I wouldn't eat it if you payed me.
He shouldn't bother his head.
I mightn't have to.
Don't ask him. He may not know where it is.
I hadn't given the situation much thought.
I couldn't do it.
I couldn't say much about it.
I couldn't bear to think of it.
Interrogatives
Interrogative sentences (questions) usually begin with one of the auxiliary verbs followed by the subject unless they begin with an interrogative pronoun or adverb.
Div is an interrogative form of dae.
Am I not right?
Are you sure?
Who did you see?
Don't you know?
Don't you know?
Can't you come?
Can't you come?
Would you like a bit?
Are those yours?
You were there, were you not?
Where were you going?
Were both of them there?
Were both of them there?
In the first person will indicates simple future.
Will you help him drive the sheep to the pen?
In questions will is used to express 'do you wish me to?'
Shall I go and get one?
Shall I come around tomorrow?
The affirmative answer is ay and the negative answer is na or nae, or colloquial naw.
Would you like an ice cream? Yes please!
Would you like your head bashed? No!
Do you know where Robert is? No.
If no auxiliary verb is used, the sentence may begin with a verb.
Do you think so?
Did you come past Falkirk?
Where did you hear that?
Where did you go to school?