two, Tenses—the Present and the Future. In these two Tenses it ends in as or eas. In all the other Tenses the third person singular is used after the relative pronoun. The verb is aspirated after the relative, expressed or understood; but naċ eclipses.
555. The inflection of the relative form in present tense is not used in the spoken Language of to-day (except in proverbs). In Connaught the final s of the relative form is added to the form for the 3rd person singular; e.g., an fear a ḃuaileanns, the man who strikes; an buaċaill a ṫuigeanns, the boy who understands. The literary form of the relative in the future tense is retained in full vigour in Connaught; e.g., an fear a ḃuailfeas, the man who will strike. In Munster the relative form has entirely disappeared in both the present and the future tenses (except in proverbs). The 3rd person singular form has taken its place; e.g., an fear a ḃuaileann, the man who strikes.
556. As the relative has no inflection for case, ambiguity sometimes arises: e.g., an fear a ḃuail Seaġán, may mean, either the man who struck John, or, the man whom John struck. The context usually solves the difficulty. The following construction is sometimes employed in order to obviate any ambiguity:—
| An fear a ḃuail Seaġán. | The man who struck John. |
| An fear gur ḃuail Seaġán é. | The man whom John struck. |
557. Cionnus, how; nuair, when; and mar, as, are followed by the relative form of the verb in the Present and Future, and the verb is aspirated ; but with cionnus a, cia an ċaoi, cia an nós, cia an moḋ, or any
