I'm doing some lessons on irregular verbs, and I have to admit, I'm stumped for a practice sentence for "dulta." I can't even think of an English example in which you'd use a verbal adjective for "go." In Irish, the few sentences that immediately come to mind would use "imithe." Any thoughts?

Can you say "Tá sé dulta go Doire" (?) (He has gone to Derry)

Redwolf

Tá breis is 300,000 duine dulta ar an mórshlua sa Bhurúin mar gheall ar choinbhleacht eitneach a thosaigh i 1993.

from Pota Focal

Well I'm not surprised you're having hard time. I couldn't really think of a natural sentence myself, so I searched 4,000 pages of native Munster writings and only found one example:

D'fhéadfainn a rá go mánla macánta go rabhas dulta isteach i rang níos aoirde an lá a chuir an bainisteoir an chréamaraí go créamaraí Dhún Chaoin mé...

As you said "had/have/has gone", but pretty rare. Most of the time when you say "have gone" you mean "gone away" so you use imithe. This could only be used when you mean gone without "away", like "gone further" e.t.c.

_________________
The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Well, at least I know I'm not going crazy! I will often draw a blank when it comes to example sentences, even with common words, but I just couldn't think of much where "imithe" wouldn't be the more natural adjective to use.

I think I'll mention that in the lesson.

Redwolf

I'd say "imithe" or "i ndiaidh ghabháil".
I wonder if dulta really exists. Might even be a coined form so that the paradigm of the verb has no gap.
(have they made up a verbal adjective for "bheith"? )

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Nope. At least looking at the glance card I have, there's no verbal adjective for "bheith." That WOULD be a weird one!

MacBoo and An Lon Dubh found one reference apiece, so I'd say that "dulta" does exist, but is very rarely used.

What I said in the lesson is that students will, in all likelihood, never encounter "dulta," but they should know what it looks like. I don't know if I'd have said that, even, if it weren't for the fact that it does show up in dictionary references.

Redwolf

Google "dulta" in combination with a preposition. Plenty of examples - often in less literal sense.

A friend told me "dultha" is attested in the traditional West Cork Irish literature.

But there's no mention of it in Tobar na Gaedhilge, in the Ulster literature.

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

A bit more detailed Peadar Ua Laoghaire doesn't seem to have it, but Amhlaoibh Ó Luínse does.

In Kerry I find that no writer (except the one use by Maidhc Dainín there) has it except Tomás Ó Criomhthain who uses it fifteen times.

Pádraig Ó Maoileoin I had to scan by eye, but I've found two instances in four of his books.

Funny that some people don't use it at all.

_________________
The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Is there also the petrifies phrase:

dulta in aois i.e. Tá sé dulta in aois; he's getting on a bit (i.e. getting old). Or am I mixing that up with something else?

It seems to remind of Dála an scéil, where dála is practically unheard of in any other context nowadays.

I suppose, the English, let's not, is similar in that regard.

_________________

Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice