Formed with dí- + fo-. The verb stem cannot be nigid directly, since it would have resulted in a *do·fuinig via raising and palatalization of the -n-. Uhlich believes that the lack of palatalization arose under influence of related verbal nouns like fonach.[1]
Uhlich assumes that the verbal nouns were formed from an o-grade stem *noig-. Given how root-based neuter o-stem nouns are generally formed with the e-grade and zero-grade and not the o-grade, Gordon instead believes that the verbal noun's stem was either e-grade *nēg- or zero-grade nig-.[2] Díunach itself gives no indication of which, since palatalization would have been lost anyway due to syncope of the o in fo-. Both fonach and funech exist in Early Irish, meaning they are of no help either in finding out which stem grade the verbal nouns originally used.
do·fonaig (verbal noun díunach or díunag)
| 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. | Passive sg. | Passive pl. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present indicative | Deut. | do·fonuch; do·fonug | do·fonget | ||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Imperfect indicative | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Preterite | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Perfect | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Future | Deut. | do·fonus | |||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Conditional | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Present subjunctive | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Past subjunctive | Deut. | ||||||||
| Prot. | |||||||||
| Imperative | |||||||||
| Verbal noun | díunach, díunnach, díunag | ||||||||
| Past participle | |||||||||
| Verbal of necessity | |||||||||
| Old Irish mutation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Nasalization |
| do·fonaig | do·ḟonaig | do·fonaig pronounced with /-β(ʲ)-/ |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | ||