p1 * Basics 1 | * Prepositions 3
* Basics 2 | * Passive
* Common Phrases | * Numbers
* Food | * Feelings and Traits
* Plurals p5 * Verbs: Past 1
* Eclipsis * Characteristics
p2 * Lenition * Verbs: Past 2
* Possessives * Verbal Noun
* Verbs: Present 1 * Ireland 2
* Colors * Pronouns Reflexive
* Questions p6 * Directions
* Prepositions 1 * Sport
p3 * Ireland 1 * Verbs: Future 1
* Dates and Time * Imperative
* Family * Verbs: Imperfect
* Verbs: Present 2 * Verbs: Conditional
* Prepositions 2
* Genitive Case
p4 * Negatives
| * Comparison
updated 2018-10-25
Níl
You have already seen the present habitual tense of the verb bí
conjugated (tá mé/táim, tá tú, and so on). When this is put into the
negative, it is conjugated differently.
English Irish
I am not níl mé / nílim
you are not (singular) níl tú
he is not / it is not níl sé
she is not / it is not níl sí
we are not níl muid / nílimid
you are not (plural) níl sibh
they are not níl siad
updated 2018-10-25
Comparative
The comparative form of the adjective is used to describe something
that is more than the other (e.g. bigger, smaller, louder). The word
"níos" is used in Irish when using the comparative form.
Superlative
The superlative form of the adjective is used to describe something
that is the most (e.g. biggest, smallest, loudest). The word "is" is
used in Irish when using the superlative form.
Forming the Comparative and Superlative Forms
There are 5 groups of adjectives when forming the comparative and
superlative forms in Irish. They may seem intimidating at first, but
the patterns are quite simple.
Group 1
The 1st group is made up of adjectives that end with -ach or -each. To
form the comparative/superlative in this group, remove the ending and
add -aí (in place of -ach) or -í (in place of -each). Examples: Brónach
(sad) and Neirbhíseach (nervous)
Comparative Superlative
níos brónaí is brónaí
níos neirbhísí is neirbhísí
Group 2
The 2nd group is made up of adjectives that end with -úil. To form the
comparative/superlative in this group, remove the ending and add -úla.
Example: Leisciúil (lazy)
Comparative Superlative
níos leisciúla is leisciúla
Group 3
The 3rd group is made up of other adjectives that end with a consonant.
To form the comparative/superlative in this group, make the adjective
slender (if necessary) and add -e. Examples: Saibhir (rich) and Óg
(young)
Comparative Superlative níos saibhre is saibhre níos óige is óige
Group 4
The 4th group is made up of adjectives that end with a vowel. These
usually do not change. Example: Cróga (brave)
Comparative Superlative níos cróga is cróga
Group 5
The 5th group is made up of adjectives that are irregular in the
comparative and superlative forms.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
fada (long) níos faide is faide
gearr (short) níos giorra is giorra
maith (good) níos fearr is fearr
mór (big) níos mó is mó
beag (small) níos lú is lú
olc (bad) níos measa is measa
tapaidh (fast) níos tapúla is tapúla
te (hot) níos teo is teo
updated 2018-10-25
Here are five more prepositional pronouns in all their forms:
Pronoun between to about, around through over
(none) idir do um trí thar
me - dom umam tríom tharam
you (singular) - duit umat tríot tharat
he, it - dó uime tríd thairis
she, it - di uimpi tríthi thairsti
us eadrainn dúinn umainn trínn tharainn
you (plural) eadraibh daoibh umaibh tríbh tharaibh
them eatarthu dóibh umpu tríothu tharstu
Idir
This preposition normally means between. In this case, no lenition
occurs:
* Tá an cat idir éan agus madra The cat is between a bird and a dog
* Ithim seacláid idir béilí I eat chocolate between meals
When used in the construction idir ... agus ..., it has the special
meaning of both ... and ..., or partly ... and .... In this case, the
words are lenited:
* Tá idir chailíní agus bhuachaillí sa phictiúrlann Both girls and
boys are in the cinema
* Is maith léi úlla idir bheag agus mhór She likes both small and
large apples
updated 2018-10-25
The passive is a form of a verb that uses no pronoun. An action is done
but no person is given (e.g. apples are eaten every Friday)
In Irish, this form of the verb is known as an briathar saor or an
saorbhriathar, meaning free verb or autonomous verb
Passive in the First Conjugation
Here are the endings that are added on to the root in the present tense
of first conjugation verbs to form the passive.
Broad Slender Example -tar -tear dúntar (is/are closed), tuigtear (is/are understood)
You might notice that in English, you use a different form of the verb
for singular and plural (an apple is eaten, but apples are eaten). In
Irish, the same form is used for both (Itear úll an apple is eaten,
Itear úlla apples are eaten)
Passive in the Second Conjugation
Here are the endings that are added on to the root in the present tense
of second conjugation verbs to form the passive.
Broad Slender Example
-aítear -ítear ceannaítear (is/are bought), insítear (is/are told)
Passive for Irregular Verbs
Though these verbs are irregular, in the passive they generally use the
endings -tar and -tear, with some exceptions that should be learned by
heart.
updated 2021-04-03
In Irish, there are three systems of numbers: disjunctive, general
conjunctive, and human conjunctive.
1. Disjunctive numbers
These are known in Irish as maoluimhreacha. They are used when the
number is not immediately followed by a noun, such as:
* counting ("one, two, three")
* arithmetic ("two plus two is four")
* telling time ("it is a quarter to five")
* phone numbers ("call me at 555-1234")
* after nouns ("bus 13", "channel 6")
If the number is less than 20, the root word is preceded by the word a
(for example, a dó two). Numbers beginning with a vowel have a h added
to them after a (for example, a haon one).
For the numbers 11 to 19, the unit (one to nine) is written first,
followed by déag (-teen) (for example, a trí déag thirteen). The number
12 is an exception: déag should be lenited (a dó dhéag twelve).
Number Irish 0 a náid 1 a haon 2 a dó 3 a trí 4 a ceathair 5 a cúig 6 a sé 7 a seacht 8 a hocht 9 a naoi 10 a deich 11 a haon déag 12 a dó dhéag 13 a trí déag 14 a ceathair déag ... ... 20 fiche 21 fiche a haon 22 fiche a dó ... ... 30 tríocha 40 daichead 50 caoga 60 seasca 70 seachtó 80 ochtó 90 nócha 100 céad 1000 míle
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2. General conjunctive numbers
These are known in Irish as bunuimhreacha. These numbers come before a
noun and are used to count the amount of things that are present. In
almost all situations, you use the singular version of the noun and not
the plural version when counting with bunuimhreacha (for example, to
count dogs you use the singular madra instead of the plural madraí).
They are used as follows:
1-6
The number is placed before the noun, and the noun is lenited (for
example, trí gheata three gates).
7-10
The number is placed before the noun, and the noun is eclipsed (for
example, deich ngeata ten gates).
11-19
The unit (one to nine) is placed before the noun, with the noun being
lenited or eclipsed as above, and déag (-teen) is placed after the noun
(for example, aon bhuachaill déag eleven boys, ocht mbuachaill déag
eighteen boys). If the noun ends with a vowel, déag should be lenited
(for example, trí oráiste dhéag thirteen oranges.
20+
The unit (one to nine) is placed before the noun, with the noun being
lenited or eclipsed as above. The noun is followed by the word is
(and), plus the appropriate multiple of ten such as 20, 30, 40 or
similar (for example, ceithre chat is fiche twenty-four cats, naoi gcat
is tríocha thirty-nine cats). If the number is a multiple of ten (20,
30, 40 or similar), the number is simply placed before the noun with no
change of spelling (for example, caoga madra fifty dogs).
Number Irish 1 aon chat amháin 2 dhá chat 3 trí chat 4 ceithre chat 5 cúig chat 6 sé chat 7 seacht gcat 8 ocht gcat 9 naoi gcat 10 deich gcat 11 aon chat déag 12 dhá chat déag ... ... 19 naoi gcat déag 20 fiche cat 21 cat is fiche / aon chat is fiche
An exception applies for nine particular nouns: they use special plural
forms instead of the singular form when they are counted with
bunuimhreacha. They are:
English Irish Special plural form for counting
year bliain bliana
head/end/one ceann cinn
skull cloigeann cloiginn
twenty fiche fichid
penny pingin pingine
week seachtain seachtaine
third trian treana
foot (measurement) troigh troithe
hour/time uair uaire
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3. Human conjunctive numbers
These are called uimhreacha pearsanta. They are used to count people
from two up to 12.
Number Irish 1 duine / aon duine amháin 2 beirt 3 triúr 4 ceathrar 5 cúigear 6 seisear 7 seachtar 8 ochtar 9 naonúr 10 deichniúr 11 aon duine dhéag 12 dháréag
Note that duine in 1 and 11 is not lenited. For all other numbers of
people you use the general conjunctive numbers as before (for example,
trí dhuine dhéag thirteen people).
In fact, these numbers are nouns themselves. If they are followed by
the word that is being counted, that word goes into the genitive
plural. The number used for two people, beirt, is feminine so it causes
the following noun to be lenited, except when the noun begins with d, t
or s (for example, beirt bhuachaillí two boys, a couple of boys; beirt
déagóirí two teenagers, a couple of teenagers). All the others are
masculine and do not cause lenition (for example, cúigear fear five
men).
These numbers are used on their own when referring to people in the
generic sense (for example, Bhí triúr ann Three people were there).
Thus, it is incorrect to refer to triúr daoine.
The word duine used alone has the meaning of one person/a person, but
this can be emphasised by adding amháin to it (for example, Bhí duine
[amháin] ann There was one person there).
updated 2018-10-25
Feelings
There are several ways to express felling in Irish.
Method 1
This method uses a noun and the prepositional pronoun "ar" (on). Here
is the prepositional pronoun in all its forms:
English Irish
On me Orm
On you (singular) Ort
On him (it) Air
On her (it) Uirthi
On us Orainn
On you Oraibh
On them Orthu
Example: Tá ocras orm. ( I am hungry)
Method 2
This method uses the verb "bí" and and adjective. Example: Táim
ocrasach (I am hungry)