Irish declension

The declension of Irish nouns, the definite article, and the adjectives is discussed on this page. (For pronouns, see Irish morphology.)

Nouns

Gender

Nouns in Irish are divided into two genders, masculine and feminine. While gender should be learned when the noun is learned, there are some rules that can be followed:

In general, words ending in a broad consonant are masculine, while words ending in a slender consonant are feminine.

There are some exceptions, mostly dealing with specific endings and suffixes; for example, words ending in _ga. "-óir/-eoir" and _ga. "-ín" (with a slender IPA|/ɾʲ/ and IPA|/nʲ/ respectively) are masculine, while words ending in _ga. "-óg/-eog" (with a broad IPA|/g/) are feminine. This leads to some unexpected gender assignments, such as _ga. "cailín" "girl" (masculine) and _ga. "gasóg" "boy scout" (feminine).

Case

Irish has four cases: common (usually called nominative, but it covers the role of an accusative as well), vocative, genitive, and dative.

Nominative

The nominative is used in the following functions:
# Sentence subject
#: _ga. Tá an cat ag ól. "The cat is drinking."
# Sentence object
#: _ga. Bhris Seán an fhuinneog. "Seán broke the window."
# Predicate of the copula
#: _ga. Is amadán é. "He is an idiot."
# Object of the prepositions _ga. "gan" "without" and _ga. "go dtí" "up to"
#: _ga. gan an t-airgead "without the money"
#: _ga. go dtí an t-am "up to the time"

Vocative

The vocative is used in direct address, and is always preceded by the particle _ga. "a", which triggers lenition. (In spoken Irish this particle is often omitted, especially before a vowel sound.) The first declension is the only declension in which the vocative is distinct from the nominative.
* _ga. Cá bhfuil tú, a mhic? "Where are you, son?"
* _ga. A Sheáin, tar anseo! "Seán, come here!"

Genitive

The genitive indicates possession and material of composition:
* _ga. hata an fhir "the man's hat"
* _ga. clann na mná "the woman's children"
* _ga. coinnleoirí an easpaig "the bishop's candelabra"
* _ga. fáinne óir "a ring of gold, a golden ring"
* _ga. bróga leathair "shoes of leather, leather shoes"

The object of a verbal noun also requires the genitive:
* _ga. ag caitheamh airgid "spending money"

The object of a compound preposition is in the genitive. Formally, these prepositions are actually prepositional phrases.
* _ga. ar chúl an dorais "behind the door" (lit. "on the back of the door")
* _ga. ar feadh míosa "one month long" (lit. "for the duration of one month")
* _ga. ar son na hÉireann "for Ireland's sake"

Dative

The dative is used with the object of most simple prepositions except _ga. "gan" and _ga. "go dtí". In the standard language, the dative of a noun is identical to the nominative, but some dialects have distinct datives in the second and fifth declensions. Even in the standard language, _ga. "Éire" "Ireland" has a distinct dative: _ga. "Éirinn".
* _ga. ag an athair "at the father"
* _ga. as an teach "out of the house"
* _ga. ar an arán "on the bread"
* _ga. in oráiste "in an orange"
* _ga. go hifreann "to hell"
* _ga. leis an airgead "with the money"
* _ga. ó Éirinn "from Ireland"

Declension

There are five recognized declensions in Irish. The makeup of the declensions depends on three factors:
# the gender of the noun
# the formation of the genitive singular
# relation of genitive singular to nominative plural

The following chart describes the characteristics of each declension class:

Some nouns undergo a vowel change before the slender consonant of the genitive singular/nominative plural:
* _ga. ball, baill IPA|/bˠaːɫ̪, bˠailʲ/ - an (internal) organ, component part
* _ga. bonn, boinn IPA|/bˠuːn̪ˠ, bˠiːnʲ/ - a sole, coin
* _ga. ceann, cinn IPA|/caːn̪ˠ, ciːnʲ/ - a head
* _ga. fear, fir - a man
* _ga. iasc, éisc - a fish
* _ga. mac, mic IPA|/mˠak, mʲɪc/ - a son (Note: The "first" consonant is made slender in the gen.sg./nom.pl. as well!)
* _ga. poll, poill IPA|/pˠoːɫ̪, pˠailʲ/ - a hole

Many words of this declension form the plural with one of the endings "-(a)í, -ta, -tha, -anna". These are known as "strong plural" endings, which means the plural is identical in all cases in the standard language. Some examples:
* _ga. aonach, gen. sg. _ga. aonaigh, pl. _ga. aontaí - a fair
* _ga. bealach, gen. sg. _ga. bealaigh, pl. _ga. bealaí - a way
* _ga. carr IPA|/kaːɾˠ/, gen. sg. _ga. cairr IPA|/kaːɾˠ/, pl. _ga. carranna IPA|/kaɾˠən̪ˠə/ - a car
* _ga. glór, gen. sg. _ga. glóir, pl. _ga. glórtha - a voice
* _ga. leanbh, gen. sg. _ga. linbh, pl. _ga. leanaí - a child
* _ga. néal, gen. sg. _ga. néil, pl. _ga. néalta - a cloud
* _ga. rós, gen. sg. _ga. róis, pl. _ga. rósanna - a rose
* _ga. samhradh, gen. sg. _ga. samhraidh, pl. _ga. samhraí - a summer
* _ga. scéal, gen. sg. _ga. scéil, pl. _ga. scéalta - a story
* _ga. toradh, gen. sg. _ga. toraidh, pl. _ga. torthaí - fruit

Some nouns have a weak plural (a plural where the genitive is different from the nominative, and is identical to the form of the nominative singular) in "-a":
* _ga. ceart, gen. sg. _ga. cirt, nom. pl. _ga. cearta, gen. pl. _ga. ceart - a right
* _ga. cleas, gen. sg. _ga. clis, nom. pl. _ga. cleasa, gen. pl. _ga. cleas - a trick
* _ga. úll, gen. sg. _ga. úill, nom. pl. _ga. úlla, gen. pl. _ga. úll - an apple

Other strong plural formations are found in:
* _ga. bóthar, bóthair; bóithre - road
* _ga. breitheamh, breithimh; breithiúna - judge
* _ga. briathar, briathair; briathra - verb
* _ga. cloigeann, cloiginn; cloigne - skull
* _ga. doras, dorais; doirse - door
* _ga. ollamh, ollaimh; ollúna - professor
* _ga. solas, solais; soilse - light

econd

The second declension is made up of mostly feminine nouns, and features a nominative singular form that can end in either a broad or a slender consonant. The genitive singular ends in a slender consonant followed by "-e". The most common plural form has a broad consonant followed by "-a" in the nominative, and a broad consonant alone in the genitive. The vocative is the same as the nominative, as is the dative in the standard language.

Polysyllabic words that end with a slender consonant take a weak plural in "-í":Feminine nouns in "-áint and -úint" lose their "t" in the gen. sg.; those in "-irt" have "-th-" instead of "-t-" in the gen. sg.
* _ga. bagairt, bagartha, bagairtí (f.) "threat"
* _ga. canúint, canúna, canúintí (f.) "dialect"

Many words in this declension form the plural with one of the endings "-anna" or "-acha":
* _ga. am, ama, amanna (m.) IPA|/aːmˠ, ˈamˠə, ˈamˠən̪ˠə/ "time"
* _ga. anam, anama, anamacha (m.) "soul"
* _ga. droim, droma, dromanna (m.) IPA|/d̪ˠɾˠiːmʲ, ˈd̪ˠɾˠumə, ˈd̪ˠɾˠumən̪ˠə/ "back"
* _ga. loch, locha, lochanna (m.) "lake"
* _ga. troid, troda, troideanna (f.) "fight, struggle"

Fourth

The fourth declension is made up of masculine and feminine nouns. It is characterized by a genitive singular that is identical in form to the nominative/vocative/dative singular. The singular may end in a vowel or a consonant (usually the diminutive suffix "-ín"). The most common plural ending is "-(a)í".

Many words of this declension form the plural with the following endings "-tha/-t(h)e", "-((e)a)nna" or "-((e)a)cha":
* _ga. ainmhí; ainmhithe (m.) "animal"
* _ga. aturnae; aturnaetha (m.) "attorney"
* _ga. baile; bailte (m.) "village"
* _ga. bus; busanna (m.) "bus"
* _ga. cliamhain; cliamhaineacha (m.) "son-in-law"
* _ga. cneá; cneácha (f.) "wound, sore"
* _ga. cnó; cnónna (m.) "nut"
* _ga. cró; cróite (m.) "outhouse; eye of a needle"
* _ga. dlí; dlíthe (m.) "law"
* _ga. dosaen; dosaenacha (m.) "dozen"
* _ga. ga; gathanna (m.) "ray, radius"
* _ga. gé; géanna (f.) "goose"
* _ga. léine; léine, léinte (f.) "shirt"
* _ga. rá; ráite (m.) "saying"
* _ga. rí; ríthe (m.) "king"
* _ga. sloinne; sloinnte IPA|/ˈsˠɫ̪ɪnʲə, ˈsˠɫ̪iːnʲtʲə/ (m.) "last name"
* _ga. teanga; teangacha (f.) "language, tongue"
* _ga. tine; tinte (f.) "fire"

Other strong plural formations are found in:
* _ga. ainm; ainmneacha (m.) "name"
* _ga. airí; airíona (m.) "characteristic, symptom"
* _ga. aithne; aitheanta (f.) "commandment"
* _ga. bruach; bruacha (m.) "bank (of river etc.)"
* _ga. cine; ciníocha (m.) "race, tribe"
* _ga. duine; daoine (m.) "person, human being"
* _ga. gabha; gaibhne (m.) "blacksmith"
* _ga. gnó; gnóthaí (m.) "business"
* _ga. oíche; oícheanta (f.) "night"

One noun in this class has a weak plural:
* _ga. bó, bó; ba, bó (f.) - cow

Fifth

The fifth declension is made up mostly of feminine nouns and is characterized by a genitive singular that ends in a broad consonant that has been added to the nominative/vocative/dative singular. The most common plural is weak, formed by adding "-a" to the genitive singular.In some Munster varieties as well as the old literary language, the dative singular is distinct and ends in a slender consonant (in effect the dative sg. is formed by palatalizing the genitive sg.), for example, _ga. "do phearsain" "to a person", _ga. "ón gcathraigh" "from the city". In _ga. "Éire, Éireann" "Ireland" the dative _ga. "Éirinn" is still used in the standard language.

Some words form the genitive singular by changing the final consonant of the nominative singular to broad. The plural is then strong "-eacha".
* _ga. abhainn, abhann, aibhneacha IPA|/aunʲ, aun̪ˠ, ˈavʲnʲəxə/ "river"
* _ga. athair, athar, aithreacha (m.) "father"
* _ga. deartháir, dearthár, deartháireacha IPA|/ˈdʲɾʲahaːɾʲ, ˈdʲɾʲahaːɾˠ, ˈdʲɾʲahaːɾʲəxə/ (m.) "brother"
* _ga. máthair, máthar, máithreacha "mother"

Other strong plural formations are found in:
* _ga. bráthair, bráthar; bráithre (m.) "brother (monk), friar"
* _ga. cara, carad; cairde IPA|/ˈkaɾˠə, ˈkaɾˠəd̪ˠ; ˈkaːɾˠdʲə/ (m.) "friend"
* _ga. namhaid, namhad; naimhde (m.) "enemy"
* _ga. Nollaig, Nollag; Nollaigí "Christmas"

Some nouns have weak plurals; here the genitive singular and genitive plural have the same form:
* _ga. caora, caorach; caoirigh, caorach - sheep
* _ga. lacha, lachan; lachain, lachan - duck

Verbal nouns

The most productive verbal nouns end with "-(e)adh" (1st conjugation) or "-(i)ú" (2nd conjugation). These originally belonged to the third declension, but synchronically are best regarded as separate declensions.

The 1st conjugation verbal noun in "-(e)adh" has a genitive singular in "-te/-ta" and a plural in "-t(a)í".
* _ga. briseadh, briste; bristí "breaking"
* _ga. moladh, molta; moltaí "praising; recommendation"

The 2nd conjugation verbal noun in "-(i)ú" has a genitive singular in "-(a)ithe" and a plural in "-(u)ithe". These endings are pronounced the same regardless of the spelling distinction.
* _ga. scrúdú, scrúdaithe; scrúduithe "examining, examination"
* _ga. síniú, sínithe; sínithe "stretching"

Irregular nouns

The following nouns are declined irregularly:
* _ga. bean, mná; mná, ban (f.) "woman"
* _ga. deirfiúr, deirféar; deirfiúracha (f.) IPA|/ˈdʲɾʲɛfʲuːɾˠ, ˈdʲɾʲɛfʲeːɾˠ, ˈdʲɾʲefʲuːɾˠəxə/ "sister"
* _ga. deoch, dí; deochanna IPA|/dʲɔx, dʲiː, ˈdʲɔxən̪ˠə/ (f.) "drink"
* _ga. Dia, Dé; déithe (m.) "God"
* _ga. lá, lae; laethanta (m.) "day"
* _ga. leaba, leapa; leapacha (f.) "bed"
* _ga. mí, míosa; míonna (f.) "month"
* _ga. muir, mara; mara (f.) "sea"
* _ga. olann, olla (f.) "wool"
* _ga. talamh, talaimh (m.) or _ga. talún (f.); _ga. tailte "land"
* _ga. teach, tí; tithe (m.) "house"

Article

The definite article has two forms in Irish: _ga. "an" and _ga. "na". Their distribution depends on whether the noun is singular or plural, the case of the noun, and the initial sound of the noun.There is no indefinite article in Irish, so depending on context _ga. "cat" can mean "cat" or "a cat".

Adjective

Almost all adjectives in Irish can be used either predicatively or attributively. A predicative adjective is one that forms a part of the predicate, like "red" in the sentence "The car is red." An attributive adjective directly modifies a noun, as in "the red car".

A predicate adjective in Irish does not inflect:

* _ga. Tá an fear sin beag. "That man is small."
* _ga. Tá na fir sin beag. "Those men are small."
* _ga. Tá an bhean seo beag. "This woman is small."
* _ga. Tá na mná seo beag. "These women are small."

A predicate adjective expressing a value judgment is often precded by the particle _ga. "go". This particle attaches an "h" to a following vowel.

* _ga. Tá mé go maith. "I'm fine" (lit. "I am good.")
* _ga. Tá an scéal go holc. "The story is bad."
* _ga. Bhí an aimsir go hálainn. "The weather was beautiful."

An attributive adjective mostly follows the noun and is inflected:

* _ga. an fear beag "the small man"
* _ga. an fhir bhig "of the small man" (genitive)

There are three classes of declension of adjectives in Irish, which correspond to the first four declensions of nouns:

Third declension

Irregular adjectives

yntax of comparison

There are two constructions to express the comparative:

1) Copula + comparative form + subject + _ga. "ná" ("than") + predicate. The preterite of the copula causes lenition, while the present tense does not.

* _ga. Ba thréine Cáit ná Cathal. "Cáit was stronger than Cathal."
* _ga. Is airde Seán ná mise. "Seán is bigger than me."
* _ga. B'óige an madra ná an cat. "The dog was younger than the cat."
* _ga. Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste. "Broken Irish is better than clever English."

2) _ga. "níos/ní ba/ní b’" + comparative + _ga. "ná" + predicate. _ga. "Níos" is used if the sentence is in the present or future tense.

_ga. "Ní ba/ní b’", which triggers lenition, is used if the sentence is in the past tense. _ga. "Ní b’" is used before words starting with vowels and _ga. "ní ba" before those starting with consonants.

* _ga. Tá an ghrian níos gile ná an ghealach. "The sun is brighter than the moon."
* _ga. Beidh Peadar níos saibhre ná a athair. "Peadar will be richer than his father."
* _ga. D'éirigh Peadar ní ba shaibhre ná a athair. "Peadar became richer than his father."
* _ga. Bhí Seán ní b’airde ná mise. "Seán was bigger than me."

A superlative is expressed as a relative clause: noun + _ga. "is/ba/ab" + comparative form.

* _ga. an cailín is tréine "the strongest girl" (lit. "the girl who is the strongest")
* _ga. an cailín ba thréine "the strongest girl" (lit. "the girl who was the strongest")
* _ga. an buachaill is óige "the youngest boy" (lit. "the boy who is the youngest")
* _ga. an buachaill ab óige "the youngest boy" (lit. "the boy who was the youngest")

References

*cite book|author=Christian Brothers|title=New Irish Grammar|publisher=C. J. Fallon|location=Dublin|year=1994
*cite book|title=Gramadach na Gaeilge agus litriú na Gaeilge: An Caighdeán Oifigiúil|location=Dublin|publisher=Oifig an tSoláthair|year=1994