Irish verbs

Irish verb forms are constructed either synthetically or analytically.

Synthetic forms are those which express the information about person and number in the ending: e.g. _ga. "molaim" "I praise", where the ending "-aim" stands for "1st person singular present". In this case, a pronoun is not allowed: _ga. "* molaim mé" is ungrammatical.

Analytic forms are those whose endings contain no information about person and number, and a pronoun is necessary: e.g. _ga. "molann sibh" "you (pl.) praise", where the ending "-ann" expresses only the present tense, and the pronoun _ga. "sibh" "you" (pl.) must accompany it in order to express "2nd person plural".

In addition to the three persons, Irish also has an impersonal form (also called the "autonomous" form), which is used in forming passives and can conveniently be translated with "one" or "someone" as the subject. Shown below are the distribution of synthetic and analytic forms in the standard language; in the dialects, other patterns may be found.

See Irish orthography for a discussion of how verb endings are pronounced.

Regular verbs

There are two conjugation classes of regular verbs, as illustrated below. Note that in the "historical" tenses (the imperfect, preterite, and conditional), a consonant-initial stem undergoes lenition, while a vowel-initial stem is prefixed by "d’". A stem beginning with "f" plus vowel takes both, e.g. _ga. "fan" "wait", _ga. "d'fhan sé" "he waited". (Exception: the preterite impersonal neither undergoes lenition nor receives "d’".)

First conjugation

Present

In the present tense of the 1st conjugation, endings are added directly to the root. Only the 1st person singular and plural and the impersonal have synthetic endings. Otherwise the analytic ending "-(e)ann" is used in combination with a pronoun.

Future

The future stem is formed by adding "f" (pronounced [h] except in the impersonal) to the root. Synthetic endings exist only for the 1st person plural and impersonal.

econd conjugation

Present

In the second conjugation, the present stem ends in "-(a)í-", to which are added the synthetic or analytic endings. Roots ending in a slender consonant (e.g. _ga. "inis" "to tell") undergo syncope before the addition of "-í-".
*The root _ga. "beannaigh" "to bless" has the present tense stem "beannaí-"
*The root _ga. "inis" "to tell" has the present tense stem "insí-"

The endings are the same as in the 1st conjugation, but without the "-(a)i-" vowel found there.

Future

The future stem consists of the root followed by the suffix "-ó-/-eo-". This "-ó-/-eo-" replaces the "-(a)í-" of the present tense. The endings are almost as in the 1st conjugation. Synthetic endings are found only in the 1st person plural and the impersonal.

Irregular verbs

There are eleven irregular verbs in Irish. Most of them are characterized by suppletion, that is, different roots are used to form different tenses. Analytic forms are indicated by the symbol +. The preterites of many irregular verbs take the nonpreterite forms of preverbal particles, e.g. _ga. "an" (interrogative particle) and _ga. "ní" (negative particle), instead of _ga. "ar" (pret. interrogative particle) and _ga. "níor" (pret. negative particle). Some verbs have different independent and dependent forms in certain tenses; the independent forms are used when no particle precedes the verb, and also after _ga. "má" "if" (open conditional) and the direct relative particle _ga. "a", while the dependent forms are used after all other particles.

_ga. abair "to say"

"The "d-" in this verb is not lenited."¹ "The negative particle " _ga. ní" lenites " _ga. fuil" to " _ga. fhuil"; the two are then fused to form " _ga. níl +"; cf. also " _ga. nílim, nílimid", and " _ga. níltear"."

_ga. clois/cluin "to hear"

_ga. feic "to see"

_ga. tar "to come"

_ga. téigh "to go"

Verbal nouns

Formation of the verbal noun

Irish has no infinitive and uses instead the verbal noun. The verbal noun can be formed using different strategies (mostly suffixes). The most common of these are:
*Suffix "-adh", e.g. _ga. "bog" "soften" : _ga. "bogadh"
*Suffix "-áil", e.g. _ga. "fág" "leave" : _ga. "fágáil"
*Suffix "-ú", e.g. _ga. "ardaigh" "lift" : _ga. "ardú"
*Suffix "-amh", e.g. _ga. "caith" "spend" : _ga. "caitheamh"
*Suffix "-t", e.g. _ga. "cosain" "defend" : _ga. "cosaint"
*Suffix "-úint", e.g. _ga. "lean" "follow" : _ga. "leanúint"
*Slender consonant is made broad, e.g. _ga. "coisc" "prevent" : _ga. "cosc"
*Suffix "-ach", e.g. _ga. "ceannaigh" "buy" : _ga. "ceannach"
*Suffix nothing, e.g. _ga. "ól" "drink" : _ga. "ól"
*Suffix "-cht", e.g. _ga. "dúisigh" "awake" : _ga. "dúiseacht"
*Suffix "-e", e.g. _ga. "rinc" "dance" : _ga. "rince"

Usage of the verbal noun

The verbal noun is used as the infinitive would be used in English.: _ga. D'iarr sé orm "imeacht". "He asked me to go.": _ga. B'fhearr liom "fanacht". "I would rather stay."A progressive can be expressed with the preposition _ga. "ag" and is equivalent to the English present participle.: _ga. Tá Seán "ag obair". "Seán is working.": _ga. Bhí Máire "ag caint". "Máire was speaking."A perfect tense can be formed with either of the compound prepositions _ga. "tar éis" or _ga. "i ndiaidh" and the verbal noun.: _ga. Tá sí "tar éis baint" an fhéir. "She has (just) cut the grass." (cf. Hiberno-English "She is after cutting the grass."): _ga. Bhí sé "i ndiaidh ní" na gcupán. "He had (just) washed the cups." (cf. Hiberno-English "He was after washing the cups.")

Preverbal particles

Irish uses a number of preverbal particles to modify the meaning of a sentence. In a positive statement, no particle is used and the verb comes first (except in Munster Irish where "Do" is placed before verbs in the past, habitual past and conditional, leniting the verb that follows). This is still seen in the Standard Language in said tenses, prefixed to verbs beginning with vowels, e.g. D'ól mé (D'ólas in Munster Irish) meaning "I drank":
* _ga. Tuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "Seán understands Irish."
* _ga. Thuig Seán Gaeilge. "Seán understood Irish."
* _ga. Thuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge. "Seán would understand Irish."

Negative particles

To negate a statement, the particle _ga. "ní" is used, which causes lenition; a "d’" before a vowel or lenited "f" is omitted:
* _ga. "Ní" thuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "Seán doesn't understand Irish."
* _ga. "Ní" thuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge. "Seán wouldn't understand Irish."
* _ga. "Ní" ólfadh Séamas an bainne. "Séamas would not drink the milk." (cf. _ga. "D'ólfadh Séamas an bainne." "Seán would drink the milk.")
* _ga. "Ní" fhanfadh Úna liom. "Úna would not wait for me." (cf. _ga. "D'fhanfadh Úna liom." "Úna would wait for me.")In the preterite, the particle _ga. "níor" is used . There is lenition but no _ga. "d’".
* _ga. "Níor" thuig Seán Gaeilge. "Seán didn't understand Irish."
* _ga. "Níor" ól Séamas an bainne. "Séamas didn't drink the milk." (cf. _ga. "D'ól Séamas an bainne." "Seán drank the milk.")
* _ga. "Níor" fhan Úna liom. "Úna didn't wait for me." (cf. _ga. "D'fhan Úna liom." "Úna waited for me.")(In Ulster, the negative particles _ga. "cha(n)", pret. _ga. "char" are also used)

Interrogative particles

To pose a simple yes/no question, the particle _ga. "an" is used, which causes eclipsis (no eclipsis of vowels, because _ga. "an" already ends with "n"). In the preterite _ga. "ar" (+ lenition) is used. The prefix _ga. "d’" is omitted:
* _ga. "An" dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge? "Does Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "An" dtuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge? "Would Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "An" ólann Seán bainne? "Does Seán drink milk?"
* _ga. "An" bhfanfadh Úna liom? "Would Úna wait for me?"
* _ga. "Ar" thuig Seán Gaeilge? "Did Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "Ar" ól Séamas an bainne? "Did Séamas drink the milk?"
* _ga. "Ar" fhan Úna liom? "Did Úna wait for me?"

These particles are also used to introduce an indirect question:
* _ga. Níl a fhios agam "an" dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "I don't know if Seán understands Irish."
* _ga. Ní mé "ar" ól Séamas an bainne. "I wonder if Séamas drank the milk."

Negative interrogative particles

To pose a negative yes/no question, the particle _ga. "nach" is used, which causes eclipsis (in preterite: _ga. "nár" + lenition):
* _ga. "Nach" dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge? "Doesn't Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "Nach" dtuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge? "Wouldn't Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "Nach" n-ólfadh Seán an bainne? "Wouldn't Seán drink the milk?"
* _ga. "Nach" bhfanfadh Úna liom? "Wouldn't Úna wait for me?"
* _ga. "Nár" thuig Seán Gaeilge? "Didn't Seán understand Irish?"
* _ga. "Nár" ól Séamas an bainne? "Didn't Seán drink the milk?"
* _ga. "Nár" fhan Úna liom? "Didn't Úna wait for me?"(In Munster _ga. "ná" is used instead of _ga. "nach".)

Wh-interrogative particles

To pose a wh-question, one of the interrogative particles _ga. "cá", "cad a"/"céard a", "cathain a", "cé a", "conas a" etc. is used.
* _ga. "Cá" gcuirfidh tú an litir? "Where will you put the letter?"
* _ga. "Cad"/"Céard a" cheapfaidh na comharsana? "What will the neighbors think?"
* _ga. "Cathain a" dhíolfaidh sibh bhur dteach? "When will you sell your house?"
* _ga. "Cé a" sheasfaidh i m'aice? "Who will stand next to me?"
* _ga. "Conas a" ghlanfaidh tú an gúna? "How will you clean the dress?"

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