Irish Verbs: Basic Facts

In theory, all verbs have an independent and dependent form in each tense, but in actuality only the small handful of irregular verbs actually maintain a difference in these forms, e.g.:

tá = independent form of bí in the present tense.

fuil = dependent form of bí in the present tense

Irish Verbs: Basic Facts, cont.

All regular verbs in Irish fall into one of two “conjugations.”

The First Conjugation is very simple; the tense endings are added directly to the dictionary form of the verb.

The Second Conjugation has the almost identical tense endings to the First Conjugation except that there is an added long vowel in the ending.

NOTE: The 2nd person singular imperative form of the verb is used as the dictionary form.

Identifying 1st Conjugation Verbs

1st Conjugation Verbs have three “shapes”: 1) Verbs with a dictionary form of one syllable, e.g.: Siúil,

Dún, Rith, Glan, Nigh 2) Verbs with a dictionary form of two syllables ending in

a LONG VOWEL + -(a)igh, e.g.: Léigh, Dóigh 3) Verbs with a dictionary form of two or more syllables

which have a long vowel in the final syllable, e.g.: Sábháil, Péinteáil, Tiomáin

Identifying 2nd Conjugation Verbs

2nd conjugation verbs have two or more syllables in the dictionary form and have two basic “shapes”:

1) Either they end in CONSONANT + -(a)igh, e.g.: Buanaigh, Imigh, Éirigh, Ceannaigh

2) Or the final syllable has short vowel in it: Ceangail. Oscail, Imir, Inis

The Present Tense Endings

It sounds complicated in theory, but in practice the difference between First and Second Conjugations is not really that difficult:

1st Conjugation Ending: -(e)ann 2nd Conjugation Ending: -(a)íonn

There are optional 1st person inflections with the following endings:

1st person sing.: -(a)im, (a)ím 1st person pl.: -(a)imid, -(a)ímid

1st Conjugation Verbs

Type 1:

Dún ====> Dúnann Rith ====> Ritheann Glan ====> Glanann

Type 2:

Léigh ====> Léann Brúigh ====> Brúann

NOTE: Most of the Type 3 verbs which end in a narrow consonant have the consonant broadened before the Present Tense endings are added.

There are some exceptions such as Tiomáin

Type 3:

Taispeáin====>Taispeánann Siúil ====> Siúlann Sábháil ====> Sábhálann

Tiomáin ====> Tiomáineann

2nd Conjugation Verbs

Type 1:

Imigh =====> Imíonn Ceannaigh =====> Ceannaíonn Éirigh =====> Éiríonn

Type 2:

Oscail =====> Osclaíonn Imir =====> Imríonn Ceangail =====> Ceanglaíonn

NOTE: Type 2 verbs are often “syncopated,” which is just a fancy word for deleting a syllable. Irish is generally resistant to long words and often erases syllables with short vowels in words of 3 syllables or more when it's at all

pronounceable .

The Present Tense Preverbal Particles

We've seen these before with tá:

Negative: NíL

Interrogative: AnN

Negative Interrogative: NachN