Clear, beginner-friendly Irish grammar: the fada, lenition and eclipsis, verbs, the copula and word order, with examples in Gaeilge.
An Aibítir (The Alphabet)
The traditional Irish alphabet has only 18 letters. It does not use j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z (except in loan words).
The 18 letters are: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U.
Vowels can be short (a, e, i, o, u) or long (á, é, í, ó, ú).
The "fada" (accent) lengthens the vowel sound.
The letters j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z are primarily used in scientific terms or foreign loan words (e.g., "zú" for zoo).
Bó: Cow (ó is a long vowel)
Capall: Horse (a is a short vowel)
Zú: Zoo (z is used in loan words)
Séimhiú (Lenition)
Lenition is the softening of a consonant sound. In writing, it is shown by adding an "h" after the consonant.
Adds an "h" after: b, c, d, f, g, m, p, s, t.
Occurs after possessive pronouns "mo" (my), "do" (your), and "a" (his).
Occurs after the numbers 1-6 (aon, dhá, trí, ceithre, cúig, sé).
Occurs after prepositions like "ar" (on), "faoi" (under), "ó" (from).
mo mhadra: my dog (madra -> mhadra)
do chóta: your coat (cóta -> chóta)
ar bhord: on a table (bord -> bhord)
Urú (Eclipsis)
Eclipsis is when a letter is added before the start of a word, suppressing the original sound.
Occurs after the numbers 7-10 (seacht, ocht, naoi, deich).
Occurs after "i" (in).
Occurs after plural possessive pronouns "ár" (our), "bhur" (your pl.), "a" (their).
i mbosca: in a box (b -> mb)
ár gcat: our cat (c -> gc)
seacht gcapall: seven horses (c -> gc)
An t-Alt (The Article)
Irish has no indefinite article (a/an). "An" is the singular definite article (the), and "na" is the plural.
Masculine nouns starting with a vowel take "t-" (an t-úll).
Feminine nouns starting with a consonant are lenited (an bhean).
Nouns starting with "s" + vowel (or sl, sn, sr) take "t" (an t-sráid).
an t-úll: the apple (Masculine vowel)
an bhean: the woman (Feminine lenition)
na leabhair: the books (Plural)
Word Order (VSO)
Irish typically follows a Verb-Subject-Object (VSO) structure, which is different from the English Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order.
The Verb comes first (e.g., "Chuaigh" - Went).
The Subject follows the verb (e.g., "mé" - I).
The Object or rest of the sentence comes last.
Adjectives usually come after the noun they describe (e.g., "bus mór" - big bus).
Chuaigh mé go dtí an siopa: I went to the shop (Lit: Went I to the shop)
D'ith an cat an t-iasc: The cat ate the fish (Lit: Ate the cat the fish)
Tá an cailín ag rith: The girl is running (Lit: Is the girl at running)
The Copula (Is vs Tá)
Irish has two verbs for "to be": "Is" (the Copula) and "Tá" (the substantive verb). Knowing which to use is a key skill.
Use "Is" to define WHAT something or someone is (Identity/Classification).
Use "Tá" to describe HOW or WHERE something is (State/Condition/Location).
Rule of thumb: If you can replace "am/is/are" with "equals" (=), use "Is".
Is dochtúir mé: I am a doctor (Identity (I = Doctor))
Tá mé tinn: I am sick (State/Condition)
Is fear é: He is a man (Classification)
Tá sé sa bhaile: He is at home (Location)
Caol le Caol (Spelling Rule)
"Caol le Caol, Leathan le Leathan" (Slender with Slender, Broad with Broad) is the golden rule of Irish spelling.
Broad vowels: a, o, u.
Slender vowels: i, e.
Inside a word, consonants must be surrounded by the same type of vowel (broad or slender).
If the vowel before a consonant is broad, the vowel after must be broad too.
leathan: broad (a (broad) - th - a (broad))
buachaill: boy (u/a (broad) - ch - a (broad))
múinteoir: teacher (i (slender) - nt - e (slender))
Prepositional Pronouns
In Irish, prepositions (like "at", "on", "with") merge with pronouns (me, you, him) to form a single word. This is essential for expressing feelings and possession.
ag (at) + mé = agam (at me / I have)
ar (on) + tú = ort (on you)
le (with) + sé = leis (with him)
do (to/for) + sí = di (to/for her)
Tá leabhar agam: I have a book (Lit: Is book at-me)
Tá brón orm: I am sad (Lit: Is sadness on-me)
An bhfuil airgead agat?: Do you have money? (Lit: Is money at-you?)
Possessive Adjectives
These are words used to say "my", "your", "his", etc. They often cause mutations (lenition or eclipsis) to the word that follows.
Mo (my), Do (your), A (his) -> Cause Lenition (h).
A (her) -> No change to consonants (adds "h" to vowels).
Ár (our), Bhur (your pl), A (their) -> Cause Eclipsis (Urú).