Irish Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Irish. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Irish.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Irish conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Irish
I speak English labhraím Béarla
you speak French labhraíonn tú Fraincís
he speaks German labhraíonn sé Gearmáinis
she speaks Italian labhraíonn sí Iodáilis
we speak Arabic labhraíonn muid Araibis
they speak Chinese labhraíonn siad Sínis

The past tense in Irish conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Irish
I visited France thug mé cuairt ar an bhFrainc
you visited Italy thug tú cuairt ar an Iodáil
he visited Morocco thug sé cuairt ar Mharacó
she visited China thug sí cuairt ar an tSín
we visited Mexico thugamar cuairt ar Mheicsiceo
they visited Kenya thug siad cuairt ar Chéinia

The future tense in Irish conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Irish
I will drink milk ólfaidh mé bainne
you will drink coffee ólfaidh tú caife
he will drink tea ólfaidh sé tae
she will drink water ólfaidh sí uisce
we will drink apple juice ólfaimid sú úll
they will drink tea ólfaidh siad tae

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear cluas

eye súil

mouth béal

nose srón

hair gruaig

face aghaidh

head ceann/cloigeann

heart croí

hand lámh

fingers méaracha

leg cos

feet cosa

Travel Phrases in Irish

Imagine yourself in some Irish speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Irish
Can you help me? an féidir leat cúnamh a thabhairt dom?
Can I help you? an féidir liom cúnamh a thabhairt duit?
Where is the airport? cá bhfuil an t-aerfort?
Go straight téigh díreach ar aghaidh
Then ansin
Turn left cas ar chlé
Turn right cas ar dheis

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Irish was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.