[Learning Irish as an Adult] 2. The Present Tense
Like most languages, to be (bí) is one of the most important verbs, and describes the state of something that is right now. As in English, this verb only ever has a subject(s) and never has an object.
¹In the present tense of bí, the pronouns mé and muid are often not used; they are incorporated into the verb tá instead, to make what is known as the “synthetic form”.
The Present Tense
Irish has two present tenses, the present habitual which describes what one does on a regular basis, and ___ what one is doing right now. Verbs in Irish are split into three main groups: the first conjugation, the second conjugation and the irregular verbs.
The verb endings depend upon if the root of the verb is broad or slender. For example, take the verbs dún and bris. The last vowel in dún is broad, so you would use broad endings when conjugating this verb. Similarly you would use slender endings when conjugating bris.
1. The First Conjugation
These verbs have only one syllable. In the present tense the ending is, for the most part, added directly onto the root of the verb. Examples are dún close, ól drink, bris break.
¹In present tense verbs, muid is often not used; it is incorporated into the verb that precedes it instead, to make what is known as the “synthetic form”.
2. The Second Conjugation
These verbs have more than one syllable. Many second conjugation verbs end in -gh; when writing these in the present tense, the last syllable of the word is removed to get a root and the endings are then added to that root. Examples are ceannaigh buy, bailigh collect. The roots for these would be ceann-, bail-.
Other second conjugation verbs end in -il, -in, -is or -ir. To write these in the present tense the last syllable is removed except for the very last letter, and then the appropriate ending is added. Examples include inis tell, oscail open. The roots for these would be ins-, oscl-.
3. Irregular Verbs
The last group of verbs in Irish are the irregular verbs, of which there are only 11.
abair to say
beir to bear/carry/bring
bí to be
clois to hear
déan to do/make
feic to see
faigh to get
ith to eat
tabhair to give
tar to come
téigh to go
To have
There is no verb meaning to have in Irish. Instead the verb bí (be) is used, together with the preposition ag (at). So, to express that you have something, you say that it is “at you” - implying that it is close by you, in your possession. This is similar to у меня in Russian.
Thus, tá oráiste agam = I have an orange.
The copula
The copula is a special third form of to be. It is a defective verb, and it is used to say that two things are equal, or to describe that one thing belongs to a class or category of other things.
For example, is fear mé (I am a man), it links the subject of a sentence with a subject complement, such as a noun or pronoun. Therefore, bí is not used in sentences like these. Like the verb to be in English, the copula only ever has subjects and never has an object. In the sentence I am a man, both I and a man refer to the same person who is the subject of the sentence.
