Irish conjugation

Irish verb forms are constructed either synthetically or analytically.

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

Analytic forms are those whose endings contain no information about person and number, and a pronoun is necessary: e.g., molann sibh "you (pl.) praise", where the ending -ann expresses only the present tense, and the pronoun 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, although some of the most important distinctions made in certain dialects are pointed out in this article.

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. Forms in italics are not part of the standard language. The suffixes shown change to agree with the word ending in a velarised ("broad") consonant or palatalised ("slender") consonant. In the examples below, verbs ending with "broad" consonants are shown above those ending with "slender" consonants.

Note that in the "historical" tenses (the imperfect, preterite, and conditional), a consonant-initial stem undergoes lenition (and dialectally is preceded by "do"), while a vowel-initial stem is prefixed by d’. A stem beginning with f plus vowel takes both, e.g., fan "wait", d'fhan sé "he waited". The preterite impersonal, e.g., fanadh "one waited", neither undergoes lenition nor receives d’. The -f- in future and conditional stems is pronounced /h/; except in the conditional 2nd person singular and the impersonal, where it remains /f/.

1st conjugation[]

1st conjugation Irish verbs
Mol - To praise Tuig - To understand		Mut.	Analytic		Synthetic
					Singular					Plural						Impersonal
					1st		2nd		3rd m./f.	1st		2nd		3rd		Impersonal
Indicative	Present	None	Molann Tuigeann	-(e)ann	Molaim Tuigim	-(a)im	Molair Tuigir	-(a)ir	Molann _ Tuigeann _	Molaimid Tuigimid	-(a)imid	Molann sibh Tuigeann sibh		Molaid Tuigid	-(a)id	Moltar Tuigtear	-t(e)ar
	Past Imperfect	Len.	Mholadh Thuigeadh	-(e)adh	Mholainn Thuiginn	-(a)inn	Mholtá Thuigteá	-t(e)á	Mholadh _ Thuigeadh _	Mholaimis Thuigimis	-(a)imis	Mholadh sibh Thuigeadh sibh		Mholaidís Thuigidís	-(a)idís	Moltaí Tuigtí	-t(a)í
	Past Perfect	Len.	Mhol Thuig	_	Mholas Thuigeas	-(e)as	Mholais Thuigis	-(a)is	Mhol _ Thuig _	Mholamar Thuigeamar	-(e)amar	Mholabhar Thuigeabhar	-(e)abhar	Mholadar Thuigeadar	-(e)adar	Mholadh Thuigeadh	-(e)adh
	Future	None	Molfaid Tuigfid	-f(a)id	Molfad Tuigfead	-f(e)ad	Molfair Tuigfir	-f(a)ir	Molfaid _ Tuigfid _	Molfaimid Tuigfimid	-f(a)imid	Molfaid sibh Tuigfid sibh		Molfaid Tuigfid	-f(a)id	Molfar Tuigfear	-f(e)ar
Conditional		Len.	Mholfadh Thuigfeadh	-f(e)adh	Mholfan Thuigfeann	-f(e)ann	Mholfá Thuigfeá	-f(e)á	Mholfadh _ Thuigfeadh _	Molfaimis Thuigfimis	-f(a)imis	Mholfadh sibh Thuigfeadh sibh		Mholfaidís Thuigfidís	-f(a)idís	Mholfaí Thuigfí	-f(a)í
Imperative		None	Moleadh Tuigeadh	-(e)adh	Molaim Tuigim	-(a)im	Mol Tuig	_	Moladh _ Tuigeadh _	Molaimis Tuigimis	-(a)imis	Molaigí / Molaidh Tuigigí / Tuigidh	-(a)igí / -(a)idh	Molaidís Tuigidís	-(a)idís	Moltar Tuigtear	-t(e)ar
Subjunctive	Present	Eclip. Go _	Mola Tuige	-a / -e	Go molad Go dtuigead	-(e)ad	Go molair Go dtuigir	-(a)ir	Mola _ Tuige _	Go molaimid Go dtuigimid	-(a)imid	Go mola sibh Go dtuige sibh		Go molaid Go dtuigid	-(a)id	Go moltar Go dtuigtear	-t(e)ar
Subjunctive	Past	Eclip. Dá _	Moladh Tuigeadh	-(e)adh	Dá molainn Dá dtuiginn	-(a)inn	Dá moltá Dá dtuigteá	-t(e)á	Dá moladh _ Dá dtuigeadh _	Dá molaimis Dá dtuigimis	-(a)imis	Dá moladh sibh Dá dtuigeadh sibh		Dá molaidís Dá dtuigidís	-(a)idís	Dá moltaí Dá dtuigtí	-t(a)í
Past Participle		None	Molta Tuigthe	-ta/-te

2nd conjugation[]

Second stem verbs take the same base suffixes as first conjugation verbs, but add the infix in -(a)í- (most forms), or -(e)o-/-ó- (in the future and conditional).

Roots ending in a slender consonant undergo syncope before the addition of -í-.

2nd conjugation Irish verbs
Tosaigh - To begin Inis - To tell		Mut.	Analytic		Synthetic
					Singular					Plural						Impersonal
					1st		2nd		3rd m./f.	1st		2nd		3rd		Impersonal
Indicative	Present	None	Tosaíonn Insíonn	-(a)íonn	Tosaím Insím	-(a)ím	Tosaír Insír	-(a)ír	Tosaíonn _ Insíonn _	Tosaímid Insímid	-(a)ímid	Tosaíonn sibh Insíonn sibh		Tosaíd Insíd	-(a)íd	Tosaítear Insítear	-(a)ítear
	Past Imperfect	Len.	Thosaíodh D'insíodh	-(a)íodh	Thosaínn D'insínn	-(a)ínn	Thosaíteá D'insíteá	-(a)íteá	Thosaíodh _ D'insíodh _	Thosaímis D'insímis	-(a)ímis	Thosaíodh sibh D'insíodh sibh		Thosaídis D'insídis	-(a)ídis	Thosaítí D'insítí	-(a)ítí
	Past Perfect	Len.	Thosaigh D'inis	_	Thosaíos D'insíos	-(a)íos	Thosaís D'insís	-(a)ís	Thosaigh _ D'inis _	Thosaíomar D'insíomar	-(a)íomar	Thosaíobhar D'insíobhar	-(a)íobhar	Thosaíodar D'insíodar	-(a)íodar	Thosaíodh D'insíodh	-(a)íodh
	Future	None	Tosóid Inseóidh	-(e)óidh	Tosód Inseód	-(e)ód	Tosóir Inseóir	-(e)óir	Tosóid _ Inseóidh _	Tosóimid Inseóimid	-(e)óimid	Tosóid sibh Inseóidh sibh		Tosóid Inseóid	-(e)óid	Tosófar Inseófar	-(e)ófar
Conditional		Len.	Thosódh D'inseódh	-(e)ódh	Thosóinn D'inseóinn	-(e)óinn	Thosófa D'inseófá	-(e)ófá	Thosódh _ D'inseódh _	Thosóimis D'inseóimis	-(e)óimis	Thosódh sibh D'inseóidís sibh		Thosóidís D'inseóidís	-(e)óidís	Thosóidaí D'inseófaí	-(e)ófaí
Imperative		None	Tosaíodh Insíodh	-(a)íodh	Tosaím Insím	-(a)ím	Tosaigh Inis	_	Tosaíodh _ Insíodh _	Tosaímis Insímis	-(a)ímis	Tosaígí / Tosaídh Insígí / Insídh	-(a)ígí / -(a)ídh	Tosaídis Insídís	-(a)ídís	Tosaítear Insítear	-(a)ítear
Subjunctive	Present	Eclip. Go _	Go dtosaí Go n-insí	-(a)í	Go dtosaíod Go n-insíod	-(a)íod	Go dtosaír Go n-insír	-(a)ír	Go dtosaí _ Go n-insí sí	Go dtosaímid Go n-insímid	-(a)ímid	Go dtosaí sibh Go n-insí sibh		Go dtosaíd Go n-insíd	-(a)íd	Go dtosaítear Go n-insítear	-(a)ítear
Subjunctive	Past	Eclip. Dá _	Dá dtosaíodh Dá n-insíodh	-(a)íodh	Dá dtosaínn Dá n-insínn	-(a)ínn	Dá dtosaíteá Dá n-insíteá	-(a)íteá	Dá dtosaí _ Dá n-insi _	Dá dtosaímis Dá n-insímis	-(a)ímis	Dá dtosaí sibh Dá n-insíodh sibh		Dá dtosaídís Dá n-insídís	-(a)ídís	Dá dtosaítí Dá n-insítí	-(a)ítí
Past participle		None	Tosaithe Inste	-the/-te

Irregular verbs[]

There are eleven irregular verbs in Standard Irish; individual dialects have a few more. 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., an (interrogative particle) and ní (negative particle), instead of ar (pret. interrogative particle) and 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 má "if" (open conditional) and the direct relative particle a, while the dependent forms are used after all other particles.

Abair "to say"[]

The d- in this verb's independent forms is not lenited, and the dependent forms are slightly archaic.

*Abair* conjugation
Abair, "to say"			Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	Independent	deir	deir-
	Present	Dependent	abrann	ab(a)r-
	Past Imperfect	Independent	deireadh	deir-
	Past Imperfect	Dependent	abradh	ab(a)r-
	Past Perfect		d��irt	dúr-
	Future	Independent	déarfaidh	déar-
	Future	Dependent	abróidh	abró-
Conditional		Independent	déarfadh	déar-
Conditional		Dependent	abródh	abró-
Imperative			abradh	abair, abraigí; abr-
Subjunctive	Present	Independent	go ndeire	go ndeir-
	Present	Dependent	go n-abra	go n-abr-
	Past	Independent	dá ndeireadh	dá ndeir-
	Past	Dependent	dá n-abradh	dá n-abr-
Verbal Noun			rá
Past Participle			ráite

Beir "to bear"[]

*Beir* conjugation
Beir, "to bear"		Standard		Munster
Beir, "to bear"		Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	beireann	beir-
	Past Imperfect	bheireadh	bheir
	Past Perfect	rug	rug-	riug	riug-
	Future	béarfaidh	béar-
Conditional		béarfadh	béar-
Imperative		beireadh	beir-
Subjunctive	Present	go mbeire	go mbeir-
Subjunctive	Past	dá mbeireadh	dá mbeir-
Verbal Noun		breith
Past Participle		beirthe

Bí "to be"[]

If a noun phrase is in the predicate, then forms of the particle "is" are used rather than anything below.

Bí conjugation
Bí, "to be"			Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	Independent	tá(nn)	taoi (2pS), táthaoi (2pP), tádar (3pP); tái-
		Dependent	fuil	fuil-
		Negative	níl	níl-
	Present Habitual		bíonn	bí-
	Past Imperfect		bhíodh	bhí-
	Past Perfect	Independent	bhí	bhío-
	Past Perfect	Dependent	raibh	rabh-
	Future		beidh	be-
Conditional			bheadh	bhei-
Imperative			bíodh	bí, bígí; bí-
Subjunctive	Present		go raibh	go rabh-
Subjunctive	Past		dá mbeadh	dá mbei-
Verbal Noun			bheith
Past Participle			(none)

Clois / Cluin "to hear"[]

Clois is used in southern and south-central Irish (Munster, Connemara, Aran Islands etc.), whereas cluin is used in northern and north-central varieties (Mayo, Ulster).

*Clois*/ *Cluin* conjugation
Clois/ Cluin "to hear"			Southern Irish		Northern Irish
Clois/ Cluin "to hear"			Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present		cloiseann	clois-	cluineann	cluin-
	Past Imperfect		chloiseadh	chlois-	chluineadh	chluin-
	Past Perfect		chuala	chual-	chuala	chual-
	Future		cloisfidh	clois-	cluinfidh	cluin-
Conditional			chloisfeadh	chlois-	chluinfeadh	chluin-
Imperative			cloiseadh	clois, cloisigí; clois-	cluineadh	cluin, cluinigí; cluin-
Subjunctive		Present	go gcloise	go gclois-	go gcluine	go gcluin-
Subjunctive		Past	dá gcloiseann	dá gclois-	dá gcluineadh	dá gcluin-
Verbal Noun			cloisteáil		cluinstin
Past Participle			cloiste		cluinte

Déan "to do, to make"[]

*Déan* conjugation
Déan, "to do, to make"			Standard		Munster		Ulster, Aran (Connacht)
Déan, "to do, to make"			Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	Independent	ghní(onn)	ghní-			ghní(onn)	ghní-
	Present	Dependent	déanann	déan-	deineann	dein-
	Past Imperfect	Independent	(gh)níodh	ghní-			ghníodh	ghní-
	Past Imperfect	Dependent	dhéanadh	dhéan-	dhein	dhein-
	Past Perfect	Independent	rinne	rinn-	dheineadh	dhein-	rinn	rinn-
	Past Perfect	Dependent	dearna	dearn-	dheineadh	dhein-	dearn	dearn-
	Future	Independent	déanfaidh	déan-
	Future	Dependent	déanfaidh	déan-
Conditional		Independent	dhéanfadh	dhéan-
Conditional		Dependent	dhéanfadh	dhéan-
Imperative			déanadh	déan, déanaigí; déan-	deineadh	dein, deinigí; dein-
Subjunctive		Present	go ndéana	go ndéan-	go ndeina	go ndein-
Subjunctive		Past	dá ndéanadh	dá ndéan-	dá ndeineadh	dá ndein-
Verbal Noun			déanamh
Past Participle			déanta

Faigh "to find, to get"[]

The f- in forms of this verb is eclipsed rather than lenited after ní.

*Faigh* conjugation
Faigh, "to get"			Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	Independent	gheiheann	gheibh-
	Present	Dependent	faigheann	faigh-
	Past Imperfect	Independent	gheibheadh	gheibh-
	Past Imperfect	Dependent	d'fhaigheadh	d'faigh-
	Past Perfect		fuair	fuair-
	Future	Independent	gheobhaidh	gheobh-
	Future	Dependent	faighidh	faigh-
Conditional		Independent	gheobhadh	gheobh-
Conditional		Dependent	faigheadh	faigh-
Imperative			faigheadh	faigh, faighigí; faigh-
Subjunctive		Present	go bhfaighe	go bhfaigh-
Subjunctive		Past	dá bhfaigeadh	dá bhfaigh-
Verbal Noun			fáil
Past Participle			faighte

Feic "to see"[]

*Feic* conjugation
Feic, "to see"			Standard		Munster		Ulster
Feic, "to see"			Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	Independent	feiceann	feic-	c(h)íonn	c(h)í-	tchíonn	tchí-
	Present	Dependent	feiceann	feic-	feiceann	feic-	feiceann	feic-
	Past Imperfect	Independent	d'fheiceadh	fheic	c(h)íodh	c(h)í-	tíodh	tchí-
	Past Imperfect	Dependent	fheiceadh	fheic-
	Past Perfect	Independent	chonaic	chonaic-	chnaic	chnaic-	thain(a)ic	thainic-
	Past Perfect	Dependent	faca	fac-	feaca(igh)	feaca-	faca	fac-
	Future	Independent	feicfidh	feic-	c(h)ífidh	c(h)í-	tchífidh	tchí-
	Future	Dependent	feicfidh	feic-	gcífidh	gcí-	tchífidh	tchí-
Conditional		Independent	d'fheicfeadh	d'fheic-	c(h)ífeadh	c(h)í	tchífeadh	tchí-
Conditional		Dependent	fheicfeadh	fheic-	gcífeadh	gcí-	tchífeadh	tchí-
Imperative			feiceadh	feic, feicigí; feic-
Subjunctive		Present	go bhfeice	go bhfeic-
Subjunctive		Past	dá bhfeiceadh	dá bhfeic-
Verbal Noun			feiceáil		feiscint
Past Participle			feicthe

Ith "to eat"[]

*Ith* conjugation
Ith, "to eat"		Standard		Cape Clear (Munster)
Ith, "to eat"		Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	itheann	ith-
	Past Imperfect	d'itheadh	d'ith-
	Past Perfect	d'ith	d'ith-	duaidh	dua-
	Future	íosfaidh	íosfai-
Conditional	Independent	d'íosfadh	díos-
Conditional	Dependent	íosfadh	íos-
Imperative		itheadh	ith, ithigí; ith-
Subjunctive	Present	go n-ithe	go n-ith-
Subjunctive	Past	dá n-itheadh	dá n-ith-
Verbal Noun		ithe
Past Participle		ite

Tabhair, "to give, to bring, (to be named)"[]

*Tabhair* conjugation
Tabhair, "to give, to bring"			Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	General	tug	tug-
		Independent	bheir	bheir-
		Dependent	tabhrann	tabh(a)r-
	Past Imperfect	General	thugainn	thug-
		Independent	bheirinn	bheir-
		Dependent	tabhrainn	tabh(a)r-
	Past Perfect		thug	thug-
	Future	General	tabharfaidh	tabhar-
		Independent	bhéaraid	bhéar-
		Dependent	tiubhraid	tiubhr-
Conditional		General	thabharfadh	thabhar-
		Independent	bhéarfadh	bhéar-
		Dependent	tiubhradh	tiubhr-
Imperative			tugadh	tabhair, tugaigí; tug-
Subjunctive		Present	go dtuga	go dtug-
Subjunctive		Past	dá dtugdh	dá dtug-
Verbal Noun			tabhairt
Past Participle			tugtha

The meaning "to be named" is often found in writings and can therefore be considered as strange for learners. When meaning "to be named" the verbform is usually followed by the preposition "ar", which is also inflected due to the person it is connected with. e.g.:

Bhí Seán, mar a thugtaí air, an-shásta. "Seán, as he was (usually) called, was very happy."
Tá Seán ag tabhairt an úill dom. "Seán is giving me the apple."

Tar, "to come"[]

*Tar* conjugation
Tar, "to come"		Standard		Munster (some)		Connacht (some)		Ulster
Tar, "to come"		Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present	tagann (tig le)	tag-	tigeann	tig-	teagann	teag-	tig	tig-
	Past Imperfect	thagadh	thag-
	Past Perfect	tháinig	tháng-
	Future	tiocfaidh	tioc-
Conditional		thiocfadh	thioc-
Imperative		tagadh	tar, tagaigí; tag-	tagadh	tair, tagaigí; tag-	tagadh	teara, tagaigí; tag-	tagadh	gabh, tagaigí; tag-
Subjunctive	Present	go dtag	go dtag-	go dtí	go dtí-			go dtí	go dtí-
Subjunctive	Past	dá dtagadh	dá dtag-
Verbal Noun		teacht
Past Participle		tagtha

Téigh, "to go"[]

*Téigh* conjugation
Téigh, "to go"			Standard		Connemara (Connacht)		Munster		Ulster
Téigh, "to go"			Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic	Analytic	Synthetic
Indicative	Present		téann	téi-
	Past Imperfect		théadh	théi-
	Past Perfect	Independent	chuaigh	chu-
	Past Perfect	Dependent	deachaigh	deach-
	Future		rachaidh (raghfaidh)	rach- (raghf-)	gabhfaidh	gabhf-	raghaidh	ragh-
Conditional			rachadh (raghfadh)	rach- (raghf-)	ghabhfadh	ghabhf-	raghadh	ragh-
Imperative			téadh	téi-	téadh	teire/ gabh; té-	téadh	teir, teiridh; té-	téadh	téithear; gabh-/té-
Subjunctive	Present		go dté	go dté-
Subjunctive	Past		dá dtéadh	dá dté-
Verbal Noun			dul		goil				goil
Past Participle			dulta		goite				goite

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., bog "soften" : bogadh
Suffix -áil, e.g., fág "leave" : fágáil
Suffix -ú, e.g., ardaigh "lift" : ardú
Suffix -amh, e.g., caith "spend" : caitheamh
Suffix -t, e.g., cosain "defend" : cosaint
Suffix -úint, e.g., lean "follow" : leanúint
Slender consonant is made broad, e.g., coisc "prevent" : cosc
Suffix -ach, e.g., ceannaigh "buy" : ceannach
No change, e.g., ól "drink" : ól
Suffix -cht, e.g., dúisigh "awake" : dúiseacht
Suffix -e, e.g., rinc "dance" : rince

Usage of the verbal noun[]

The verbal noun is used as the infinitive would be used in English.

D'iarr sé orm imeacht. "He asked me to go."

B'fhearr liom fanacht. "I would rather stay."

A progressive can be expressed with the preposition ag and is equivalent to the English present participle.

Tá Seán ag obair. "Seán is working."

Bhí Máire ag caint. "Máire was speaking."

A perfect tense can be formed with either of the compound prepositions tar éis or i ndiaidh and the verbal noun.

Tá sí tar éis baint an fhéir. "She has (just) mowed the grass." (cf. Hiberno-English "She is after cutting the grass.")

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":

Tuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "Seán understands Irish."
Thuig Seán Gaeilge. "Seán understood Irish."
Thuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge. "Seán would understand Irish."

Negative particles[]

To negate a statement, the particle ní is used, which causes lenition; a d’ before a vowel or lenited f is omitted:

Ní thuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "Seán doesn't understand Irish."
Ní thuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge. "Seán wouldn't understand Irish."
Ní ólfadh Séamas an bainne. "Séamas would not drink the milk." (cf. D'ólfadh Séamas an bainne. "Séamas would drink the milk.")
Ní fhanfadh Úna liom. "Úna would not wait for me." (cf. D'fhanfadh Úna liom. "Úna would wait for me.")

In the preterite, the particle níor is used . There is lenition but no d’.

Níor thuig Seán Gaeilge. "Seán didn't understand Irish."
Níor ól Séamas an bainne. "Séamas didn't drink the milk." (cf. D'ól Séamas an bainne. "Séamas drank the milk.")
Níor fhan Úna liom. "Úna didn't wait for me." (cf. D'fhan Úna liom. "Úna waited for me.")

(In Ulster, the negative particles cha(n), pret. char are also used)

Interrogative particles[]

To pose a simple yes/no question, the particle an is used, which causes eclipsis (no eclipsis of vowels, because an already ends with n). In the preterite ar (+ lenition) is used. The prefix d’ is omitted:

An dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge? "Does Seán understand Irish?"
An dtuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge? "Would Seán understand Irish?"
An ólann Séamas bainne? "Does Séamas drink milk?"
An bhfanfadh Úna liom? "Would Úna wait for me?"
Ar thuig Seán Gaeilge? "Did Seán understand Irish?"
Ar ól Séamas an bainne? "Did Séamas drink the milk?"
Ar fhan Úna liom? "Did Úna wait for me?"

These particles are also used to introduce an indirect question:

Níl a fhios agam an dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge. "I don't know if Seán understands Irish."
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 nach is used, which causes eclipsis (in preterite: nár + lenition):

Nach dtuigeann Seán Gaeilge? "Doesn't Seán understand Irish?"
Nach dtuigfeadh Seán Gaeilge? "Wouldn't Seán understand Irish?"
Nach n-ólfadh Séamas an bainne? "Wouldn't Séamas drink the milk?"
Nach bhfanfadh Úna liom? "Wouldn't Úna wait for me?"
Nár thuig Seán Gaeilge? "Didn't Seán understand Irish?"
Nár ól Séamas an bainne? "Didn't Séamas drink the milk?"
Nár fhan Úna liom? "Didn't Úna wait for me?"

(In Munster ná is used instead of nach.)

Wh-interrogative particles[]

To pose a wh-question, one of the interrogative particles cá, cad a/céard a, cathain a, cé a, conas a etc. is used.

Cá gcuirfidh tú an litir? "Where will you put the letter?"
Cad/Céard a cheapfaidh na comharsana? "What will the neighbors think?"
Cathain a dhíolfaidh sibh bhur dteach? "When will you sell your house?"
Cé a sheasfaidh i m'aice? "Who will stand next to me?"
Conas a ghlanfaidh tú an gúna? "How will you clean the dress?"

Subjunctive[]

The subjunctive covers the idea of wishing something and so appears in some famous Irish proverbs and blessings. It is considered an old-fashioned tense for daily speech (except in set phrases) but still appears often in print.

The subjunctive is normally formed from "Go" (which triggers eclipsis) plus the subjunctive form of the verb, plus the subject, plus the thing being wished for. For instance, the subjunctive form of "teigh" (go) is "té":

Go dté tú slán. -- May you be well.

(lit: may you go well)

Again, the subjunctive of "tabhair" (give) is "tuga":

Go dtuga Dia ciall duit. -- May God give you sense.

In the third example, the wish is also a curse, like this one from Tory Island in Donegal:

Go ndéana an Diabhal toirneach de d'anam in Ifreann. -- May the Devil make thunder of your soul in Hell.

The subjunctive is generally formed by taking the present indicative tense of the verb and adding on the appropriate subjunctive ending depending on broad or slender, and first or second conjugation. For example, the present tense first person singular of bog (to move) is bog mé and its subjunctive in the same person is boga mé:

1st Conjugation:

mol (to praise)	mola mé	mola tú	mola sé/sí	molaimid	mola sibh	mola siad
bris (to break)	brise mé	brise tú	brise sé/sí	brisimid	brise sibh	brise siad

2nd Conjugation:

beannaigh (to bless)	beannaí mé	beannaí tú	beannaí sé/sí	beannaímid	beannaí sibh	beannaí siad
bailigh (to collect)	bailí mé	bailí tú	bailí sé/sí	bailímid	bailí sibh	bailí siad

E.g., "go mbeannaí Dia thú"—May God bless you.

There is also some irregularity in certain verbs in the subjunctive. The verb bí (to be) is the most irregular verb in Irish (as in most Indo-European languages):

Present Indicative	tá mé/táim	tá tú	tá sé/sí	tá muid/táimid	tá sibh	tá siad
Present Subjunctive	raibh mé	raibh tú	raibh sé/sí	rabhaimid	raibh sibh	raibh siad

The Irish phrase for "thank you"—go raibh maith agat—uses the subjunctive of "bí" and literally means "may there be good at-you".

Some verbs do not follow the conjugation of the subjunctive exactly as above. The irregularities apply to verbs whose stem ends already in a stressed vowel, and the rules of Irish orthography and pronunciation mean that it cannot take another:

	Present Indicative	Present Subjunctive
téigh (to go)	téann tú	té tú
sáigh (to stab)	sánn tú	sá tú
luigh (to mention; cite)	luíonn tú	luí tú
*feoigh (to decay; wither)	feonn tú	feo tú

Although, feoigh does not have a fáda (accent), the 'o' in this position is stressed (pronounced as though it is ó) and so the subjunctive is irregular.

It is important to note that when the subjunctive is used in English, it may not be used in Irish, and another tense might be used instead:

If I were (past subjunctive) you, I would study for the exam tomorrow. -- Dá mba (past/conditional of the copula) mise tusa, dhéanfainn (conditional) staidéar ar don scrúdú amárach.
I wish *(that) you were (past sub.) here. -- Is mian liom go raibh (present sub.) tú anseo.
It is important that he choose (present sub.) the right way—Tá sé tábhachtach go roghnaíonn (present indicative) sé ar an mbealach ceart.
**When you're older (present ind.), you'll understand—Nuair a bheidh (future ind.) tú níos sine, beidh tú a thuiscint.
*Note that in English, the relative pronoun that can be omitted, but in Irish, the corresponding go must be retained.
**Note that in English, the present tense is often used to refer to a future state, but in Irish, there is less freedom with tenses (time is more strictly bound to the appropriate tense, present for present, past for past, future for future). In this particular example, you will be older, and it is then that you will understand.