/ Stories
Understanding Irish: Sentence Structure
Three steps that unlock almost any simple Irish sentence.
Part 2 of a three-part beginner series.
Irish sentences are built in a different order from English ones. English goes who — did what — to what: "Saoirse ate the bread." Irish goes verb — who — what: D'ith Saoirse an t-arán. The action comes first.
That single fact is the most useful thing a beginner can know about Irish, because it gives you a way to take a sentence apart when you meet one you don't understand yet.
Three Steps
When you meet a basic sentence, look for these in order.
- Find the verb. It is usually the very first word — and it tells you what happened. D'ith = ate.
- Find who did it. Straight after the verb: mé (me), tú (you), sé (he), sí (she), siad (they) — or a name.
- Find what it was done to. The rest of the sentence: the thing being eaten, read, bought, seen.
Verb, subject, object. In grammar books this is called VSO word order, and once you have spotted it in one sentence you will see it everywhere.
Examples
Read each of these for the pattern rather than the words. The verb is doing the same job in every line.
| Irish | English |
|---|---|
| D'ith sé an t-arán. | He ate the bread. |
| Cheannaigh mé úll. | I bought an apple. |
| Léann sí an scéal. | She reads the story. |
| Scríobhann siad abairt. | They write a sentence. |
| Ólann sí tae. | She drinks tea. |
| Chonaic mé an madra. | I saw the dog. |
| Rinne mé an dinnéar. | I made the dinner. |
| Tháinig sí abhaile. | She came home. |
| Tá mé go maith. | I am well. |
Break It Down
| Sentence | Verb | Who | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| D'ith sé an t-arán. | D'ith (ate) | sé (he) | an t-arán (the bread) |
| Cheannaigh mé úll. | Cheannaigh (bought) | mé (I) | úll (an apple) |
| Chonaic mé an madra. | Chonaic (saw) | mé (I) | an madra (the dog) |
| Léann sí an scéal. | Léann (reads) | sí (she) | an scéal (the story) |
Now look back at the whole list with that table in mind. Note that tá mé go maith (I am well) uses bí, the verb "to be", which is followed by a description rather than a thing.
Questions, Negatives and the Other "Is"
The verb still comes first in questions and negatives — but a small word steps in front of it to signal what kind of sentence it is.
- Question: An bhfuil tú go maith? — Are you well? (an + the dependent form of the verb)
- Negative: Níl mé go maith. — I am not well.
- Negative of another verb: Ní léann sí an scéal. — She does not read the story.
One more thing worth knowing early: Irish has two verbs that both look like "to be" in English. Bí — tá and bhí — describes how something is, where it is, or what it is doing. The other, is, links two things that are the same: Is mise Séan (I am Seán), Is maith liom tae (I like tea, word for word "is good with me tea"). If a sentence does not start with tá, bhí or another action verb, it is probably this one.
Previously: Part 1 — Common Irish Words You Must Learn
Next in the series: Part 3 — Essential Grammar Patterns →
TREORAí
Build sentences, then use them
Reading about word order is one thing; using it is another. The TREORAí courses introduce sentence patterns one at a time with practice in between, and the AI companion gives you somewhere to try them — write or say Irish, get a real answer back, and find out straight away when a sentence goes sideways.
Verb, who, what. Then go and say something.