If the concept of possessing or having a thing is missing then another passive form is used instead. This is important to the perfect tense.
N
o verb exists that expresses the concept “to have”. Instead tá is used with the preposition ag. To say that someone has something, one says that something is at someone.
The past participle, also known as the verbal adjective, is inserted into this idiom to form the perfect tense.
I did it is past tense.
I have done it is perfect tense.
Tá sé déanta ag Seán.
Tá an dinnéar ite ag Tomás.
Tá an leabhar caillte ag an ngarsún.
The participle is formed from the verb stem. Stems that end in a slender letter take the ending -te. Stems that end in a broad letter take the ending -ta. Stems that end in b, bh, c, g, m, p, r often lenite the ending. Medial -lt- is lenited in pronunciation but not in spelling. (However, the lenition of medial -lt- is a characteristic of the dialects of the South, not shared with those of the West and North.)
| bris- | briste |
| caill- | caillte |
| dóigh- | dóite |
| dún- | dúnta |
| ith- | ite |
| léigh- | léite |
| ól- | ólta |
| scríobh- | scríte |
| scuab- | scuabtha |
| treabh- | treafa |
| strac- | stractha |
| leag- | leagtha |
| cum- | cumtha |
| scar- | scartha |
| stop- | stoptha |
scríobh- is irregular in its formation of scríte. Some dialects use scríofa (from scríobhtha, and analogous with treafa).
> The adjective comes after the noun it qualifies.
gort mór
scoil nua
cloch bheag
sean(a)- prefixes the noun and makes it a compound word.
seana-bhróg
seana-thigh
an seana-dhream
When the noun forms the second part of such a compound word, then it is lenited.
The adjective is lenited after a feminine word in the nominative singular.
fuinneog mhór
bo bhán
cearc fhrancach
The adjective is lenited after the article an in the nominative, when it is the first part of a compound word.
an chaolchuid
an mhórchuid
an phríomhcheist
an tseana-bhean
The adjective is lenited after the genitive singular masculine.
mála an duine bhoicht
lucht an tí mhoir
cos an chapaill bháin
The adjective is lenited after the nominative plural of a slender ending word.
fir mhóra
capaill mhaithe
crainn bheaga
lachain bhána
The adjective is lenited after the dative singular of feminine nouns and lenited masculine nouns.
fé bhróig mhóir
ar láir bháin
ó dhuine chríonna
do bhuachaill bhocht
The adjective is lenited in the vocative singular
a chailín bhig
a chéatuir bhoicht
