T

á is used for “to be” in sentences of description:

Tá an hata ar an mbord.

(The hat is on the table.)

Tá an lá fuar.

(The day is cold.)

Tá an mála folamh.

(The bag is empty.)

return to top

The copula is (rhymes with hiss) is used in sentences of definition and identity. Is generally joins two nouns. The distinction between tá and is is like the distinction between the Spanish ser and estar.

[Two other languages in the same Indo-European family also have a similar pair of distinct “to be” verbs. They are Sanskrit, which has “as” and “bhur” and Persian (Farsi).]

Present	Past/ Conditional
is mé is thú/ tú is í/é is sinn is sibh is iad	ba mé ba thú/ tú ba í/é ba sinn ba sibh ba iad

Copula sentences change the normal word order. The copula is found in sentences of two basic types: definition and identity.

return to top

A sentence of definition says what the subject is.

Cad Cormac? Is rí Cormac. (What is Cormac? Cormac is a King.)

Cad é? Is úll é. (What is it? It is an apple.)

The predicate of a sentence of definition must be indefinite ( a king, an apple) and must not be a personal pronoun. The subject can be either definite or indefinite. Because the predicate of the sentence of definition is indefinite, the sentence will not usually express an equality. Cormac is a king but a king is not necessarily Cormac. He may be Arthur or Charles, etc.

The word order in a sentence of definition is usually verb-predicate-subject.

verb	predicate	subject	meaning
is is is is is	leabhar fir rí cailín óg cloch	é iad Cormac Máire í	it is a book. they are men Cormac is a king. Mary is a young girl it is a stone

Many sentences of definition contain a demonstrative (seo, sin, etc.) in the subject, but the word order is still verb-predicate-subject.

verb	predicate	subject	meaning
is is is is	leabhar fir speal bord	é seo iad san í siúd é sin	this is a book. those are men. that (over there) is a scythe. that is a table.

The question words associated with sentences of definition are Cad? and Céard? Both mean what?

To place special emphasis on the predicate in the sentence of definition, a new word order is used and the old neuter pronoun is also introduced. The new order is predicate-verb-subject.

predicate	verb	subject		meaning
fear scian ghlan leabhar Gaeilge Múinteoir	is is is is	ea ea ea ea	é í seo é sin Séan	it is a man . this is a clean knife. That is an Irish book. Séan is a teacher.

In the normal verb-predicate-subject word order of the sentence of definition, special emphasis may be added to a noun-subject by inserting the appropriate pronoun into the subject before the noun. the old neuter pronoun is not used.

verb	predicate	subject		meaning
is is is is	múinteoir maith cailín óg dochtúirí gadhair	é í iad iad	Seán. Máire na daoine sin ár bpeatí	Seán is a good teacher. Mary is a young girl. those people are doctors. our pets are dogs.

return to top

The sentence of identity asks who or which the subject is.

is í casog Sheáin í (It is Seán's coat.)

is mise Séamas. (I am Séamas.)

In a sentence of identity, both the subject and the predicate must be a definite noun, pronoun or phrase that is definite in meaning. The sentence of identity looks for equalities. Both terms refer to specific objects and they are interchangeable.

it= Seán's coat and Seán's coat=it.
I = Séamas and Séamas = I.

The basic form of a sentence of identity has a split subject: verb-subject-predicate-subject.

verb	subject	predicate	subject	meaning
is is is is	é iad é iad	an leabhar na garsúin Seán na Sasanaigh	é iad é iad	it is the book. they are the boys. it is Seán. they are the English.

The emphasis is put on the predicate and it distinguishes it from other meanings.

The book, not the paper or the pen.

the boys, not the girls or the men.

Seán, not Pól or Síle

The English, not the Americans or the Germans.

It follows also, that the subject in this pattern is going to be a pronoun.

A different form is used when the subject is a demonstrative. The subject is not split, so the pattern is the same as that used with tá: verb-subject-predicate.

verb	subject	predicate	meaning
is is is is	é sin iad so í siúd í seo	an leabhar. na garsúin. Síle. mo lamh.	that is the book. these are the boys that (over there) is Shiela. this is my hand.

If both the subject and the predicate are definite nouns and not pronouns, then the term to be emphasised comes first. Either verb-subject-predicate or verb-predicate-subject are possible depending on the sense. A definite noun cannot follow the copula directly, so the appropriate pronoun is inserted after the verb.

verb	first term		second term	meaning
is is is is	í é é iad	Cáit an fear san an fear beag na Gearmánaigh	mo bhean. an sagart. an captaen. mo chairde.	Cáit is my wife. That man is the priest. The captain isthe small man. My friends are the Germans.	VSP VPS

In a sentence of identity where the first term is a demonstrative subject like: “is é an fear.” the subject may be turned around and the verb dropped so that you get: sin é an fear.

In fact, the verb may be understood and dropped anytime the first term begins with:

• a demonstrative,
• an emphatic pronoun like mise,
• a reflexive like mé féin, or
• a form like mise mé féin.

verb	subject	predicate	meaning
-- -- -- --	sin é sin iad sin é mise	an fear. mo bhróga-sa. an captaen. an dochtúr	that is the man. those are my shoes. that is the captain. I am the doctor.

The verb may not be dropped when the subject is a pronoun alone.

Summary:

sentences of definition
I.	is fear é.	VPS	basic form
	fear is ea é	PVS	emphasis on predicate.
sentences of identity
II.	is é an fear é.	VSPS	emphasis on definite predicate, pronoun subject.
III.	is é sin an fear.	VSP	demonstrative subject
	sin é an fear	(V)SP	demonstrative subject: verb understood
IV.	is é Seán mo mhac.	VSP	definite predicate and subject. empasis on subject.

return to top

---

In certain sentences of definition where emphasis is placed on the predicate, if the predicate is modified by an adjective the order within the predicate is re-arranged. The adjective is given the first position. The noun is made definite and follows the adjective.

Thus: is rud maith é becomes is maith an rud é.
The old neuter pronoun form *“rud maith is ea é”* would not be used.

verb	predicate	subject	meaning
is is is is	breá an lá mór an trua laidir na fir deas an duine	é. é. iad. é.	it is a fine day. it is a great pity. they are strong men. he is a nice person.

---

The past tense of is is ba. All forms of ba lenite a noun or adjective that follows. In ea sentences, ba becomes dob (do+b'). However some dialects use tá+ prepositional pronoun forms of i instead.

bo mhaith dob ea í sin. is buachaill maith atá ann. is bó mbaith do bhí inti.

The particles for dependent forms of is are as follows.

present		meaning	past		meaning
tá níl an bhfuil? ná fuil? go bhfuil	is ní an? nach? gur nach	is isnt is? isnt? that (is) that (is) not	bhí níor ar? nár? gur nár	ba níor(bh) ar(bh)? nár(bh)? gur(bh) nár(bh)	was wasnt was? wasnt? that (was) that (was) not

The verb itself is lost after these particles, so they seem to be used in place of the verb, unlike tá where it is merely added on. bh is added to past tense forms before a vowel or silent fh. Similarly ní adds an h to a following vowel as in ní hea.

present	past
ní fear é an fear é? nach fear é? gur fear é nach fear é	níorbh fhear é arbh fhear é? nárbh fhear é gurbh fhear é. nárbh fhear é.

responses

Answers to questions are :
is ea ('sea) for yes
ní hea for no

in a sentence of identity is é/í and ní hé/hí are used.

Hence, the old neuter is used in the sentence of definition and in the sentence of identity it is not.

In these cases it is pronounced [ɪš] as it is spelled.

To reflect this, is ea becomes 'sea
is é becomes 'sé
is í becomes 'sí

return to top

gaoluinn

|

Tá an láithreán gréasáin seo © cóipchirt 2014 ag Gaoluinn. Gach ceart ar cosaint.
Ach mar atá léirithe, taifeadtaí fuaime ag Gael-Linn agus tá an téacs bunaithe ar Myles Dillon, agus eile.