20+ Most Common Irish Verbs You Should Master

Did you know that the words abair, dúirt, and deir all refer to the word say? In today’s post, we will walk you through the most common Irish verbs used in day-to-day conversations and also give you a brief explanation of how it works. Also, by the end of this post, we will provide you with an introduction to our most recommended free learning resource you surely do not want to miss!

Are you planning to visit Ireland and interact with the locals in Dublin? Most of the locals can indeed speak English, but that should not stop you from trying to speak the Irish language. However, there is nothing more embarrassing than using the wrong words and grammatical structure, especially when you truly connect. So save yourself from all the mistakes by studying the language basics, starting with the grammatical rules in terms of using verbs.

The field of language is both interesting and complicated, but we must understand every single aspect of it in order to express our ideas and make connections with everyone else. One way by which you can do so is by mastering the different forms of verbs used in your target language. For the case of Irish grammar, there are also three main verb tenses known as the following:

  • Past (Aimsir Chaite) – to signify an even which already happened in the past.
  • Present (Aimsir Láithreach) – to describe that something is happening at the present time.
  • Future (Aimsir Fháistineach) – to show that an event that has not happened.

Below is an example of how it works:

MeaningRoot WordPastPresentFuture
WriteScríobhScríobh méScríobhaimScríobhfaidh mé
WashNighNigh méNímNífidh mé
ComeTarTháinig méTagaimTiocfaidh mé
EatIthD’ith méIthimíosfaidh mé
HearCloisChuala méCloisimcloisfidh mé

See how those words are formed? We recognize that this topic can be pretty challenging for total beginners in the language compared to the basic question words or slang words. In order to learn Irish quickly and structure your sentences properly in the future, we recommend that you practice and memorize the most used verbs first.

 

11 Irregular Verbs In Irish Language

11 Irregular Verbs In Irish Language

Unlike the English language, with its 200 irregular verbs and about 880 in Spanish, we cannot deny that the Irish language is much easier to learn since it only has 11. But before we dive into those, let’s first try to review what irregular verbs are and how they function.

In the simplest level of explanation, irregular verbs are those words that do not follow the normal rules or patterns when changing tenses. In English, we learned that the most common rule is to simply change spellings by adding -d, -ed, or -ied to form other tenses. However, there are irregular verbs that do not follow this like the following:

  • Go -> Went
  • Get -> Got
  • Eat -> Ate
  • Run -> Ran
  • Find -> Found

Below are the 11 Irregular verbs you need to learn.

Irish WordMeaningPastPresentFuture
AbairTo sayDúirtDeirimDéarfaidh
BeirTo catchRugBeirimBéarfaidh
CloisTo hearChualaCloisimCloisfidh
Déan To make/ To doRinneDéanaimDéanfaidh
FaighTo getFuair Faighim Gheobhaidh 
FeicTo seeChonaic Feicim Feicfidh 
IthTo eatD’ith Ithim Íosfaidh 
TabhairTo giveThug Tugaim Tabharfaidh 
TarTo comeTháinig Tagaim Tiocfaidh 
Téigh To goChuaigh Téim Rachaidh 
To beBhí Tá Beidh 

 

Most Common Irish Verbs

Most Common Irish Verbs

There are other common Irish verbs you can start learning and adding to your vocabulary. Below are the 20+ other verbs and their translations that you (as a traveler) can certainly use for your day-to-day conversation with any of the locals.

Irish WordsMeaning
beirTo take
To be
brisTo break
CabhraighTo help
caithTo spend/wear/throw
ceannaighTo buy
cloisTo hear
críochnaighTo finish
CuirTo put
DéanTo do/make
díolTo sell
dúnTo close
éistTo listen
fágTo leave
FaighTo get
FánTo wait/stay
FéachTo look
feicTo see
FoghlaimTo learn
glanTo clean
imirTo play
inisTo tell
ÍocTo pay
ithTo eat
LabhairTo speak
LéighTo réad
léimTo jump
nighTo wash
ólTo drink
oscailTo open
rithTo run
ScríobhTo write
scuabTo sweep
siúilTo walk
tabhairTo give
taispeáinTo show
tarTo come
TarraingTo draw
TéighTo go
tógTo take
TosaighTo start
TuigTo understand
ÚsáidTo use

 

Get To Know The Irish Language Better With The Ling App

Get To Know The Irish Language Better With The Ling App

As we reach this part of the post, we hope that you were able to get the best information about the Irish verbs and how they function. If you think this post helped you out, we invite you to share this on social media to reach other people interested in studying the Irish language. And speaking of studying, would you like to improve your skills in Irish and 60+ other foreign languages?

It’s time that you check out and start getting answers for your language questions using the Ling App by Simya Solutions. With this language platform, you can get the right mix of help you would ever need so that you can master a new language. Without having to spend much, you can discover comprehensive lessons created and maintained by real language experts and native speakers from across the globe. Once you download it using any of your mobile devices or use its web-based version, you can expect the following:

  • Instant access to new vocabulary words with audio files for a pronunciation guide.
  • Play-based quizzes to check your level of understanding of the lessons.
  • Sentence completion test using the learned vocabulary words
  • You can also practice speaking and writing using the target language.
  • A challenging 10-point exam guaranteed to test your skills.

So what are you waiting for? Download the Ling App today from the Playstore and App Store to get your language learning journey started on the right foot.

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