Chapter 10 of 17 · Explore the Irish path
How sentences work · Chapter 10 of 17
Ask a question, and answer without yes or no
A small word in front of the verb turns a statement into a question, and the question words all start with c. Irish has no yes and no no: you answer by handing the verb back.
≈ 4 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- an
un in front of the verb turns a statement into a yes-or-no question — and eclipses it. - tá becomes bhfuil
wil inside a question; it is worth memorising outright. - The question words all start with c: what, who, where, why.
- Irish has no word for yes and no word for no: you answer by handing the verb back, positive or negative.
Turning a statement into a question
Each row shows a statement, then the same sentence turned into a yes-or-no question.
The question words a story uses
These words tell you what is being asked. They all start with a c.
| English | Irish | Said |
|---|---|---|
| what | cad | kod |
| who | cé | kay |
| where | cá | kaw |
| why | cén fáth | kayn faw |
| how | cén chaoi, conas | kayn khee, KUN-us |
| when | cathain, cén uair | KA-hin, kayn OO-ir |
A c at the head of a sentence is very often a question. cá, cén fáth and cén chaoi drag an eclipse along exactly as an does — more bhfuil. cathain softens instead.
How are you?
Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?
kayn khee uh wil too?
The west says it this way; the south says Conas atá tú?
When did the dog come?
Cathain a tháinig an madra?
KA-hin uh HAW-nig un MOD-ruh?
Softened, not eclipsed: tháinig with its silent t.
Why is the dog here?
Cén fáth a bhfuil an madra anseo?
kayn faw uh wil un MOD-ruh un-SHUH?
The little a is glue with no meaning of its own. Read past it.
Irish has no word for yes and no word for no. Instead you answer by handing the verb back — ask with one verb and you are answered with the same verb, positive or negative.
How to say yes and no without those words
Each row gives a question shape and the two answers built out of its own doing word.
| Built on | Yes | No | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|
| tá — An bhfuil…? | Tá. | Níl. | is / is not |
| is — An madra é? | Is ea. | Ní hea. | it is so / it is not so |
Which pair to use is decided by the question, not by you. And ní grows an h before a vowel — ní hea, not ní ea.
Is that a dog? — No, that is a fox.
An madra é sin? Ní hea, is sionnach é.
un MOD-ruh ay shin? nee ha, iss SHUN-ukh ay.
A whole exchange, and every word in it comes from the last three sections.
Ask, and answer
- An bhfuil tú anseo?
bhfuil is tá inside a question.
Show answer +Hide answer −
An bhfuil tú anseo?un wil too un-SHUH? “Are you here?” - Somebody asks you that. How do you say no?
Hand the same verb back.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Níl.neel “no — literally: is not” Not a word for “no”; the verb itself, negated. - Cá bhfuil an t-uisce?
A c at the front, so a question — and one t- hat.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Cá bhfuil an t-uisce?kaw wil un TISH-kuh? “Where is the water?”