Words for what already happened

A story happens in the past, and the Irish past is a change at the front of the verb rather than an ending. Learn eight past words to recognise on sight, and the word that means “said”.

≈ 4 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter

arsaAR-suh means “said”, and the speaker always follows it — never comes before it.
The Irish past adds no ending — it changes the front of the verb: a séimhiú, or a d’ before a vowel or an f.
Eight common verbs have a past of their own — recognise them, do not drill them.
Word order does not move: verb first, then the doer, then the rest.

Two new words for the stories ahead

Two words the stories need that you have not met yet. Learn them now so the reading does not stop.

English	Irish	Said
mouse	luch	lukh
friend	cara	KAR-uh

Everything else in the two readings ahead — fox, bird, tree, forest, house, road, wind — has already appeared in an example or a checkpoint.

“Hello,” said the fox.

“Dia duit,” arsa an sionnach.

“JEE-uh ditch,” AR-suh un SHUN-ukh.

arsa comes first, then an sionnach. When you see arsa, the next word is the speaker — and dialogue is most of a story.

Now the past. The Irish past is not an ending, the way English adds -ed. It is a change at the front, and you already know how to read it: a séimhiú.

The past is a softening — or a d’ in front

Each row shows a doing word, then the same word talking about the past. The change is at the front.

tittchitch“fall”

thithitch“fell”

ithih“eat”

d’ithdih“ate”

A verb starting with a vowel has nothing to soften, so Irish sticks a d’ on the front.

fiafraighFEE-uh-free“ask”

d’fhiafraighJEE-uh-free“asked”

Both at once: the d’ in front and the f gone silent under its h.

Eight to recognise on sight

These eight do not follow the rules above. Learn to recognise them as whole words.

English	Irish	Said
was	bhí	vee
went	chuaigh	KHOO-ee
came	tháinig	HAW-nig
saw	chonaic	KHUN-ik
said	dúirt	DOOR-tch
heard	chuala	KHOO-uh-luh
gave	thug	hug
found	fuair	FOO-ir

Everything else builds its past out of the two rules above. The negative of bhí is worth having too: ní raibhnee roh“was not”.

The fox saw the bird.

Chonaic an sionnach an t-éan.

KHUN-ik un SHUN-ukh un TCHAYN.

Compare the present tense from earlier: only the verb has changed — the word order has not.

Three joining words

English	Irish	Said
and	agus	AH-gus
but	ach	okh
because	mar	mar

And the glue at the head of nearly every Irish story: Fadó, fadó…fuh-DOH, fuh-DOH“long ago, long ago” — saying it twice is the whole formula.

Read a line of story

Thit an crann.
Delete the h at the front to find the verb, then put the time back.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Thit an crann.hitch un kran“The tree fell.”
“Dia duit,” arsa an luch.
The word after arsa is always the speaker.
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“Dia duit,” arsa an luch.“JEE-uh ditch,” AR-suh un lukh““Hello,” said the mouse.”
Chuala mé an ghaoth.
One of the eight, and one softened “she” word.
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“I heard the wind”, said “KHOO-uh-luh may un GHEE”.
an bhfuil
From several sections back — no tables this time.
Show answer +Hide answer −
an bhfuilun wil — the asking shape of tá.

Come back to these chapters whenever you need them.All Irish chapters ↗