The doing word comes first

The verb, the doing word, comes first in an Irish sentence, ahead of the doer, and everything after it keeps English order. This one habit stops you handing the seeing to the wrong animal.

≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter

The verb comes first in an Irish sentence, ahead of the doer.
Everything after the verb keeps the order English would give it.
A negative keeps the same shape: ní goes in front of the verb and softens it.
ag plus a verb is the English -ing — the most useful sentence shape in the language.

This is the most important section on the path. In English the doer comes first: the fox sees the bird. In Irish the doing word comes first, before the doer: sees the fox the bird.

The same sentence, both orders

The same sentence twice, English on top. Read across each row and see which piece has moved.

	first	second	third
English	The fox	sees	the bird
Irish	FeiceannFEK-un	an sionnachun SHUN-ukh	an t-éanun TCHAYN

Only the doing word has moved. Everything else keeps its order — which is why reading word-by-word in English order hands the seeing to the wrong animal.

I do not see the dog.

Ní fheicim an madra.

nee EK-im un MOD-ruh.

nínee“not” goes in front of the verb — still first — and softens it: the f of feicim has gone silent.

How Irish says walking and going

ag is a small word you put in front of a doing word. Compare each pair to see what it adds.

duldul“going”

ag dulegg dul“-ing: going”

siúlshool“walking”

ag siúlegg shool“-ing: walking”

For something happening right now: ag plus the verb — the exact equivalent of the English -ing.

I am going to the forest.

Tá mé ag dul go dtí an choill.

taw may egg dul guh JEE un KHWIL.

Word for word: am I at going to the forest. go dtíguh JEE“to” is the everyday “to”, and coillkwil“forest” is a “she” word softening after an.

Find the verb first

Feiceann an sionnach an t-éan.
The first word is the action. Then the doer.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Feiceann an sionnach an t-éan.FEK-un un SHUN-ukh un TCHAYN“The fox sees the bird.”
Ní fheicim an madra.
One h to delete, and the f under it is silent.
Show answer +Hide answer −
“I do not see the dog”, said “nee EK-im un MOD-ruh”.
Tá mé ag siúl.
ag plus a verb is the -ing.
Show answer +Hide answer −
“I am walking”, said “taw may egg shool”.

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