Overview

Irish has a definite article, an, which corresponds to “the” in English. However, it has no indefinite article for “a” or “an”. This means a noun on its own can be translated as either the singular noun or with an indefinite article.

• fear - man / a man
• an fear - the man

Because of this, Irish grammar discussions about the article almost always refer to the definite article.

Forms of the Article

The definite article has two basic forms: an and na. The form used depends on the number, gender, and case of the noun that follows.

• an is used for:
  • Nominative singular (masculine and feminine)
  • Genitive singular (masculine only)
  • Dative singular (masculine and feminine)
  • Dual (used with the number two, dá)
• na is used for:
  • Genitive singular (feminine only)
  • Nominative, Genitive, and Dative plural (masculine and feminine)

The main complexity of the article is not its own form, but the initial mutations it causes on the following noun. These mutations—lenition, eclipsis, or adding a prefix like t-, n-, or h-—are a core part of the article’s function. This guide focuses on the nominative and genitive cases, as the dative case is handled in the section on prepositions.

Masculine Nouns

Feminine Nouns

The t- prefix is added before s only when s is followed by a vowel or by l, n, or r.

• an tsláinte - the health
• an scian - the knife

Examples of Declension

Masculine Nouns

Feminine Nouns

The Article with Numbers

The article behaves in specific ways when used with numbers.

Cardinal Numbers

• 1 and 11 (aon, aon ... déag) The singular article is used. A t- prefix appears before aon in the nominative for both genders: an t-aon.

  • an t-aon fhear amháin - the one man
  • an t-aon bhean amháin - the one woman In the genitive, masculine nouns use an aon, while feminine nouns use na haon.
  • bád an aon fhir amháin - the boat of the one man
  • bád na haon mhná amháin - the boat of the one woman In the dative (after a preposition), the t- prefix is dropped: ar an aon fhear amháin.

• 2 and 12 (dhá, dhá ... déag) The numeral dhá becomes dá after the article. The dual form of the article, an, is used for all genders and cases.

  • an dá bhád - the two boats
  • clann an dá dheirfiúr - the children of the two sisters The noun that follows is in the singular or dual form.

• 3–10 and 13–19 The plural article na is used. It adds an h- prefix to ocht (eight).

  • na trí bhád - the three boats
  • na hocht mbád - the eight boats In the genitive, na causes eclipsis of the numeral.
  • praghas na dtrí bhád - the price of the three boats
  • praghas na n-ocht mbád - the price of the eight boats

• 20, 30, 40, etc. (fiche, tríocha, daichead) These numbers are treated as masculine singular nouns, so they take the singular article an. In the nominative, an t- is used before ochtó (80).

  • an fiche bád - the twenty boats
  • an t-ochtó bád - the eighty boats In the genitive, the numeral is lenited (with some exceptions like tríocha due to the dentals rule).
  • dath an fhiche bád - the colour of the twenty boats

Examples with Cardinal Numbers

Ordinal Numbers

When the article is used with an ordinal number (first, second, third), the entire phrase is usually treated as masculine, except for chéad (first).

• Nominative: A t- prefix appears before ordinal numbers starting with a vowel (ochtú, aonú déag), regardless of the noun’s gender.

  • an t-ochtú banríon - the eighth queen
  • an cúigiú haithne - the fifth commandment

• Genitive: The phrase is usually treated as masculine, so the article is an. The ordinal number is lenited, and any t- prefix is dropped.

  • dath an ochtú bád - the colour of the eighth boat
  • tábhacht an chúigiú haithne - the importance of the fifth commandment

• chéad (first): This is an exception. chéad is always lenited after the article, as is the following noun. In the genitive, the article and noun follow the noun’s actual gender.

  • an chéad bhád - the first boat
  • an chéad bhean - the first woman
  • dath an chéad bháid - the colour of the first boat (masculine genitive)
  • ainm na chéad mhná - the name of the first woman (feminine genitive)

The Article with Prepositions

When a preposition is followed by the article, two things can happen:

1. The preposition may change its form (e.g., le becomes leis).
2. The preposition and article may merge into a single word (e.g., de + an becomes den).

The initial mutation (lenition or eclipsis) on the noun that follows depends heavily on the dialect.

Before a Vowel

With masculine nouns starting with a vowel, the t- prefix is dropped after most prepositions.

• an t-úll - the apple
• ar an úll - on the apple

With feminine nouns starting with a vowel, there is no change.

• an eachtra - the adventure
• ag an eachtra - at the adventure

Before a Consonant

The following table shows the standard forms and the general mutation rule. Dialectal variations are significant and are explained below.

Dialectal Variations in Mutations

The choice between lenition and eclipsis after a preposition and the article is one of the most prominent dialectal differences in Irish.

• Standard Irish: For most prepositions, either lenition or eclipsis is acceptable (e.g., ar an bhád or ar an mbád). However, after den, don, and sa(n), only lenition is used. Nouns beginning with s- get a t- prefix only if they are feminine. Nouns beginning with d- or t- are not changed.

Other Prepositions

A few prepositions do not cause any mutation on the noun when followed by the article. The noun behaves as it would in the nominative case.

The Article with Interrogatives

The article merges with the interrogative word cé (what/which).

• cé + an = cén

• cé + na = cé na

• Cén fear? - Which man?

• Cé na fir? - Which men?

• Cén fáth? - What reason? / Why?

Pronunciation of the Article

The vowel in an and na is unstressed and pronounced as a schwa [ə].

• an: The final -n is often silent when between two consonants (an fear is pronounced [ə f′ar]). It is pronounced before a vowel (an obair is pronounced [ən obər′]). The sound of the -n often assimilates to the following consonant, becoming [m] before b or p, and [ŋ] before g or c.

• na: This is pronounced [nə].

Usage of the Article

The article is used in several contexts where it might not be in English.

General Nouns and Concepts

The article is used with abstract nouns, generic nouns, and to describe a class of people.

• an tsláinte - health
• an duine - man (in general)
• an saidhbhir - the rich

Proper Nouns and Titles

It is used with titles, organisations, many place names, and surnames used without a first name.

• an Dochtúir Ó Murchú - Dr. Murphy
• An Roinn Sláinte - The Department of Health
• an Fhrainc - France
• an Breatnach - Walsh (Mr. Walsh)

Time and Festivals

The article is used with seasons, days of the week, months, and major festivals.

• an tEarrach - Spring
• an Luan - Monday
• an Nollaig - Christmas

Specific Grammatical Constructions

• With demonstratives: The article is required with seo, sin, and úd.
  • an teach seo - this house
• In genitive phrases: The article appears only before the second noun (the possessor).
  • teach an dochtúra - the doctor’s house (literally “house of the doctor”)
• Meaning “per”:
  • deich bpunt an ceann - ten pounds per head
• In copula sentences: It can appear with an indefinite predicate.
  • Is deas an duine é - He is a nice person.
• As a substitute for possessives:
  • an teach seo agamsa - this house of mine
  • an iníon is óige aici - her youngest daughter