Forms

The Irish copula is a special verb used for identification and classification, roughly equivalent to “to be” in sentences like “He is a doctor”. It has only two basic forms: is for the present tense and ba for the past and conditional. All other forms are created when these basic forms merge with particles, conjunctions, or prepositions. In some cases, the copula is omitted entirely, and a particle like ní takes on its function.

This page provides a comprehensive reference for the many forms the copula can take in different grammatical contexts.

Sentence Forms

This table shows the most common forms of the copula in statements, questions, and clauses. Dialectal variants are shown in parentheses.

Conditional Sentences

Subjunctive and Optative

The subjunctive is used for wishes, hopes, and hypothetical situations.

Relative Clauses

Interrogative Words

These forms show how question words like cé (who) and cad (what) combine with the copula.

Conjunctions

Relative Pronouns and Prepositions

Pronouns and Comparatives

Usage Before Vowels

The form of the copula often changes depending on whether the following word begins with a vowel or a consonant.

The form ba

The past/conditional form ba has two variants before vowels: ba and b’.

Use ba before:

• The pronouns é, í, iad, ea, eisean, ise, iadsan, and éard.
  • Ba é an fear é - He was the man.
• Prepositions.
  • Ba ar an mbord a chuir sé é - He put it on the table.
• Prepositional pronouns.
  • Ba air a chuir sé é - He put it on it.
• Adverbs.
  • Ba arú inné a tháinig sé - He came the day before yesterday.

Use b’ before:

• Nouns.
  • B’fhear mór óil é - He was a great drinking man.
• Adjectives.
  • B’álainn an radharc é - It was a beautiful view.
• Adverbs derived from adjectives.
  • B’annamh ólta é - He was rarely drunk.
• The adverb amhlaidh (so, thus).
  • Agus b’amhlaidh an scéal i Ros Comáin - And that was how the situation was in Roscommon.
• The demonstrative pronouns eo, in, iúd.
  • Agus b’eo ina ndiaidh é - And off he went after them.

Forms ending in -r

For copula forms ending in -r, the rules for adding a -b or -bh before a vowel depend on the tense.

In the present tense, use gur (without -b) before:

• Most nouns: gur amadán mé - that I am a fool.
• Prepositions: gur i nGaillimh atá mé - that I am in Galway.
• Prepositional pronouns: gur inti atá sé - that it is in her.
• Adverbs not derived from adjectives: gur anseo atá mé - that I am here.
• The pronouns é, í, iad, etc., when part of an infinitive construction: gur iad a chur air is fearr liom - that I prefer to put them on it.

In the present tense, use gurb (with -b) before:

• The pronouns é, í, iad, ea, éard, etc.: gurb é mo mhac é - that he is my son.
• Demonstrative pronouns eo, in, iúd: Deir sí gurb in é an fear - She said that this was the man.
• Adjectives: gurb álainn an lá é - that it is a beautiful day.
• Adverbs derived from adjectives: gurb annamh a rinne sé é - that he rarely did it.
• The adverb amhlaidh: gurb amhlaidh atá - that it is so.
• Certain nouns followed by prepositions, such as eol do (known to), acmhainn do (able to), eagal le (afraid of): gurb eol dom - that I know.
• A few specific nouns like ionadh (wonder) and iontas (surprise): gurb ionadh liom é - that it surprises me.

In the past tense, forms ending in -r before a consonant always add -bh before a vowel (gurbh, arbh, níorbh, cérbh, sularbh).

• Gurbh amadán mé - That I was a fool.

The form ní

The negative form ní adds an h-prefix before a vowel in specific cases:

• Before pronouns: Ní hé mo mhac é - He is not my son.
• Before some adjectives: Ní hionann iad - They are not the same.
• Before a few nouns (generally the same ones that take gurb): Ní hionadh é sin - That is no wonder.

It does not add an h-prefix before most other nouns: Ní amadán mé - I am not a fool.

Mutations after the Copula

• No lenition occurs after present and subjunctive forms.
• Lenition occurs after all past and conditional forms.
  • ba mhaith - it was good

Omission of the Copula

In certain situations, the copula form can be left out entirely.

• is can be omitted before emphatic pronouns (eisean, mise féin) and nouns (except in classification sentences).
  • Is eisean an fear → Eisean an fear - He is the man.
• In a normal copula sentence, is cannot be omitted before an adjective.
  • Is maith liom í - I like her. (Not: Maith liom í)
• However, in a cleft sentence (used for emphasis), is can be omitted before an adjective.
  • Is tuirseach atá sé → Tuirseach atá sé - He is tired.
• In exclamatory identification sentences, is and the secondary predicate are always omitted.
  • Grá mo chroí thú! - You are the love of my heart!
• After some particles and conjunctions (ní, an, nach, gur, etc.), is is omitted, and the particle itself functions as the copula form.
• The past form ba is rarely omitted.

Dialectal and Other Variants

• Pronunciation of is: Usually pronounced [əs], but with a slender [s′] before pronouns like é, í, iad.
• Apheresis of is: In speech, is often merges with a following pronoun: is é becomes sé or ’sé, is í becomes sí or ’sí.
  • Is é an fear é → ’Sé an fear é - He is the man.
• dob’/do: In Munster, dob’ (before a vowel) or do (before a consonant) is sometimes used instead of ba, especially before pronouns.
• Connemara Questions: ar is often used for an before consonants and vowels. ab is used for an before pronouns like é, í, iad.
• Connemara Past/Conditional: Forms like ní ba, an mba, nach mba, go mba are common. These are older forms, replaced by forms with -r in the standard language.
• Ulster cha/chan: The negative particle cha or chan is used instead of ní. chan is used before pronouns and nouns.
• Ulster “Generalised é”: Forms like is é, ní hé, ab é are used regardless of the gender or number of the noun.
  • Is é tinn a bhí sí - She was ill. (Standard: Is tinn a bhí sí)
• Prepositional Relative Forms: Forms like lenar combine a preposition (le), a relative pronoun (a), and the copula (is).
  • An fear lenar maith é - The man who likes it (literally: the man with-whom-is good it).
  • This is an alternative to the more common structure: an fear ar maith leis é.
• níos Variants: The comparative particle níos has several dialectal forms: níosa (Munster), nas (Ulster), and tíos or díos (Connemara).