Overview

In Irish, a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Like in many other languages, Irish nouns have several grammatical properties that affect how they are used in a sentence. Understanding these properties is essential for forming correct sentences, as they influence the words around them, such as articles, adjectives, and prepositions.

The main properties of an Irish noun are its gender, number, and case.

Gender

Every noun in Irish is assigned a grammatical gender: either masculine or feminine. This is a purely grammatical feature and does not always correspond to the natural gender of the object being named. For example, cailín (girl) is grammatically masculine, while stól (stool) is feminine.

The gender of a noun determines:

• Which form of the definite article (an or na) is used.

• The initial mutations that apply to the noun and any adjectives describing it.

• The pronoun used to refer back to it (sé for masculine, sí for feminine).

• Tá an fear anseo. Sé an dochtúir é. - The man is here. He is the doctor.

• Tá an bhean anseo. Sí an dochtúir í. - The woman is here. She is the doctor.

Number

Nouns can be either singular (referring to one item) or plural (referring to more than one). Irish has several ways to form the plural, and the method used often depends on the noun’s declension class.

• Singular: bád (a boat)
• Plural: báid (boats)

Case

Case refers to the form a noun takes depending on its grammatical function in a sentence. Standard Irish has four cases:

• Nominative Case (An Tuiseal Ainmneach): Used for the subject of a verb or the object of some prepositions. This is the basic form of the noun you find in a dictionary.
• Genitive Case (An Tuiseal Ginideach): Used to show possession, similar to “‘s” in English. It is also used after certain prepositions and verbal nouns.
• Dative Case (An Tuiseal Tabharthach): Used after most simple prepositions. In modern Irish, the dative singular form is usually the same as the nominative singular, but it can trigger different mutations. The dative plural is the same as the nominative plural.
• Vocative Case (An Tuiseal Gairmeach): Used when directly addressing someone or something. It is always preceded by the particle a, which causes lenition.

Here is a simple example showing the nominative and genitive singular:

• Seo é an bád. - This is the boat. (Nominative)
• Dath an bháid. - The colour of the boat. (Genitive)

Declensions

Nouns are grouped into five different “declensions” or classes. A noun’s declension is a pattern that tells you how its endings will change for different cases and numbers. Learning to recognise which declension a noun belongs to helps you predict its various forms. The following pages will explore these declensions in detail.