As

As primarily translates to "out", "out of" or "from". It is used to indicate origin, composition, and various states of being or absence.

Preposition Conjugated Dative

Overview

Forms

Pronoun	Form	Contrast Form	Translation
I	asam	asamsa	out of me
You	asat	asatsa	out of you
He	as	as-san	out of him
She	aisti	aistise	out of her
We	asainn	asainne	out of us
You (pl)	asaibh	asaibhse	out of you
They	astu	astusan	out of them

Mutations

Without an article

Base As + baile

Mutated As baile

Rule No mutation

With an article

Base As + an + baile

Mutated As an mbaile

Rule Eclipsis

With the article (Munster) — as an ndoras — out of the door — In Munster, even d and t are eclipsed.
With the article (Connacht) — as an tsúil — out of the eye — A t-prefix is added to feminine nouns starting with s-.
With the article (Ulster) — as an bhaile — out of the city — Ulster uses lenition after the article.

Interrogatives

Question	Meaning	What happens next?	Example
Cé + as	Out of whom?	`Indirect`	Cé as ar baineadh an t-eolas?
Cad + as	Out of what?	`Indirect`	Cad as ar déanadh an bosca?
Cá + as	From where?	`Copula`	Cá as duit?
Cé + as	From where?	`Copula`	Cé as thú?
Cad + as	From where?	`Copula`	Cad as don eitleán sin?

Why is do there?

Do is not required, but is preferred as a way to structure copula questions. Irish often prefers to assign a quality or origin “to” a person rather than saying they “are” it directly. This is similar to how you say:

Seán is ainm dom — My name is Seán — Lit. Seán is name to-me.
Is as Éirinn dom — I am from Ireland — Lit. It is out-of Ireland to-me.

Physical World

Spatial Motion & Material

Movement — as an mbosca — out of the box — Indicates movement from the inside to the outside.
Starting Point — as sin go Éirinn — from there to Ireland — Marking the beginning of a journey.
Proximity — i bhfad as seo — far from here — Establishing spatial distance.
Material/Constitution — as an éadach — out of fabric / material — What an object is constructed from.

Sensory Origin

Smell — Tá boladh as an madra — the dog smells — Lit. “there is a smell out of the dog.”
Motion — Tá cor as an cáca — the cake is moving — Indicates a physical movement originating from the object.

Experiential Domain

Psychologically & Intellectual Origin

Emotion — as fearg — out of anger — The internal motivation for an action.
Knowledge/Recognition — aithním as a shúil é — I recognised him by his stride — The source of information used to identify someone.
Deduction — tuigim as — that’s how I understand it — Deriving meaning from a source.

Language & Medium

Language — as Gaeilge — in Irish — Using a language as the medium of communication.
Medium — nigh as uisce é — wash it in (with) water — Using a substance as the medium for an action.

Possession & Pride Logic

Pride — tá bród orm asat — I am proud of you — (Pride is on me out of you).
Gratitude — go raibh maith agat as an obair seo — thank you for this work — (Goodness be at you out of this work).

Status & Employment

Employment — as obair — out of work — Indicating a state of unemployment.
Selection — duine as beirt — one of the two — Choosing from a specific group.
Selection — bain rogha as — choose out of — The act of picking from options.

Identity

Origin/Heritage — Is as Béal Feirste é — He is from Belfast — Used with the copula to define where someone belongs.
Naming — baisteadh as a athair é — one named him after his father — Origin of a name.

Domain of State & Function

Functional Status

Operational — as ordú — out of order — A machine or system that is not functioning.
Usage — as úsaid — out of use — Something no longer being utilised.
Correctness — as bealach — off-track — Being wrong or following a misconception.
Safety — as guais — out of danger — Being removed from a state of peril.
Participation — as an imirt — out of the game — No longer involved in the activity.

Adverbial States (The “Off” Logic)

Electronics — Tá an raidió as — the radio is off — The state of being deactivated.
Extinguishing — Chas mé an tine as — I put out the fire — To turn something “off.”
Solitude — tá mé ag súil as féin — I walk alone — (Walking “out of” oneself/independently).
Isolation — Tá asainn féin anois — we’re alone now — The state of being by ourselves.
Absence — tá … as … — to not have — This is the functional opposite of tá … ag (to have). It describes a lack or a state of being “out” of a resource.