Small Clauses

A small clause is a common feature of Irish grammar where a subject and a predicate appear without a verb. This happens when a form of the verb bí (to be) is omitted, leaving a verbless but complete phrase. Understanding small clauses is key to recognising many natural-sounding Irish sentences, from simple descriptions to complex narrative styles.

Definition

In Irish, a small clause is a construction that has a subject and a predicate but is missing a finite verb form. Specifically, it’s a phrase where a form of the verb bí (to be) would normally be expected but is left out.

While less common in English (e.g., picture captions like “Me on holiday”), small clauses are a prominent and frequent feature of Irish. They can function as an alternative to subordinate clauses or infinitive constructions, and can even stand alone as complete, if elliptical, sentences.

Form

A small clause consists of a subject followed by a predicative element (such as an adjective, a prepositional phrase, or a verbal noun).

Pronoun Forms

When the subject of a small clause is a third-person pronoun, the disjunctive forms (é, í, iad) are used instead of the standard subject pronouns (sé, sí, siad).

• Tá sé sásta. - He is happy. → becomes the small clause: é sásta
• Tá sí ag gáire. - She is laughing. → becomes the small clause: í ag gáire

For the second person singular, both tú and thú can appear as the subject.

Pronoun Position

Simple pronouns acting as the subject of a small clause can sometimes move to the end of the clause, especially when they are also the object of the main clause.

• é ag gáire → ag gáire é
• agus chuir sé sínte ar fhleasc mo dhroma síos sa díog mé - and he laid me stretched out flat on my back down into theditch. (The small clause is sínte ... mé.)

However, the pronoun cannot move to the end if the small clause is introduced by a preposition (like gan) or a conjunction. In these cases, the subject must remain at the beginning.

Negation with gan

Small clauses are negated using the preposition gan (without), similar to how infinitive constructions are negated.

• Níl sé ag damhsa. - He is not dancing. → becomes the small clause: gan é ag damhsa
• Níl againn ach iad. - We only have them. → becomes the small clause: gan againn ach iad

With Phrasal Verbs

If a small clause with a pronoun subject follows a phrasal verb, the preposition from the verb combines with the pronoun to form a prepositional pronoun.

• Leanann sí uirthi ag gáire. - She continued laughing. (This comes from Leanann sí ar + í ag gáire.)

Usage

Small clauses appear in a wide variety of grammatical contexts.

With Conjunctions agus and ach

They often function like subordinate clauses after the conjunctions agus (and) and ach (but).

• Agus é ag gáire thit sé go talamh. - While he was laughing, he fell to the ground.
• Aireoidh tú uait mé is gan mé ann. - You will miss me when I am no longer there.

A special pattern is amhlaidh ... agus uses a small clause to mean “namely” or “that is to say”.

• Is amhlaidh a bhí sé agus caipín ar a cheann. - So he was, namely with a cap on his head.

After Verbs of Perception

Small clauses are common after verbs of seeing, hearing, and feeling, such as feic (see), clois (hear), and airigh (feel). This structure is often used where English would use a construction like “I saw him leave”.

• Chuala mé thú ag gáire. - I heard you laugh.
• Chonaic sé í ina Maighdean Mhara. - He saw her as a mermaid.
• Aireoidh tú uait mé. - You will miss me. (Literally: “You will feel me from you.”)

After Verbs of Starting, Stopping, or Continuing

• Thosaigh mé ag ól. - I began to drink.
• Choinnigh sé ag cur ceisteanna. - He kept asking questions.
• Leanann sé air ag léamh. - He continued to read.

After the Verb Cuir

The verb cuir can use a small clause to mean “to make someone do something”.

• Cuirfidh sé ag gáire thú. - It will make you laugh.

After the Verb Tarlaigh

The verb tarlaigh (to happen, turn out) can be followed by a small clause.

• Tharla é ina dhlíodóir. - It turned out that he was a lawyer.
• ó tharla ina chónaí ina aonar é - since he lives alone.

After Verbs of Motion

When the subject of the verb of motion is also the subject of the action in the small clause, this structure is used. It can often imply purpose.

• Tháinig sé ina rith. - He came running.
• Tháinig sé ag foghlaim Gaeilge. - He came to learn Irish.

In Cleft Sentences

When an adverb or a measurement is moved to the front of a sentence for emphasis (a cleft sentence), the relative form of bí is often omitted, leaving a small clause.

• Is annamh ag gáire é. - He rarely laughs. (Instead of: Is annamh a bhíonn sé ag gáire.)
• Ach b’fhada ina dúiseacht í. - But she had been awake for a long time.
• Cén aois thú? - How old are you? (Instead of: Cén aois atá tú?)
• Is iomaí rogha agat fós. - You still have many options. (Instead of: Is iomaí rogha atá agat fós.)

A special case is the clefted form for existence, Is ann do... (He/she/it exists), which comes from omitting atá from Tá sé ann.

• Is ann dó. - He exists.
• An ann do Dhia? - Does God exist?

As a Noun Attribute

A small clause can act as an attribute modifying a noun, similar to a relative clause.

• an mhí le teacht - the coming month (the month to come)
• obair le déanamh - work to be done
• fear ag dul aníos an bóthar - a man going up the road

As a Free-standing Clause

In prose and poetry, small clauses can stand alone as main clauses. This stylistic device removes the temporal aspect, creating a more static, pictorial scene.

• É ag breathnú amach ar an gcuan. - He looks/looked out at the harbour.
• D’fhanadar tamall maith mar sin – eisean á ceistiú agus ise á fhreagairt. - So they remained for a good while – he questioning her, and she answering him.

This is also common in headings and titles.

• An Chré á Cumadh - The Earth being Formed (a chapter title from Cré na Cille)

Other Contexts

• Optative (Wishing) Sentences: The verb bí is often omitted.
  • Bail ó Dhia ort. - God’s blessing on you. (from Go raibh bail…)
• Conditional Clauses: The verbal noun bheith can be omitted in a series of conditions.
  • Dá n-éalódh sé agus é ina iarrthóir, ní ligfí ar ais é. - If he were to escape and (be) an applicant, he would not be allowed back.
• Depictive Adjectives: An adjective describing the state of the subject during an action.
  • Tháinig sé abhaile fliuch báite. - He came home soaking wet.
  • Itheann siad amh é. - They eat it raw.

Constructions to Avoid