Special Constructions

While many Irish sentences follow a standard Verb-Subject-Object order, there are several common and expressive constructions that work differently. This page covers some idiomatic patterns you will encounter in narrative and everyday speech, including how to express commands with adverbs and how to form wishes and blessings.

Directional Adverbs with le

A common way to describe movement vividly, especially in commands or storytelling, is to use a directional adverb (síos, suas, etc.) with the preposition le. This creates a short, dynamic phrase similar to the English “Up the tree with him!”

• Suas an crann leis agus … - Up the tree with him and…
• Síos an bóthar liom … - Down the road I went…

This pattern can also be used with other adverbial pronouns.

• agus as go brách leis - and away with him forever

Verb-like Usage

In commands, these directional adverbs can sometimes take imperative verb endings, behaving almost like verbs themselves.

• Síosaigí libh! - Down with you (plural)!
• Anuasadh leis! - Down with it!

Intensifying Verbs of Motion

The preposition le is also frequently used to add emphasis or a sense of completion to verbs of motion.

• D’imigh sí léi. - She went away. (Literally: “She went with herself.”)
• Imigh leat! - Clear off! / Go away!

Introductory Demonstratives seo and siúd

Another narrative construction for describing movement uses the demonstrative pronouns seo (here) or siúd (there) to start the sentence. This pattern creates a sense of “off we go” or “away they went”.

The choice between seo and siúd depends on the narrative perspective:

• seo is typically used in first-person narratives (“off I went”, “off we went”).
• siúd is used for third-person narratives (“off he went”, “off they went”) or to indicate greater distance.
• The pronoun sin is not used in this construction.

While past tense forms like b'eo (from ba + seo) and b'iúd (from ba + siúd) exist, the simple forms seo and siúd are often used even when the story is set in the past.

This construction can be a command (usually with le) or a declarative statement (with le or a simple pronoun).

• Seo liom síos mar a raibh na naomhóga. - Off I went, down to where the boats were.
• B’eo leis an madra ina dhiaidh. - Off went the dog after it.
• agus b’eo linn go dtí an caladh - and off we went to the harbour.
• Seo libh canaídh Amhrán na bhFiann. - Off with you, sing the Soldier’s Song!
• Seo abhaile iad. - Off home with them.
• agus siúd leo ar thóir an fhuadaitheora - and off they went in pursuit of the kidnapper.
• Siúd thar an droichead é. - Off he went over the bridge.
• B’iúd iad ag imeacht ar cosa in airde. - Off they went at a gallop.
• Phreab Séanna ina shuí agus siúd suas é. - Séanna jumped up and up he went.

Consecutive Actions

When describing a sequence of actions, siúd is used for the first action and seo for the one that follows immediately.

• Siúd amach an giorria agus seo sinne ina dhiaidh. - Out went the hare, and off we went after it.

The Optative: Expressing Wishes

The optative is a grammatical mood used to express wishes, blessings, curses, and hopes. In Irish, this is done using the subjunctive form of a verb, usually introduced by the particle go. While not often formed spontaneously in modern Irish, the optative appears in many common fixed phrases.

Wishes for the Present or Future

To express a wish that could still come true (a “real” wish), you use the present subjunctive.

• Positive wishes use Go + Present Subjunctive. Go causes eclipsis.
• Negative wishes use Nár + Present Subjunctive. Nár causes lenition.

• Go raibh maith agat! - Thank you! (Literally: “May there be good at you.”)
• Go n-éirí an bóthar leat! - Good luck! (Literally: “May the road rise with you.”)
• Go dtaga do ríocht! - Thy kingdom come!
• Go bhfóire Dia orainn! - May God help us!
• Go gcúití Dia leat é! - May God reward you for it!
• Gura slán an scéalaí! - May the storyteller be safe!
• Nár laga Dia do lámh! - May God not weaken your hand!
• Nár lige Dia! - God forbid!

Fronting for Emphasis

Other parts of the sentence, like the object, can be moved to the beginning of an optative sentence for emphasis.

• Trócaire is grásta go bhfaighe tú! - Mercy and grace may you receive!
• Toil Dé go ndéantar! - God’s will be done!
• Rath ná raibh ort go deo! - May you never have luck!
• Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. - May her soul be at the right hand of God.

Elliptical (Shortened) Wishes

In many of the most common greetings and blessings, the particle go and the verb are omitted, leaving a shortened phrase.

• (Go mbeannaí) Dia duit! - Hello! (Literally: “(May God bless) you.”)
• (Go raibh) Slán leat! - Goodbye! (Literally: “(May there be) health with you.”)
• (Go raibh) Bail ó Dhia ort! - Good luck! (Literally: “(May there be) prosperity from God on you.”)

In negative elliptical wishes, gan (“without”) often replaces ná raibh.

• Gan rath ná sonas ort! - May you have no luck or happiness!

Wishes with Verbal Nouns

Curses are often formed using a verbal noun, sometimes paired with gan (“without”). The person being cursed is often indicated with a preposition like ar (“on”) or chuig (“to”).

• Luí gan éirí ort! - May you lie down and never get up! (Literally: “Lying without rising on you!”)
• Cur gan choinneall air! - A curse on him! (Literally: “Burial without a candle on him!”)
• Briseadh na gcos chugat! - May you break your legs! (Literally: “Breaking of the legs to you!”)

Wishes about the Past (Unreal)

To express a wish about something in the past that cannot be changed (an “irreal” wish), you use the past subjunctive.

• Positive wishes use Dá + Past Subjunctive. Dá causes eclipsis.

• Negative wishes use Mura + Past Subjunctive. Mura also causes eclipsis.

• Dá bpósadh sé an cailín seo! - If only he had married this girl!

• Mura gceannaíodh sé an seanchapall! - If only he had not bought the old horse!

Elliptical Responses

A short phrase with dá and the verb can be used as a response to express a wish.

• “Dá mbeadh!” arsa Síle. - “If only!”, said Síle.

Expressing a Wish with áil

The construction dá mb’áil le... (“if … wished”) can be used to form a wish, followed by a verbal noun phrase.

• Dá mb’áil leis teacht. - If only he had wanted to come.

In the second person, this can also be a polite way to make a request in the present.

• Dá mb’áil leat é a dhéanamh! - If you would be so kind as to do it.

Alternative with ach

An alternative way to express a strong wish or longing is with the word ach (“but”) followed by a pronoun and a verbal noun.

• Ach mé greim a fháil air! - If only I could get a hold of him! (Literally: “But me to get a grip on him!”)