Bí (to be)
Complete guide to the irregular Irish verb bí (to be) across all tenses: tá, fuil, bhí, raibh, beidh, habitual present (bíonn), conditional (bheadh), and verbal noun (bheith).
The verb bí (to be) is one of the most common and most irregular verbs in the Irish language. Its irregularity comes from using several different stems across its various tenses and moods. Understanding these stems is key to mastering its conjugation.
- Present Tense:
tá(independent),fuil(dependent) - Habitual Present, Preterite, Imperfect, Imperative:
bí - Future & Conditional:
beidh/beadh - Subjunctive & Dependent Preterite:
raibh
Unlike regular verbs, bí does not use preterite particles like d'.
Conjugation (Munster Dialect)
Indicative Mood
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | táim, tá mé | bhíos | bhínn | bead |
| 2nd sg. | tá tú | bhís | bhíteá | beidh tú |
| 3rd sg. | tá sé | bhí sé | bhíodh sé | beidh sé |
| 1st pl. | táimid | bhíomar | bhímis | beimid |
| 2nd pl. | tá sibh | bhíobhair | bhíodh sibh | beidh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | tá siad, táid, tádar | bhíodar | bhídís | beidh siad |
| Autonomous | táthar | bhíothas | bhítí | beifear |
Conditional Mood
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | bheinn |
| 2nd sg. | bheifeá |
| 3rd sg. | bheadh sé |
| 1st pl. | bheimis |
| 2nd pl. | bheadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | bheidís |
| Autonomous | bheifí |
Imperative Mood
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | bím |
| 2nd sg. | bí |
| 3rd sg. | bíodh sé |
| 1st pl. | bímis |
| 2nd pl. | bígí |
| 3rd pl. | bídís |
| Autonomous | bítear |
Subjunctive Mood
| Person | Present | Preterite |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | go raibh mé | dá mbeinn |
| 2nd sg. | go raibh tú | dá mbeiteá |
| 3rd sg. | go raibh sé | dá mbeadh sé |
| 1st pl. | go rabhaimid | dá mbeimis |
| 2nd pl. | go raibh sibh | dá mbeadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | go raibh siad | dá mbeidís |
| Autonomous | go rabhthar | dá mbeití |
Relative Forms
| Tense | Form |
|---|---|
| Present | atá (sé) |
| Future | a bheas (sé) |
Habitual and Dependent Forms (Munster Dialect)
Habitual Present
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | bím |
| 2nd sg. | bíonn tú |
| 3rd sg. | bíonn sé |
| 1st pl. | bímid |
| 2nd pl. | bíonn sibh |
| 3rd pl. | bíonn siad |
| Autonomous | bítear |
| Relative | a bhíos sé |
Present Tense Dependent Forms
The dependent stem fuil is used after particles like an, go, nach, and ní.
| Person | Interrogative (an) | Negative (ní) | Negative (cha, Ulster) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | an bhfuilim, an bhfuil mé | nílim, níl mé | chan fhuil mé |
| 2nd sg. | an bhfuil tú | níl tú | chan fhuil tú |
| 3rd sg. | an bhfuil sé | níl sé | chan fhuil sé |
| 1st pl. | an bhfuilimid | nílimid | chan fhuilimid |
| 2nd pl. | an bhfuil sibh | níl sibh | chan fhuil sibh |
| 3rd pl. | an bhfuil siad | níl siad | chan fhuil siad |
| Autonomous | an bhfuiltear | níltear | chan fhuiltear |
Preterite Tense Dependent Forms (Munster)
The dependent stem raibh is used in the preterite.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | an raibhas |
| 2nd sg. | an raibhais |
| 3rd sg. | an raibh sé |
| 1st pl. | an rabhamar |
| 2nd pl. | an rabhabhair |
| 3rd pl. | an rabhadar |
| Autonomous | an rabhthas |
Verbal Noun and Participle
| Form | Irish |
|---|---|
| Verbal Noun | bheith |
| Participle of Necessity | beite |
Usage and Syntax Notes
First-Person Singular Present
In the first-person singular of the present tense, both the synthetic form (táim) and the analytic form (tá mé) are common and considered standard. The analytic form is often preferred in modern speech.
- Táim anseo. - I am here.
- Tá mé anseo. - I am here.
Relative Forms
The present tense relative form of bí is atá. This form originates from an older version of the verb where the a- prefix was always present. Today, it is only retained in the relative clause.
- Sin é an fear atá ag teacht. - That is the man who is coming.
The relative particle a is often omitted after interrogative words like cad and conas.
- Cad atá uait? - What do you want?
- Conas atá tú? - How are you?
Dependent Forms and Negation
The negative present tense form níl (is not) is a contraction of the particle ní and the dependent stem fuil. The full historical progression is ní + fuil → ní fhuil → níl.
The construction mura bhfuil (if… is not) can appear as murab fhuil in Connacht and Ulster.
Dialectal Present Tense
Subjunctive Mood
The present subjunctive is used to express wishes or after certain conjunctions. The standard form uses the stem raibh.
- Go raibh maith agat. - Thank you (literally: May there be good at you).
The negative particle used with the present subjunctive is ná, not nár.
- Ná raibh maith agat! - No thanks to you!
Preterite Subjunctive
The preterite subjunctive of bí is formed from the conditional stem beadh, unlike other verbs where it resembles the imperfect.
Grammatical Limitations
The verb bí has some important limitations that learners should be aware of.
- It cannot form a perfect tense (e.g., “have been”) because it lacks a verbal adjective.
- It cannot form a progressive aspect (e.g., “I am being”) because the construction
ag bheithis not used.
Despite these limitations, bí is a vital auxiliary verb used to form progressive tenses with all other verbs.