Ith (to eat)
Learn how to conjugate the irregular Irish verb 'ith', meaning 'to eat', across all major tenses and moods.
The verb ith means “to eat” and is one of the eleven irregular verbs in Irish. Its main irregularity is in the future and conditional tenses, where the stem changes to íos-. In most other tenses, it follows regular conjugation patterns and has no special dependent forms.
Present Tense
In the present tense, ith conjugates like a regular first-conjugation verb.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | ithim |
| 2nd sg. | itheann tú |
| 3rd sg. | itheann sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | ithimid |
| 2nd pl. | itheann sibh |
| 3rd pl. | itheann siad |
| Autonomous | itear |
- Itheann an cailín úll. - The girl eats an apple.
Past Tense
The past tense is also regular. The d' prefix is the remnant of the particle do, used before a vowel.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | d'itheas |
| 2nd sg. | d'ithis |
| 3rd sg. | d'ith sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | d'itheamar |
| 2nd pl. | d'itheabhair |
| 3rd pl. | d'itheadar |
| Autonomous | itheadh |
- D’ith mé mo dhinnéar. - I ate my dinner.
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense describes habitual or repeated actions in the past.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | d'ithinn |
| 2nd sg. | d'iteá |
| 3rd sg. | d'itheadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | d'ithimis |
| 2nd pl. | d'itheadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | d'ithidís |
| Autonomous | d'ití |
- D’itheadh sé arán gach maidin. - He used to eat bread every morning.
Future Tense
The future tense shows the main irregularity of ith, where the stem changes to íos-.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | íosfad |
| 2nd sg. | íosfaidh tú |
| 3rd sg. | íosfaidh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | íosfaimid |
| 2nd pl. | íosfaidh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | íosfaidh siad |
| Autonomous | íosfar |
- Íosfaidh mé an t-iasc. - I will eat the fish.
Conditional Mood
The conditional mood also uses the irregular stem íos-.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | d'íosfainn |
| 2nd sg. | d'íosfá |
| 3rd sg. | d'íosfadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | d'íosfaimis |
| 2nd pl. | d'íosfadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | d'íosfaidís |
| Autonomous | d'íosfaí |
- D’íosfainn níos mó dá mbeadh am agam. - I would eat more if I had time.
Imperative Mood (Commands)
The imperative is used for giving commands.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 2nd sg. | ith |
| 3rd sg. | itheadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | ithimis |
| 2nd pl. | ithigí |
| 3rd pl. | ithidís |
| Autonomous | itear |
- Ith do chuid glasraí! - Eat your vegetables!
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is used in certain clauses, often expressing wishes or conditions, typically after particles like go (that) or dá (if).
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | go n-ithe mé |
| 2nd sg. | go n-ithe tú |
| 3rd sg. | go n-ithe sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | go n-ithimid |
| 2nd pl. | go n-ithe sibh |
| 3rd pl. | go n-ithe siad |
| Autonomous | go n-itear |
- Iarrann sé go n-ithe an páiste an bia. - He asks that the child eat the food.
Past Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dá n-ithinn |
| 2nd sg. | dá n-iteá |
| 3rd sg. | dá n-itheadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | dá n-ithimis |
| 2nd pl. | dá n-itheadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | dá n-ithidís |
| Autonomous | dá n-ití |
- Dá n-itheadh sé níos moille, bheadh sé níos sláintiúla. - If he were to eat more slowly, he would be healthier.
Relative Forms
The relative form is used in relative clauses (e.g., “the man who eats…”). For ith, special relative forms exist for the present and future tenses.
| Tense | Form |
|---|---|
| Present | a itheas |
| Future | a íosfas |
- Sin é an fear a itheas a dhinnéar go luath. - That is the man who eats his dinner early.
- An é seo an t-úll a íosfas tú? - Is this the apple that you will eat?
Verbal Noun and Adjective
The verbal noun and verbal adjective are key forms derived from the verb.
-
Verbal Noun:
ithe(eating) -
Verbal Adjective:
ite(eaten) -
Tá mé ag ithe anois. - I am eating now.
-
Tá an t-arán go léir ite. - All the bread is eaten.
The genitive of the verbal noun has two forms depending on its function:
-
Substantive:
ithe(of eating) -
Infinitive:
ite(to be eaten) -
Tá sé in am ite. - It is time to eat. (Literally: time of eating)
-
Tá an bia réidh le hite. - The food is ready to be eaten.
Historical note on an older past tense form
A rare, older past tense form duaidh is sometimes encountered in literature. It derives from the Old Irish do-fúaid. Examples include duaidh sé (he ate) and duamar (we ate). This form is not used in modern spoken Irish.