Tar (to come)
Complete guide to the irregular Irish verb tar (to come) across all tenses: past (tháinig), present (tagann), future (tiocfaidh), conditional (tiocfadh), and verbal noun (teacht).
The verb tar means “to come” and is one of the eleven irregular verbs in Irish. It is highly irregular, using several different stems depending on the tense and mood. The main stems are tag- for the present, tháinig for the past, and tioc- for the future and conditional. The verb root tar is used for the 2nd person singular imperative.
Indicative Mood
Present Tense
The present tense uses the stem tag-.
- Tagann an bus gach maidin. - The bus comes every morning.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | tagaim |
| 2nd sg. | tagann tú |
| 3rd sg. | tagann sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | tagaimid |
| 2nd pl. | tagann sibh |
| 3rd pl. | tagann siad |
| Autonomous | tagtar |
| Relative | a thagas |
Past Tense (Preterite)
The past tense uses the unique stem tháinig.
- Tháinig mé abhaile go déanach. - I came home late.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | thánag |
| 2nd sg. | tháingís |
| 3rd sg. | tháinig sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | thángamar |
| 2nd pl. | thángabhair |
| 3rd pl. | thángadar |
| Autonomous | thángthas |
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense, used for habitual past actions, uses the stem thag-.
- Thagainn anseo go minic nuair a bhí mé óg. - I used to come here often when I was young.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | thagainn |
| 2nd sg. | thagtá |
| 3rd sg. | thagadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | thagaimis |
| 2nd pl. | thagadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | thagaidís |
| Autonomous | thagtaí |
Future Tense
The future tense uses the stem tioc-.
- Tiocfaidh an samhradh go luath. - The summer will come soon.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | tiocfad |
| 2nd sg. | tiocfaidh tú |
| 3rd sg. | tiocfaidh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | tiocfaimid |
| 2nd pl. | tiocfaidh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | tiocfaidh siad |
| Autonomous | tiocfar |
| Relative | a thiocfas |
Conditional Mood
The conditional mood also uses the stem tioc-.
- Thiocfainn dá mbeadh am agam. - I would come if I had time.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | thiocfainn |
| 2nd sg. | thiocfá |
| 3rd sg. | thiocfadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | thiocfaimis |
| 2nd pl. | thiocfadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | thiocfaidís |
| Autonomous | thiocfaí |
Imperative Mood
The imperative mood uses the root tar for the 2nd person singular and the stem tag- for other forms.
- Tar anseo! - Come here!
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 2nd sg. | tar |
| 3rd sg. | tagadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | tagaimis |
| 2nd pl. | tagaigí |
| 3rd pl. | tagaidís |
| Autonomous | tagtar |
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood uses the stem tag-.
Present Subjunctive
- Go dtaga an t-ádh leat. - May luck come with you.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | go dtaga mé |
| 2nd sg. | go dtaga tú |
| 3rd sg. | go dtaga sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | go dtagaimid |
| 2nd pl. | go dtaga sibh |
| 3rd pl. | go dtaga siad |
| Autonomous | go dtagtar |
Past Subjunctive
- Dá dtagadh sé, bheadh áthas orm. - If he were to come, I would be happy.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| 1st sg. | dá dtagainn |
| 2nd sg. | dá dtagtá |
| 3rd sg. | dá dtagadh sé/sí |
| 1st pl. | dá dtagaimis |
| 2nd pl. | dá dtagadh sibh |
| 3rd pl. | dá dtagaidís |
| Autonomous | dá dtagtaí |
Verbal Noun and Adjective
| Form | Irish |
|---|---|
| Verbal Noun | teacht |
| Genitive (substantive) | teachta |
| Genitive (infinitive) | teachta |
| Verbal Adjective | tagtha |
- Tá sé tagtha. - He has come / He has arrived.
Dialectal Variations and Notes
Historical note on 'go dtí'
The old 2nd/3rd person present subjunctive form tí is preserved in the common preposition go dtí (to, until). It is rarely seen with other conjunctions, but can appear in phrases like sula dtí maidin (before morning).