Module 1: Grammar 1. Using the verb tá If you want to make a simple statement about something that is happening you start the statement with tá. The next part of the statement should refer to the subject of the sentence, and should be a noun. This could be a definite thing like 'the boat' or an indefinite thing like 'a boat'. It could also be a person's name or pronoun (he or she: there is no 'it' in modern Irish - in grammatical terms everything is either masculine or feminine.) So, tá mé = táim = I am. If you want to say 'you are', you keep the tá and replace mé with tú. So, tá'n tú = you are. You can see how to use tá in the box on the right. Remember, the order of words in Irish is reversed: the tá is 'am' and the mé is 'I'. The passive and impersonal form of tá is táthar. So, for example, if you want to say 'it is being worked on' you would say: táthar ag obair air. Back to top 2. Personal pronouns Opposite you can see what the personal pronouns are in Irish. There is one thing you might or might not want to bother with right now, we'll tell you about it anyway. As this version of Gaeltalk.net will teach you how Irish is spoken in the southern part of the emerald isle i.e. Munster, words like tá mé, tá tú etc. actually appear as one word. Originally verbs (doing words) in the Irish language were like that everywhere but in the northern dialects they broke up in two. In grammatical terms we say that in Munster the verb and pronoun appear as one word, it's the synthetic form. Elsewhere it is the analytic form. We'll show you below how the tá - examples look and are pronounced in Munster. You don't have to learn them right now but we'll ease you slowly into this way of speaking. NB. Tá sé and Tá sí are often said nowadays but strictly speaking they are included in tá. The passive form táthar is the same as above. Back to top 3. Verbal nouns Now, in order to form a simple sentence you could add a so-called verbal noun to any of the above forms of tá. A verbal noun (Irish: ainmbhriathar), together with tá describes: process currently taking place, or a condition which is in place. In our text we read that Sarah is travelling. She says Tá mé ag taisteal. This is currently taking place, as Sarah is not at home in Cork but obviously moving around with her backpack. She also says that she is working in Cork. Even though she isn't working at the moment she is currently employed there. So she can say Tá mé ag obair i gCorcaigh. The Irish verbal noun corresponds to the english 'ing' form like 'working', 'travelling' 'learning', and can be recognized easily by the preceding word ag. Táim ag taisteal I am travelling Táim ag obair I am working Táim ag foghlaim I am learning Back to top 1. The verb Tá Listen éist I am Táim You are Tá'n tú He is Tá sé She is Tá sí We are Táimíd You (ye) are Tá sibh They are Tá siad impersonal form Táthar 2. Personal pronouns Listen éist I mé You tú He sé She sí We sinn You (ye) sibh They siad Analytic form I am Tá mé You are Tá tú He is Tá sé She is Tá sí We are Táimíd You (ye) are Tá sibh They are Tá siad Synthetic form Listen éist I am Táim you are Táir he is Tá (sé) she is Tá (sí) we are Táimíd you (ye) Tá sibh they are Táid