Book I
Verbs beginning with a vowel [a o u e i] or f have d' (do) prefixed in tenses where aspiration would occur in the case of aspirable consonants. For example —
| Ól | o/l | drink |
| d'ól mé | dho/l mae | I drank |
| ól-aim | o/l-im | I drink |
| ól-faidh mé | o/l-ha mae | I will drink |
| d'ól-fainn | dho/l-hing | I would drink |
| d'ólainn | dho/l-ing | I used to drink |
| Ith | ih | eat |
| d'-ith mé | dhih mae | I ate |
| ith-im | ih-im | I eat |
| íos-faidh me | eess-a mae | I will eat |
| d'íos-fainn | dheess-ing | I would eat |
| d'ithinn | dhih-ing | I used to eat |
| ith | iheh | to eat |
| ag ithe | eg iheh | eating |
| ithte | ih-tcheh | eaten |
The verb ith, "eat" is irregular in having s in future and conditional.
| Feuch | fae'-uch | look |
| d'fheuch mé | dhae'-uch mae | I looked |
| feuch-aim | faeuch'-im | I look |
| feuch-faidh mé | faeuch'-a mae | I will look |
| d'fheuch-fainn | dhaeuch'-ing | I would look |
| d'fheuch-ainn | dhaeuch'-ing | I used to look |
Verbs of two syllables ending in -igh or -uigh, and syncopated verbs (that is, whose which naturally shorten) formt heir future in óch instead of f.
The syncoptaed verbs generally end in -air, -ail, -is, as freagair (frag-er), "answer", ceangail (k-yang-il), "tie" or "bind", innis (innish), "tell".
| Freagair | frag-er | answer |
| d'fhreagair mé | dhrag-er mae | I answered |
| freagr-aim | fragr-im | I answer |
| freagr-óchaidh | fragr-ó mae | I will answer |
| d'ghreagr-óchainn | dhragr-o/ing | I would answer |
| d'fhreagr-ainn | dhragr-ing | I used to answer |
| marbhuigh | moree | kill |
| mharbhuigh mé | worree-mae | I killed |
| marbhuigh-im | morree-im | I kill |
| marbh-óchaidh mé | morr-o/ mae | I will kill |
| mharbh-óchainn | worr-o/ing | I would kill |
| mharbh-uighinn | worree-ing | I used to kill |
There is an important rule in Irish spelling that when a broad vowel (a o u) comes before a consonant a broad vowel must follow it, and when a slender vowel (i e) comes before a consonant a slender vowel must follow itl, hence two sets of endings for verbs, as ól-aim, ith-im.
note that
phonetic
symbols
are
not
necessarily
pronounced
as in English
i r i s h a t h o m e - b o o k o n e - m á i r e n í c h e a l l a c h á m