Indirect Questions and Conjunctions in Irish

In Brief

Irish links ideas with words such as agus “and”, ach “but”, mar “because”, nuair “when”, má “if”, mura “if not”, go “that”, and sula “before”. The connector can affect the beginning or form of the following verb: compare má fheiceann tú (“if you see”) with mura bhfeiceann tú (“if you do not see”). An embedded yes/no question normally keeps a question particle: Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé ann (“I do not know whether he is there”).

Overview

At A2, these words let you move beyond separate statements and express contrast, reasons, conditions, time, reported information, and uncertainty. A conjunction is simply a linking word. It can join words, as in tae agus caife (“tea and coffee”), or clauses—parts of a sentence that each contain a verb—as in D’fhan mé sa bhaile mar bhí mé tinn (“I stayed at home because I was ill”).

For an English-speaking learner, the meaning of the connector is usually straightforward. The unfamiliar part is what happens next. Irish may change the first consonant of the following verb through lenition (usually shown by adding h, as in feiceann → fheiceann) or eclipsis (placing another consonant before it, as in feiceann → bhfeiceann). Some particles also require a dependent verb form, a special form used after words such as an, go and mura. The verb bí (“be”) makes this especially visible: tá becomes bhfuil after several particles.

An indirect question is a question placed inside a larger sentence: “Do you know whether she is ready?” or “Tell me who is there.” Unlike English, Irish commonly retains the same particle or question-word structure found in a direct question. Learning each connector together with one complete model phrase is therefore more useful than learning its translation alone.

How It Works

Joining equal ideas: agus and ach

Agus joins items or clauses and means “and”. Ach introduces a contrast and means “but”. They do not themselves require a special dependent verb form or a mutation.

Connector	Basic use	Pattern	Example
agus	addition	clause + agus + clause	Tháinig Síle agus d’fhan sí linn.
ach	contrast	clause + ach + clause	Tháinig Síle ach níor fhan sí.

English often omits a repeated subject: “She came and stayed.” Irish can do this too in a closely connected sequence—Tháinig sí agus d’fhan sí is also commonly expressed as Tháinig sí agus d’fhan in suitable contexts—but keeping the pronoun is a safe, clear beginner pattern.

Giving a reason: mar

Before a full clause, mar commonly means “because” or “as”. In this use, it is followed by the ordinary statement form:

• D’fhanamar istigh mar bhí sé ag cur báistí. — “We stayed inside because it was raining.”
• Ní fhéadfainn teacht mar bhí mé tinn. — “I couldn’t come because I was ill.”

Do not confuse this conjunction with every other use of mar. The same word can mean “like/as” in phrases such as mar shampla (“for example”), but there is no reason clause there.

Time clauses with nuair

Nuair means “when” and introduces a time clause. In the common standard pattern it is followed by a, the relative particle (a small linking word), which lenites a suitable following consonant:

• nuair a bhí mé óg — when I was young
• nuair a fheicim í — when I see her
• nuair a bheidh sé réidh — when he will be/is ready

With a vowel or an initial sound that cannot show lenition, no visible h appears: nuair a osclaíonn an siopa (“when the shop opens”). In natural English, a future time clause generally uses the present (“when he is ready”), while Irish can use the future beidh: nuair a bheidh sé réidh.

Conditions: má and mura

Use má for a positive condition, “if”. It takes the ordinary, or independent, verb form and lenites an initial consonant where possible:

• má fheiceann tú é — if you see him
• má bhíonn sé fuar — if it is cold
• má tá tú réidh — if you are ready

The very common present form tá stays tá: not thá. Past-tense forms already beginning with a lenited consonant remain visibly lenited: má bhí sé ann (“if he was there”).

Use mura for “if not/unless”. It makes the clause negative and normally takes a dependent form, with eclipsis where that mutation is available:

• mura bhfeiceann tú é — if you do not see him
• mura mbeidh sé ann — if he will not be there
• mura bhfuil tú réidh — if you are not ready

A useful pair to memorise is má tá versus mura bhfuil. Irish does not form the second phrase by merely placing a word equivalent to English “not” after má.

Reporting information with go

After verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, or believing, go introduces a positive statement and corresponds roughly to English “that”. It normally takes a dependent verb form and causes eclipsis:

• Sílim go bhfuil sí sa bhaile. — I think that she is at home.
• Deir siad go mbeidh sé réidh. — They say that it will be ready.
• Dúirt sé go raibh sé tuirseach. — He said that he was tired.

English can omit “that”: “I think she is home.” Irish does not normally omit go in the equivalent structure. In the past tense, gur is used rather than go: Sílim gur tháinig sí inné (“I think that she came yesterday”). The negative counterpart is nach: Sílim nach bhfuil sí anseo (“I think that she is not here”). These past and negative forms are useful extensions of the basic A2 pattern.

“Before” with sula

Sula introduces an event that has not yet happened relative to another event: “before”. With present or future reference it takes a dependent form and normally causes eclipsis:

• Nigh do lámha sula n-itheann tú. — Wash your hands before you eat.
• Cuir glaoch orm sula dtéann tú abhaile. — Call me before you go home.

For a completed past event, the form is sular, commonly followed by lenition: D’imigh sé sular tháinig mé (“He left before I arrived”). For A2 production, first master a few frequent chunks such as sula dtéann tú and sula mbeidh sé ró-dhéanach (“before it is too late”).

Indirect yes/no questions

A direct yes/no question begins with a question particle. Keep that question structure when the question is embedded after expressions such as Níl a fhios agam (“I do not know”), An bhfuil a fhios agat...? (“Do you know...?”), or Fiafraigh di... (“Ask her...”):

Time	Direct question	Embedded pattern
present	An bhfuil sé ann?	Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé ann.
future	An mbeidh siad réidh?	Fiafraigh díobh an mbeidh siad réidh.
past	Ar tháinig sí?	Níl a fhios agam ar tháinig sí.

An is used with many present and future forms and triggers the appropriate dependent form/eclipsis: an bhfuil, an dtagann, an mbeidh. In the past, use ar, generally with lenition where possible: ar tháinig, ar fhág. Depending on context, English translates an/ar here as “if” or “whether”; Irish does not use conditional má for this job.

Indirect questions with question words

If the information sought is “who”, “what”, “where”, or “when”, retain the relevant Irish question word rather than adding an:

• Níl a fhios agam cé atá ann. — I do not know who is there.
• Inis dom cad a dúirt sí. — Tell me what she said.
• An bhfuil a fhios agat cá bhfuil an stáisiún? — Do you know where the station is?
• Níl mé cinnte cathain a thiocfaidh siad. — I am not sure when they will come.

Notice cé atá, not cé tá. The form atá contains the relative form used to link “who” to the rest of the clause. Other question words have their own established patterns, so learn the whole frames cá bhfuil...?, cad a dúirt...?, and cathain a thiocfaidh...?.

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
Cheannaigh mé arán agus bainne.	I bought bread and milk.	Agus joins two nouns.
Tá an teach beag ach tá sé compordach.	The house is small, but it is comfortable.	Contrast with ach.
Ní fhéadfainn teacht mar bhí mé tinn.	I couldn’t come because I was ill.	A reason with mar.
Nuair a bhí mé óg, bhí cónaí orm i nGaillimh.	When I was young, I lived in Galway.	Past time clause.
Cuir téacs chugam nuair a bheidh tú ann.	Text me when you are there.	Future form after nuair a.
Má tá tú réidh, is féidir linn imeacht.	If you are ready, we can leave.	Common fixed pair má tá.
Má fheiceann tú Aoife, abair léi glaoch orm.	If you see Aoife, tell her to call me.	Feiceann is lenited.
Mura bhfuil bainne ann, ceannaigh roinnt.	If there is no milk, buy some.	Negative condition with dependent bhfuil.
Mura mbeidh sé ag cur báistí, rachaimid ag siúl.	If it is not raining, we will go for a walk.	Future condition.
Dúirt sé go raibh sé tuirseach.	He said that he was tired.	Reported information with go raibh.
Sílim gur fhág sí go luath.	I think that she left early.	Past statement uses gur.
Dún an fhuinneog sula dtéann tú amach.	Close the window before you go out.	Eclipsis after sula.
Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil an siopa oscailte.	I do not know whether the shop is open.	Embedded present yes/no question.
An bhfuil a fhios agat ar tháinig Cian?	Do you know whether Cian came?	Embedded past question with ar.
Inis dom cé atá ag an doras.	Tell me who is at the door.	Question word with atá.

Common Mistakes

Using má for embedded “if”

• Wrong: Níl a fhios agam má tá sé ann.
• Right: Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé ann.
• Why: Here “if” means “whether”, not a condition. An embedded yes/no question uses the question particle an and the dependent form bhfuil.

Keeping tá after a dependent particle

• Wrong: Sílim go tá sí réidh.
• Right: Sílim go bhfuil sí réidh.
• Why: After go, the present tense of bí uses its dependent form bhfuil.

Treating mura as má plus a separate negative

• Wrong: Mura feiceann tú é...
• Right: Mura bhfeiceann tú é...
• Why: Mura already means “if not” and normally triggers eclipsis: feiceann → bhfeiceann.

Omitting a after nuair

• Wrong: nuair bhí mé óg
• Right: nuair a bhí mé óg
• Why: Standard Irish uses the relative particle a after nuair. It also explains the lenition in forms such as nuair a fheicim.

Copying English word order into question-word clauses

• Wrong: Níl a fhios agam cé tá ann.
• Right: Níl a fhios agam cé atá ann.
• Why: “Who is there” uses the linking form atá. Memorise cé atá as a unit.

Using go for a past affirmative statement

• Wrong: Sílim go tháinig sí inné.
• Right: Sílim gur tháinig sí inné.
• Why: In standard Irish, affirmative past reporting uses gur rather than go.

Usage Notes

English “when” can introduce either a time relationship or a question. Irish distinguishes these by structure. Use nuair a for a time clause: Cuir glaoch orm nuair a bheidh tú ann (“Call me when you are there”). Use cathain when the time itself is unknown: Níl a fhios agam cathain a thiocfaidh sí (“I do not know when she will come”).

Similarly, English “if” hides two different meanings. Má sets a condition: Má tá sé ann, labhair leis (“If he is there, speak to him”). An introduces an unknown yes/no answer: Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sé ann (“I do not know whether he is there”). Replacing “if” with “whether” in your English sentence is a useful test: if “whether” works, Irish probably needs a question particle, not má.

In speech, pronunciation reveals mutations even when the spelling looks demanding. Learn connectors aloud with the following verb—go bhfuil, mura bhfuil, sula dtéann, nuair a bheidh—rather than as isolated vocabulary. Dialects can differ in particular forms and pronunciation, but these standard written patterns are widely useful and appropriate for learners.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce every variation at A2, but you will meet a larger system behind these basic patterns. Positive reported clauses contrast with negative ones: go bhfuil (“that ... is”) versus nach bhfuil (“that ... is not”), and past gur tháinig (“that ... came”) versus nár tháinig (“that ... did not come”). Indirect questions also have negative forms such as Níl a fhios agam nach bhfuil... only when the intended meaning truly is “I do not know that ... is not”; to ask “whether ... is not”, forms with nach require careful context and are best learned through complete examples.

Conditional sentences can eventually express unlikely or unreal situations, not only open possibilities such as Má tá am agam... (“If I have time...”). Those patterns involve conditional and past habitual forms and belong to later study. For now, keep the beginner contrast clear: má gives a positive condition, mura gives a negative condition, and an/ar embeds a yes/no question.

At a more advanced level, you will also see connectors combined to organise an argument and distinguish cause, result, concession, and sequence. The core mutation knowledge remains useful: identify the connector, ask whether it requires an independent or dependent verb, and only then choose the verb form.

Practice Tips

1. Build four two-part sentence frames and change only the vocabulary: ... mar ..., Má ..., ..., Mura ..., ..., and Dúirt sé/sí go .... Say each one aloud so the connector and mutation become a single sound pattern.
2. Turn direct questions into embedded questions: An bhfuil sí anseo? → Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil sí anseo; Ar tháinig sé? → Fiafraigh di ar tháinig sé. Practise present, future, and past separately.
3. While reading or listening, collect whole chunks—not isolated conjunctions. Colour-code lenition in má fheiceann and eclipsis/dependent forms in mura bhfeiceann, go bhfuil, and sula dtéann.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Temporal Clauses — develops time relationships with “when”, “before”, “after”, and related structures.
• Later development: Logical Discourse Connectors — links reasons, contrasts, results, and arguments in more sophisticated speech and writing.