Regular Verbs in the Irish Present Tense

In Brief

Irish uses the simple present mainly for habits, repeated actions and general truths: Ólann mé caife gach maidin means “I drink coffee every morning.” First-conjugation verbs normally end in -ann or -eann, while second-conjugation verbs normally end in -aíonn or -íonn. For an action happening right now, Irish usually uses tá + subject + ag + verbal noun instead.

Overview

The Irish present tense introduced at A1 is often called an aimsir láithreach. With ordinary action verbs, it commonly has a habitual meaning: it tells you what someone does regularly, normally or in general. English uses one simple-present form in “I drink,” “you drink” and “they drink”; Irish also uses the same verb form with most persons, but gives the first-person plural (“we”) its own ending.

Regular verbs fall into two conjugations, meaning two groups that form their tenses in different ways. The first conjugation generally contains short, one-syllable verbs such as ól (“drink”) and bris (“break”). The second conjugation generally contains longer verbs, often ending in -igh or -ir, such as ceannaigh (“buy”) and imir (“play”). The spelling of the ending follows the Irish principle known as caol le caol agus leathan le leathan: slender vowels go with slender vowels, and broad vowels with broad vowels.

This tense is especially useful for routines, preferences and recurring events. It must be kept separate from the progressive construction—the Irish equivalent of “is doing”—which uses the present of bí, usually tá, plus ag and a verbal noun (a verb form used in constructions such as ag ól, “drinking”).

How It Works

The beginner rule

Start with these four endings:

Verb group	Final vowel quality	Ordinary present ending	Example
First conjugation	Broad: nearest vowel is a, o, u	-ann	ól → ólann (“drinks”)
First conjugation	Slender: nearest vowel is e, i	-eann	bris → briseann (“breaks”)
Second conjugation	Broad	-aíonn	ceannaigh → ceannaíonn (“buys”)
Second conjugation	Slender	-íonn	imir → imríonn (“plays”)

“Broad” and “slender” describe the vowel next to the final consonant, not the meaning of the verb. The second-conjugation stem may also change slightly when the ending is added: ceannaigh loses final -igh, and imir becomes imr- before -íonn. It is therefore best to learn a new verb together with one present-tense form rather than trying to predict every spelling from sound alone.

First-conjugation patterns

The ordinary analytic form (a verb followed by a separate pronoun) can be used with mé, tú, sé, sí, sibh, and siad. The pronoun comes after the verb. You will also meet a synthetic first-person singular in -aim/-im, such as ólaim (“I drink”); both that form and the transparent beginner pattern ólann mé occur.

Person	ól — drink	bris — break
I	ólann mé	briseann mé
you (singular)	ólann tú	briseann tú
he / she	ólann sé / sí	briseann sé / sí
we	ólaimid	brisimid
you (plural)	ólann sibh	briseann sibh
they	ólann siad	briseann siad

The forms ólaimid and brisimid are synthetic forms: one word contains both the verb and the meaning “we.” Do not normally add muid after them. For a beginner, treating -aimid/-imid as the regular “we” ending is the safest approach. Likewise, ólaim and brisim are compact standard forms for “I drink” and “I break”; this article retains ólann mé where it is useful to show the shared ordinary ending clearly.

Second-conjugation patterns

Second-conjugation verbs use -aíonn/-íonn in the ordinary form and -aímid/-ímid for “we.”

Person	ceannaigh — buy	imir — play
I	ceannaíonn mé	imríonn mé
you (singular)	ceannaíonn tú	imríonn tú
he / she	ceannaíonn sé / sí	imríonn sé / sí
we	ceannaímid	imrímid
you (plural)	ceannaíonn sibh	imríonn sibh
they	ceannaíonn siad	imríonn siad

English speakers need to watch two differences here. First, Irish puts the verb before its subject: Ceannaíonn sí leabhair, literally “buys she books.” Second, Irish does not add a special third-person singular ending comparable to English -s: ceannaíonn is used with “I,” “you,” “she” and several other subjects.

Statements, negatives and questions

A positive statement begins directly with the verb:

• Itheann tú feoil. — “You eat meat.”
• Imríonn siad peil. — “They play football.”

To make a negative statement, put ní before the verb. Ní normally causes lenition (a spelling and sound change often shown by adding h) where the initial consonant can be lenited:

• Ceannaíonn sí arán. → Ní cheannaíonn sí arán.
• Dúnann sé an doras. → Ní dhúnann sé an doras.
• Imríonn siad peil. → Ní imríonn siad peil. (a vowel does not take h)

To ask a yes/no question, put an before the verb. With many consonants, an causes eclipsis (a change in which another consonant is written before the original one):

• An itheann tú feoil? — “Do you eat meat?”
• An gceannaíonn sí bainne? — “Does she buy milk?”
• An ndúnann siad an siopa go luath? — “Do they close the shop early?”

The short answers usually repeat the relevant verb rather than using a direct equivalent of English “yes” or “no”:

• An ólann tú tae? Ólaim. — “Do you drink tea? Yes.”
• An ólann tú tae? Ní ólaim. — “Do you drink tea? No.”

Here -aim/-im is the synthetic first-person singular ending: ólaim itself means “I drink.” It is especially useful in a short answer because no separate mé is needed. At A1, learn the complete answers Ólaim and Ní ólaim as practical patterns; the wider system of synthetic, analytic and dependent forms can come later.

Habitual present or action in progress?

This is the most important meaning contrast in the lesson.

Meaning	Irish pattern	Example	English
Habit, repeated action	Simple present	Léann sí gach oíche.	She reads every night.
Action happening now	tá + subject + ag + verbal noun	Tá sí ag léamh anois.	She is reading now.
General tendency	Simple present	Bíonn sé ag cur báistí sa gheimhreadh.	It rains / is often raining in winter.

The progressive does not use the ordinary present form after ag. It uses a verbal noun, and that form is not always predictable: ól → ag ól, ceannaigh → ag ceannach, imir → ag imirt. Learn the verbal noun as a separate principal form of each verb.

English can sometimes use its simple present for scheduled events or in live narration, but the reliable beginner contrast is: usual or general → simple Irish present; happening now → tá + ag.

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
Ólann mé caife gach maidin.	I drink coffee every morning.	First conjugation; routine
Briseann an bus síos go minic.	The bus breaks down often.	Slender first-conjugation ending
Osclaímid an siopa ar a naoi.	We open the shop at nine.	First-person plural in -aimid
Ceannaíonn sí leabhair ar líne.	She buys books online.	Broad second-conjugation ending
Imríonn na páistí peil tar éis na scoile.	The children play football after school.	Slender second-conjugation pattern
Bailímid na páistí ag a trí.	We collect the children at three.	“We” form in -ímid
Ní imríonn siad peil sa gheimhreadh.	They do not play football in winter.	Negative before a vowel
Ní cheannaíonn Seán nuachtán gach lá.	Seán does not buy a newspaper every day.	ní lenites c to ch
An itheann tú feoil?	Do you eat meat?	Yes/no question
An gceannaíonn sibh bia anseo?	Do you (plural) buy food here?	an eclipses c to gc
An ólann Aoife tae? Ólann.	Does Aoife drink tea? Yes.	Third-person short answer repeats the verb
Siúlann sé chun na hoibre de ghnáth.	He usually walks to work.	Habit marked by de ghnáth
Tá sé ag siúl chun na hoibre anois.	He is walking to work now.	Progressive contrast, not the habitual present

Time expressions make the intended meaning especially clear. Useful habit markers include gach lá (“every day”), gach seachtain (“every week”), go minic (“often”), uaireanta (“sometimes”) and de ghnáth (“usually”).

Common Mistakes

Using the simple present for something happening now

• Wrong: Ólann mé caife anois when you mean “I am drinking coffee right now.”
• Right: Tá mé ag ól caife anois.
• Why: The ordinary present normally describes a habit. A current action uses tá + ag + verbal noun.

Copying English subject–verb order

• Wrong: Sí ceannaíonn leabhair.
• Right: Ceannaíonn sí leabhair.
• Why: A neutral Irish clause normally has verb–subject–object order: the verb comes first, then the person or thing doing the action.

Using the wrong conjugation ending

• Wrong: Ceannann sí arán.
• Right: Ceannaíonn sí arán.
• Why: Ceannaigh is a second-conjugation verb and takes -aíonn, not first-conjugation -ann.

Adding a pronoun after a synthetic “we” form

• Wrong: Ólaimid muid caife gach maidin.
• Right: Ólaimid caife gach maidin.
• Why: The ending -aimid already includes the meaning “we” in the standard beginner pattern.

Forgetting the initial change after a particle

• Wrong: Ní ceannaíonn sí bainne. An ceannaíonn sí bainne?
• Right: Ní cheannaíonn sí bainne. An gceannaíonn sí bainne?
• Why: Ní normally lenites an eligible consonant, while interrogative an normally eclipses one. These changes are part of the grammatical pattern, not optional decoration.

Building the progressive with the present-tense verb

• Wrong: Tá siad ag imríonn peil.
• Right: Tá siad ag imirt peile.
• Why: After ag, use the verbal noun (imirt), not imríonn. Notice also that nouns can change form after verbal nouns; learn common phrases as complete units.

Usage Notes

The simple present does not need an explicit frequency word if the context already makes the habit clear. Oibríonn Máire sa bhaile naturally means “Máire works at home.” Add anois only with care: it can mean “nowadays” as well as “at this exact moment,” so context determines whether a habitual form sounds natural.

Irish has separate singular and plural words for “you”: tú addresses one person and sibh addresses more than one. Unlike some European languages, this is not primarily a formal-versus-informal distinction. The verb form remains the same: ólann tú and ólann sibh.

The forms in this article follow standard Irish. Pronunciation and some forms vary across Connacht, Munster and Ulster, and everyday speech may preserve synthetic forms or use analytic alternatives differently. Beginners should learn the standard written forms first while accepting that native audio may not always match one classroom paradigm exactly.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

The autonomous form

Irish has an autonomous form, a verb form that leaves the doer unspecified. It often corresponds to English “people,” “one,” or a passive translation. In the present tense, regular first-conjugation verbs use -tar/-tear, and second-conjugation verbs use -aítear/-ítear:

Pattern	Example	Natural English meaning
First conjugation, broad	Óltar tae in Éirinn.	Tea is drunk in Ireland.
First conjugation, slender	Bristear an ghloine go héasca.	The glass is easily broken.
Second conjugation, broad	Ceannaítear ticéid ar líne.	Tickets are bought online.
Second conjugation, slender	Bailítear an bruscar Dé Luain.	The rubbish is collected on Monday.

This is not simply the English passive copied word for word. It is a one-word Irish verb form with no stated subject.

Relative clauses and dependent forms

A relative clause (a part of a sentence that describes a noun, as in “the person who works here”) can put a particle before the present verb:

• an bhean a oibríonn anseo — “the woman who works here”
• an leabhar a cheannaíonn sé — “the book that he buys”

Other particles, including go (“that”) and nach (“that…not”), can require dependent forms and initial mutations. Some verbs also have distinct dependent forms. This wider system is best learned after positive statements, ní, and yes/no questions are secure.

Habitual bíonn

The verb bí is irregular and is not part of the regular conjugation patterns, but its habitual present bíonn is important. It describes recurring states and recurring progressive situations:

• Bíonn sí tuirseach tráthnóna. — “She is usually tired in the evening.”
• Bíonn siad ag imirt peile ar an Satharn. — “They play football on Saturdays.”

Compare tá, which presents a current state, with bíonn, which presents what regularly happens. This lets Irish make distinctions that English often leaves to context.

Practice Tips

1. Learn verbs in sets of three forms. Record the basic form, one habitual-present form and the verbal noun: ceannaigh — ceannaíonn — ag ceannach. This prevents confusion between “buys” and “is buying.”
2. Build a real weekly routine. Write five true sentences using gach lá, go minic, or de ghnáth. Then turn each one into a negative and a question, paying attention to lenition and eclipsis.
3. Contrast habit with “right now.” Pair sentences aloud: Ólaim tae gach maidin / Tá mé ag ól tae anois. The meaning contrast is easier to remember when both patterns are practised together.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Tá — Present Tense — supplies tá for states and the progressive construction.
• Useful vocabulary: Daily Routine — gives you natural situations for practising habitual verbs.
• Next step: Past Tense — shows how regular verbs describe completed past actions.
• Next step: Commands and Imperatives — develops the command forms from which verbs are commonly learned.
• Later connection: Simple Conditions with Má — introduces present forms inside conditional sentences.