Overview
Being able to describe people — their appearance, characteristics, and personality — is a fundamental conversational skill. In Irish, descriptions combine adjectives with two key structures: Tá... aige/aici (He/She has) for physical features, and the copula is for identity statements.
Physical descriptions in Irish often use the structure Tá + feature + ag + person: Tá gruaig fhada rua uirthi (She has long red hair — literally, long red hair is on her). This pattern uses the preposition ar for features that are "on" a person, or ag for features that a person "has." Adjectives follow the noun and must agree in gender and number.
When describing someone's identity or essential nature, you use the copula: Is fear deas é (He is a nice man). This distinction between tá (for states and descriptions) and is (for identity and classification) is central to Irish grammar and becomes more intuitive with practice.
How It Works
Appearance Vocabulary
| Irish |
English |
Gender |
| gruaig |
hair |
feminine |
| súile |
eyes (plural) |
feminine |
| folt |
hair (literary) |
masculine |
| aghaidh |
face |
feminine |
| craiceann |
skin |
masculine |
Hair Descriptions
| Irish |
English |
| gruaig fhada |
long hair |
| gruaig ghearr |
short hair |
| gruaig rua |
red/ginger hair |
| gruaig dhubh |
black hair |
| gruaig fhionn |
blonde hair |
| gruaig chatach |
curly hair |
| gruaig dhíreach |
straight hair |
Height and Build
| Irish |
English |
| ard |
tall |
| íseal / gearr |
short |
| tanaí |
thin/slim |
| ramhar |
fat/stout |
| láidir |
strong |
| leathan |
broad |
Describing with "Tá... ag/ar"
| Irish |
English |
| Tá gruaig fhada uirthi. |
She has long hair. |
| Tá súile gorma aige. |
He has blue eyes. |
| Tá féasóg air. |
He has a beard. |
| Tá spéaclaí uirthi. |
She wears glasses. |
Describing with the Copula
| Irish |
English |
| Is fear ard é. |
He is a tall man. |
| Is bean deas í. |
She is a nice woman. |
| Is cailín cliste í. |
She is a clever girl. |
Examples in Context
| Irish |
English |
Note |
| Tá gruaig fhada rua uirthi. |
She has long red hair. |
"uirthi" = on her |
| Tá sé ard agus tanaí. |
He is tall and thin. |
Adjectives with "tá" |
| Tá súile gorma aici. |
She has blue eyes. |
"aici" = at her (has) |
| Is fear deas é. |
He is a nice man. |
Copula for identity |
| Tá féasóg fhada air. |
He has a long beard. |
"air" = on him |
| Tá sí beag agus deas. |
She is small and nice. |
Multiple adjectives |
| Is duine cineálta í. |
She is a kind person. |
Copula + adjective |
| Tá gruaig chatach dhubh air. |
He has curly black hair. |
Two adjectives after noun |
| Cén chuma atá uirthi? |
What does she look like? |
Asking about appearance |
| Tá craiceann dorcha aige. |
He has dark skin. |
"aige" = at him |
Common Mistakes
Using "tá" when the copula is needed
- Wrong: Tá sé fear deas
- Right: Is fear deas é.
- Why: When classifying or identifying (saying what someone IS), use the copula is. Use tá for describing states and qualities.
Forgetting adjective lenition after feminine nouns
- Wrong: gruaig fada or gruaig dubh
- Right: gruaig fhada, gruaig dhubh
- Why: Gruaig is feminine, so the following adjective must be lenited.
Confusing "aige/aici" and "air/uirthi"
- Wrong: Using them interchangeably
- Right: Tá súile gorma aici (she has blue eyes — permanent feature), Tá hata uirthi (she has a hat on — something worn)
- Why: Ag (at) is used for inherent features, while ar (on) is used for things worn or states.
Practice Tips
- Describe three people you know using at least four sentences each, mixing tá... ag/ar structures with copula sentences.
- Practice asking and answering Cén chuma atá air/uirthi? (What does he/she look like?) with different descriptions.
Related Concepts
- Basic Adjectives — the adjective forms and agreement patterns used in descriptions