Indirect Questions and Conjunctions in Irish

Overview

Conjunctions are the glue that holds complex sentences together, and indirect questions allow you to report or embed questions within statements. In Irish, these structures involve specific particles that trigger mutations on the following verb, making them both a vocabulary and a grammar challenge.

The most common conjunctions include agus (and), ach (but), mar (because/as), nuair (when), and má (if). Each behaves differently: má causes lenition on the verb that follows, while mura (if not) causes eclipsis. These mutation patterns are not optional — they are essential to correct Irish.

Indirect questions are formed by embedding a question within a larger sentence using particles like an (whether/if) and question words like cé (who), cad (what), and cá (where). For example, "I don't know if he is coming" becomes Ní fhéadfainn a rá an bhfuil sé ag teacht.

How It Works

Common Conjunctions

Irish	English	Mutation	Example
agus	and	none	Tháinig sé agus d'imigh sí.
ach	but	none	Tá mé tuirseach ach sásta.
mar	because / as	none	D'fhan mé mar bhí mé tinn.
nuair	when	a + lenition	Nuair a tháinig sé...
má	if	lenition	Má tá tú réidh...
mura	if not	eclipsis	Mura bhfuil tú réidh...
go	that	eclipsis	Dúirt sé go raibh sé tuirseach.
nach	that...not	eclipsis	Dúirt sé nach raibh sé sásta.
sula	before	eclipsis	Sula dtéann tú...

Indirect Questions

Direct Question	Indirect Form	English
An bhfuil sé ag teacht?	...an bhfuil sé ag teacht.	...whether he is coming.
Cá bhfuil sé?	...cá bhfuil sé.	...where he is.
Cé atá ann?	...cé atá ann.	...who is there.
Cad a rinne sé?	...cad a rinne sé.	...what he did.

Building Complex Sentences

Irish	English
Ní fhéadfainn teacht mar bhí mé tinn.	I couldn't come because I was sick.
Nuair a bhí mé óg...	When I was young...
Má tá tú réidh, imímis.	If you are ready, let's go.
Dúirt sé go raibh sé tuirseach.	He said that he was tired.
Ní fhios dom an bhfuil sé ann.	I don't know if he is there.

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
Ní fhéadfainn teacht mar bhí mé tinn.	I couldn't come because I was sick.	"mar" = because
Nuair a bhí mé óg...	When I was young...	"nuair a" + lenition
Má tá tú réidh...	If you are ready...	"má" + lenition
Dúirt sé go raibh sé tuirseach.	He said that he was tired.	"go" + eclipsis
Mura bhfuil tú sásta, abair liom.	If you're not happy, tell me.	"mura" + eclipsis
Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil sé anseo.	I know that he is here.	"go" + eclipsis
Ní fhios dom cá bhfuil sé.	I don't know where he is.	Indirect question
Bhí mé ag léamh agus bhí sí ag scríobh.	I was reading and she was writing.	"agus" = and
Ach ní raibh sé éasca.	But it wasn't easy.	"ach" = but
D'fhiafraigh sé an raibh mé réidh.	He asked if I was ready.	Indirect question

Common Mistakes

Forgetting mutations after conjunctions

• Wrong: Má fuil tú réidh
• Right: Má tá tú réidh.
• Why: Má uses the independent form of the verb with lenition. With tá, the form stays as tá (it is already the independent form).

Using "go" when you need "a" for relative clauses

• Wrong: an fear go chónaíonn anseo
• Right: an fear a chónaíonn anseo
• Why: Go introduces noun clauses ("that he is..."), while a introduces relative clauses ("who/that...").

Confusing má and dá

• Wrong: Má mbeinn saibhir (mixing real and unreal conditions)
• Right: Má tá mé saibhir (real condition) / Dá mbeinn saibhir (unreal condition)
• Why: Má is for open/real conditions; dá is for hypothetical/unreal conditions.

Practice Tips

1. Write five sentences using different conjunctions: one with mar, one with nuair, one with má, one with go, and one with ach. Pay attention to the mutations each requires.
2. Practice converting direct questions into indirect ones: An bhfuil sé anseo? → Ní fhios dom an bhfuil sé anseo.

Related Concepts

• Temporal Clauses — time-based subordinate clauses
• Logical Discourse Connectors — advanced linking words