Verbal Nouns in Irish

Overview

The verbal noun is one of the most important and versatile forms in Irish grammar. It functions like the English "-ing" form (gerund/present participle) and the infinitive ("to do"), but it is grammatically a noun. You have already encountered it in the progressive tense with ag: Tá mé ag léamh (I am reading), where léamh is the verbal noun of léigh (read).

Verbal nouns appear everywhere in Irish. They are used after prepositions (chun dul — to go), after other verbs (ba mhaith liom dul — I would like to go), and in many idiomatic constructions. Because they are nouns, they can take the definite article, appear in the genitive case, and be modified by adjectives.

The challenge with verbal nouns is that their formation is not entirely predictable. Some are formed by adding suffixes like -adh, -áil, -t, or -amh to the verb root, while others are identical to the root or completely irregular. Over time, you will develop an instinct for the common patterns.

How It Works

Common Formation Patterns

Pattern	Root	Verbal Noun	English
Same as root	rith	rith	running
Add -adh	glan	glanadh	cleaning
Add -áil	tosaigh	tosú	starting
Add -t	bris	briseadh	breaking
Add -amh	seas	seasamh	standing
Add -ú	mínigh	míniú	explaining
Irregular	ith	ithe	eating
Irregular	feic	feiceáil	seeing
Irregular	déan	déanamh	doing/making

Uses of the Verbal Noun

Use	Structure	Example	English
Progressive	ag + VN	Tá mé ag rith.	I am running.
After "want"	ba mhaith liom + VN	Ba mhaith liom dul.	I would like to go.
Purpose	chun + VN	chun cabhrú	to help
After "must"	caithfidh mé + VN	Caithfidh mé dul.	I must go.
After "before"	roimh + VN	roimh imeacht	before leaving
After "after"	tar éis + VN	tar éis teacht	after coming

Irregular Verbal Nouns (Key Verbs)

Verb	Verbal Noun	English
téigh	dul	going
tar	teacht	coming
tabhair	tabhairt	giving
abair	rá	saying
faigh	fáil	getting
bí	bheith	being
feic	feiceáil	seeing
clois	cloisteáil	hearing

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
ag rith	running	VN of "rith"
ag ithe	eating	Irregular VN of "ith"
Tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge.	I am learning Irish.	Progressive use
Ba mhaith liom dul abhaile.	I would like to go home.	After "want"
Caithfidh mé éirí go luath.	I must get up early.	After "must"
Roimh imeacht, dún an doras.	Before leaving, close the door.	After preposition
Tar éis teacht abhaile, d'ith mé.	After coming home, I ate.	After "tar éis"
Tá sé éasca Gaeilge a fhoghlaim.	It is easy to learn Irish.	Infinitive-like use
Is maith liom a bheith ag léamh.	I like being reading / I like reading.	Stacked verbal nouns
Tá mé chun tosú anois.	I am about to start now.	"chun" + VN

Common Mistakes

Confusing the verb root with the verbal noun

• Wrong: Tá mé ag léigh (using the root instead of VN)
• Right: Tá mé ag léamh.
• Why: After ag, you must use the verbal noun form, not the verb root. For léigh, the verbal noun is léamh.

Treating the verbal noun like a conjugated verb

• Wrong: Tá mé ag léamhaim
• Right: Tá mé ag léamh.
• Why: Verbal nouns do not take personal endings. They are nouns, not conjugated forms.

Not learning irregular verbal nouns

• Wrong: ag téigh (using root of "go")
• Right: ag dul
• Why: Many of the most common verbs have irregular verbal nouns. Téigh → dul, tar → teacht, etc.

Practice Tips

1. When you learn a new verb, always learn its verbal noun at the same time. Write them together: léigh / léamh, scríobh / scríobh, ith / ithe.
2. Practice using verbal nouns in three contexts: progressive (Tá mé ag...), purpose (chun...), and after ba mhaith liom (Ba mhaith liom...).

Related Concepts

• Progressive Tense (Ag + Verbal Noun) — the progressive construction that uses verbal nouns
• Verbal Noun with Object — how to include objects with verbal nouns