🔢 How many Irish irregular verbs are there?

There are 11 in total. They are the most commonly used verbs in the language, so learning them is vital for speaking, writing, and exams.

😢 Why are Irish irregular verbs difficult to learn?

Unlike regular verbs, each has unique forms across the past, present, future, and conditional tenses. They don't follow predictable grammar rules, so you must memorise them.

Briathra Neamhrialta - The Irregular Verbs to Memorise

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. / A country without a language is a country without a soul.
Pádraig Pearse

Learning Irish irregular verbs, known as briathra neamhrialta, is a significant step for any student. While regular verbs generally follow predictable rules, these are special in that you have to learn each one individually. Unfortunately, for students of Gaeilge, these are mostly quite common verbs, so you can't avoid them just because you don't feel like learning new conjugations.

Irish Verb	English Translation
Abair	to say
Beir	to catch / bring
Bí	to be
Clois	to hear
Déan	to do / make
Faigh	to get / find
Feic	to see
Ith	to eat
Tabhair	to give
Tar	to come
Téigh	to go

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Why Irregular Verbs Matter in Gaeilge

The reason these irregular verbs are so important is because of how common they are. You'll see them in written texts and hear them in spoken Irish and oral exams. Verbs like bí (“to be”) and téigh (“to go”) are commonly used in most conversations. Whether you want to ask questions, describe the past, or plan the future, you'll need to know these verbs. That's why your teacher has probably been so insistent that you learn them; so you can better understand Irish grammar and speak the language better.

How Many Irregular Irish Verbs Are There?

There are eleven Irish irregular verbs. Compared to other languages, this is relatively small. Still, since they cover actions like "to say," "to go," "to eat," and "to do," and come with unique patterns in the aimsir chaite (past), aimsir láithreach (present), aimsir fháistineach (future), and conditional tense, you have to learn them.

There are

brithra neamrialta in total.

The 11 Irregular Verbs in Irish

Before we dive into all the different conjugations, here are the 11 verbs and what they mean in English. Start by remembering these verbs. Once you place these 11, you can start studying their conjugations.

Abair – to say: Abair is used when you want to say or tell something. Its past tense form is dúirt, which you’ll hear often in stories and conversations.

Beir – to catch/bring: Beir carries meanings such as “to catch” or “to give birth to.” The past tense rug appears in idioms and in expressions about catching hold of something.

Bí – to be: The most essential verb in Irish, Bí means “to be.” Forms like tá, bhí, and beidh are used constantly in speech. Without bí, you can’t describe states, feelings, or existence.

Clois – to hear: Clois means “to hear.” Its irregular past form chuala doesn’t look much like the root, so it’s one that students need to memorise carefully.

Déan – to do/make: Déan is highly flexible, meaning “to do” or “to make.” It’s central to Irish, appearing in common phrases and in expressions where English would use auxiliary verbs.

Faigh – to get/find: Faigh means “to get” or “to find.” It switches forms significantly, with fuair in the past and gheobhaidh in the future.

Feic – to see: Feic means “to see.” Its past tense chonaic has a dependent alternative form faca, which learners will encounter in questions and negatives.

Ith – to eat: Ith is one of the more straightforward irregular verbs, meaning "to eat." It becomes d’ith in the past and íosfaidh in the future.

Tabhair – to give: Tabhair means “to give.” Its common past form is thug, a word that appears in many idiomatic phrases in Irish.

Tar – to come: Tar is used for “to come.” Its irregular past tense tháinig is one of the most frequently used forms in everyday Irish.

Téigh – to go: Téigh means “to go.” The past tense chuaigh and the future rachaidh are both irregular and essential for everyday conversation.

Two kids chatting. — Say that somebody said something in Irish requires an irregular verb. | Photo by saeed karimi

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Understanding Irish Verb Tenses (Aimsir)

Irish grammar is built around tenses, which typically show when an action takes place. The briathra neamhrialta have tense forms that tend to look quite different from the root verb that we saw above. Students need to learn them separately. The main tenses you'll need to know are the aimsir chaite (past), aimsir láithreach (present), aimsir fháistineach (future), and the modh coinníollach (conditional).

Aimsir Chaite – The Past Tense

The past tense describes actions that have already happened. With irregular verbs, the forms can be quite surprising. For example, the verb téigh (“to go”) becomes chuaigh mé (“I went”), while déan (“to do/make”) becomes rinne sé (“he did”). The particle an is used for questions in Irish (An ndeachaigh tú? – Did you go?), and níor is used for negatives (Níor rinne sí – She did not do).

Aimsir Láithreach – The Present Tense

The present tense is used for actions happening now or habits that repeat. For instance, bíonn is used for habitual “being” (Bíonn sé ag obair gach lá – He is at work every day), while itheann means “eats.” Learners of Gaeilge quickly notice that the Irish irregular verbs in this tense often have very short forms that don’t resemble the infinitive.

Aimsir Fháistineach – The Future Tense

The future tense talks about what will happen. With the irregular set, you find some of the most dramatic changes. Faigh becomes gheobhaidh (“will get”), and téigh becomes rachaidh ("will go"). These forms are essential in both written and oral work, particularly when conveying plans or predictions.

A planner with checkboxes. — Planning something in the future? Talk about it using the future tense. | Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters

Modh Coinníollach – The Conditional

The conditional describes what would happen in a hypothetical or polite situation. Examples include déarfainn (“I would say”), dhéanfadh sí (“she would do”), and thiocfadh siad (“they would come”). This tense is vital for expressing possibilities, and it shows up frequently in Irish Leaving Cert exam questions and learning resources.

Verbal Nouns to Remember

Verbal nouns are often used in Irish to express continuous actions. For example:
- bheith (being)
- dul (going)
- tabhairt (giving)
- ithe (eating)
Recognising the verbal noun helps with both written and oral Irish.

Bí – to be

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Bhí mé	Tá mé	Beidh mé	Bheinn
tú	You (sing.)	Bhí tú	Tá tú	Beidh tú	Bheifeá
sé/sí	He/She	Bhí sé/sí	Tá sé/sí	Beidh sé/sí	Bheadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Bhíomar	Táimid	Beimíd	Bheimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Bhí sibh	Tá sibh	Beidh sibh	Bheadh sibh
siad	They	Bhí siad	Tá siad	Beidh siad	Bheadh siad

Abair – to say

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Dúirt mé	Deirim	Déarfaidh mé	Déarfainn
tú	You (sing.)	Dúirt tú	Deir tú	Déarfaidh tú	Déarfá
sé/sí	He/She	Dúirt sé/sí	Deir sé/sí	Déarfaidh sé/sí	Déarfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Dúramar	Deirimid	Déarfaimid	Déarfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Dúirt sibh	Deir sibh	Déarfaidh sibh	Déarfaidís
siad	They	Dúirt siad	Deir siad	Déarfaidh siad	Déarfadh siad

Beir – to catch / take

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Rug mé	Beirim	Béarfaidh mé	Bhéarfainn
tú	You (sing.)	Rug tú	Beir tú	Béarfaidh tú	Bhéarfá
sé/sí	He/She	Rug sé/sí	Beir sé/sí	Béarfaidh sé/sí	Bhéarfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Rugamar	Beirimid	Béarfaimid	Bhéarfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Rug sibh	Beir sibh	Béarfaidh sibh	Bhéarfadh sibh
siad	They	Rug siad	Beir siad	Béarfaidh siad	Bhéarfadh siad

Clois – to hear

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Chuala mé	Cloisim	Cloisfidh mé	Chlóisfinn
tú	You (sing.)	Chuala tú	Cloiseann tú	Cloisfidh tú	Chlóisfeá
sé/sí	He/She	Chuala sé/sí	Cloiseann sé/sí	Cloisfidh sé/sí	Chlóisfeadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Chualamar	Cloisimid	Cloisfimid	Chlóisfimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Chuala sibh	Cloiseann sibh	Cloisfidh sibh	Chlóisfeadh sibh
siad	They	Chuala siad	Cloiseann siad	Cloisfidh siad	Chlóisfeadh siad

Déan – to do / make

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Rinne mé	Déanaim	Déanfaidh mé	Dhéanfainn
tú	You (sing.)	Rinne tú	Déanann tú	Déanfaidh tú	Dhéanfá
sé/sí	He/She	Rinne sé/sí	Déanann sé/sí	Déanfaidh sé/sí	Dhéanfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Rinneamar	Déanaimid	Déanfaidh muid	Dhéanfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Rinne sibh	Déanann sibh	Déanfaidh sibh	Dhéanfadh sibh
siad	They	Rinne siad	Déanann siad	Déanfaidh siad	Dhéanfadh siad

Faigh – to get

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Fuair mé	Faighim	Gheobhaidh mé	Gheobhainn
tú	You (sing.)	Fuair tú	Faigheann tú	Gheobhaidh tú	Gheofá
sé/sí	He/She	Fuair sé/sí	Faigheann sé/sí	Gheobhaidh sé/sí	Gheobhadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Fuaireamar	Faighimid	Gheobhaimid	Gheobhfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Fuair sibh	Faigheann sibh	Gheobhaidh sibh	Gheobhadh sibh
siad	They	Fuair siad	Faigheann siad	Gheobhaidh siad	Gheobhadh siad

Feic – to see

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Chonaic mé	Feicim	Feicfidh mé	D'fheicfinn
tú	You (sing.)	Chonaic tú	Feiceann tú	Feicfidh tú	D'fheicfeá
sé/sí	He/She	Chonaic sé/sí	Feiceann sé/sí	Feicfidh sé/sí	D'fheicfeadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Chonamar	Feicimid	Feicfimid	D'fheicfimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Chonaic sibh	Feiceann sibh	Feicfidh sibh	D'fheicfeadh sibh
siad	They	Chonaic siad	Feiceann siad	Feicfidh siad	D'fheicfeadh siad

Ith – to eat

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	D'ith mé	Ithim	Íosfaidh mé	D'íosfainn
tú	You (sing.)	D'ith tú	Itheann tú	Íosfaidh tú	D'íosfá
sé/sí	He/She	D'ith sé/sí	Itheann sé/sí	Íosfaidh sé/sí	D'íosfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	D'itheamar	Ithimid	Íosfaimid	D'íosfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	D'ith sibh	Itheann sibh	Íosfaidh sibh	D'íosfadh sibh
siad	They	D'ith siad	Itheann siad	Íosfaidh siad	D'íosfadh siad

Tabhair – to give

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Thug mé	Tugaim	Tabharfaidh mé	Thabharfainn
tú	You (sing.)	Thug tú	Tugann tú	Tabharfaidh tú	Thabharfá
sé/sí	He/She	Thug sé/sí	Tugann sé/sí	Tabharfaidh sé/sí	Thabharfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Thugamar	Tugaimid	Tabharfaimid	Thabharfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Thug sibh	Tugann sibh	Tabharfaidh sibh	Thabharfadh sibh
siad	They	Thug siad	Tugann siad	Tabharfaidh siad	Thabharfadh siad

Tar – to come

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Tháinig mé	Tagaim	Tiocfaidh mé	Thiocfainn
tú	You (sing.)	Tháinig tú	Tagann tú	Tiocfaidh tú	Thiocfá
sé/sí	He/She	Tháinig sé/sí	Tagann sé/sí	Tiocfaidh sé/sí	Thiocfadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Thángamar	Tagaimid	Tiocfaimid	Thiocfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Tháinig sibh	Tagann sibh	Tiocfaidh sibh	Thiocfadh sibh
siad	They	Tháinig siad	Tagann siad	Tiocfaidh siad	Thiocfadh siad

Téigh – to go

Pronoun	English	Past	Present	Future	Conditional
mé	I	Chuaigh mé	Téim	Rachaidh mé	Rachainn
tú	You (sing.)	Chuaigh tú	Téann tú	Rachaidh tú	Rachfá
sé/sí	He/She	Chuaigh sé/sí	Téann sé/sí	Rachaidh sé/sí	Rachadh sé/sí
sinn	We	Chuamar	Téimid	Rachaimid	Rachfaimis
sibh	You (pl.)	Chuaigh sibh	Téann sibh	Rachaidh sibh	Rachadh sibh
siad	They	Chuaigh siad	Téann siad	Rachaidh siad	Rachadh siad

Common Challenges with Irregular Irish Verbs

Learners tend to find the eleven irregular Irish verbs tricky to master, just like prepositions in Irish. The primary reason is that they fail to follow the rules. You have to memorise their multiple and unexpected forms and conjugations.

Dependent and Independent Forms

Some verbs, such as feic, téigh, and faigh, change depending on whether they are used in a positive statement or in a question/negative statement. For example, chonaic mé means "I saw," but in a question, you use the dependent form: An bhfaca tú? ("Did you see?"). These dependent/independent pairs are a standard stumbling block for students.

Dependent vs Independent Forms

Some verbs change depending on whether they're in a question or a negative sentence. For example:

- Chonaic mé – I saw
- An bhfaca tú? – Did you see?
- Ní fhaca sé – He didn't see

This split into "dependent" and "independent" forms is unique to certain irregular verbs like feic, faigh, and téigh.

Negative and Question Forms: In Irish grammar, different particles are used for questions and negatives. In the aimsir chaite, you’ll see ar for questions (Ar ith tú? – Did you eat?) and níor for negatives (Níor ith sé – He did not eat). In the present and future, the question particle is an (An dtagann sí? – Does she come?) while the negative is ní (Ní thagann sí – She doesn’t come). These little words cause mutations at the beginning of the verb, which means you need to remember spelling changes as well as the tense.

Question and Negative Particles

- Past: Ar…?

for questions (Ar ith tú? – Did you eat?) and Níor… for negatives (Níor ith sé – He didn’t eat).

- Present/Future: An…?

for questions (An dtagann sí? – Does she come?) and Ní… for negatives (Ní thagann sí – She doesn't come).

These particles also cause mutations at the start of the verb.

Differences from Regular Verbs

With regular verbs, once you’ve learned the endings for each tense, you can apply them widely. With irregular verbs, Irish, however, the forms have to be discovered one by one. For instance, fuair (from faigh) and chuaigh (from téigh) are nothing like their root forms. This makes flashcards, drilling, and consistent learning essential if you want to use them correctly in both oral and written tasks.

Flashcards on a desk. — Given how much you have to remember, use whatever technique works best for you. | Photo by Kelsy Gagnebin

Tips for Learning and Memorising Irregular Verbs

Since you have to memorise the briathra neamhrialta, it can be tough. Fortunately, we have some helpful tips and advice to offer. Try some of these out.

Since each verb must be learned across 4 main tenses, you have

44 core forms

to memorise, and that's before variations in questions and negatives!

A red floppy disk. — Memorising the irregular verbs in Irish will take a lot of memory. | Photo by Fredy Jacob

Daily Practice and Drills: Setting aside a little time each week makes a big difference. Write out the past, present, and future forms of each verb every day until they stick. Even ten minutes of learning practice can help you improve your grammar and recall.

Linking Verbs with Vocabulary and Oral Work: It's not enough to memorise a list. Use the verbs in sentences to build your vocabulary. For example, practice dúirt sé (“he said”), fuair sí (“she got”), or thug mé (“I gave”) in short dialogues. Saying them aloud will strengthen your oral confidence and make it easier to remember under exam pressure.

Using Online Resources and Games: Many students now utilise digital tools to study the Irish language. Free online flashcards, verb games, and interactive quizzes are a good way to revise forms like beidh, gheobhaidh, or rachaidh. These resources let you test yourself in a fun way, helping you learn faster and more effectively.

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Joseph P

Joseph is a French and Spanish to English translator, copywriter, and all-round language enthusiast.

Irish Irregular Verbs and How You Can Learn Them

Why Irregular Verbs Matter in Gaeilge

How Many Irregular Irish Verbs Are There?

The 11 Irregular Verbs in Irish

Understanding Irish Verb Tenses (Aimsir)

Aimsir Chaite – The Past Tense

Aimsir Láithreach – The Present Tense

Aimsir Fháistineach – The Future Tense

Modh Coinníollach – The Conditional

Bí – to be

Abair – to say

Beir – to catch / take

Clois – to hear

Déan – to do / make

Faigh – to get

Feic – to see

Ith – to eat

Tabhair – to give

Tar – to come

Téigh – to go

Common Challenges with Irregular Irish Verbs

Dependent and Independent Forms

Differences from Regular Verbs

Tips for Learning and Memorising Irregular Verbs

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Frequently asked questions

🔢 How many Irish irregular verbs are there?

😢 Why are Irish irregular verbs difficult to learn?