An chopail (The copula)
There are two main tenses to the copula in Irish, to whit: an aimsir chaite/modh coinníollach and an aimsir láithreach agus fháistineach. The aimsir foshuiteach láithreach is rarely used in the case of the copula.
An aimsir láithreach (/ fháistineach)
| Form | Positive | Negative | Interrogative | Neg. Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | is | ní | an | nach |
| Dependent | gur(*b) | nach | - | - |
| Direct relative | is | nach | - | - |
| Indirect relative | ar(*b) | nach | - | - |
NOTE *: it is usual to append a b to forms that come before a vowel.
NOTE: unlike other verbs, the various verbal particles (such as the negative or interrogative ones) are not used with the copula. Instead, these particles bind with the forms of the copula themselves.
NOTE: when using the negative form ní, a h is prepended to the pronouns é, í, iad, ea, and before adjectives and some nouns that begin with a vowel.
Forms of the copula with conjunctions
| Conjunction | Copula form | Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|---|---|
| cá | cár(*b) | Cárb as é? | Where is he from? |
| do | dar(*b) | Fear darb ainm Sean. | A man called Sean |
| má | más | Más fíor é | If it is true |
| mura | mura(*b) | Mura miste leat é | If you don't mind |
| ó | ós | Ós é a rinne é | Since he did it |
NOTE *: it is usual to append a b to forms that come before a vowel.
Tá a fhios agam gurb é Sean a dhéanann an obair.
I know that it is Sean who does the work.
An aimsir chaite (/ modh coinníollach)
| Form | Positive | Negative | Interrogative | Neg. Interrogative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | ba / b' | níor(bh) | ar(bh) | nár(bh) |
| Dependent | gur(bh) | nár(bh) | - | - |
| Direct relative | ba / ab | nár(bh) | - | - |
| Indirect relative | ar(bh) | nár(bh) | - | - |
Forms of the copula with conjunctions
| Conjunction | Copula form | Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|---|---|
| cá | cár(bh) | Cárbh as é? | Where was he from? |
| cé | cér(bh) | Cérbh í? | Who was she? |
| dá | dá mba | Dá mba liom é | If it were mine |
| do | dar(bh) | Fear darbh ainm Sean. | A man called Sean |
| má | má ba | Má b'fhíor sin | If that was true |
| mura | murar(bh) | Murar bhréag é | If it wasn't a lie |
| ó | ó ba | Ó b'fhearr leat é | Since you preferred it |
NOTE_: _The forms ending in bh are used before words starting in vowels or in fh + vowel.
NOTE: The positive independent form changes from ba to b' before words beginning in a vowel (EXCEPT é, í, iad, ea) or fh + vowel; m.sh. B'ait liom é sin -> I thought that strange; B'fhearr liom imeacht -> I would prefer to leave
NOTE: The positive direct relative form changes from ba to ab before words beginning with a vowel or fh + vowel; m.sh. An bhean ab áille -> The most beautiful woman; An lá ab fhearr -> The best day
NOTE: In the modh coinníollach and aimsir chaite, a séimhiú should be put onto the following word; m.sh. Ba/níor/ar bhreá an duine é? -> He was/wasn't/was he a great person(?)
Usage
The copula is often used to express that a noun/pronoun is another noun/pronoun, i.e. it relates two nouns together.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Is buachaill (maith) é | He is a (good) boy |
| Ní daoine bochta iad. | They are not poor people. |
| An amadan é? | Is he a fool? |
| Creidim gur cleasaí é. | I believe he is a trickster. |
| Is feirmeoirí iad na fir sin. | Those men are farmers. |
| Dá mba mise thusa | If I were you... |
| Is Éireannach é | He is an Irishman. |
The copula expresses ownership or possession when used with the preposition le
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| An leat an leabhar? | Do you own the book? |
| Ní liom an t-airgead. | The money is not mine. |
| Nach le Máire é? | Isn't it Mary's? |
The copula is used to put emphasis on a part of a sentence. In such cases, the predicate that is to be emphasised goes at the start of the sentence, directly after the form of the copula.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Is é Seán a chuaigh amach. | It was Seán that went out. / Seán went out. |
| An abhaile a chuaigh sé? | Did he go home? / Was it home he went? |
| Nach tú a rinne é? | Didn't you do it? / Wasn't it you that did it? |
| Nach tinn atá sí? | Isn't she sick? |
| Ní leatsa an t-airgead. | The money isn't yours. |
| Ba bhreá an fear é. | He was a fine man. |
The copula is used in comparative and superlative sentences.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Is fearr Seán ná Séamas | Seán is better than Séamas |
| Is í Máire is óige | Máire is the youngest. |
| Ba iad ab fhearr. | They were the best. |
The copula is used with a ranger of nouns and adjectives with le to express different meanings:
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Is cuimhin liom | I remember |
| Is maith liom | I like |
| Is cuma liom | I don't care |
| Is mian liom | I wish |
| Is dóigh liom | I think |
| Is oth liom | I regret |
| Is fuath liom | I hate |
When cé is used without a verb, the copula is implicit when an accusative pronoun, an article or the words seo, sin, siúd come after it.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Cé (hé) sin? | Who is that? |
| Cén bhean (í) seo? | Who is this woman? |
| Cé hiad na daoine sin? | Who are those people? |
When cad is used without a verb, the copula is implicit when é comes directly after it.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Cad é sin? | What is that? |
| Cad é an t-am é? | What time is it? |
| Cad é an mhaith é? | What good is it? |