Bí (to be)
An aimsir láithreach
| Number/person | Positive | Negative | After the particles an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | táim / tá mé | nílim / níl mé | - bhfuilim / - bhfuil mé |
| 2nd pers singular | tá tú | níl tú | - bhfuil tú |
| 3rd pers singular | tá sé/sí | níl sé/sí | - bhfuil sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | táimid | nílimid | - bhfuilimid |
| 2nd pers plural | tá sibh | níl sibh | - bhfuil sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | tá siad | níl siad | - bhfuil siad |
| Autonomous | táthar | níltear | - bhfuiltear |
An aimsir ghnáthláithreach
The verb bí is the only verb in Irish with a distinct habitual present tense.
| Number/person | Positive | After the negative particle ní | After the particles an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | bím | - bhím | - mbím |
| 2nd pers singular | bíonn tú | - bhíonn tú | - mbíonn tú |
| 3rd pers singular | bíonn sé/sí | - bhíonn sé/sí | - mbíonn sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | bímid | - bhímid | - mbímid |
| 2nd pers plural | bíonn sibh | - bhíonn sibh | - mbíonn sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | bíonn siad | - bhíonn siad | - mbíonn siad |
| Autonomous | bítear | - bhítear | - mbítear |
An aimsir chaite
| Number/person | Positive | After the particles ní/an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | bhí mé | - raibh mé |
| 2nd pers singular | bhí tú | - raibh tú |
| 3rd pers singular | bhí sé/sí | - raibh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | bhíomar | - rabhamar |
| 2nd pers plural | bhí sibh | - raibh sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | bhí siad | - raibh siad |
| Autonomous | bhíothas | - rabhthas |
An aimsir fháistineach
| Number/person | Positive | After the negative particle ní | After the particles an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | beidh mé | - bheidh mé | - mbeidh mé |
| 2nd pers singular | beidh tú | - bheidh tú | - mbeidh tú |
| 3rd pers singular | beidh sé/sí | - bheidh sé/sí | - mbeidh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | beimid | - bheimid | - mbeimid |
| 2nd pers plural | beidh sibh | - bheidh sibh | - mbeidh sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | beidh siad | - bheidh siad | - mbeidh siad |
| Autonomous | beifear | - bheifear | - mbeifear |
An modh coinníollach
| Number/person | Positive | After the negative particle ní | After the particles an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | bheinn | - bheinn | - mbeinn |
| 2nd pers singular | bheifeá | - bheifeá | - mbeifeá |
| 3rd pers singular | bheadh sé/sí | - bheadh sé/sí | - mbeadh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | bheimis | - bheimis | - mbeimis |
| 2nd pers plural | bheadh sibh | - bheadh sibh | - mbeadh sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | beidís | - bheidís | - mbeidís |
| Autonomous | bheifí | - bheifí | - mbeifí |
An aimsir ghnáthchaite
| Number/person | Positive | After the negative particle ní | After the particles an/go/nach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | bhínn | - bhínn | - mbínn |
| 2nd pers singular | bhíteá | - bhíteá | - mbíteá |
| 3rd pers singular | bhíodh sé/sí | - bhíodh sé/sí | - mbíodh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | bhímis | - bhímis | - mbímis |
| 2nd pers plural | bhíodh sibh | - bhíodh sibh | - mbíodh sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | bhídís | - bhídís | - mbídís |
| Autonomous | bhítí | - bhítí | - mbítí |
An modh ordaitheach
| Number/person | Verb form |
|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | bím |
| 2nd pers singular | bí |
| 3rd pers singular | bíodh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | bímis |
| 2nd pers plural | bígí |
| 3rd pers plural | bídís |
| Autonomous | bítear |
An modh foshuiteach láithreach
| Number/person | Verb form |
|---|---|
| 1st pers singular | - raibh mé |
| 2nd pers singular | - raibh tú |
| 3rd pers singular | - raibh sé/sí |
| 1st pers plural | - rabhaimid |
| 2nd pers plural | - raibh sibh |
| 3rd pers plural | - raibh siad |
| Autonomous | - rabhthar |
An t-ainm briathartha
bheith
Usage
Expressing "to have"
Using bí with the preposition ag allows us to express the verb to have.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá carr agam | I have a car |
| Níl cat agat | You don't have a cat |
| An bhfuil pingin aige? | Does he have a penguin? |
| An raibh peann aici? | Does she have a pen? |
| Bhí sos fada againn | We had a long break |
| Ní raibh saoire agaibh | Ye didn't have a holiday |
| Beidh beagán airgid acu | They will have a little money |
| Beidh an leabhar ag Seán | Seán will have the book |
Expressing "to know"
Using bí with the phrase a fhios (knowledge) + ag allows us to express the verb to know.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá a fhios agat sin | You know that |
| Ní raibh a fhios agam faoi | I don't know about it |
Relating one noun/pronoun to another
Using bí with the preposition i with a possessive adjective allows us to relate one noun or pronoun to another, i.e. to say <noun1> is a <noun2>.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá mé i mo mhúinteoir | I am a teacher |
| Níl tú i do gharda | You are not a garda |
| Bhí Seán ina chladhaire | Seán was a coward |
| Bhí Máire ina dochtúir | Máire was a doctor |
| Tá siad ina gcleasaithe | They are tricksters |
Expressing progressive/continuous actions
Using bí with the progressive tense (ag + verbal noun) to express continuous actions
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá sé ag obair | He is working |
| Bhí sé ag ithe | He was eating |
Describing position
Using bí with various prepositions allows us to describe the subject's position or location.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Bhí sé ar an mbord | It was on the table |
| Níl sé faoin leaba | It is not under the bed |
| Beidh siad san abhainn | They will be in the river |
Expressing "as...<adjective>...as"
Using bí with the word chomh + an adjective in order to express a comparison, i.e. to say "as <adjective> as"
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá sé chomh mór le cnoc | He is as big as a hill |
| Tá sé chomh ramhar le muc | He is as fat as a pig |
Expressing "the <adjective>-est <noun>"
Using bí with ar + noun + the comparitive adjective to express "the <adjective>-est <noun>" or "one of the <adjective>-est <noun>s"
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá sé ar an duine is cliste sa rang | He is the cleverest person in the class |
| Bhí sé ar an bpáiste ba shalaí ansin | He was the dirtiest child there |
| Tá sé ar (dhuine de) na daoine is fearr sa rang | He is one of the best people in the class |
| Níl sí ar (bhean de) na mná is áille | She is not one of the most beautiful women |
Using adverbs as adjectives
Using bí with go and an adverb makes it an adjective
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Tá sé go breá inniu | It is fine today |
| Bhí sé go maith inné | He was well yesterday |
| Tá an aimsir go dona | The weather is bad |
Modal verbs
Using bí with a prepositional pronoun (e.g. orm, faoi, agat, dúinn) followed by a verbal noun to express modal verbs like _I must, You have to, He intends to, _etc.
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Bhí orthu imeacht. | They had to go. |
| Tá agam le jab a dhéanamh. | I have a job to do. |
| Bhí faoi fanacht ann. | He intended to stay there. |
Expressing "there is/there are"
Using bí with the adverb ann to express "there is/there are".
| Samplaí Gaeilge | Aistriúcháin Béarla |
|---|---|
| Bhí fear ann fadó | There was once a man |
| Tá aimsir bhreá ann | The weather is great (There is great weather) |