Na Briathra Rialta (Regular Verbs)
- There are two verb conjugation types in Irish, unimaginatively called the first and second conjugations.
First conjugation
In the first conjugation, we have the following groups of verbs:
- Verbs with a monosyllabic root, m.sh. mol (to praise), bris (to break), cuir (to put)
- Verbs with a polysyllabic root that ends in -áil, and some others, m.sh. sabháil (to save), reáchtáil (to run)
- Other verbs with polysyllabic roots not mentioned under 2 above, m.sh. tionóil (to collect), amhlaic (to bury)
Second conjugation
In the second conjugation, we have the following groups of verbs:
- Verbs with polysyllabic roots ending in -(a)igh, m.sh. ceannaigh (to buy), cruinnigh (to gather)
- Verbs with polysyllabic roots ending in -(a)il, -(a)in, -(a)ir, -(a)is that syncopate when conjugated, m.sh. imir (to play), inis (to tell), ceangail (to tie/bind)
- Other verbs with polysyllabic roots that don't syncopate when conjugated, m.sh. freastail (to serve), tarraing (to pull)
The actual conjugations
In all of the following examples, four verbs from each conjugation are shown, that match up to points 1 and 2, and end in a broad and a slender consonant. The broadness/slenderness of the final consonant dictates the ending of the verb conjugation in question.
The verbs that will be used for the first conjugation examples are: mol, cuir, reáchtáil, tiomáin.
The verbs that will be used for the second conjugation examples are: ceannaigh, cruinnigh, labhair, imir.
Unusual or unexpected conjugations are highlighted in bold. Synthetic forms are highlighted in italics.