• Many languages regularly use a verb infinitive, e.g. ‘to clean’, ‘to break’ or ‘to finish’. Instead of a verb infinitive, Irish uses a form called An tAinm Briathartha (the verbal noun) with the word a, e.g. a ghlanadh, a bhriseadh or a chríochnú. The word following a takes a séimhiú (h), where possible.
• We can also use An tAinm Briathartha to form the ‘-ing’ form of a verb, e.g. ag glanadh, ag briseadh or ag críochnú. You have been learning this form for the last ten years without even knowing what it is called!
• There are quite a few ways of forming An tAinm Briathartha. The most common way is shown below.
An chéad réimniú + adh An dara réimniú
+ eadh + ú
+ iú
glan bris
críochnaigh aistrigh
glanadh briseadh críochnú aistriú
• This table highlights many of the different ways we can form An tAinm Briathartha with na briathra rialta.
Briathar 1 can 2 múin
3 brostaigh 4 bailigh 5 caith 6 imir
7 oscail Verb sing
teach hurry
collect spend play
open
8 ceannaigh buy 9 coinnigh 10 foghlaim
rá
keep learn
Ainm briathartha le ‘a’
a chanadh
a mhúineadh a bhrostú a bhailiú
a chaitheamh a imirt
a oscailt
a cheannach a choinneáil a fhoghlaim
breith bheith
clois cloisteáil
déan faigh feic ith
Verb
infinitive to sing
to teach to hurry
to collect to spend to play to open to buy
to keep to learn
déanamh fáil
feiceáil ithe
Ainm briathartha le ‘ag’
ag canadh
ag múineadh ag brostú ag bailiú
ag caitheamh ag imirt
ag oscailt
ag ceannach ag coinneáil ag foghlaim
tabhair tar
téigh Verbal noun singing
teaching hurrying collecting spending playing opening buying
keeping learning
• This table highlights the ways we form An tAinm Briathartha with na briathra neamhrialta: abair beir bí
