Present tense
The present tense describes an event which is currently taking place or a state that currently exists.
Getting started
How to put a verb into the present tense
To put a verb into the present tense, an understanding of the different types of verbs in Irish is needed.
Long, short and syncopated verbs
Have a look at the rules below on long, short and syncopated verbs in Irish, then move to the next page where the present tense is explained.
- a short verb has one syllable - for example cuir, glan, bris
- a long verb has more than one syllable (ends with –igh / –aigh), for example éirigh, ceannaigh
- a syncopated verb has more than one syllable (does not end with –igh / –aigh), for example muscail, imir, freastail, oscail
oscail
If you say the verb out loud it will help you decide how many syllables it has.
Here is a short version of the rules.
- short - one syllable
- long - more than one syllable
- syncopated - more than one syllable, not ending with –igh / –aigh
Can you decide if the following verbs are short, long or syncopated?
- Question
bain
short
- Question
éirigh
long
- Question
imir
syncopated
- Question
tosaigh
long
- Question
tit
short
- Question
múscail
syncopated
- Question
ceannaigh
long
- Question
imigh
long
- Question
cuir
short
- Question
bailigh
long