Saying 'I Have' in Irish with Agam, Agat, Aige and Aici

Irish has no verb meaning "to have". Instead, it says something is at you. The word ag means "at", and it combines with pronouns.

The pattern

Tá + thing + ag + person

• Tá leabhar agam. — I have a book. (literally "A book is at me.")
• Tá carr aige. — He has a car.
• Tá teach aici. — She has a house.

The forms of "ag"

Person	Form	Example
I	agam	Tá madra agam. — I have a dog.
you (sing.)	agat	Tá cat agat. — You have a cat.
he	aige	Tá bád aige. — He has a boat.
she	aici	Tá leabhar aici. — She has a book.
we	againn	Tá teach againn. — We have a house.
you (pl.)	agaibh	Tá carr agaibh. — You have a car.
they	acu	Tá madra acu. — They have a dog.

These are called prepositional pronouns: a preposition and a pronoun joined into one word.

With a noun

If the owner is a noun, use ag on its own:

• Tá carr ag Seán. — Seán has a car.
• Tá peann ag an múinteoir. — The teacher has a pen.

Negative and question

Form	Irish
negative	Níl carr agam. — I don't have a car.
question	An bhfuil carr agat? — Do you have a car?
yes	Tá.
no	Níl.

Numbers

• Tá dhá chat agam. — I have two cats.

Beyond objects

The same pattern is used for languages and skills:

• Tá Gaeilge agam. — I speak Irish (literally "Irish is at me").

Common mistakes

1. Looking for a verb "to have". Use tá ... ag.
2. Mixing up aige (he) and aici (she).
3. Forgetting the mutation after numbers.

Tips

1. Memorise the seven forms as a set.
2. Describe your belongings in Irish.
3. Use the dictionary for other prepositional pronouns.

Look up any word with English Irish Dictionary →