The Present Tense in Irish: Ithim, Ólaim, Léim and Scríobhaim

Irish verbs change their endings to show who does the action. The present tense is a good place to start.

Verbs you'll use every day

English	Irish (verb)
eat	ith
drink	ól
read	léigh
write	scríobh
listen	éist
put	cuir
hit / meet	buail

Endings

For most verbs, you add an ending to the stem:

Person	Ending	ól (drink)	ith (eat)
I	-aim / -im	ólaim	ithim
you	-ann / -eann tú	ólann tú	itheann tú
he	-ann / -eann sé	ólann sé	itheann sé
she	-ann / -eann sí	ólann sí	itheann sí
we	-aimid / -imid	ólaimid	ithimid
you (pl.)	-ann / -eann sibh	ólann sibh	itheann sibh
they	-ann / -eann siad	ólann siad	itheann siad

The spelling changes (-aim vs -im) follow the broad/slender rule.

Examples

• Ólaim tae gach lá. — I drink tea every day.
• Léim leabhar gach oíche. — I read a book every night.
• Scríobhaimid litreacha. — We write letters.

Negative and question

Form	Example
negative	Ní ólaim caife. — I don't drink coffee.
question	An ólann tú tae? — Do you drink tea?

The progressive with "ag"

To say what is happening right now, Irish uses tá + ag + verbal noun:

• Tá mé ag ól tae. — I am drinking tea.
• Tá sí ag léamh. — She is reading.
• Tá siad ag ithe. — They are eating.

The habitual "bí"

For habits with the verb "to be", Irish has a separate habitual form:

• Bím tuirseach gach tráthnóna. — I'm usually tired in the evening.
• Bíonn sé fuar sa gheimhreadh. — It's usually cold in winter.

Common mistakes

1. Using the present form for "right now". Use tá ... ag.
2. Forgetting the pronoun with -ann: ólann tú.
3. Missing the broad/slender spelling.

Tips

1. Learn one verb fully, then apply the pattern.
2. Practise with daily habits.
3. Use the dictionary for verbal nouns and verb forms.

Look up any word with English Irish Dictionary →