The Daltaí Boards: Guide to the Copula

This is based on Standard/Connaught Irish. It doesn't go into the past/conditional, but does get you started on the copula.

1. Pronoun as subject; definite predicate.

a) 1st or 2nd psn pronoun

[Is mé Máirtín]
(Is) mise Máirtín
(Is) mé féin Máirtín

Contrastive or emphatic forms tend to be used. With contrastive and emphatic forms the copula can be omitted, as indicated by the parentheses in the examples above.

b) 3rd psn pronoun

Disjunctive forms must be used: é, í, iad and their contrastive, emphatic and demonstrative equivalents.

The use of contrast, emphatic and demonstrative forms is as in a), and the copula may be omitted:

(Is) ise an múinteoir
(Is) eisean an múinteoir
(Is) iad na daoine.

(Is) í féin an múinteoir
(Is) é féin an múinteoir
(Is) iad féin na daoine.

(Is) í sin mo bhean.
(Is) é seo mo fhear.
(Is) iad súd na daoine.

With the basic non-contrastive pronouns, they must be repeated afterwards, and copula cannot be omitted:

Is é an fear é
Is í an múinteoir í
Is iad na dochtúirí iad

2. Definite noun subject; definite predicate.

The definite noun cannot immediately follow the copula; the pronoun must intervene:

Is é an fear san an sagart.
Is í Cáit mo bhean.
Is iad Brid agus Máirtín na dochtúirí.

3. Pronoun subject; indefinite predicate

Is dochtúir mé.

This differs from the situation with a definite predicate in that the predicate is placed between the copula and the pronoun.

A form more common in Munster is as follows:

Dochtúir is ea mé.

This form is emphatic in the rest of the country but has come to be the normal form in Munster. It can only exist in the affirmative. (Ea is an old neuter pronoun.)

4. Definite noun subject; indefinite predicate.

Is múinteoir í sin.

Once again the predicate is placed after the copula, and the definite subject is preceded by the pronoun.

As above, the form preferred in Munster is:

Múinteoir is ea í sin.

5. Responses to questions with indefinite noun predicates.

Use the old neuter pronoun ea to answer questions of definition; use é/í to answer questions of identity.

An Polannach tú? Is ea/ní hea/an ea?/nach ea?
An é sin t’athair? Is é/ní hé.

6. Copula with adjectives.

The question of when to use an adjective with the copula does not concern us here; we are only dealing with the syntax.

a) pronoun subject-adjectival predicate

Is ionann iad.
Nach maith é!
Is deas é.

b) definite noun subject-adjectival predicate

Pronoun intervenes.

Is deas í do leine.

c) indefinite subject-adjectival predicate

i) normal word order

Is duine deas é.

Duine deas is ea é.

ii) emphatic word order

Is deas an duine é.
Is maith an rud é.
(Note the predicate still has indefinite meaning, although the article is used.)

7. Demonstrative pronouns

a) Indefinite predicate

Seo bord.
Sin bord.
Siúd boird.

b) Definite predicate
If the predicate is definite, the demonstrative pronoun must be followed by é, í or iad.

Seo í Cáit.
Sin é an bord.
Siúd iad na daoine eile.

c) Negative
The forms ’eo, ’in, ’iúd. Ní h-prefixes.

Ní heo é an bord.
Ní heo bord.

d) Interrogative

Ab ’eo é an bord?
Nach ’eo é an bord?
Ab ’eo bord?
Nach ’eo bord?

e) Indirect speech

Deir sé gurb ’eo é an bord.
Deir sé nach ’eo é an bord.
Deir sé gurb ’eo bord.
Deir sé nach ’eo bord.

f) If clauses

Más ’eo é an bord.
Marab ’eo é an bord.
Más ’eo bord.
Marab ’eo bord.

8. Other points

In phrases like sin é mo thuarim, where a feminine pronoun might have been expected, the “é” can be interpreted as referring back to the original thought, “this is my opinion”.

Note idiomatic use of copula with “as” to mean “be from”: is as Gaillimh í, she is from Galway.