Irish Grammar - Syntax

Syntax

Word order in Irish is of the form VSO (verb–subject–object) so that, for example, "He hit me" is Bhuail sé mé .

One distinctive aspect of Irish syntax is the use of the copula (known in Irish as an chopail). The copula is used to describe the permanent identity or characteristic of a person or thing (e.g. "who" or "what"), as opposed to temporary aspects such as "how", "where", "why" and so on. This has been likened to the difference between the verbs ser and estar in Spanish and Portuguese (see Romance copula), although this is not an exact match.

Examples are:

• Is fear é. "He is a man." (Spanish Es un hombre, Portuguese É um homem)
• Is fuar é. "He is a cold(hearted) person." (Spanish Es frío, Portuguese É frio)
• Tá sé/Tomás fuar. "He/Thomas is cold" (= feels cold). (Spanish Tiene frío – in this case Spanish uses 'tener' (to have) instead of 'estar' (to be), Portuguese Está com frio)
• Tá sé/Tomás ina chodladh. "He/Thomas is asleep." (Spanish Él está durmiendo, Portuguese Ele está dormindo)
• Is maith é. "He is good (a good person)." (Spanish Es bueno, Portuguese É bom)
• Tá sé go maith. "He is well." (Spanish Él está bien, Portuguese Ele está bem)