ith
/i(h)/
The Irish verb for "eat" is ith.
This verb refers to the act of eating a meal.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ith can function as an imperative to give a command or instruction to eat. To express the continuous aspect, such as the action of "eating", the verbal noun ithe is used in the phrase ag ithe.
How do you pronounce it?
/i(h)/
Did you know?
- The root of ith shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'feed', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *peyt-.
- While 'eat' is a simple verb in English, the Irish form ith is part of a complex system where the verb changes its shape depending on the person, tense, and even the type of noun that follows it.
Examples in context
- D'ithinn pizza.I used to eat pizza.Tatoeba #5015854 by cailleachnangadhair, translation #2684405 by CK
- Tá siad ag ithe.They eat.Tatoeba #3845210 by kemushi69, translation #3845203 by ddnktr
- Ithim úlla go minic.I often eat apples.Tatoeba #1467586 by GPHemsley, translation #5101597 by TaTu
- Ba mhaith liom ithe.I would like to eat.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Oisín and Saoirse are deciding what to have for dinner.
- OisínAn bhfuil tú taitneamhach an dinnar a ith?Are you keen to eat dinner?
- SaoirseTá mé, ach níl mé ag ith anois.I am, but I am not eating now.
- OisínNuair a bhíonn tú réidh, ithimid.When you are ready, we will eat.
- SaoirseCeart go leor, ithfaimid anois.All right, we will eat now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations and entries ith, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ith, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
