Tá
everyday, verb echo
Irish has no single word for "yes". Speakers repeat the verb of the question. The usual answer is Tá, "is", for questions that begin with an bhfuil. For questions about what something is, the answer is Is ea. It is also called Bhí.
Meaning: affirmative answer (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Irish | Note |
|---|---|
| Tá | everyday, verb echo |
| Is ea | identity questions |
| Bhí | past |
Asked An bhfuil ocras ort?, "Are you hungry?", you say Tá. You can add the rest, as in Tá ocras orm, "I am hungry".
How does it change in a sentence?
A question in the past gets the past verb back. An raibh tú ann?, "Were you there?", is answered Bhí, and a question with ar ith tú?, "did you eat?", is answered D'ith.
Did you know?
- Is ea is literally "it is it", built from the verb is and the pronoun ea.
Examples in context
- An bhfuil ocras ort? Tá.Are you hungry? Yes.
- An múinteoir é? Is ea.Is he a teacher? Yes.
- An bhfuil Gaeilge agat? Tá, beagáinín.Do you speak Irish? Yes, a little.
Example conversation
Siobhán asks her brother Pádraig about his day in their kitchen in Galway.
- SiobhánAn bhfuil tú tuirseach?Are you tired?
- PádraigTá, tá mé tuirseach.Yes, I am tired.
- SiobhánAn raibh tú ag an obair?Were you at work?
- PádraigBhí.Yes.
