An interesting and important note is that the Irish language has two separate ways of articulating the verb ‘to be’ in the present tense.
When referring to something that one is, we use what is known as an chopail/the copula - Is. Examples include the following:
Is múinteoir mé
I am a teacher
Is Éireannach mé
I am an Irish person
When referring to a state of feeling or being the form Tá is mostly used:
Táim tuirseach
I am tired
Táimid ar bís
We are excited
Táimid ag dul chuig an siopa
We are going to the shop
We will be discussing the use of the copula further next week, but the best way to learn the difference between Tá and Is is to try and apply it yourself. The following are the various forms of Tá in the present tense:
Tá mé/Táim
I am
Tá tú
You are
Tá sé
He/It is
Tá sí
She/It is
Táimid
We are
Tá sibh
You (plural) are
Tá siad
They are
Examples:
Tá mé tinn
I am sick
Tá sé fuar
It is cold
In comparison with:
Is bean mé
I am a woman
Is dochtúir mé
I am a doctor
It is essential to note that one can never say ‘Táim bean’ or ‘tá tú bean’, etc. The copula is always used when stating genders and professions.
What is the difference?
The simplest way to understand the distinction is to think of Tá as being used when referring to a state of feeling/being and Is as being used when you wish to state that one thing or person is equal to another. In the examples above, ‘I am sick, ‘It is cold’ indicate states of feeling/being, while ‘I am a woman’, ‘I am a doctor’, demonstrates that one thing/person is another.
This is the general approach to the verb ‘to be’ and will become more complex as you learn how to create longer sentences. At an introductory level it is enough to note there is a difference and to consider where it occurs commonly in basic speech.
Please find below a downloadable PDF that provides further explanation on the differences between Tá and Is.
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