Copulating with the Copula 2

Perhaps one of the most frustrating features of Irish to the beginner is the two different verbs for “to be.”

Most people start out learning tá and get comfortable with it. It’s not too difficult, and behaves pretty much the same as the English verb “be.” Tá mé go maith, tá an lá fuar inniu, tá an bheoir sa chuisneoir, and so forth.

It would be logical, then, that some people might then try to say Tá mé Éireannach or Tá mé mac léinn. Logical, maybe, but not quite correct.

Irish grammar makes a distinction between two different ways of “being”: how something is and what something is.

Tá is used for the how: condition, location, size, color, quality. Tá an cat anseo. Tá ocras air. Tá sé mór. Tá sé dubh.

But if you want to say what something is, or who someone is, what particular specimen of things you’re talking about, you need to use the funky little semi-verb that Irish calls The Copula

The Copula (not to be confused with the director of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather) is actually like a grammatical equals sign. It tells you that the two items it links are equal to each other in one of two principal ways:

1.) Classification

The is also referred to as a definition sentence. If you want to say “what” something or someone is, how to define something, or what class or category of things it belongs to, you use the copula. In these types of sentences, the copula links a pronoun or a noun with an indefinite noun.

Cad é seo? — what is this?
Is leabhar é — It is a book (a book is it’s definition. It belongs to the class of entities called “books.”)

Cén tslí beatha atá ag Dónal? — What does Dónal do for a living (lit. what way of life does he have?)

Is daor tuarascail é — He is a wage slave (Being a wage slave is part of Dónal’s idenity. It contributes to the total picture of who he is, sadly )

Cén sórt madra iad sin? — What kind of dogs are those?
Is pocadáin iad — They are beagles (the belong to the category of beagle, beagle is what they are).
Is iasc é an bradán — the trout is a fish.

An gunna é sin i do phóca, nó an bhuil áthas ort mé a fheiceáil? — Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?

Is oileán í Éire — Ireland is an island.

Is ceann de na háiteanna is áille sa tsaoil í Éire — Ireland is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Is fear é – He is a man
Is bean í – She is woman
Is mac léinn mé – I am a student
Is múiteoir thú – you are a teacher
Is banríon í Méabh – Méabh is a queen
Is pocadáin iad Barney and Jed – Barney and Jed are beagles
Is Éireannach é Pól — Pól is Irish (lit. Pól is an Irishman)
Is Méiriceánach mé — I am (an) American
Is Caitliceach é Tomás — Tom is (a) Catholic
Is Giúdach mé — I am Jewish (a Jew)

A classification or definition sentence is formed as follows:

[the copula] + [what something is] + [the thing or person you’re talking about]

2.) Identification

The other major usage of the copula is in identification sentence. If a classification sentence tells you what a person or thing is, an identification sentence tells you who a person is and what particular thing you’re talking about.

Is é Seán an fear ina shuí ag an mbeair. — John is the man sitting at the bar. (See that one particular man over there? That’s John).

Is í Úna an bhean ag obair ar an ríomhaire — Úna is the woman working on the computer (That specific woman we’re talking about is Úna)

Is mise Dónal — I am Dónal

Is é Peadar cathaoirleach an chomhairle — Peter is the chairman of the council

Sin iad na sagairt a raibh mé ag caint fúthu — Those are the priests I was talking about.

Is é Jameson an t-uisce beatha is fearr liom — Jameson is the whisky I like best.

Haigh! Stadaigí! Sin é mo charrsa! — Oi! Stop! That’s my car!

Is é Eoin riarthóir an fhoraim seo — Eoin is the administrator of this forum

Is í Méabh banríon Chonnachta — Méabh is the Queen of Connaught.

Is iad Barney agus Jed mo mhadraí — Barney and Jed are my dogs

Identification sentences are formed in the following manner:

[the copula] + [pronoun] + [the thing being identified] + [what you are identifying it as]

When you have demonstratives involved–seo or sin–the word order can switch around a little:

Is é sin mo nuachtánsa. Faigh do cheann féin. — This is my newspaper. Get your own.

Sin é mo nuachtánsa… get it?

Is é seo = Seo é
Is í sin = Sín í

Both are acceptable and mean the same thing.