Grammar Cheat Sheet
Indefinite Article
There’s no indefinite article (no a)
A door = doras
A book = leabhar
A boy = buachaill
Masculine vs Feminine
Masculine | Feminine |
Words with a,o,u as the last vowel (but not last letter) (bord, milseán, arán) | Words with i,e as the last vowel (but not last letter) (sráid, scoil, treoir) |
Jobs (ends in oir/eoir) (múinteoir, tuismitheoir, polaiteoir) | Words ending in ‘lann’ (leabharlann, bialann, pictiúrlann) |
1 syllable words ending in ‘cht’ (ceacht, sliocht, draíocht) | Words ending in ‘óg/eog’ (fuinneog, babóg, bróg) |
Words ending in a vowel (file, oibrí, pá, siopa, uisce) | 2+ syllable words ending in ‘cht’ (eagraíocht, teachtaireacht) |
Words ending in ‘ín’ (cáilín, sicín) | Languages and Countries *except Béarla* (Spáinnis, Gaeilge, Spáinn,) |
The Definite Article
Use the definite article ‘an’
See if the noun is masculine is masculine or feminine
Apply the rules to the noun
Quick Tip: If a grammar rule applies to one gender, there’s no grammar rule for the opposite gender with the same starting word.
Starts with: | Masculine | Feminine |
Vowel | an t-oileán (t-) | an oíche |
Consonant | an bord | an bhialann (_h) |
S | an scéal | an tsráid (t_) |
D/T/L/R/N | an teach | an tagairt |