Irish nouns
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Nouns
In Modern Irish, nouns change forms according to case, gender and number.
Basics
Number
Irish nouns have two numbers, singular and plural.
Gender
Irish nouns have two genders, masculine and feminine (though a neuter existed in Old Irish).
In general, words ending in a broad consonant are masculine, while words ending in a slender consonant are feminine. There are many exceptions, and specific rules.
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Case
The number of cases varies from dialect to dialect. The standard language has at least three cases: common (i.e. nominative and accusative), genitive, and vocative. Some dialects, especially the Munster dialects, maintain a fourth case, the dative.
Articles
Irish features only one article, the definite. Nouns standing by themselves have an inherent indefinite article.
bád a boat, m.sg
bróg a shoe, f.sg
The form of definite article depends on the case, number and gender of the noun. The form "an" is used for the common singular for both genders, and the masculine genitive singular. The form "na" is used for the plural for both genders and all cases, and the feminine genitive singular.
The definite article has one quirk: the form used also determines the form of the noun, namely the initial sound a noun has. The process of lenition and eclipsis, described in the orthography section, is active here. The process for nouns is described in detail below.
Declensions
Together, the case/gender/number distinctions combine to form five declensions (noun groups) in Irish. The two important markers of a declension are its genitive singular, and its common plural.
First Declension
The first declension is made up of masculine nouns.
These nouns form their genitive singular by slenderizing the final consonant:
C bád "boat" /ba:d/
G báid /ba:d'/
The common plural is the same as the genitive singular and
the genitive plural is the same as the common singular:
C.sg bád "boat" /ba:d/
C.pl báid "boats" /ba:d'/
G.sg báid "of a boat" /ba:d'/
G.pl bád "of boats" /ba:d/
The definite articles, when used with masculine nouns act thus:
The common singular "an" causes no change:
indef.sg bád "boat" /ba:d/
def.sg an bád "the boat" /@m ba:d/
The common plural "na" also causes no change:
indef.pl báid "boats" /ba:d'/
def.pl na báid "the boats" /n@ ba:d'/
The genitive singular "an" causes the first consonant to lenite:
indef.sg báid "of a boat" /ba:d'/
def.sg an bháid "of the boat" /@ wa:d'/
The genitive plural "na" causes the first consonant to eclipse:
indef.pl bád "of boats" /ba:d/
def.pl na mbád "of the boats" /n@ ma:d/
The dative singular take "an" in the definite, which causes eclipsis.
indef.sg bád "(to) a boat" /ba:d/
def.sg an mbád "(to) the boat" /@ ma:d/
The standard dative plural is the same as the common plural.
indef.pl báid "(to) boats" /ba:d'/
def.pl na báid "(to) the boats" /n@ ba:d'/
The vocative is formed in the singular with a special article "a", followed by a lenited genitive form;
the plural is a lenited form, but with affix -a:
sg a bháid! "O, boat!" /@ wa:d'/
pl a bháda! "O, boats!" /@ wa:d@/
Tables
Second Declension
The second declension is made up of feminine nouns.
These nouns form their genitive singular by slenderizing the final consonant before adding "-e":
C bróg "shoe" /bro:g/
G bróige /bro:g'@/
The common plural adds an affix, usually "-a":
C.sg bróg "shoe" /bro:g/
C.pl bróga "shoes" /bro:ga/
The genitive plural for this declension is identical to the common singular:
G.sg bróige "of (a) shoe" /bro:g'@/
G.pl bróg "of shoes" /bro:g/
The definite articles, when used with masculine nouns act thus:
The common singular "an" causes lenition:
indef.sg bróg "shoe" /bro:g/
def.sg an bhróg "the shoe" /@ vro:g/
The common plural "na" causes no change:
indef.pl bróga "shoes" /bro:g@/
def.pl na bróga "the shoes" /n@ bro:g@/
The genitive singular "na" causes no change:
indef.sg bróige "of a shoe" /bro:g'@/
def.sg na bróige "of the shoe" /n@ bro:g'@/
The genitive plural "na" causes the first consonant to eclipse:
indef.pl bróg "of shoes" /bro:g/
def.pl na mbróg "of the shoes" /n@ mro:g/
The dative singular take "an" in the definite, which causes eclipsis.
The standard dative plural is the same as the common plural.
indef.sg bróg "(to) a shoe" /bro:g/
def.sg an mbróg "(to) the shoe" /@ mro:g/
indef.pl bróga "(to) shoes" /bro:g@/
def.pl na bróga "(to) the shoes" /n@ bro:g@/
The vocative is formed in the singular with a special article "a",
followed by a lenited common singular; the plural is a lenited form of the common plural:
sg a bhróg! "O, shoe!" /@ vro:g/
pl a bhróga! "O, shoes!" /@ wro:g@/
