HeyRuaHow to say “to consume” in Irish
- Irish:
- tomhail
- English:
- to consume
- Word type:
- verb, second-conjugation
- Verbal noun:
- tomhailt (ag tomhailt, consuming)
- Verbal adjective:
- tomhailte
- Pronunciation:
- “TOE-il” /t̪ˠoːlʲ/
What does “tomhail” mean?
- to consume
- To eat, drink or use up something, often used in formal or economic contexts.Also: eat, use up, partake of.
“Tomhail” in the different tenses
Every form follows An Caighdeán Oifigiúil.
Aimsir Chaite (Past)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Thomhail méI consumed | Níor thomhail méI did not consume | Ar thomhail mé?Did I consume? |
| tú (you) | Thomhail túYou consumed | Níor thomhail túYou did not consume | Ar thomhail tú?Did you consume? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Thomhail sé / síHe consumed | Níor thomhail sé / síHe did not consume | Ar thomhail sé / sí?Did he consume? |
| sinn (we) | ThomhlaíomarWe consumed | Níor thomhlaíomarWe did not consume | Ar thomhlaíomar?Did we consume? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Thomhail sibhYou consumed | Níor thomhail sibhYou did not consume | Ar thomhail sibh?Did you consume? |
| siad (they) | Thomhail siadThey consumed | Níor thomhail siadThey did not consume | Ar thomhail siad?Did they consume? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Tomhlaíodh | Níor tomhlaíodh | Ar tomhlaíodh? |
Aimsir Láithreach (Present)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | TomhlaímI consume | Ní thomhlaímI do not consume | An dtomhlaím?Do I consume? |
| tú (you) | Tomhlaíonn túYou consume | Ní thomhlaíonn túYou do not consume | An dtomhlaíonn tú?Do you consume? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Tomhlaíonn sé / síHe consumes | Ní thomhlaíonn sé / síHe does not consume | An dtomhlaíonn sé / sí?Does he consume? |
| sinn (we) | TomhlaímidWe consume | Ní thomhlaímidWe do not consume | An dtomhlaímid?Do we consume? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Tomhlaíonn sibhYou consume | Ní thomhlaíonn sibhYou do not consume | An dtomhlaíonn sibh?Do you consume? |
| siad (they) | Tomhlaíonn siadThey consume | Ní thomhlaíonn siadThey do not consume | An dtomhlaíonn siad?Do they consume? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Tomhlaítear | Ní thomhlaítear | An dtomhlaítear? |
Aimsir Fháistineach (Future)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Tomhlóidh méI will consume | Ní thomhlóidh méI will not consume | An dtomhlóidh mé?Will I consume? |
| tú (you) | Tomhlóidh túYou will consume | Ní thomhlóidh túYou will not consume | An dtomhlóidh tú?Will you consume? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Tomhlóidh sé / síHe will consume | Ní thomhlóidh sé / síHe will not consume | An dtomhlóidh sé / sí?Will he consume? |
| sinn (we) | TomhlóimidWe will consume | Ní thomhlóimidWe will not consume | An dtomhlóimid?Will we consume? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Tomhlóidh sibhYou will consume | Ní thomhlóidh sibhYou will not consume | An dtomhlóidh sibh?Will you consume? |
| siad (they) | Tomhlóidh siadThey will consume | Ní thomhlóidh siadThey will not consume | An dtomhlóidh siad?Will they consume? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Tomhlófar | Ní thomhlófar | An dtomhlófar? |
Modh Coinníollach (Conditional)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | ThomhlóinnI would consume | Ní thomhlóinnI would not consume | An dtomhlóinn?Would I consume? |
| tú (you) | ThomhlófáYou would consume | Ní thomhlófáYou would not consume | An dtomhlófá?Would you consume? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Thomhlódh sé / síHe would consume | Ní thomhlódh sé / síHe would not consume | An dtomhlódh sé / sí?Would he consume? |
| sinn (we) | ThomhlóimisWe would consume | Ní thomhlóimisWe would not consume | An dtomhlóimis?Would we consume? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Thomhlódh sibhYou would consume | Ní thomhlódh sibhYou would not consume | An dtomhlódh sibh?Would you consume? |
| siad (they) | ThomhlóidísThey would consume | Ní thomhlóidísThey would not consume | An dtomhlóidís?Would they consume? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Thomhlófaí | Ní thomhlófaí | An dtomhlófaí? |
“Tomhail” in a sentence: Irish examples
Past, present, future and conditional, with a negative and a question.
Thomhail siad a lán bia ag an bhféasta.
They consumed a lot of food at the feast.
Tomhlaíonn an tír seo an iomarca fuinnimh.
This country consumes too much energy.
Tomhlóidh na daoine níos mó leictreachais sa gheimhreadh.
People will consume more electricity in winter.
Thomhlódh sé an cáca ar fad dá bhféadfadh sé.
He would consume the whole cake if he could.
Níor thomhail sí alcól riamh.
She never consumed alcohol.
Ar thomhail tú an bainne go léir?
Did you consume all the milk?
Other verbs in Irish
More everyday Irish verbs to learn next.
To consume in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for to consume?
The Irish for to consume is tomhail (pronounced “TOE-il”). It is a second-conjugation verb; the verbal noun is tomhailt.
What is the verbal noun of tomhail?
The verbal noun of tomhail is tomhailt, used after ag for the continuous: ag tomhailt (consuming). The verbal adjective is tomhailte.
How do you say tomhail in the past and the future?
Past: Thomhail mé; negative Níor thomhail mé; question Ar thomhail mé?. Future: Tomhlóidh mé; negative Ní thomhlóidh mé; question An dtomhlóidh mé?.
What is the modh coinníollach of tomhail?
The conditional (modh coinníollach) first person is Thomhlóinn (I would consume); negative Ní thomhlóinn; question An dtomhlóinn?.
Is 'tomhail' the usual word for eating?
No, in everyday speech 'ith' (eat) and 'ól' (drink) are used; 'tomhail' is more formal and common in terms like 'tomhaltóir' (consumer) and 'tomhaltas' (consumption).
Is 'tomhail' the same as 'tomhais'?
No: 'tomhais' means to measure or guess, while 'tomhail' means to consume.
