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Numbers in Irish (na huimhreacha)

Irish has three ways to count, depending on what you are counting, plus the words for first, second, third. Each one has its own page below; the pattern is always the same: the number, the thing, one small change.

COUNTING 1 TO 100
a haon, a dó, a trí
How to count in Irish
Out loud, and with things: dhá chat, seacht gcat, fiche cat.
Open
COUNTING PEOPLE
beirt, triúr, ceathrar
How to count people in Irish
The numbers Irish keeps just for people, from two to twelve.
Open
FIRST, SECOND, THIRD
an chéad, an dara, an tríú
First, second, third in Irish
The order words, and what each one does to the next word.
Open

The same number, four ways

a trí
three, counting out loud
bus a trí, the number 3 bus
trí chat
three cats
the thing stays singular
triúr
three people
triúr fear, three men
an tríú
the third
an tríú huair, the third time

Irish numbers: the questions people ask

How do you count to ten in Irish?

a haon, a dó, a trí, a ceathair, a cúig, a sé, a seacht, a hocht, a naoi, a deich. That is the list for counting out loud, the time and phone numbers. Full tables to 100 on the counting page.

Why does Irish have three kinds of numbers?

Because it treats counting out loud (a trí), counting things (trí chat) and counting people (triúr) as different jobs. The thing you count decides which set you use; each set follows one simple pattern.

What is the difference between dó and dhá?

a dó is two on its own (bus a dó, a dó dhéag). dhá is two before a thing, with a séimhiú: dhá chat, dhá bhliain. In the same way a ceathair becomes ceithre before a thing: ceithre chat.

How do you say first, second and third in Irish?

an chéad, an dara, an tríú. an chéad adds a séimhiú to the next word (an chéad bhliain); the others put an h before a vowel (an dara háit, an tríú huair).