HeyRuaWhere “dóibh” comes from
Take the preposition, add the pronoun, and they fuse into one word. You never say “do siad” in Irish.
Giving, telling and saying go with do: tabhair dom é = give it to me, inis dó = tell him.
“Dóibh” in the table of “do”
Every form of do with a pronoun. Dóibh is the last (they, them) row. Click any form to see its own page.
| Pronoun | Irish | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (me) | dom | to me | Tabhair an leabhar dom, le do thoil.Give me the book, please. |
| tú (you) | duit | to you | Seo bronntanas beag duit.Here is a little present for you. |
| sé (him / it) | dó | to him / it | Thug mé an t-airgead dó inné.I gave him the money yesterday. |
| sí (her / it) | di | to her / it | Inis an scéal di anois.Tell her the story now. |
| sinn (us) | dúinn | to us | Rinne Mam dinnéar deas dúinn.Mam made a nice dinner for us. |
| sibh (you (plural)) | daoibh | to you (plural) | Tá mé buíoch daoibh go léir.I am grateful to you all. |
| siad (them) | dóibh | to them | Cheannaigh sé milseáin dóibh inniu.He bought sweets for them today. |
“Dóibh” in sentences
“siad” with the other prepositions
The same pronoun, siad (them), joined to the other prepositions.
“Dóibh” in Irish: frequently asked questions
What does dóibh mean in Irish?
dóibh means to them: the preposition do (to) joined to the pronoun siad (them). The next form is dom, to me.
Is dóibh one word or two?
One word. A simple preposition and a pronoun always fuse in Irish, so you never say “do siad”. These fused words are prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.
What are all the forms of do with pronouns?
dom (to me), duit (to you), dó (to him / it), di (to her / it), dúinn (to us), daoibh (to you (plural)), dóibh (to them).
When do I use dóibh?
Giving, telling and saying go with do: tabhair dom é = give it to me, inis dó = tell him. For example: Cheannaigh sé milseáin dóibh inniu., He bought sweets for them today.
