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“Roimhe” in Irish (before him / it): Meaning and Where It Comes From

Roimhe means before him / it. It is the preposition roimh (before) and the pronoun sé (him / it) joined into one word. Irish does this with every simple preposition; the joined words are called prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.
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Where “roimhe” comes from

Take the preposition, add the pronoun, and they fuse into one word. You never say “roimh sé” in Irish.

roimhbefore +
séhim / it
=
roimhebefore him / it

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him.

“Roimhe” in the table of “roimh”

Every form of roimh with a pronoun. Roimhe is the third (he, him, it) row. Click any form to see its own page.

PronounIrishMeaningExample
mé (me)romhambefore meBhí sé ag fanacht romham ag an stáisiún.He was waiting for me at the station.
tú (you)romhatbefore youFáilte romhat go hÉirinn, a chara.Welcome to Ireland, my friend.
sé (him / it)roimhebefore him / itTá eagla orm roimhe.I am afraid of him.
sí (her / it)roimpibefore her / itTá eagla ar na páistí roimpi.The children are afraid of her.
sinn (us)romhainnbefore usBhí an múinteoir romhainn sa seomra ranga.The teacher was in the classroom before us.
sibh (you (plural))romhaibhbefore you (plural)Fáilte romhaibh go léir anocht.Welcome to you all tonight.
siad (them)rompubefore themNíl eagla ar bith orm rompu.I am not afraid of them at all.

“Roimhe” in sentences

Tá eagla orm roimhe.
I am afraid of him.

“sé” with the other prepositions

The same pronoun, sé (him / it), joined to the other prepositions.

“Roimhe” in Irish: frequently asked questions

What does roimhe mean in Irish?

roimhe means before him / it: the preposition roimh (before) joined to the pronoun sé (him / it). The next form is roimpi, before her / it.

Is roimhe one word or two?

One word. A simple preposition and a pronoun always fuse in Irish, so you never say “roimh sé”. These fused words are prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.

What are all the forms of roimh with pronouns?

romham (before me), romhat (before you), roimhe (before him / it), roimpi (before her / it), romhainn (before us), romhaibh (before you (plural)), rompu (before them).

When do I use roimhe?

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him. For example: Tá eagla orm roimhe., I am afraid of him.

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