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“Tharam” in Irish (past me): Meaning and Where It Comes From

Tharam means past me. It is the preposition thar (past) and the pronoun mé (me) joined into one word. Irish does this with every simple preposition; the joined words are called prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.
Updated October 2026Report a mistake

Where “tharam” comes from

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

tharpast +
méme
=
tharampast me

Over or past: chuaigh sé tharam = he went past me, thar barr = excellent (over the top).

“Tharam” in the table of “thar”

Every form of thar with a pronoun. Tharam is the first (I, me) row. Click any form to see its own page.

PronounIrishMeaningExample
mé (me)tharampast meChuaigh an bus tharam gan stopadh.The bus went past me without stopping.
tú (you)tharatpast youRith an madra tharat ar an tsráid.The dog ran past you on the street.
sé (him / it)thairispast him / itTá balla ard ann ach léim sé thairis.There's a high wall there but he jumped over it.
sí (her / it)thairstipast her / itShiúil mé thairsti ar an tsráid inné.I walked past her on the street yesterday.
sinn (us)tharainnpast usChuaigh an traein tharainn go tapa.The train went past us quickly.
sibh (you (plural))tharaibhpast you (plural)Rith na páistí tharaibh sa pháirc.The children ran past you in the park.
siad (them)tharstupast themChuamar tharstu ar an mbóthar.We went past them on the road.

“Tharam” in sentences

Chuaigh an bus tharam gan stopadh.
The bus went past me without stopping.

“mé” with the other prepositions

The same pronoun, mé (me), joined to the other prepositions.

“Tharam” in Irish: frequently asked questions

What does tharam mean in Irish?

tharam means past me: the preposition thar (past) joined to the pronoun mé (me). The next form is tharat, past you.

Is tharam one word or two?

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

What are all the forms of thar with pronouns?

tharam (past me), tharat (past you), thairis (past him / it), thairsti (past her / it), tharainn (past us), tharaibh (past you (plural)), tharstu (past them).

When do I use tharam?

Over or past: chuaigh sé tharam = he went past me, thar barr = excellent (over the top). For example: Chuaigh an bus tharam gan stopadh., The bus went past me without stopping.

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