HeyRua| English | Irish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | cé | Cé hé sin?Who is that? (a man) |
| what | cad | Cad é sin?What is that? |
| when | cathain | Cathain a bheidh tú ar ais?When will you be back? |
| where | cá | Cá bhfuil tú?Where are you? |
| why | cén fáth | Cén fáth a bhfuil tú anseo?Why are you here? |
| how | conas | Conas atá tú?How are you? |
| how many | cé mhéad | Cé mhéad atá air?How much is it? |
| which | cén | Cén ceann?Which one? |
| what time | cén t-am | Cén t-am é?What time is it? |
| how long | cá fhad | Cá fhad a bheidh tú anseo?How long will you be here? |
| whose | cé leis | Cé leis é seo?Whose is this? |
| how big | cé chomh | Cé chomh mór is atá sé?How big is it? |
| asking a yes or no question | an | An bhfuil tú réidh?Are you ready? |
One thing to know
A question word that asks about a person, a thing or a time is followed by a and a lenited verb: cé a rinne é?, cathain a tháinig tú? A question word that asks why, how or where is followed by a and an eclipsed verb: cén fáth a bhfuil tú anseo?, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? Cá does the eclipsing on its own: cá bhfuil tú? Each page shows which one its word takes.
Question words in Irish: the questions people ask
What are the question words in Irish?
Cé (who), cad or céard (what), cathain (when), cá (where), cén fáth (why), conas or cén chaoi (how), cé mhéad (how many, how much), cén (which), cé leis (whose), cá fhad (how long) and cén t-am (what time). A yes or no question starts with an or ar instead.
Why does the verb change after a question word?
Most question words are followed by the relative particle a. After cé, cad, cathain, conas and cé mhéad the verb is lenited (cé a rinne, cathain a tháinig); after cén fáth, cén chaoi and cén áit it is eclipsed (cén fáth a bhfuil). Cá eclipses on its own: cá bhfuil.
How do you say how are you in Irish?
Conas atá tú? in Munster and the standard, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? in Connacht and cad é mar atá tú? in Ulster.
Is there a word for yes or no in Irish?
No. You answer with the verb of the question: An bhfuil tú réidh? Tá (yes) or níl (no). The yes-or-no page explains it.