HeyRuaHow to say “to beat” in Irish
- Irish:
- gread
- English:
- to beat, trounce, lash, clear off
- Word type:
- verb, first-conjugation
- Verbal noun:
- greadadh (ag greadadh, beating)
- Verbal adjective:
- greadta
- Pronunciation:
- “gradd” /ɟɾʲad̪ˠ/
What does “gread” mean?
“Gread” has four alternative meanings. The most common comes first.
- to beat
- To strike someone or something hard and repeatedly.Also: strike, thrash, wallop, batter.
3 other meanings: trounce or lash or clear off
- 2to trounce
- To defeat an opponent heavily.Also: thrash, drub, hammer.
- 3to lash
- Of rain or wind, to beat down hard on something.Also: pelt, batter, buffet.
- 4to clear off
- Used with 'leat' to tell someone to go away quickly.Also: be off, get lost, go away.
“Gread” in the different tenses
Every form follows An Caighdeán Oifigiúil.
Aimsir Chaite (Past)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Ghread méI beat | Níor ghread méI did not beat | Ar ghread mé?Did I beat? |
| tú (you) | Ghread túYou beat | Níor ghread túYou did not beat | Ar ghread tú?Did you beat? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Ghread sé / síHe beat | Níor ghread sé / síHe did not beat | Ar ghread sé / sí?Did he beat? |
| sinn (we) | GhreadamarWe beat | Níor ghreadamarWe did not beat | Ar ghreadamar?Did we beat? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Ghread sibhYou beat | Níor ghread sibhYou did not beat | Ar ghread sibh?Did you beat? |
| siad (they) | Ghread siadThey beat | Níor ghread siadThey did not beat | Ar ghread siad?Did they beat? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Greadadh | Níor greadadh | Ar greadadh? |
Aimsir Láithreach (Present)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | GreadaimI beat | Ní ghreadaimI do not beat | An ngreadaim?Do I beat? |
| tú (you) | Greadann túYou beat | Ní ghreadann túYou do not beat | An ngreadann tú?Do you beat? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Greadann sé / síHe beats | Ní ghreadann sé / síHe does not beat | An ngreadann sé / sí?Does he beat? |
| sinn (we) | GreadaimidWe beat | Ní ghreadaimidWe do not beat | An ngreadaimid?Do we beat? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Greadann sibhYou beat | Ní ghreadann sibhYou do not beat | An ngreadann sibh?Do you beat? |
| siad (they) | Greadann siadThey beat | Ní ghreadann siadThey do not beat | An ngreadann siad?Do they beat? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Greadtar | Ní ghreadtar | An ngreadtar? |
Aimsir Fháistineach (Future)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Greadfaidh méI will beat | Ní ghreadfaidh méI will not beat | An ngreadfaidh mé?Will I beat? |
| tú (you) | Greadfaidh túYou will beat | Ní ghreadfaidh túYou will not beat | An ngreadfaidh tú?Will you beat? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Greadfaidh sé / síHe will beat | Ní ghreadfaidh sé / síHe will not beat | An ngreadfaidh sé / sí?Will he beat? |
| sinn (we) | GreadfaimidWe will beat | Ní ghreadfaimidWe will not beat | An ngreadfaimid?Will we beat? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Greadfaidh sibhYou will beat | Ní ghreadfaidh sibhYou will not beat | An ngreadfaidh sibh?Will you beat? |
| siad (they) | Greadfaidh siadThey will beat | Ní ghreadfaidh siadThey will not beat | An ngreadfaidh siad?Will they beat? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Greadfar | Ní ghreadfar | An ngreadfar? |
Modh Coinníollach (Conditional)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | GhreadfainnI would beat | Ní ghreadfainnI would not beat | An ngreadfainn?Would I beat? |
| tú (you) | GhreadfáYou would beat | Ní ghreadfáYou would not beat | An ngreadfá?Would you beat? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Ghreadfadh sé / síHe would beat | Ní ghreadfadh sé / síHe would not beat | An ngreadfadh sé / sí?Would he beat? |
| sinn (we) | GhreadfaimisWe would beat | Ní ghreadfaimisWe would not beat | An ngreadfaimis?Would we beat? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Ghreadfadh sibhYou would beat | Ní ghreadfadh sibhYou would not beat | An ngreadfadh sibh?Would you beat? |
| siad (they) | GhreadfaidísThey would beat | Ní ghreadfaidísThey would not beat | An ngreadfaidís?Would they beat? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Ghreadfaí | Ní ghreadfaí | An ngreadfaí? |
“Gread” in a sentence: Irish examples
Past, present, future and conditional, with a negative and a question.
Ghread an fhoireann s'againne iad sa chluiche ceannais.
Our team thrashed them in the final.
Greadann an bháisteach an fhuinneog gach oíche.
The rain lashes the window every night.
Greadfaidh sé an doras mura n-osclaíonn tú é.
He will bang on the door if you don't open it.
Ghread siad bosa ag deireadh na ceolchoirme.
They clapped at the end of the concert.
Níor ghread sé an madra riamh.
He never beat the dog.
Ar ghread an stoirm an teach aréir?
Did the storm batter the house last night?
Other verbs in Irish
More everyday Irish verbs to learn next.
To beat in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for to beat?
The Irish for to beat is gread (pronounced “gradd”). It is a first-conjugation verb; the verbal noun is greadadh.
What is the verbal noun of gread?
The verbal noun of gread is greadadh, used after ag for the continuous: ag greadadh (beating). The verbal adjective is greadta.
How do you say gread in the past and the future?
Past: Ghread mé; negative Níor ghread mé; question Ar ghread mé?. Future: Greadfaidh mé; negative Ní ghreadfaidh mé; question An ngreadfaidh mé?.
What is the modh coinníollach of gread?
The conditional (modh coinníollach) first person is Ghreadfainn (I would beat); negative Ní ghreadfainn; question An ngreadfainn?.
Does gread have more than one meaning?
Yes. Gread can mean to beat, to trounce, to lash or to clear off, depending on context; the first is the most common.
What does 'Gread leat!' mean?
'Gread leat!' means 'Clear off!' or 'Be off with you!'; the plural is 'Greadaigí libh!'.
How is 'gread' different from 'buail'?
'Buail' is the general word for hit, while 'gread' suggests repeated, heavy beating or a heavy defeat.
