HeyRuaHow to say “to phone” in Irish
- Irish:
- fónáil
- English:
- to phone
- Word type:
- verb, first-conjugation
- Verbal noun:
- fónáil (ag fónáil, phoning)
- Verbal adjective:
- fónáilte
- Pronunciation:
- “FOH-nawl” /ˈfoːnˠaːlʲ/
What does “fónáil” mean?
- to phone
- To call someone on the telephone.Also: call, ring, telephone.
Other Irish verbs for to phone: glaoigh (call)
“Fónáil” in the different tenses
Every form follows An Caighdeán Oifigiúil.
Aimsir Chaite (Past)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | D'fhónáil méI phoned | Níor fhónáil méI did not phone | Ar fhónáil mé?Did I phone? |
| tú (you) | D'fhónáil túYou phoned | Níor fhónáil túYou did not phone | Ar fhónáil tú?Did you phone? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | D'fhónáil sé / síHe phoned | Níor fhónáil sé / síHe did not phone | Ar fhónáil sé / sí?Did he phone? |
| sinn (we) | D'fhónálamarWe phoned | Níor fhónálamarWe did not phone | Ar fhónálamar?Did we phone? |
| sibh (you, plural) | D'fhónáil sibhYou phoned | Níor fhónáil sibhYou did not phone | Ar fhónáil sibh?Did you phone? |
| siad (they) | D'fhónáil siadThey phoned | Níor fhónáil siadThey did not phone | Ar fhónáil siad?Did they phone? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Fónáladh | Níor fónáladh | Ar fónáladh? |
Aimsir Láithreach (Present)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | FónálaimI phone | Ní fhónálaimI do not phone | An bhfónálaim?Do I phone? |
| tú (you) | Fónálann túYou phone | Ní fhónálann túYou do not phone | An bhfónálann tú?Do you phone? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Fónálann sé / síHe phones | Ní fhónálann sé / síHe does not phone | An bhfónálann sé / sí?Does he phone? |
| sinn (we) | FónálaimidWe phone | Ní fhónálaimidWe do not phone | An bhfónálaimid?Do we phone? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Fónálann sibhYou phone | Ní fhónálann sibhYou do not phone | An bhfónálann sibh?Do you phone? |
| siad (they) | Fónálann siadThey phone | Ní fhónálann siadThey do not phone | An bhfónálann siad?Do they phone? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Fónáiltear | Ní fhónáiltear | An bhfónáiltear? |
Aimsir Fháistineach (Future)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Fónálfaidh méI will phone | Ní fhónálfaidh méI will not phone | An bhfónálfaidh mé?Will I phone? |
| tú (you) | Fónálfaidh túYou will phone | Ní fhónálfaidh túYou will not phone | An bhfónálfaidh tú?Will you phone? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Fónálfaidh sé / síHe will phone | Ní fhónálfaidh sé / síHe will not phone | An bhfónálfaidh sé / sí?Will he phone? |
| sinn (we) | FónálfaimidWe will phone | Ní fhónálfaimidWe will not phone | An bhfónálfaimid?Will we phone? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Fónálfaidh sibhYou will phone | Ní fhónálfaidh sibhYou will not phone | An bhfónálfaidh sibh?Will you phone? |
| siad (they) | Fónálfaidh siadThey will phone | Ní fhónálfaidh siadThey will not phone | An bhfónálfaidh siad?Will they phone? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Fónálfar | Ní fhónálfar | An bhfónálfar? |
Modh Coinníollach (Conditional)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | D'fhónálfainnI would phone | Ní fhónálfainnI would not phone | An bhfónálfainn?Would I phone? |
| tú (you) | D'fhónálfáYou would phone | Ní fhónálfáYou would not phone | An bhfónálfá?Would you phone? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | D'fhónálfadh sé / síHe would phone | Ní fhónálfadh sé / síHe would not phone | An bhfónálfadh sé / sí?Would he phone? |
| sinn (we) | D'fhónálfaimisWe would phone | Ní fhónálfaimisWe would not phone | An bhfónálfaimis?Would we phone? |
| sibh (you, plural) | D'fhónálfadh sibhYou would phone | Ní fhónálfadh sibhYou would not phone | An bhfónálfadh sibh?Would you phone? |
| siad (they) | D'fhónálfaidísThey would phone | Ní fhónálfaidísThey would not phone | An bhfónálfaidís?Would they phone? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | D'fhónálfaí | Ní fhónálfaí | An bhfónálfaí? |
“Fónáil” in a sentence: Irish examples
Past, present, future and conditional, with a negative and a question.
D'fhónáil mé mo mháthair aréir.
I phoned my mother last night.
Fónálann sé a dheirfiúr gach Domhnach.
He phones his sister every Sunday.
Fónálfaidh mé thú amárach.
I'll phone you tomorrow.
D'fhónálfainn í dá mbeadh a huimhir agam.
I would phone her if I had her number.
Níor fhónáil sí ar chor ar bith.
She didn't phone at all.
Ar fhónáil tú an dochtúir?
Did you phone the doctor?
Other verbs in Irish
More everyday Irish verbs to learn next.
To phone in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for to phone?
The Irish for to phone is fónáil (pronounced “FOH-nawl”). It is a first-conjugation verb; the verbal noun is fónáil.
What is the verbal noun of fónáil?
The verbal noun of fónáil is fónáil, used after ag for the continuous: ag fónáil (phoning). The verbal adjective is fónáilte.
How do you say fónáil in the past and the future?
Past: D'fhónáil mé; negative Níor fhónáil mé; question Ar fhónáil mé?. Future: Fónálfaidh mé; negative Ní fhónálfaidh mé; question An bhfónálfaidh mé?.
What is the modh coinníollach of fónáil?
The conditional (modh coinníollach) first person is D'fhónálfainn (I would phone); negative Ní fhónálfainn; question An bhfónálfainn?.
Is 'fónáil' the usual way to say 'phone' in Irish?
'Fónáil' is used colloquially, but the more standard expression is 'glaoigh ar', as in 'Glaoigh orm amárach' (Call me tomorrow).
