Aimsír Fhaistineach - Future Tense

Ever wondered how to talk about things that haven't happened yet in Irish? The future tense is actually quite straightforward once you understand the basic spelling rules.

Irish vowels are divided into two groups: slender vowels (i, e) and broad vowels (a, o, u). This affects how you form future tense endings. For single-syllable words, slender vowels take fidh endings whilst broad vowels use faidh. Two-syllable words are simpler - just remove the ending and add the appropriate future form.

When forming questions, always use "an" plus the eclipse form of the verb. For example, "An gcanfaidh tú?" means "Will you...?" For negative statements, use "ní" and add an 'h' where grammatically possible, like "Ní chanfaidh mé" (I will not...).

Top Tip: Remember that two-syllable verbs like "ceannóidh" and "canfaimid" follow the same broad/slender pattern - it's all about those vowel sounds!