Conjugated prepositions are one of the most unique and important features of the Irish language.

You can’t speak Irish fluently without understanding how they work.

Unlike English, Irish combines a preposition and a pronoun into a single, brand-new word.

This grammar rule often trips up beginners when they first start learning with Talk In Irish.

I’m going to explain exactly how these combined words function so you can use them with confidence.

What is a conjugated preposition?

In English, we keep prepositions and pronouns completely separate.

We say “at me”, “on him”, or “with us”.

Irish grammar handles this entirely differently.

Instead of placing the two words side by side, Irish merges them together to form a conjugated preposition.

Think of it as a grammatical contraction.

For example, the Irish word for “at” is ag and the word for “me” is mé.

You never say ag mé in Irish.

Instead, you blend them into the single word agam.

This pattern happens with almost every preposition in the Irish language.

Let’s look at the most common ones you need to know.

The preposition ag (at)

The preposition ag is incredibly common because it’s used to show possession.

Irish doesn’t have a direct verb for “to have”.

Instead, you literally say that something is “at” you.

Here’s how the preposition ag conjugates with different pronouns.

Here are a few examples of ag in action to indicate possession.

The preposition ar (on)

The preposition ar translates to “on” in English.

It’s heavily used in everyday conversation to describe physical states and emotions.

In Irish, you don’t say “I’m sad” or “I’m hungry”.

You say that sadness or hunger is currently “on” you.

Here’s the conjugation table for ar.

Let’s see how ar is used to express different feelings.

The preposition le (with)

The preposition le means “with” in English.

It’s used to express ownership, state your opinions, and talk about physical accompaniment.

Here’s how you conjugate le.

Here are some examples of le being used correctly in sentences.

The preposition do (to/for)

The word do usually translates to “to” or “for”.

It’s often used when giving something to someone or doing a favor for them.

Here are the basic conjugations for do.

Let’s look at a few common phrases using do.