When it comes to Irish, prepositions are often pointed to as one of the more confusing parts.

They’re actually pretty easy.

The key is to stop thinking about them as individual words and start seeing them as “chunks,” just like we do with phrases.

Keep reading and I’ll explain it all for you.

What’s the big deal with Irish prepositions?

In a nutshell: In Irish, prepositions and pronouns often merge into a single word.

In English, we say “at me,” “on you,” “with him.” We always use two separate words.

In Irish, those two words get fused together.

• Instead of ag (at) + mé (me), you get one word: agam.
• Instead of ar (on) + tú (you), you get one word: ort.

Think of it like a contraction in English. important

We combine “do” and “not” to create “don’t” because it’s faster and more natural. Irish does the same thing with these little words. Once you get this core idea, it becomes a simple pattern.

Your first and most important preposition: Ag (at)

The most common and useful preposition to learn first is ag, which means “at”.

When combined with pronouns, it forms a set of words called prepositional pronouns.

Here are the most common forms for ag. These are the phrases you should learn as single vocabulary items.

Don’t try to think “at + me”. Just learn that agam means “at me”.

A superpower phrase: How to say ‘I have’

So, why is agam so important? Because it unlocks one of the most essential phrases in the entire language: how to say you have something.

Irish has no verb “to have.” Instead, you say that something is at you.

The structure is: Tá + [the thing you have] + agam.

Tá madra agam.

I have a dog. (Literally: A dog is at me.)

This simple pattern is a complete game-changer for beginners. You can now say you have anything, just by learning those little agam, agat, aige bites.

Tá carr aige.

He has a car.

Tá ceist aici.

She has a question.

Tá teach againn.

We have a house.

This is a true superpower phrase. Once you learn this structure, you can immediately start forming hundreds of useful sentences.

Seeing the pattern with Ar (on)

The good news is that this pattern of merging words applies to other prepositions too. Let’s look at ar, which means “on”.

You can use these to say things are literally on you.

Tá an cóta ort.

You are wearing the coat. (Literally: The coat is on you.)

Many Irish expressions also use these forms. For example, Tá brón orm literally means “Sorrow is on me,” which is how you say “I’m sorry.”

Irish prepositions aren’t about complex rules; they’re about learning new, fused vocabulary words like agam and orm.

This concept is a cornerstone of Irish grammar. Mastering it opens up a huge part of the language. In our Talk In Irish course, we guide you through these core ideas step-by-step, focusing on how to use them in real conversation, not just on paper.

Start by memorizing the forms of ag, practice the Tá … agam structure, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can say.