suigh

See also: sùigh and súigh

Irish

Alternative forms

• suidh (superseded)

Etymology

From Middle Irish suidid, on the one hand addaptation of Old Irish saidid (“to sit”), on the other hand a replacement for suidigidir (“to set”). Old Irish saidid is from Proto-Celtic *sedeti, from Proto-Indo-European *sed-.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /sˠɪɟ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /sˠiː/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /sˠʊ/

Verb

suigh (present analytic suíonn, future analytic suífidh, verbal noun suí, past participle suite) (transitive, intransitive)

1. sit
   1. remain up
2. set, let, rent
3. seat; place, locate; settle, arrange; fix, establish
4. (with ar) affirm against; persuade

Usage notes

The progressive aspect of this verb is formed not with ag + verbal noun, as usual in Irish, but with i + possessive determiner (agreeing with the subject) + verbal noun. For example:

• tá mé i mo shuí ― I am (currently) sitting (down)
• an bhfuil tú i do shuí? ― are you sg sitting (down)?
• bíonn sé ina shuí ― he is (habitually) sitting (down)
• bhíodh sí ina suí ― she used to be sitting (down)
• bhíomar inár suí ― we were sitting (down)
• beidh sibh in bhur suí ― you pl will be sitting (down)
• bheidís ina suí ― they would be sitting (down)

Conjugation

conjugation of suigh (first conjugation – C)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	suím	suíonn tú; suír†	suíonn sé, sí	suímid	suíonn sibh	suíonn siad; suíd†	a shuíonn; a shuíos / a suíonn*	suitear
	past	shuigh mé; shuíos	shuigh tú; shuís	shuigh sé, sí	shuíomar; shuigh muid	shuigh sibh; shuíobhair	shuigh siad; shuíodar	a shuigh / ar shuigh*	suíodh
	past habitual	shuínn / suínn‡‡	shuiteá / suiteᇇ	shuíodh sé, sí / suíodh sé, s퇇	shuimis; shuíodh muid / suimis‡‡; suíodh muid‡‡	shuíodh sibh / suíodh sibh‡‡	shuidís; shuíodh siad / suidís‡‡; suíodh siad‡‡	a shuíodh / a suíodh*	shuití / suit퇇
future		suífidh mé; suífead	suífidh tú; suífir†	suífidh sé, sí	suífimid; suífidh muid	suífidh sibh	suífidh siad; suífid†	a shuífidh; a shuífeas / a suífidh*	suífear
conditional		shuífinn / suífinn‡‡	shuífeá / suífeᇇ	shuífeadh sé, sí / suífeadh sé, s퇇	shuífimis; shuífeadh muid / suífimis‡‡; suífeadh muid‡‡	shuífeadh sibh / suífeadh sibh‡‡	shuífidís; shuífeadh siad / suífidís‡‡; suífeadh siad‡‡	a shuífeadh / a suífeadh*	shuífí / suíf퇇
subjunctive	present	go suí mé; go suíod†	go suí tú; go suír†	go suí sé, sí	go suímid; go suí muid	go suí sibh	go suí siad; go suíd†	—	go suitear
	past	dá suínn	dá suiteá	dá suíodh sé, sí	dá suimis; dá suíodh muid	dá suíodh sibh	dá suidís; dá suíodh siad	—	dá suití
imperative		suím	suigh	suíodh sé, sí	suímis	suígí; suídh†	suídís	—	suitear
verbal noun		suí
past participle		suite

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
suigh	shuigh after an, tsuigh	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “suigh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “saidid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 24