be" Irish, like Spanish and other languages, has two forms that can express the English verb "to be". The two forms perform different grammatical functions. Existential verb The existential verb is . It is an irregular verb; see Irish verbs for its conjugation. Existence, condition or location This verb expresses the absolute existence of something, its condition, or its location. When accompanied by the adverb "there", it means "exist" or "there is/are". Otherwise, the verb is complemented by an adjective, an adverb or a prepositional phrase. Definitions A noun phrase alone cannot form the predicate of the existential verb. Instead, the noun complement is preceded by a form meaning "in my, in your, in his", etc. The copula The Irish copula is not a verb but a particle, used to express a definition or identification. It may be complemented by a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, or a topicalized phrase. Because it is not a verb, it does not inflect for person or number, and pronouns appear in the disjunctive form. The copula, which has the realis form , is used for identification and definition: Definition: X is a Y. Here, the word order is "Is-Y-(pronoun)-X". X is a definite noun or a pronoun. Identification: X is the Y. Here the word order is "Is-pronoun-X-Y", or "Is-pronoun-Y-X". There must always be a pronoun between a definite noun and the copula. It would be wrong to say *Is Seán an múinteoir, which would mean "The teacher is a Seán". To identify a first or second person pronoun with a definite noun, it is usual to use the longer form of the personal pronoun, which comes immediately after the copula: (26a) "I am the teacher." (26b) "You are the student." (26c) "We are the teachers." (26d) "You are the students." The long form of the personal pronoun is very emphatic and stressed and often ejects the copula entirely. Thus, in the previous four examples, it is possible to leave out the copula, which will then be understood: (27a) (27b) (27c) (27d) If a third-person pronoun with a definite noun is identified, the same construction may be used: (28a) "He is the teacher." (28b) "She is the student." (28c) "They are the soldiers". However, in the third person, that is perceived to be much more emphatic than in the first and second persons. The usual way to say "He is the teacher" is