tá ... ar tí

Being About to

Level 4

Bí ar tí followed by a verbal noun expresses imminent action: Tá mé ar tí imeacht. It differs from a simple future promise.

How It Works

Bí ar tí followed by a verbal noun expresses imminent action: Tá mé ar tí imeacht. It differs from a simple future promise.

Bí ar tí followed by a verbal noun presents an action as about to happen. Bí carries tense: Tá mé ar tí imeacht concerns now, while Bhí mé ar tí imeacht concerns a past moment. It suggests imminence rather than merely any later intention.

Examples (3)

  1. Tá mé ar tí imeacht.

    I am about to leave.

  2. Bhí sí ar tí titim.

    She was about to fall.

  3. Tá siad ar tí tosú.

    They are about to start.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

tá ... ar tíLevel 4Being About to

Learn This First

Locate an action just before it begins using bí and a verbal noun.

Words in This Pattern

bíar tí