When you say a number on its own — counting, doing sums, or telling the time — you put the particle "a" in front of it: a haon, a dó, a trí. Before a number starting with a vowel, that "a" adds an h- to the front (a haon, a hocht, a haon déag).
Examples
- a haon, a dó, a trí, a ceathair
- one, two, three, four
- Tá sé a cúig a chlog.
- It is five o'clock.
- Tá sé leathuair tar éis a sé.
- It is half past six.
The mistake to avoid
Dropping the h- and saying "a aon" or "a ocht" instead of "a haon" and "a hocht".
Where this fits in
Numbers, days, time, Irish Gaelic A1: Count, talk about days and months, give the time, and handle numbers in real situations.