bí ar

Irish

Verb

bí ar

1. must, have to

   Tá orm labhairt leat.

   I must speak to you.

2. to be owed by [with ag ‘to’]

   Tá eoró ar Nóra.

   Nóra owes a euro.

   Bhí cúig dollar agat orm.

   I owed you five dollars.

Usage notes

• In the sense ‘be owed by’, that which is owed is expressed as the subject of the verb bí (“to be”), the person to whom the debt is owed is expressed as the object of the preposition ag (“at”), and the person who owes the debt is expressed as the object of the preposition ar (“on”).