form of the verb is passive voice. No, it is not passive voice, for it has a passive of its own; and, again, all intransitive verbs (even the verb tá) possesses this form of conjugation. The nearest equivalents in sense and use to this Irish form are the German ‘mann’ and the French ‘on’ with the third person singular of the verb.”—Gaelic Journal.
The usual translation of the French phrase “on dit” is, “It is said.” “Is said” is certainly passive voice in English, but it does not follow that “dit” is passive voice in French. The same remark holds with regard to the Irish phrase “buailtear an gaḋar,” which is usually translated, “The dog is struck.” Buailtear is not passive voice; it is active voice, autonomous form, and gaḋar is its object in the accusative case. The literal translation of the phrase is, “Somebody strikes the dog.” The passive voice of buailtear, someone strikes, is táṫar buailte, someone is struck.
