Chapter 6 of 17 · Explore the Irish path
How sentences work · Chapter 6 of 17
First words: hello, thank you, goodbye
Say hello, thank someone and say goodbye. Irish greetings come in pairs, so the reply is never the same as the greeting, and a feeling sits on you rather than in you.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- Irish greetings come in pairs: Dia duit
JEE-uh ditch is answered with Dia is Muire duit, never with itself. - To call someone by name, put a little a in front of it and soften it — the séimhiú you just learned to undo.
- Feelings sit on you in Irish: “I’m sorry” is “there is sorrow on me”.
- Two goodbyes: the one leaving says Slán agat, the one staying says Slán leat.
Hello. — literally: God to you.
Dia duit.
JEE-uh ditch.
The decoding is done — from here on it is real language. Greetings come in pairs: the reply is always slightly different.
Hello to you too. — literally: God and Mary to you.
Dia is Muire duit.
JEE-uh iss MWIR-uh ditch.
Both are set pieces; nobody thinks about the religion in them.
Calling someone by name: a in front, softened
Speaking to someone by name changes the name. A little a goes in front and the name softens.
Thank you, and two feelings
Read the last column too. It shows what each phrase says word for word.
| English | Irish | Said | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you. | Go raibh maith agat. | guh roh MAH AH-gut | may there be good at you |
| I’m sorry. | Tá brón orm. | taw brohn OR-um | there is sorrow on me |
| I’m hungry. | Tá ocras orm. | taw UK-rus OR-um | there is hunger on me |
Irish puts feelings on you rather than in you, and orm
Two goodbyes
| Who says it | Irish | Said |
|---|---|---|
| The one leaving | Slán agat. | slawn AH-gut |
| The one staying | Slán leat. | slawn lat |
If you cannot remember which, Slán.
Say it back
- Dia duit, a Mhina.
A set piece, then a name.
Show answer +Hide answer −
“Hello, Mina.” Said “JEE-uh ditch, uh VIN-uh”. - Somebody says Dia duit to you. What do you say back?
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Dia is Muire duit.JEE-uh iss MWIR-uh ditch - Tá ocras orm.
The feeling is sitting on somebody.
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“I am hungry”, said “taw UK-rus OR-um”.