30 Words And Phrases In Irish: Easy Guide

Learning the basic words and phrases in Irish can significantly help anyone find new opportunities, travel to Ireland, or even authentically connect with native speakers. While reports are saying that more people use English in the country, there is nothing more exciting than challenging yourself to learn and sound like the Irish people.

More importantly, if you plan to master this language, you help yourself and take part in keeping the language alive. You see, the Irish language (also known as Irish Gaeilge or Gaelic) is actually having its battle for existence right now since the whole country mainly uses English 99% of the time.

This can be reflected even in regular situations like most significant signs (especially in Dublin), and media in Ireland are mainly in English. As a response to the fall of native speakers of the said language, the government of Ireland is continuously looking for ways to revive the beautiful and distinct Irish language may it be in music, media, and even education. While the Irish language is not really spoken much in many parts of the world, learning it can guarantee that:

  • You can have an authentic connection when speaking with the Irish people
  • You can appreciate better the beautiful Irish words like aisling (a dream or vision), mo chroidhe (my heart), spraoi (fun), and saoirse (freedom).
  • You’ll get to draw the line between the Irish Language and the common Hiberno-English (the type of English used in Ireland).
  • You’ll get to appreciate a language that has so much history to offer!

So are you ready to fall into the depths and seize the moment to learn this today? Read on below, and this post will walk you through the basic Irish words, phrases/ expressions, and related slang words. If you are up for that, then off we go!

Basic Irish Words And Phrases

While you can definitely get by simply using an English expression during your journey to Island or when speaking with an Irish person, knowing the basics and being able to say it can literally impress them and put a smile on their faces. Below are some of the most basic Irish words as well as the best phrases that you might use or might hear another person use to you:

EnglishIrish/Gaelic
WelcomeFáilte
Good morning Maidin mhaith
Good night
Oíche mhaith!
Good eveningTráthnóna maith
Hello / GreetingsDia duit
Goodbye –
Slán
Goodbye (if you are leaving)Slán leat
Goodbye (if you are staying)Slán agat
See you Slán go fóill
Cheers / To your health –Sláinte
Yes
No Níl
How are you? Conas atá tú?
Do you speak Irish? An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?
What’s up? Conas atá an craic?
What’s your name? Cad es ainm duit?
Thank you Go raibh maith agat
You are welcomeTa failte romhat
I’m sorry Tá brón orm
Excuse meLe do thoil
Please Maith
Good luckAdh mor ort
It is Sea /Ta
It isn’t Ní hea
I understand you Tuigim
I don’t understand youNí thuigim

Got your head around the meaning of the words and phrases in Irish above? Well done! As a word of advice, always practice since the pronunciation of the words can be a bit hard for some. Remember to roll your tongue, okay? However, your story in language learning will not end there. We will walk you through some of the slang words or (call names) that the locals use in day-to-day conversations in the next part of this post.

Words And Phrases In Irish slang

Irish Slang

Ever heard the word banjaxed (broken) or comments like “top of the morning to you?” Those are just some of the usually said words that are truly Irish. Want to impress like a total pro? Try to use the words below and learn about their unique meanings:

EnglishIrish/Gaelic
Wrong-way of doing somethingArseway
The toiletThe jacks
CupboardPress
TiredWrecked
Very drunkOssified
Soft drinkMineral
NewsCraic
HouseGaff
Another way to say somethingYoke

That’s one information-packed article, don’t you think? If you enjoyed this post and effectively learned some essential words and phrases in Irish, feel free to read our previous blog posts, like the common Irish phrases for transportation, how to say I love you to an Irish person, and how to wish someone a happy birthday in garlic. Don’t also forget to share the post on social media so that we can reach more interested Gaelic language enthusiasts from across the world.

As you reach this part of the post, we hope that you will be able to use these today or hear them in real-life conversations. And if you want to practice and totally level your knowledge in this one, we have the most recommended fun tool called Ling app. Find out more about this below.

Learn Irish Ling App

Ready To Learn More Words And Phrases In Irish?

Ready for us to spill the tea on the best language application that can teach you basic meaning and critical points in your chosen language? Don’t worry! We got your back! The Ling app is a totally free language solution (no need to subscribe to anything) guaranteed to help speakers turn from beginners into truly fluent and confident ones. Suppose you really want to learn vocabulary words in Irish, grammatical points, and pronunciation guides.

In that case, the courses from the inside of this mobile application can thoughtfully guide you every step of the way. Real native speakers are consistently checking the contents. Each lesson also has sounds recorded by real people so that you refer to these from time to time.

If you are finding yourself ready to start a new page in your journey, you can also take the fun language quizzes and even talk to our AI-based chatbot. So, what are you waiting for? Get your daily dose of Gaelic language and learn the right words and phrases perfect for everyday interaction!

Download Ling via the Play Store and App Store today!

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