Irish · Gaeilge · Latin script
Greetings in Irish: Dia duit, slán leat, go raibh maith agat
The standard greeting in Irish is Dia duit, God to you, and the reply is Dia is Muire duit, God and Mary to you. To a group it becomes Dia daoibh. Goodbye depends on who is leaving: slán leat to the person who goes, slán agat to the person who stays.
Common greetings in Irish with their replies
Every form is the one given by foclóir.ie, the New English–Irish Dictionary of Foras na Gaeilge, unless the note names another source. The register column marks the forms the dictionary labels or that only suit friends.
| English | Irish | Register | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saying hello | ||||
| hello (to one person) | Dia duit | neutral | God to you | |
| hello (to a group) | Dia daoibh | neutral | plural you | |
| reply to Dia duit | Dia is Muire duit | neutral | God and Mary to you | |
| hi; hello there | haighheileo | informal | haigh for calling out to someone | |
| good morning | maidin mhaithDia duit ar maidin | neutral | ||
| welcome | fáiltefáilte romhat | neutral | fáilte go Conamara, welcome to Connemara | |
| How are you? | ||||
| how are you? | conas atá tú? | neutral | the Munster form used by Wikivoyage | |
| how are you? | cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? | neutral | ||
| how are you? | cad é mar atá tú? | neutral | cad é is the Ulster word for what | |
| Saying goodbye | ||||
| goodbye (to someone leaving) | slán leat | neutral | ||
| goodbye (to someone staying) | slán agat | neutral | ||
| bye; goodbye now | slánslán anois | neutral | ||
| good night | oíche mhaith | neutral | ||
| Polite words | ||||
| thank you (to one person) | go raibh maith agat | neutral | may there be good at you | |
| thank you (to several) | go raibh maith agaibh | neutral | ||
| you're welcome | tá fáilte romhatná habair é | neutral | ná habair é: don't mention it | |
| please | le do thoille bhur dtoil (plural) | neutral | from Wikivoyage's Irish phrasebook | |
Dialect notes: Wikivoyage's Irish phrasebook uses Munster Irish throughout and gives conas atá tú; the Wikipedia article on Ulster Irish lists caidé, cad é, as the Ulster word for what.
Dia duit and Dia is Muire duit: saying hello in Irish
The ordinary hello in Irish is a blessing. Dia duit means God to you, and the person greeted answers with a bigger one, Dia is Muire duit, God and Mary to you. Foclóir.ie gives both, the reply in its example Dia is Muire duit, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?
Duit is to you for one person. Greeting two or more people, the form becomes Dia daoibh, with the plural daoibh, and in the morning Dia daoibh ar maidin. Wikivoyage's phrasebook spells it Dia dhuit, with an h, as many speakers pronounce it; foclóir.ie writes the standard Dia duit.
Maidin mhaith, good morning, and oíche mhaith, good night, are built like the English greetings, and the dictionary gives maidin mhaith beside Dia duit ar maidin. For a casual hi the dictionary has haigh, used for calling out to someone, and heileo.
Three ways to ask how are you
Among the greetings in Irish there are three common questions for how are you, and foclóir.ie lists all of them without a label: conas atá tú?, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? and cad é mar atá tú? Each opens with a different question word, and those question words are regional.
Conas, how, is the form of the south. Wikivoyage's Irish phrasebook, which states that it follows Munster Irish, teaches conas atá tú? with the answer táim go maith, I am well. Cad é is the Ulster word for what, spelt caidé in the north according to the Wikipedia article on Ulster Irish, so cad é mar atá tú? marks the speaker as northern. Cén chaoi, literally what way, completes the set and is the one in the dictionary's own example reply.
A learner can use any of the three anywhere and be understood. Courses usually teach the form of their own dialect, so the greetings in Irish a learner meets first depend on where the course comes from.
Slán leat or slán agat: who is leaving?
Slán means healthy or safe, and Wiktionary also gives farewell as a sense of the noun; on its own it is the basic goodbye, and slán anois is goodbye now. The longer forms depend on movement. Foclóir.ie notes slán leat for someone who is leaving, safe with you on your way, and slán agat for someone who is staying, safe at your place. At the door the guest says slán agat to the host, and the host answers slán leat.
Mixing the two up is a harmless mistake: it only reverses who is imagined to be going. Plain slán avoids the choice.
Oíche mhaith, good night, ends an evening. Like English good night it is said when parting late, and the dictionary also gives it for night night to a child.
| Irish | English |
|---|---|
| Dia duit. | Hello. |
| Dia is Muire duit, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? | Hello, how are you? |
| Conas atá tú? Táim go maith. | How are you? I'm well. |
| Go raibh maith agat. Ná habair é. | Thank you. Don't mention it. |
| Fáilte go Conamara. | Welcome to Connemara. |
| Slán agat! Slán leat! | Bye (to the one staying)! Bye (to the one leaving)! |
From foclóir.ie, except conas atá tú? táim go maith from Wikivoyage's Irish phrasebook.
Go raibh maith agat and céad míle fáilte
Thank you in Irish is go raibh maith agat, literally may there be good at you. Like the greeting it has a plural, go raibh maith agaibh, which the dictionary shows in go raibh maith agaibh as cuireadh a thabhairt dom, thank you for inviting me. The reply is tá fáilte romhat, you are welcome, or ná habair é, don't mention it.
Fáilte means welcome. As a greeting it is fáilte or fáilte romhat, welcome before you, and on signs it is often followed by the place, fáilte go Conamara. Céad míle fáilte, a hundred thousand welcomes, is the famous form; foclóir.ie places it under you're more than welcome, the warm answer to thanks.
Please is le do thoil, with your will, and le bhur dtoil to more than one person, as Wikivoyage's phrasebook gives it. Each of these phrases has a singular and a plural, and the plural is the one to use in a classroom, a meeting or a shop with several staff.
Questions about greetings in Irish
How do you say hello in Irish?
Dia duit, God to you. The reply is Dia is Muire duit. To a group, say Dia daoibh.
What is the difference between slán leat and slán agat?
Slán leat is said to someone who is leaving, slán agat to someone who stays. A guest leaving a house says slán agat.
How do you say how are you in Irish?
Conas atá tú?, cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? or cad é mar atá tú? The three greetings in Irish follow regional habits; any of them is understood everywhere.
How do you say thank you in Irish?
Go raibh maith agat to one person, go raibh maith agaibh to several. The reply is tá fáilte romhat or ná habair é.
What does céad míle fáilte mean?
A hundred thousand welcomes. It is the emphatic form of fáilte, welcome.