“I don’t have a word of Irish”. Sure you do: here’s 100 of them

“Ah sure I don’t have a word of Irish” is one of those throwaway phrases we hear regularly about an Ghaeilge. My response to this is to challenge them to think about it and they normally have lots of Irish; hundreds of words in fact, and can put basic sentences together.

If you studied Irish through school and think you have forgotten it all you might just surprise yourself by having a read of the list below. I bet you will know most of them if not all:

sca,mall focail

Cúpla Focal

  1. Níl
  2. agus
  3. isteach
  4. amach
  5. dia duit
  6. fáilte
  7. beag
  8. mór
  9. nua
  10. sásta
  11. brón
  12. grá
  13. mná
  14. fir
  15. cailín
  16. buachaill
  17. bia

    cóipleabhar

    Cóipleabhar

  18. bainne
  19. siúcra
  20. uisce
  21. tae
  22. caifé
  23. bricfeasta
  24. cáca milis
  25. cupán
  26. milseán
  27. Conas atá tú?
  28. Go maith
  29. go raibh maith agat
  30. slán
  31. abhaile
  32. craic
  33. sláinte
  34. seachtain
  35. lámh
  36. bróg
  37. súil
  38. béal
  39. croí
  40. fiacla
  41. hata
  42. geansaí
  43. aon
  44. do
  45. trí
  46. ceathar
  47. cúig
  48. seacht
  49. ocht
  50. naoi
  51. Gaeilge
  52. Béarla
  53. Éire
  54. raidió
  55. teilifís
  56. liathróid
  57. bainisteoir
  58. ticéad
  59. dearg
  60. bán
  61. dubh
  62. glas
  63. gorm
  64. oráiste
  65. nuacht
  66. aimsir
  67. sneachta
  68. fliuch
  69. Garda Síochána
  70. An Post
  71. scoil
  72. coláiste
  73. Taoiseach
  74. Tánaiste
  75. Dáil
  76. pictiúrlann
  77. snámh
  78. rith
  79. leaba
  80. doras
  81. fuinneog
  82. leithreas
  83. bosca
  84. brúscar
  85. ceol
  86. leabhar
  87. siopa
  88. rothar
  89. tacsaí
  90. bóthar
  91. cnoc
  92. madra
  93. capall

 

So how did you get on? Let me know in the comments below!

Now all you need to do is start making sentences with them and you will be back speaking Irish in no time! Be positive about the language, try out your “cúpla focal” – you would be surprised how fast it comes back to you!

Aodhán

A big thank you to my guinea pigs who tried out the list above- I even asked some people who had never studied Irish in school and they knew most words
 

22 comments

  1. dalton says:

    with ‘cúpla focal’ that comes to 102 ;-)

  2. james says:

    very good! only a few i didn’t know……..great website aodhán!

  3. Gréag Ó Núain says:

    Tuigim 97! Now I have to look up the 3 I didn’t know!

  4. Sean I cuana says:

    Lean leis…

  5. Sally says:

    I knew most of them, and I only started learning last year

  6. Matt says:

    bog, oifig, muc, ród, cogaslann, práta, gob.
    :-D

  7. Tá uimhir a 81 mícheart! :)

  8. rdelany@orange.fr says:

    go raih maith agut a chara ni thiguim focal amhain cén fà bruscar????

  9. Eoin says:

    Understand most of those words. Thanks.

  10. owen says:

    ask most people and they will say irish was beat into them in school so its in there all you need is a chance to use it which are few and far between unless you have kids or grand kids in school ,go raibh maith agut mo chairde, agus slan go foil

  11. Sionainn says:

    Suíomh iontach! Bhain mé an taitneamh as an alt sin a léamh- bhí an-chuid fírinne ag baint leis! Sionainn, 15 :-)

  12. Tony says:

    Knew them all – Iontasach (?)

  13. Charmaine says:

    Iiontach. Bhí a fhios ar fad iad.

  14. Garrett says:

    As I’ve been saying for years, if Irish was to be taught in school like foreign students are taught English as a Foreign Language there would be a massive increase in the numbers of people speaking and using Irish but rather than do that we will do the opposite and slowly kill it out through a lack of innovative thinking. Until it’s fun to learn it people can’t be expected to have an interest.

  15. Tom Hoey says:

    101. Meiricea :0)

  16. deirdre ni ghraith says:

    got them all…..agus aon focail eile xxx

  17. Seán says:

    ceathar (sic)

    Le meas,

    Seán

    * Bail ó Dhia ar an obair

  18. Seán says:

    A Chara,

    Ní focail iad roinnt mhaith acu siúd, ach an oiread.

    S.

  19. Your article “I don’t have a word of Irish”. Sure you do: here’s 100 of them | Aodhán… ag smaoineamh ós ard write very well, thank you share!

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