Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh, a chairde, hello to the sodden, the soaking and the drenched of the nation and welcome to the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Isn’t the weather wild? It’s enough to get you depressed so let’s have a go at expressing how you feel in Irish.
The conversation usually starts of with cad é mar atá tú? - How are you? or “what about ye?” in the vernacular. This is usually followed by a tried and tested formula.
B: “Not too bad. What about yourself?”
A: “Can’t complain.”
or
A: “Ye workin’?”
B: “Nothin’ else for it.”
The Irish version of the former is:
“Cad é mar atá tú?
“Tá mé go maith. Agus tú féin?” I’m well. And yourself?
“Níl caill orm?” - I’m not too bad.
But we Gaels are more expansive and expressive, a poet in every one of us bursting to get out.
So what else can you say outside the given formulae.
Well, if you really are feeling good about life and not trying to avoid a conversation you could say. In Irish feelings are “on you” so you’ll need to learn orm - on me, ort - on you, air - on him, uirthi - on her, orainn - on us, oraibh - on you (pl) and orthu - on them.
So, tá áthas orm - I am happy or tá lúcháir uirthi - she is delighted, tá spin maith air - he is in a good mood.
But what if you aren’t good or bad, you would be go measartha - fair to middling. This can refer to people and events, etc. Bhí an cluiche go measartha - the game was okay.
Another expressive way of saying the same thing is thíos seal, thuas seal - up and down but now that we all believe we are qualified professional psychologists today it could be describing someone who is bi-polar.
So what if you are not feeling so great, that you have the blues, are feeling down?
Well you would say in that case tá gruaim orm - I’m depressed.
Another way is saying you are sad is tá mé in ísle brí - I am at a low ebb, on the ropes.
Tá brón orm - means I am sorry but it can be used when you bump into someone or spill a glass of Rioja over your first date’s Georgio Armani dress from TK Maxx. It’s more often used as an apology than explaining how you are feeling.
The Bluffer often confuses people who ask him how things are.
“Ar fónamh,” he replies. “Ar dóigh,” he says.
“Go hiontach,” he smiles.
They all mean that things are lovely jubbly.
(Did you know that the word “smashing” meaning “very good” is said to come from the Irish is maith sin? But I digress ...
People are so used to listening to people’s tales of woe and woer that they find it hard to react to someone saying, “yea, things are great.”
Indeed the weather might be awful, Brexit might signal the end of civilization as we know it, David Bowie is dead and Peter Weir is Minister for Education, but one always has to be dóchasach - optimistic.
You’re only young once but by the same token, you’re only old once too so get as much out of life as you can.
Bain sult as - enjoy it.
CÚPLA FOCAL
cad é mar atá tú?(cadge ay mar ataa too) - How are you?
Tá mé go maith. Agus tú féin?(taa may go my. Agis too hane) I’m well. And yourself?
Níl caill orm?(neel kyle orim) - I’m not too bad
orm(orim) - on me, ort(ort) - on you, air(er) - on him, uirthi(erhee) - on her, orainn(oreen) - on us, oraibh(oriv) - on you (pl) orthu(orhoo) - on them
tá áthas orm(taa aahiss orim) - I am happy
tá lúcháir uirthi(taa looher erhee) - she is delighted
tá spin maith air(taa spin my er) - he is in a good mood
go measartha(gaw masarha) - fair to middling
Bhí an cluiche go measartha(vee un cleeha gaw masarha) - the game was okay
thíos seal, thuas seal(hees shaal, hoois shaal) - up and down
tá gruaim orm (taa grooim orim) - I’m depressed.
tá mé in ísle brí(taa may in eeshla bree) - I am at a low ebb
Tá brón orm(taa brone orim) - I’m sorry
ar fónamh(er fonoo) - brilliant
ar dóigh (er doey) - great
go hiontach (gaw heentakh) - smashing
dóchasach (dawkhisakh) - optimistic Bain sult as(bwin sult iss) - enjoy it