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Tag Archives: faoi shéan

How to Say ‘Be Happy’ in Irish and 20 Ways to Say ‘Happy’ Itself:  ‘Ádhúil’ to “Toilteanach’ with an Emphasis on “Sona” Posted by on Feb 10, 2018

 (le Róislín) We’ve recently had a request for the phrase “Be happy!” for a tattoo. So seo dhuit, na frásaí is coitianta (mo thuairimse, ar a laghad) le “Be happy” a rá agus ansin súil siar ar dhóigheanna eile le “happy” a rá i nGaeilge.  So, here you are, the most common phrases (my opinion…

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Twenty Ways to Say ‘Happy’ in Irish and Which Ones to Use for ‘Christmas’ and ‘New Year’ Posted by on Dec 25, 2017

(le Róislín) In various previous blogposts (naisc thíos) we’ve looked at how to say “happy” in Irish.  Like many times when we go from one language to another, it seems like the more you look, the more possibilities you find.  So right now, the count for “happy” is at twenty, and I’m sure a few…

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How many ‘happys’ are there in Irish for the various seasonal greetings? Posted by on Dec 14, 2017

(le Róislín) How many ways are there to say ‘happy’ in Irish? Quite a few, but for right now we’ll concentrate on two seasonal variations. One will be for saying ‘Happy Christmas,’ which in US English would be ‘Merry Christmas,’ and the other will be for ‘Happy New Year.’ The bottom line is that neither…

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How many ways can we say ‘bliain’ (year) in Irish, including ‘athbhliain’? Posted by on Jan 11, 2016

(le Róislín) As we settle into the new year (an bhliain nua, an bhliain úr, an athbhliain, srl.), let’s think of how many ways we can say and use the word ‘year’ in Irish. Most recently, you’ve probably seen the phrase “Athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise” (A happy and prosperous New Year). But let’s look…

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Happy vs. Merry and All That! (Sona, Meidhreach, srl.) Posted by on Dec 12, 2010

(le Róislín) ‘S é an séasúr é!  ‘Tis the season!  So let’s do a little holiday terminology.   Some of these phrases are quite well known but all are interesting when looked at from a translator’s perspective. Nollaig Shona!  or to be more specific “Nollaig Shona dhuit!” (to one person) or “Nollaig Shona dhaoibh! (plural).  Or…

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Comhaireamh Síos go Lá (an) Altaithe Posted by on Nov 18, 2009

(le Róislín) For years, I wondered what the best way would be to say “Thanksgiving Day” or “Happy Thanksgiving!” i nGaeilge.  Since it’s not a traditional holiday in Ireland, or Europe in general for that matter, there is no real precedent for this particular phrase. I’ve experimented with several versions, and since the advent of…

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