{"id":3722,"date":"2013-02-08T20:56:13","date_gmt":"2013-02-08T20:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3722"},"modified":"2019-03-10T16:54:25","modified_gmt":"2019-03-10T16:54:25","slug":"deich-ndoigh-10-ways-le-i-love-you-a-ra-i-ngaeilge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/deich-ndoigh-10-ways-le-i-love-you-a-ra-i-ngaeilge\/","title":{"rendered":"Deich nD\u00f3igh (10 Ways) le ‘I Love You’ a R\u00e1 i nGaeilge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, Irish has lots of ways to say “I love you,” but most of them don’t involve the verb “to love.” \u00a0How is that supposed to work?\u00a0 Bhuel<\/strong>, with lots of t\u00e9arma\u00ed ceana<\/strong> (terms of endearment)! \u00a0In other words, you mostly use nouns to say that someone is your sweetheart, your darling, your pulse (yes, it gets rather anatomical), your heart, your snookums.\u00a0 Um, let’s backtrack.\u00a0 Quit while we’re ahead.\u00a0 I don’t think there’s really an Irish equivalent to “Snookums.”\u00a0 Sweetheart, darling, dear, love, love of my heart — that’s more the Irish style.<\/p>\n

In case you’re wondering about the verb that would mean “to love” (I love, I loved, I will love, etc.), it does exist and was discussed in a previous blog in this series, “An Briathar “Gr\u00e1igh!”<\/strong> (Love!) i nGaeilge<\/strong>,” posted 14 Feabhra<\/strong> 2011 (https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/an-briathar-%E2%80%9Cgraigh%E2%80%9D-love-i-ngaeilge\/). \u00a0\u00a0But as you’ll see from that blog, the verb “to love,” as such, is almost exclusively limited to Biblical or very formal usages, such as: “\u00d3ir ghr\u00e1igh Dia an domhan chomh m\u00f3r sin gur thug s\u00e9 a Aonghin Mic uaidh i dtreo<\/strong>\u00a0 …”.\u00a0 You might recognize that as coming from Eoin 3:16<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 (Aistri\u00fach\u00e1n-1 th\u00edos<\/strong> \/ translation-1 below).\u00a0 \u00a0And, of course, there will always be some Google search results with the verb “gr\u00e1igh<\/strong>” (gr\u00e1im, gr\u00e1nn, ghr\u00e1igh, gr\u00e1faidh, srl.<\/strong>) from people using machine translation, or just translating word for word from a dictionary and then posting the result.\u00a0 But that doesn’t mean such phrases are really used in everyday life.<\/p>\n

Anyway, getting back to what people actually do say as an equivalent to “I love you,” here are some possibilities.\u00a0 We’ve seen some of these terms in previous blogs, but mostly in direct address (a st\u00f3r, a chro\u00ed, a chuisle, a thaisce, srl.<\/strong>).\u00a0\u00a0 Here, we’ll put them into short sentences, with the basic structure of “You are my darling” or “…sweetheart,” etc. \u00a0In most cases, words like “darling” and “sweetheart” are interchangeable as translations.<\/p>\n

1. Is t\u00fa mo st\u00f3r<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are my sweetheart.<\/p>\n

2. Is t\u00fa mo st\u00f3ir\u00edn<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are my (little) sweetheart (the “-\u00edn<\/strong>” element is diminutive, but if anything, it just makes the term even more affectionate; it’s not demeaning or “babeifying”)<\/p>\n

3. Is t\u00fa mo ghr\u00e1<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are my love.<\/p>\n

4. Is t\u00fa mo chuisle<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are my pulse (remember, “cuisle<\/strong>” which literally means “pulse,” is a term of endearment, as also seen in the anglicized forms “acushla<\/em>” and “macushla<\/em>“)<\/p>\n

5. Is t\u00fa mo mhuirn\u00edn<\/strong>.\u00a0 You are my darling.<\/p>\n

6. Is t\u00fa gr\u00e1 geal mo chro\u00ed<\/strong>. You are the bright love of my heart.<\/p>\n

So that’s six.\u00a0 We’re doing ten, remember?<\/p>\n

Another approach to saying “I love you” involves leaving out the verb altogether.\u00a0 \u00a0So we have a verb-less phrase functioning just fine as a complete sentence (no “is<\/strong>,” no “love” verbs). \u00a0The following example is actually probably the most widely used in Irish and is recommended for inscriptions\u00a0 (on jewelry, for example) or tattoos:<\/p>\n

7. Mo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa<\/strong>!, lit. my love you, i.e. You are my love.<\/p>\n

Of course, saying that one aloud involves the voiced velar fricative sound, represented phonetically by the gamma sign \/\u0263\/.\u00a0 This throaty sound is not in English but it is found in Scottish Gaelic, Aleut, Yemenite Hebrew, Arabic, and Klingon, where I think it exemplifies the gutturality of that invented tongue.\u00a0 \u00a0You can hear the sound at http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Voiced_velar_fricative (clice\u00e1il ar an gcomhad fuaime<\/strong>).\u00a0\u00a0 For that matter, you can also hear it at http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/language\/phrases\/klingon.php if you click on lupDujHomwIj luteb gharghmey<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 In Klingon, as in Irish, the sound is written with “gh,” so the last word is where you’ll want to focus your attention.\u00a0 As for what that phrase means, here’s the Irish, “T\u00e1 m’\u00e1rthach foluaineach l\u00e1n d’eascanna<\/strong>” (as listed by http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/language\/phrases\/irish.php).\u00a0 I give the English below (aistri\u00fach\u00e1n<\/strong>-2) but not right here, just to avoid the temptation for readers to use the translation instead of working it out.\u00a0 Eyeball-motion tracking and all that. \u00a0For even more on velar fricatives and saying “I love you,” you might want to check out this previous blog: https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/saying-i-love-you-in-irish\/<\/p>\n

I suppose, come to think of it, for a tattoo, at least for one that’s visible to the public, you might want to add the loved one’s name, as in “I love you, Mary” or “I love you, John.”\u00a0 So you’d add the name in direct address (Mo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa, a Mh\u00e1ire<\/strong>! or Mo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa, a She\u00e1in<\/strong>!).\u00a0 For the inside of a wedding ring, presumably, only the intended would see the inscription, so adding the name would be optional — but a nice touch!<\/p>\n

And finally, here are three more options, bringing us up to deich (10) nd\u00f3igh le<\/strong> “I love you” a r\u00e1<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

8. T\u00e1 gr\u00e1 agam duit<\/strong> (I have love for you) OR T\u00e1 gr\u00e1 agam ort<\/strong> (I have love on you), or, very literally, “Love is at me for you \/ on you”)<\/p>\n

9. T\u00e1im i ngr\u00e1 leat<\/strong> OR T\u00e1 m\u00e9 i ngr\u00e1 leat<\/strong> (I’m in love with you); pronunciation tip: for “i ngr\u00e1<\/strong>,” let the two words run together, like “ingraw,” with the softish “ng” sound of English “singing” (not like “finger”).\u00a0 Since this phrase refers to being “in love” (i ngr\u00e1<\/strong>), it’s meant for one’s significant other, spouse, etc.<\/p>\n

10. T\u00e1 mo chro\u00ed istigh ionat<\/strong> (My heart is within you), or more literally, “inside in you.”\u00a0 In Irish, the “in” element gets repeated with phrases for “inside” something (istigh sa teach<\/strong>, inside the house, lit. inside in the house; istigh sa siopa<\/strong>, inside the shop, lit. inside in the shop).\u00a0 The word “ionat<\/strong>‘ comes from the preposition “i<\/strong>” and literally means “in you,” the “-t” ending signifying 2nd-person singular.<\/p>\n

[N\u00f3ta breise, 10 M\u00e1rta 2019: an additional phrase: Mo chuach th\u00fa! (lit. you are my tress\/curl\/ ball\/ bundle\/hug\/embrace — admittedly none of the literal translations really seem to match the sentiment exactly).<\/p>\n

As for “snookums,” and its cohorts “diddums,” “huggums,” and “sweetums,” I really don’t know of any Irish terms that convey that certain endearing but sometimes infantilizing je ne sais quoi!<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for even more phrases to talk about love and related, um, functions, you might enjoy the recently published book, Cli\u00fasa\u00edocht as Gaeilge<\/em><\/strong>, by Rossa \u00d3 Snodaigh (of the band Kila)\u00a0\u00a0 I’ll let you figure out the most relevant meaning of “cli\u00fasa\u00edocht<\/strong>” and its “agent” term, “cli\u00fasa\u00ed<\/strong>,” (the person who does be “ag cli\u00fasa\u00edocht<\/strong>“).\u00a0 Suffice it to say, it’s apropos to a t\u00e9ama Vailint\u00edn<\/strong>.\u00a0 For a quick answer, you can also find the English subtitle by checking the link: http:\/\/www.coisceim.ie\/cliusaiocht.html\u00a0 The book has general information about the Irish language, including greetings.\u00a0 The basic ones (Dia duit, Aon sc\u00e9al<\/strong>, etc.) are a good first step if you want to eventually move on to the more advanced topics, like discussing c\u00edr\u00edn\u00ed cluaise<\/strong> (aka maoth\u00e1in chluaise<\/strong>) and loig bhoilg<\/strong> (aka imleac\u00e1in<\/strong>). \u00a0Not to mention ranna eile an choirp<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The text of Cli\u00fasa\u00edocht<\/em><\/strong> does get pretty explicit and the illustrations keep pace, so it’s definitely meant for the mature reader.\u00a0 In keeping with its subject matter, anything goes.\u00a0 So, forewarned is “four-armed.” \u00a0Which is probably all the more useful since the couple depicted on the cover not only sport four arms, reasonably enough (and very sporting arms they are!) but they also have six legs between them.\u00a0 Well, not “between” as such, there’s not much “between” them at all at all! \u00a0As intertwined bodies, I think we can also safely say that the couple have created the “two-backed” beast. \u00a0All nicely incorporated into some clever Celtic knotwork-style artwork, provided by Frantisek Valouch.\u00a0 Food for thought for new ways to count, s\u00e9imhi\u00fa<\/strong>, and all, in Irish (dh\u00e1 dhroim, ceithre l\u00e1mh, s\u00e9 chos<\/strong>)!\u00a0 Bhuel, sin \u00e9 don bhlag inniu.\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gluais ghinear\u00e1lta: <\/strong>c\u00edr\u00edn chluaise<\/strong> [KEERzh-een KHLOO-ish-uh], lobe of ear; imleac\u00e1n<\/strong>, navel, bellybutton (ach gan facht\u00f3ir na gleoiteachta a bhaineanns leis an bhfocal<\/strong> “bellybutton”); log boilg<\/strong> [log BWIL-ig], bellybutton, navel; maoth\u00e1n cluaise<\/strong> [MWEE-hawn KLOO-ish-uh], lobe (lit. soft spot) of ear; roinn<\/strong>, pl. ranna<\/strong>, part.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta faoi na focail “log boilg” agus “imleac\u00e1n”<\/strong>: First, pronunciation: “log<\/strong>” is with the Irish short “o,” as in “pota<\/strong>,” not like the English lookalike, “log” as in “tree.”\u00a0 Also, “boilg<\/strong>,” like “bolg<\/strong>,” has two syllables, with the “uh” sound between the “l” and the “g.”\u00a0 As for the literal meaning, “log boilg<\/strong>” is “hollow place of belly.”\u00a0 It does have a friendlier sound, at least do mo chluas f\u00e9in<\/strong>, a little more “bellybutton-ish” rather than “navel-ish.” “Imleac\u00e1n<\/strong>” (navel) is a more formal term and it’s actually a cousin of the Latin word “umbilicus<\/em>,” which in turn is related to “omphalos<\/em> (\u1f40\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03cc\u03c2)” as in all that world-navel Delphi and Joycean Martello Tower stuff.\u00a0 “Imleac\u00e1n<\/strong>” is used for various medical terms, such as “bindeal\u00e1n imleac\u00e1in<\/strong>” (umbilical bandage).<\/p>\n

Aistri\u00fach\u00e1n 1 (Eoin 3:16, <\/strong>\u00d3ir ghr\u00e1igh Dia an domhan chomh m\u00f3r sin gur thug s\u00e9 a Aonghin Mic uaidh i dtreo<\/strong>\u00a0 …)<\/strong>: And God loved the world so much that He gave from Him His only begotten son so that ….\u00a0 Gluais\u00edn don aistri\u00fach\u00e1n sin: domhan<\/strong> [DOH-wun], world; chomh<\/strong> [khoh], so; thug <\/strong>[huhg, silent “t”], gave; aonghin<\/strong> [ayn-yin], only-begotten (re: child); uaidh<\/strong>, from him; i dtreo<\/strong>, so that, lit. “in direction”<\/p>\n

Aistri\u00fach\u00e1n 2: <\/strong>T\u00e1 m’\u00e1rthach foluaineach l\u00e1n d’eascanna<\/strong>.\u00a0 Omniglot translates this as “My hovercraft is full of eels,” and this is one of the delightful phrases translated into many languages on the site (www.omniglot.com).\u00a0 A mionghluais\u00edn<\/strong> for this sentence is: \u00e1rthach<\/strong> [AWR-hukh], vessel, ship; eascann<\/strong> [ASK-un], eel; foluaineach<\/strong> [fuh-LOO-in-yukh], hovering, fluttering, flying, etc.\u00a0 “\u00c1rthach foluaineach<\/strong>” is the Irish for “hovercraft.”<\/p>\n

As for the Klingon, n\u00edl m\u00f3r\u00e1n <\/strong>Tliong\u00e1inise agam <\/strong>(yet!), but I can tell you that “gharghmey<\/em>” is used here for “eels,” with “-mey<\/em>” being the plural suffix.\u00a0 So if you want to practice the voiced velar fricative some more, you can also try the singular, “ghargh<\/em>.”\u00a0 As I understand it, “ghargh<\/em>” is actually “sea worm,” but it appears to be close enough for this catchphrase.\u00a0 Practicing Klingon is actually a good way to master the velar fricatives you need for Irish!\u00a0 Comments welcome from any saineolaithe <\/strong>Tliong\u00e1inise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) So, Irish has lots of ways to say “I love you,” but most of them don’t involve the verb “to love.” \u00a0How is that supposed to work?\u00a0 Bhuel, with lots of t\u00e9arma\u00ed ceana (terms of endearment)! \u00a0In other words, you mostly use nouns to say that someone is your sweetheart, your darling, your…<\/p>\n

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