Learn everyday Irish
Free everyday learning for people living in Ireland. Independent of ISD and the Irish Government. Practice content, not an official citizenship test, syllabus or language qualification.
Greetings and courtesy
Use Dia duit to greet one person; Dia daoibh addresses more than one. Dialects vary. Practise with native audio rather than English phonetic spellings.
- Dia duit
- Hello (to one person)
- Dia daoibh
- Hello (to several people)
- Maidin mhaith
- Good morning
- Oíche mhaith
- Good night
- Slán
- Goodbye
- Go raibh maith agat
- Thank you (to one person)
- Le do thoil
- Please
- Fáilte
- Welcome
- Gabh mo leithscéal
- Excuse me
- Tá fáilte romhat
- You are welcome
Introducing yourself
Tá describes a state; is is used in identification. These are useful sentence patterns, not interchangeable verbs. Replace Aoife with your own name when speaking.
- Conas atá tú?
- How are you?
- Tá mé go maith
- I am well
- Cén t-ainm atá ort?
- What is your name?
- Aoife is ainm dom
- My name is Aoife
- Cá bhfuil tú i do chónaí?
- Where do you live?
- Tá mé i mo chónaí in Éirinn
- I live in Ireland
- Cad as duit?
- Where are you from?
- Is as Éirinn dom
- I am from Ireland
- Tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge
- I am learning Irish
- Ní thuigim
- I do not understand
Numbers one to ten
These are standalone counting forms. Counting objects, people and dates uses other forms; do not apply this list to every sentence.
- a haon
- one
- a dó
- two
- a trí
- three
- a ceathair
- four
- a cúig
- five
- a sé
- six
- a seacht
- seven
- a hocht
- eight
- a naoi
- nine
- a deich
- ten
Colours
Learn the dictionary forms first. Colours usually follow nouns and their spelling can change in context. Glas and uaine can both mean green; glas has wider natural-colour uses.
- dearg
- red
- gorm
- blue
- buí
- yellow
- dubh
- black
- bán
- white
- donn
- brown
- liath
- grey
- oráiste
- orange
- corcra
- purple
- bándearg
- pink
Everyday places and things
These are singular dictionary forms. Irish nouns have gender and inflect; learn full phrases as you progress. Gaeilge means the Irish language, Éire names Ireland.
- uisce
- water
- arán
- bread
- bainne
- milk
- tae
- tea
- caife
- coffee
- teach
- house
- scoil
- school
- siopa
- shop
- leabhar
- book
- Gaeilge
- Irish language
Days and time
The day names below use Dé for naming a day (for example Dé Luain). Other expressions such as on Mondays use different forms.
- Dé Luain
- Monday
- Dé Máirt
- Tuesday
- Dé Céadaoin
- Wednesday
- Déardaoin
- Thursday
- Dé hAoine
- Friday
- Dé Sathairn
- Saturday
- Dé Domhnaigh
- Sunday
- inniu
- today
- amárach
- tomorrow
- inné
- yesterday
County names
Recognise ten county names here, then explore all counties on Logainm.ie. Contae means county; adding it can change the following form. These are place-name forms, not a complete geography lesson.
- Baile Átha Cliath
- Dublin
- Corcaigh
- Cork
- Gaillimh
- Galway
- Ciarraí
- Kerry
- Maigh Eo
- Mayo
- Dún na nGall
- Donegal
- Cill Dara
- Kildare
- Cill Mhantáin
- Wicklow
- Loch Garman
- Wexford
- An Clár
- Clare
People and community roles
These are vocabulary meanings, not descriptions of legal powers. In Irish, Garda is one member; Gardaí is plural. Use the existing Ireland course to learn about institutions.
- múinteoir
- teacher
- dochtúir
- doctor
- altra
- nurse
- mac léinn
- student
- cara
- friend
- comharsa
- neighbour
- Garda
- member of the Irish police
- Uachtarán
- President
- Taoiseach
- head of the Irish Government
- comhairleoir
- councillor
Asking for help
Practise these aloud with another person. A recognition quiz cannot measure conversation. Tá and níl are common affirmative/negative forms for questions using an bhfuil; Irish has no single universal yes/no pair.
- An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?
- Do you speak Irish?
- Tá beagán Gaeilge agam
- I speak a little Irish
- Abair arís é, le do thoil
- Say it again, please
- Labhair go mall, le do thoil
- Speak slowly, please
- Cá bhfuil an leithreas?
- Where is the toilet?
- Cé mhéad atá air?
- How much does it cost?
- Ba mhaith liom cupán tae
- I would like a cup of tea
- Cabhair!
- Help!
- Tá
- is / affirmative form of tá
- Níl
- is not / negative form of tá
Building everyday sentences
Irish commonly puts the verb before the subject. Compare Tá mé (I am) with Tá an aimsir (the weather is). Tá … agam expresses possession, literally something is at me.
- Tá mé sásta
- I am happy
- Tá mé tuirseach
- I am tired
- Tá ocras orm
- I am hungry
- Tá tart orm
- I am thirsty
- Tá sé fuar
- It is cold
- Tá sé te
- It is hot
- Tá sé ag cur báistí
- It is raining
- Tá an aimsir go maith
- The weather is good
- Tá leabhar agam
- I have a book
- Tá mé ag obair
- I am working
Reference check: 6 October 2026. Editorial review pending.