In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Irish. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from Ireland or if you’re travelling there.
Irish, also known as Gaelic, is an Indo-European language that was spoken by most of the population of Ireland until the late 18th century.
Today, English is the first language of most people in Ireland however Irish is still spoken as a first language by around 170,000 people and an additional 1.6 million people know Irish as a second language.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Irish
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’. Here are the most common:
| English | Irish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? (speaking to one person) | Conas atá tú? | Kun-ass a-taw too |
| How are you? (speaking to a group) | Conas atá sibh? | Kun-ass a-taw shib |
More informally, you can say:
| English | Irish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| What’s up? | Conas atá an craic? | Kun-ass a-taw on crack |
| What’s up? | Aon scéal? | Ay-uhn shkail |
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Irish
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| English | Irish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agat | Guh rev mah ah-gut |
| I’m fine/I’m well | Tá me go maith | Taw may guh maw |
| I’m not well | Tá me go dona | Taw may guh dona |
| I’m fantastic | Tá me go hiontach | Taw may guh heentok |
| I’m happy | Tá áthas orm | Taw aw-hass orum |
| I’m sad | Tá brón orm | Taw brone orum |
| I’m angry | Tá fearg orm | Taw far-ig orum |
| I’m sick | Tá mé tinn | Taw may cheen |
Check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases:
This video also covers the pronunciation of these phrases:
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| English | Irish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| And you? | Agus tú féin? | Ogg-us too hayne? |
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Conas atá tú? (How are you?)
Person 2: Tá me go maith, go raibh maith agat. Agus tú féin? (I’m fine, thank you. And you?)
Person 1: Tá me go maith (I’m fine)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Irish and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
Increase your vocabulary for special occasions by learning how to wish someone a happy birthday in Irish or a happy mother’s day in Irish.