MONTREAL – Dia duit! Conas atá tú? Oh wait – you don’t speak Irish?
Well, if you’re heading out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you may want to learn a few words or phrases to really get into the spirit.
And yes, we mean Irish, not Gaelic – it’s a common misconception, according to Siobhán Ní Mhaolagáin, a visiting scholar with the School of Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia University.
“Gaelic is the group of languages,” she explained.
“Everybody thinks that we speak Gaelic, but no, that’s just the group, the branch of languages.”
Irish is one of those languages, but there is also Scottish Gaelic and older forms of the languages.
Here are eight things you should learn to say in Irish on St. Patrick’s Day:
Hello (greeting): Dia Duit (Dee-a dit)
Hello (response): Dia is Muire Duit (Dee-a iss Mura dit)
How are you?: Conas atá tú? (Kun-is a-thaw-two)
I am good: Tá mé go maith (Thaw may go mah)
I’m (your name): Is mise __________ (Iss misha __________)
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day: Lá fhéile Pádraig sona duit (Law aye-la Par-ick sun-a dit)
Two pints please: Dhá phionta le do thoil (Gaw pee-un-ta le do hull)
And, of course, we can’t forget:
Let’s take a selfie: Glacaimis féinphic (Glock-a-mead fein-pic)
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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