Want to impress your Irish sweetheart? Are you looking for love on the Emerald Isle? In Irish (often referred to as "Gaelic", although the distinction is complex), the most important thing you need to remember is that the words are not pronounced like the Italian ones. Considering this particular, it is quite easy to learn the phrase that interests you (and other very useful ones).
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Learn the Basic "I Love You" Expression
Step 1. Pronounce "tá"
This word means "there" or "yes". It is pronounced " toh"(rhymes with the word" Po ").
Step 2. Pronounce "grá"
This word means "love". It is pronounced " groh"(also rhymes with" Po ").
In some cases this word is written "ghrá", but the pronunciation is identical
Step 3. Pronounce "agam"
This word means "I". It is pronounced " A-gam. "The first syllable uses a vowel sound that resembles a combination of the open O in" Po "and the short a of" home. "The second syllable is pronounced as it is spelled.
- Make sure you put the emphasis on the first syllable. The word is pronounced "A-gam, not" a-GAM ". Inverting the accents would make it difficult to understand you. It would be like saying" AN-co-ra "instead of" an-CO-ra ".
- In some cases this word may be spelled "again" and get confused with the English word from the same spelling. However, they are never pronounced the same way.
Step 4. Pronounce "duit"
This word means "you". It is pronounced "dich". Use a short i sound (like "pine") and the ch sound (like "cheese") at the end of the word.
In some regions of Ireland it is pronounced " dit. "Other people even add a sound similar to w, turning the pronunciation into" dwich ".
Step 5. Complete the sentence
Once you have mastered the pronunciation of all the words, repeat them in order to say "I love you". "Tá grá agam duit" is pronounced (approximately) " Toh groh A-gam dich".
Although this phrase literally means "I love you", the Irish understand it as "I love you". However, this is not always the most common way to express this sentiment in Ireland. In the following section, you will learn other ways to say you love someone. Depending on the region you are in, one of them could be the phrase considered "normal"
Method 2 of 3: Learn Alternative Ways of Saying "I Love You"
Step 1. Use "Mo grá thú"
This sentence is pronounced approximately " mo gro hu". The first word is pronounced as it is spelled. Don't be fooled by the th of the last word -" thú "is pronounced like the sound made by owls. In some regions it sounds more like a" ha ", but the most important aspect is to make the sound h of the word heard.
Literally, the phrase means "My love you", but in practice it is used as "I love you"
Step 2. Try "Gráim thú"
This sentence is pronounced " GRAH-im hu"Note that the first word is made up of two syllables, even though they may seem like one. Also be careful to emphasize the first syllable and not the second.
This is a shorter and simpler version of the previous sentence. The meaning is more or less the same
Step 3. Use "Is breá liom tú"
This sentence is pronounced " Iss broh lam you". Use the hard s (as in" stone "in the first word. Do not imitate the English word" is ". Note that" broh "rhymes with" Po "and that" liom "rhymes with" Pan ", regardless how do you imagine its pronunciation.
Step 4. Alternatively, you can use "Is aoibhinn liom tú"
This sentence is pronounced " Iss iven lam you"." Note that the only word different from the previous example is "aoibhinn". Regardless of its spelling, it is pronounced almost exactly like the English word "even".
- The other words are pronounced exactly as described above.
- Although the preceding sentence means "I love you", in this case the literal meaning comes close to "You delight me". She is considered less romantic and more affectionate. You can also use it for items (read below).
Method 3 of 3: Learn Related Phrases
Step 1. If you love someone madly, you can say "Tá mo chroí istigh ionat"
The pronunciation in this case is " toh mou KHri iss-ti on-ad". Literally the phrase means" My heart is within you ", but it is actually used to say" You care very much. "Two pronunciations are particularly difficult:
- "Chroí" is probably the hardest word to pronounce. You have to use the guttural sound h / ch which does not exist in Italian. This is the same sound used in some common Hebrew words, such as "Chanukah".
- "Istigh" sounds more or less like "iss-ti" or "ish-tig", depending on the accent of the region. Use the hard s (as in "rock") or the sh sound (as in "shampoo"), not the sweet s (in "home").
Step 2. To say "dear" to a girl, use "Mo chuisle"
Say the phrase " Mo KHush-le"." Mo "is easy - pronounced as you spell." Chuisle "is more difficult. You have to start the word with a guttural h / ch sound (as in" Chanukah "). The" ush "part rhymes with the English "push." The "le" at the end uses the sound and short (as in "led").
Literally, this phrase means "my heartbeat". It is a common expression that comes from the phrase "A chuisle mo chroí" ("the beating of my heart")
Step 3. To say that a person is your soul mate, you can say "Is tú mo rogha"
Say the sentence like " Iss tu mo rou-a"." Rogha "is the most difficult word in this case. The first syllable ends with the combination gh, which makes the sound" w ", in this case similar to a" u ". Note also that" is "is pronounced with the s lasts, as explained above.
Literally, "rogha" means "choice" or "favorite". It can also mean "flower" and this gives the phrase a romantic double meaning
Step 4. If you love an idea or object, you can say "Is aoibhinn liom _"
This sentence is pronounced " Iss iven lam _", where the empty part is replaced with the word you want. This expression is used when you love" something ", but you are not in love. For example, if you really like your grandmother's pasta, you can say" Is aoibhinn liom pasta ".
Note that this sentence is identical to "Is aoibhinn liom tú" mentioned in the previous section, except substituting a different word for tú ("you")
Advice
- Listening to the pronunciation of native speakers on the internet can be very helpful if you want to master the more difficult Irish words. One of the best sites for this is Forvo, where you can find recordings of words and phrases from many languages of the world.
- This article refers to the Irish language Gaelic (the language of the Celtic natives of Ireland). The term "Gaelic" alone can be confusing, as it can also refer to "Scottish" Gaelic. If someone asks you to say "I love you" in Gaelic, make sure you know which language they are referring to!
