olc
/ɔl̪ˠk/
The English word 'bad' is translated into Irish as olc. Wiktionary also lists dona and droch-.
Meaning: unfavorable, negative (adj)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA |
|---|---|
| olc | /ɔl̪ˠk/ /ol̪ˠk/ |
| dona | /ˈd̪ˠun̪ˠə/ (Munster) /ˈd̪ˠon̪ˠə/ (Munster) |
| droch- | /d̪ˠɾˠɞh/ (Munster) /d̪ˠɾˠox/ (Connacht) |
The term is used to describe something unfavorable or negative.
Which one should you use?
The form droch- is used as a prefix when 'bad' is combined directly with a noun to create a compound word, such as drochscéal (bad news). In contrast, olc is the standard adjective used when the word follows a noun or acts as a predicate.
How does it change in a sentence?
olc is the standard adjective used after a noun or as a predicate. The feminine singular form of the adjective is dona. When you want to modify a noun directly within a compound word, use the prefix droch-.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔl̪ˠk/
Did you know?
- The Irish word for 'bad' dona is the direct linguistic opposite of the word for 'happy' sona.
- The word olc can be used as a noun to describe 'evil' or 'wickedness' rather than just as an adjective for 'bad'.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Aoife and Cian are discussing a movie they just watched.
- AoifeAn raibh an scannán sin go maith?Was that movie good?
- CianNí raibh, bhí sé olc go leoireann.No, it was completely bad.
- AoifeIn aisce an airgead ansin.A waste of money then.
- CianGo araidh, bhí sé olc go mór.Indeed, it was very bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bad” translations and entries olc, dona, droch-, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dona, droch-, olc, CC BY-SA 4.0.
