caife
/ˈkafʲə/masculine
The Irish word for coffee is caife.
caife is a masculine noun used to refer to the beverage.
Meaning: beverage (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
caife is the singular form of the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkafʲə/
Did you know?
- The word caife is a linguistic traveler, moving from Arabic to Turkish and Italian before entering the Irish language.
- In a traditional Irish setting, if you are offered 'caife', it is often accompanied by a cultural expectation of hospitality that goes far beyond the mere beverage itself.
- While caife is the standard word for the drink, Irish has no single word for 'caffeine', often relying on the English term or a descriptive phrase.
Examples in context
- An ólann Tom caife?Does Tom drink coffee?This sentence is useful for asking if someone drinks caife.Tatoeba #3985242 by turklehceleri, translation #2261209 by CK
- Táim ag ól an caife.I'm drinking the coffee.This sentence is useful for saying you are drinking the caife.Tatoeba #4001484 by turklehceleri, translation #4001332 by AlanF_US
- Níl caife fágtha ann.There's no coffee left.This sentence is useful for stating that there is no caife remaining.Tatoeba #4405800 by kemushi69, translation #4405263 by XenoKat
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Cathal and Niamh are in a kitchen.
- CathalAn leofaidh mé caife duit?Will I make coffee for you?
- NiamhBa bháinn é sin, go raibh maith agat.That would be lovely, thank you.
- CathalAn dteastaíonn bainne agat sa chaife?Do you want milk in the coffee?
- NiamhNí theastaíonn, táim tharleor.I don't need any, I'm fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coffee” translations and entries caife, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caife, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
