go raibh maith agat
/ɡəɾˠəˈmˠahəɡət̪ˠ/
go raibh maith agat is the Irish way to say thank you.
go raibh maith agat is the standard way to express gratitude to another person in Irish. If you wish to express a stronger sense of gratitude, you can say go raibh míle maith agat, which literally means 'a thousand thanks'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase go raibh maith agat literally translates to 'may good be at you'.
Which one should you use?
The form of the phrase changes depending on how many people you are thanking: use go raibh maith agat when thanking one person, but use go raibh maith agaibh when thanking two or more people.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Munster region, particularly in Kerry and Cork, you might hear the phrase Buíochas leat used instead of go raibh maith agat.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is used to thank a single person in its standard form, but you must change the ending from agat to agaibh to address multiple people.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəɾˠəˈmˠahəɡət̪ˠ/
Did you know?
- Although the phrase is a standard way to say thank you, it is grammatically a wish or a prayer. Because it uses the word 'raibh', it functions as a subjunctive command meaning 'may there be' good at you.
- The phrase go raibh maith agat is closely mirrored in other Goidelic languages, appearing as gun robh math agad in Argyll Scottish Gaelic and gura mie ayd in Manx.
- The word míle used in go raibh míle maith agat is a common Irish linguistic tool for hyperbole, often used in other phrases to denote a great quantity or intensity.
Example conversation
Cian gives Saoirse a book she wanted to read.
- SaoirseAn bhfuil an leabhar seo agat?Do you have this book?
- CianTá, seo duit.Yes, here it is.
- SaoirseGo raibh maith agat, a Chian.Thank you, Cian.
- CianTá fáilte romhat.You're welcome.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry go raibh maith agat, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agat, go, go raibh maith agat, maith, raibh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
