Lá maith
/l̪ˠɑː mˠɑh/word by word
The Irish phrase for "good day" is Lá maith.
Lá maith is used as a greeting between sunrise and sunset. While Lá maith is a literal translation of the phrase, it is more idiomatic to say Lá maith agat when offering the greeting to someone.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of lá (day) and maith (good).
How do you pronounce it?
/l̪ˠɑː mˠɑh/
Did you know?
- If you use the phrase Lá maith agat, you are literally saying 'a good day at you'. This 'at you' structure is a common feature in Irish greetings, such as 'good morning at you'.
- The word maith is a linguistic cousin to the Welsh word mad and the Breton word mad, all descending from a shared Proto-Celtic root.
- In some traditional contexts, Lá maith can serve as both a hello and a goodbye, whereas English typically separates 'good day' from 'goodbye'.
Examples in context
- Lá maith agat.Good day to you.
- Lá maith, a chara.Good day, friend.
Example conversation
Conor meets Aoife on a walking path during the afternoon.
- ConorLá maith, Aoife!Good day, Aoife!
- AoifeLá maith, Conor. Conas atá tú?Good day, Conor. How are you?
- ConorTá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat.I am well, thank you.
- AoifeIs breá liom an aimsir seo.I love this weather.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (lá, maith) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lá, maith, CC BY-SA 4.0.
