beannachtaí
The Irish word for "greetings" is beannachtaí.
beannachtaí is a formal way of saying "hello". In practice, it is often used within the phrase Beannachtaí duit to mean "Greetings to you" or "Blessings to you".
Meaning: formal way of saying "hello" (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word beannachtaí literally means "blessings".
Which one should you use?
While beannachtaí serves as a formal greeting, the phrase Dia dhuit (meaning "God be with you") is the much more common and standard way to say "hello" in Irish.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is beannacht, meaning "blessing".
Did you know?
- The word beannachtaí shares a linguistic root with the English word 'benison', an archaic term for a blessing or benediction.
- In response to the greeting Dia dhuit, the reply is almost always Dia duit, but the speaker adds a slight stress to the word duit to acknowledge the return of the blessing.
- In many Irish-speaking communities, saying beannachtaí can sound quite old-fashioned or literary, similar to saying 'salutations' in English.
Example conversation
Cathal meets Siobhán at a formal community meeting.
- CathalBeannachtaí, a Siobhán.Greetings, Siobhán.
- SiobhánDia duit, a Chathail.Hello, Cathal.
- CathalAn bhfuil tú sásta leis an lá?Are you happy with the day?
- SiobhánTá, tá an lá go hálainn.Yes, the day is beautiful.
