go maire tú an lá
In Irish, happy birthday can be expressed as go maire tú an lá. Wiktionary also lists lá breithe maith agat and lá breithe sona dhuit.
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA |
|---|---|
| go maire tú an lá | |
| lá breithe maith agat | /l̪ˠɑː bʲɾʲɛhə mˠa ˈaɡət̪ˠ/ |
| lá breithe sona dhuit |
These phrases are used to offer good wishes to someone on their birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase lá breithe sona dhuit translates literally to a happy birthday to you.
Which one should you use?
You can also use lá breithe maith agat or lá breithe sona dhuit.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase lá breithe maith agat uses the singular form agat when speaking to one person. To say "good birthday to you" to more than one person, change agat to agaibh to form lá breithe maith agaibh. You can also add féin to the end of the phrase to create lá breithe maith agat féin, which means "a good birthday to yourself" and serves to emphasize the recipient.
Did you know?
- Traditional Irish celebrations often emphasize the 'name day' as well as the birthday, with similar phrases of well-wishing used for both occasions.
- The structure of lá breithe sona dhuit uses the word sona for 'happy', which can also mean 'lucky' or 'fortunate' depending on the context.
- While English speakers say 'happy birthday', the Irish expression lá breithe maith agat uses a structure that implies the birthday is something the person possesses, rather than a day they are experiencing.
Examples in context
- Lá breithe shona duit! Go mbeire tú an chéad!Happy birthday! May you live to be a hundred!
- Go maire tú an lá arís.May you live to see the day again.
Example conversation
Aoife gives a gift to Oisín for his birthday.
- AoifeGo maire tú an lá, a Oisín!Happy birthday, Oisín!
- OisínGo raibh mille gach go maith agat!Thank you very much!
- AoifeAn bhfuil tú sásta leis an mbuailte?Are you happy with the gift?
- OisínTá, tá sé go hiontach!Yes, it is wonderful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries go maire tú an lá, lá breithe maith agat, lá breithe sona dhuit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
