dia dhaoibh go léir
The English phrase "hello everyone" is translated into Irish as dia dhaoibh go léir.
dia dhaoibh go léir is a standard, polite way to initiate a greeting when addressing a crowd, a classroom or a gathering of people.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "God be with you all": dia is God, dhaoibh is the plural form of "you" and go léir means "all" or "entirely".
Which one should you use?
While dia dhaoibh go léir is used for a group, dia duit is the singular form used when greeting only one person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word dhaoibh is the plural form of the second-person pronoun, which is why this specific form is used when addressing a group rather than an individual.
Did you know?
- The word dia is a cognate of the Latin word deus and the Sanskrit word devá. These all stem from a prehistoric root describing the shining sky.
- Because dia dhaoibh go léir is a wish for God to be with the listeners, a traditional response is dia agat, which wishes God back to the speaker.
- In Irish, greetings often function as a short prayer. Even people who are not religious use dia dhaoibh go léir as a secular social convention.
Examples in context
- Dia dhaoibh go léir.Hello everyone.
- Dia dhaoibh go léir, a chairde.Hello everyone, friends.
Example conversation
Cian enters a room full of people including Siobhán.
- CianDia dhaoibh go léir!Hello everyone!
- SiobhánDia duit, a Chian!Hello, Cian!
- CianConas atá sibh go léir?How are you all?
- SiobhánTáimid go hiontach, go raibh maith agat.We are great, thank you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dia, go, léir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
