cuidigh le
The Irish way to say 'help' as a verb is cuidigh le or cabhraigh le.
Meaning: transitive: provide assistance to (someone or something) (verb)
Ways to say it
| Irish |
|---|
| cuidigh le |
| cabhraigh le |
Both cuidigh le and cabhraigh le are transitive verbs used to express the act of providing assistance to someone or something. If you wish to use the noun form for the assistance itself, you can use cabhair, cuidiú or cúnamh.
Related words
Did you know?
- In traditional Irish culture, the concept of meitheal describes a community coming together to help one another with a harvest or a big task.
- The verb cuidigh le literally suggests that you are taking a 'share' or 'portion' in someone else's situation. It comes from the word cuid, meaning 'part' or 'share'.
- Unlike English, where you 'help someone', the Irish verbs cuidigh and cabhraigh require the preposition le to connect the action to the person being helped.
Examples in context
- An féidir leat cabhair a thabhairt dom leis an tasc seo?Could you please offer me some help with this task?
- Tá brón orm rud a iarraidh ort ach an féidir leat cabhrú liom?I'm sorry to bother you, but could you help me?
- Mór leisce ort, an féidir leat cabhrú liom an stáisiún bus is cóngarach a aimsiú? Táim caillte beagán.Excuse me, could you help me find the nearest bus station? I'm a bit lost.
- Níl aithne agam ar an gceantar seo. An féidir leat cabhair a thabhairt dom maidir le treoracha go dtí lár na cathrach?I'm not familiar with this area. Can you please help me with directions to the city center?
Example conversation
Aoife and Oisín are cleaning the kitchen together.
- AoifeOisín, an féidir leat cuidigh le mé?Oisín, can you help me?
- OisínBa bháith liom! Cad atá le déanamh?I'd love to! What needs doing?
- AoifeCuidigh le an sciapaid, le do bhá.Help with the mop, please.
- OisínNíl aon fhadhb, Aoife.No problem, Aoife.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “help” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cabhraigh, cuidigh, le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
