is cailín mé
/(i)sˠ kɑˈlʲiːnʲ mʲeː/word by word
The phrase "I am a girl" in Irish is is cailín mé.
This phrase is used by a female child or young woman to identify her gender.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally translated, the phrase means "is girl I".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the copula is to express identity, which is the standard way to say "I am [noun]" in Irish.
How do you pronounce it?
/(i)sˠ kɑˈlʲiːnʲ mʲeː/
Did you know?
- While is cailín mé identifies gender, Irish uses a completely different verb for 'to be' when describing characteristics, such as saying 'I am tall'.
- The word cailín contains the diminutive suffix -ín, which was originally used to make words smaller or more endearing.
- If a girl wants to say 'I am not a girl', she must add the particle ní to the start, changing is to ní, because the copula behaves differently than standard verbs.
Examples in context
- Is cailín mé.I am a girl.
Example conversation
Two children are introducing themselves during a game.
- CathalCíthal mé. Cíd tú?I am Cathal. Who are you?
- AoifeIs cailín mé. Aoife mé.I am a girl. I am Aoife.
- CathalAn bhfuil tú ag bás?Are you playing?
- AoifeTá, tá mé!Yes, I am!
