irlandais
/iʁ.lɑ̃.dɛ/masculine
In French, the term for the Irish language is irlandais. Wiktionary also lists gaélique irlandais.
Meaning: the language (name)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| irlandais | /iʁ.lɑ̃.dɛ/ | masculine |
| gaélique irlandais | /ɡa.e.li.k‿iʁ.lɑ̃.dɛ/ | masculine |
The word refers to the Irish language or can be used as an adjective to describe things pertaining to Ireland or the Irish people. To specify the language more precisely, you can use gaélique irlandais.
Which one should you use?
When you are referring specifically to the language itself, use the masculine noun irlandais.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes based on the gender of the noun it describes or refers to. Use the masculine irlandais for masculine nouns and adjectives. To describe a feminine noun, use the form irlandaise by adding an e to the end. Note that Irlande refers to the country, Ireland, rather than the language or people.
How do you pronounce it?
/iʁ.lɑ̃.dɛ/
Did you know?
- In formal French, you do not capitalize the adjective irlandais when it is used to describe a noun, whereas in English, 'Irish' is always capitalized.
- The suffix '-ais' in irlandais is a common way in French to form names for people and languages, similar to how 'English' is formed from 'England' in a different way.
- The term gaélique irlandais is used to distinguish the Irish language from other Goidelic languages, such as Scottish Gaelic, which is called gaélique écossais.
Examples in context
- La fille est irlandaise.The girl is Irish.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe a person's nationality using irlandais.Tatoeba #4080839 by sbamsbamsbam, translation #4079380 by muriloricci
- J'aime la musique irlandaise.I like Irish music.This sentence shows how to use irlandais as an adjective for music.Tatoeba #5402229 by Aiji, translation #4486485 by rymor
- Je veux apprendre l'irlandais.I want to learn Irish.This sentence demonstrates the use of irlandais when referring to the language.Tatoeba #2508088 by sacredceltic, translation #2505267 by _undertoad
- L'histoire irlandaise est fascinante.Irish history is fascinating.
- Elle parle couramment l'irlandais.She speaks Irish fluently.
- La musique irlandoise est célèbre dans le monde.Irish music is famous worldwide.
- Les Irlandais sont connus pour leur hospitalité chaleureuse.The Irish are known for their warm hospitality.
- Je suis allé(e) à un festival de musique irlandaise hier soir.I went to an Irish music festival last night.
- La danse traditionnelle de l'Irlande, la jigue, est très rythmée.The traditional dance of Ireland, the jig, is very lively.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are discussing language classes at school.
- LucasEst-ce que tu étudies l'irlandais ?Are you studying Irish?
- EmmaNon, je préfère apprendre l'espagnol.No, I prefer to learn Spanish.
- LucasL'irlandais a l'air très difficile.Irish seems very difficult.
- EmmaC'est vrai, mais c'est fascinant.That's true, but it is fascinating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “irish” translations and entries irlandais, gaélique irlandais, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries irlandais, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
