Le grá
/lʲe ɡɾˠɑː/word by word
The Irish phrase for "love from" is Le grá.
Le grá is a closing phrase used at the end of a letter or card to show affection for the recipient.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "With love".
How do you pronounce it?
/lʲe ɡɾˠɑː/
Did you know?
- While Le grá is used in letters, Irish has different words for 'love' depending on whether it is romantic, platonic, or spiritual.
- The preposition le in Le grá stems from a Proto-Celtic word meaning 'side', suggesting that being 'with' someone originally implied being by their 'side'.
- In traditional Irish songwriting, grá is frequently paired with nature metaphors, such as the wind or the sea, to express longing.
Example conversation
Cian and Saoirse are talking about a birthday card.
- CianAn gáireann tú an cárta?Are you signing the card?
- SaoirseTá, tá mé ag scríobh 'Le grá, ó Saoirse'.Yes, I am writing 'Love from Saoirse'.
- CianSin go maith, a Saoirse.That is good, Saoirse.
- SaoirseTá sé réidh anois.It is ready now.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (le, grá) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grá, le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
