Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| grá | /ɡɾˠɑː/ /ɡɾˠaː/ |
masculine |
| armacas | masculine |
grá is used both for romantic love and for general affection toward people or things. It is the word you hear in everyday speech and in songs.
Which one should you use?
armacas is a much rarer, literary word for love or affection. In normal speech people say grá. The verb "to love" is gráigh.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Irish usually expresses "I love you" with the noun rather than a verb. Tá grá agam ort literally means "there is love at me on you". When you call someone "my love", the word changes to a ghrá.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /ɡɾˠɑː/. It is one syllable with a hard g, a tapped r and a long open vowel like the vowel in English "father".
When do people say it?
grá mo chroí means "love of my heart" and is a classic romantic expression. Endearments like a stór and a chuisle are also used affectionately with loved ones and children.
Did you know?
- The endearment a chuisle literally means 'my pulse', comparing the loved one to the very beat of the heart.
- The word grá shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'gratus', which is the root of the English word 'gracious'.
- While grá is the standard word for love, a stór is a common alternative endearment that literally translates to 'my store' or 'my treasure'.
Examples in context
- Tá grá agam ort.I love you.Tá grá agam ort is the standard way to say "I love you".
- Cur glaoch orm, a ghrá.Call me, my love.a ghrá is how you address someone as "my love".
- Tá grá agam dá hiníon.I love her daughter.Tá grá agam dá hiníon uses the same pattern to say "I love her daughter".Tatoeba #3945003 by turklehceleri, translation #1931864 by Spamster
- Conas atá tú, a stór?How are you, my love?
- Tá mé i ngrá leat, a chuisleI am in love with you, darling.
- Is tú grá mo chroíYou are the love of my heart.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Cathal and Niamh are talking about their relationship.
- CathalAn bhfuil grá agat dom, a Niamh?Do you have love for me, Niamh?
- NiamhTá grá mór agam duit, a Chathail.I have a great love for you, Cathal.
- CathalIs é an grá an rud is tábhachtaí.Love is the most important thing.
- NiamhTá mé ag agreement leat.I agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries grá, armacas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
