deas
/dʲasˠ/
The English word 'nice' is translated into Irish as deas.
deas is an adjective used to describe someone or something as attractive or friendly. It can also be used to describe things that are neat, tidy or orderly.
Meaning: attractive, friendly (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to use the word as an adverb to mean 'nicely' or 'well', you should use the form go deas instead of the adjective deas.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʲasˠ/
Did you know?
- The word deas originally meant 'right-hand' or 'south'.
- The ancient root of deas is related to the Greek word dexiós, which also meant 'right-hand side' and was often associated with good fortune.
- The historical connection between deas and the south suggests that 'right' and 'south' were once seen as the same direction in ancient Celtic orientation.
Examples in context
- Tá Tomás go deas formhór an ama.Tom is nice most of the time.This sentence shows how to describe a person's character using deas.Tatoeba #10317669 by koala, translation #7732767 by CK
- Gúna deas.Nice dress.This sentence uses deas to describe an item of clothing.Tatoeba #7801555 by eo_as, translation #1326299 by Luornu
- Culaith deas.Nice suit.This sentence uses deas to describe a suit.Tatoeba #7801913 by eo_as, translation #576038 by FeuDRenais2
- Tá an tobar seo go h-álainnThis well is beautiful
- Tá áit álainn againn le suí síosWe have a nice place to sit down
- Bhí an turas sin go hiontachThat trip was fantastic
- Chuaigh an scéal go hiontachThe story went well
- Tá an aimsir go breá inniuThe weather is lovely today
Example conversation
Cathal and Siobhán are talking about a new colleague.
- CathalAn bhfuil an nially go deas?Is the new guy nice?
- SiobhánTá, tá sé an-deas.Yes, he is very nice.
- CathalAn bhfuil sé go deas féin?Is he attractive himself?
- SiobhánTá, tá sé an-deas!Yes, he is very attractive!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nice” translations and entries deas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries deas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
