níl
/nʲiːlʲ/
The Irish word for "no" is níl.
níl is used to express the non-existence of something, meaning "there is no" or "there is not".
Meaning: used to show disagreement or negation (particle)
Which one should you use?
While níl is used to negate the verb "to be" (is/am/are), the particle Ní is used to negate other verbs in Irish.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Irish, níl functions as "there is no" or "there is not" rather than acting as a simple negation particle.
How do you pronounce it?
/nʲiːlʲ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use níl as a direct one-word answer to a "yes/no" question. Instead, in Irish, you typically repeat the verb or use a different construction to answer "no".
Did you know?
- Irish has no single word for 'yes' or 'no'. To answer a question, you must repeat the verb used in the question in either a positive or negative form.
- The word níl is actually a contraction of the particle ní and the word tá, which means 'is'. It literally merges the negation and the verb into one sound.
- To say 'no' in a way that means 'I refuse', an Irish speaker might use the word ní féidir, which translates to 'it is not possible'.
Examples in context
- Níl a fhios aige.He has no clue.This example shows how to use níl to say someone has no clue.Tatoeba #7801595 by eo_as, translation #7800746 by sharris123
- Níl aon fhadhb ann.There is no problem.This example uses níl to state that there is no problem.Tatoeba #3896264 by turklehceleri, translation #2700686 by CN
- Níl aon beoir anseo.There's no beer here.This example uses níl to indicate there is no beer in a specific location.Tatoeba #7809334 by eo_as, translation #423144 by CM
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Cathal and Saoirse are talking about hunger.
- CathalAn bhfuil ocras ort, a Saoirse?Are you hungry, Saoirse?
- SaoirseNíl ocras orm, go raibh agat.I am not hungry, thank you.
- CathalAn bhfuil tú cinnte?Are you sure?
- SaoirseTá, níl mé ocras arabhsáil.Yes, I am not hungry at all.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry níl, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
