pinsean
/ˈpʲɪnʲʃɯn̪ˠ/
The English word 'pension' is translated into Irish as pinsean.
The term refers to a regular payment made to a person in consideration of their past services.
Meaning: regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services (noun)
Which one should you use?
The standard term is pinsean, but Pensiún is also used in more formal contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpʲɪnʲʃɯn̪ˠ/
Did you know?
- The word pinsean shares its ancient root with the English word 'pendulum', as both come from the Latin pendō meaning 'to weigh'.
- Because Irish is a VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) language, a sentence about receiving a pinsean will place the action of getting the money before the person receiving it.
- In Ireland, the state pension is often referred to in casual speech as the pension using the English word, even in predominantly Irish-speaking communities.
Examples in context
- Tá an pinsean an-lag.The pension is very low.
Example conversation
Oisín and Aoife are talking about their grandparents.
- OisínAn bhfuil do shean-athair ar pinsean?Is your grandfather on a pension?
- AoifeTá, stopadh sé ag obair an láimhe.Yes, he stopped working manually.
- OisínAn bhfuil an pinsean go maith?Is the pension good?
- AoifeTá sé go leor, Oisín.It is enough, Oisín.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pension” translations and entries pinsean, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pinsean, CC BY-SA 4.0.
