go dté tú slán
The Irish phrase for "safe travels" (bon voyage) is go dté tú slán.
Unlike the English expression which uses the noun "travels," the Irish construction is built around a verb to mean "may you come safely."
Meaning: bon voyage (intj)
How does it change in a sentence?
To wish a safe journey to more than one person, replace the singular pronoun tú with the plural sibh to say go dté sibh slán. To wish a safe journey to a third person (she), use sí instead of tú to say go dté sí slán.
When do people say it?
When bidding farewell to someone departing on a journey, you may also hear the informal phrase Slán abhaile, which means "Safe home."
Did you know?
- Because slán means 'whole', using this phrase to bid farewell is historically tied to a culture where travel was perilous and returning 'undamaged' was not guaranteed.
- The English word 'gain' is a distant linguistic relative of the Irish word go, as both trace back to the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'with' or 'along'.
- While go dté tú slán is used for journeys, the word slán is the most common way to say 'goodbye' in Irish regardless of whether someone is traveling. It effectively turns a greeting into a wish for safety.
Examples in context
- Go dté tú slán ar do thuras.Safe travels on your journey.
- Go dté tú slán abhaile.Safe travels home.
Example conversation
Niamh is saying goodbye to Conor at the airport.
- NiamhTá an earcpláine ag teacht anois.The plane is coming now.
- ConorTá mé sáileach go bhfuil mé ag imeacht.I am happy to be leaving.
- NiamhGo dté tú slán, a Chonaire!Safe travels, Conor!
- ConorGo raibh agat, a Niamh.Thank you, Niamh.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries go, slán, tú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
