Feicfidh mé go luath thú
Feicfidh mé go luath thú is the Irish way to say "see you soon".
This phrase is used as an interjection to say goodbye.
Meaning: goodbye (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "I will see you soon": Feicfidh is the future tense of "to see", mé means "I", go luath means "soon" and thú means "you".
How does it change in a sentence?
The adverbial phrase go luath (soon) is flexible and can be moved to the end of the sentence as Feicfidh mé thú go luath without changing the meaning. If you wish to say "I will see you again" instead of "soon", replace go luath with arís.
When do people say it?
For an informal and affectionate way to say goodbye, you might instead use Slán go fóillín, which is derived from Slán go fóill.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'see you' is a very common shorthand, Irish speakers often prefer to use the word 'Slán', which literally translates to 'health' or 'safety' as a way of saying goodbye.
- The word go is also a cognate of the Spanish 'con' and the German 'gegen'. These all share a common ancestor that described being 'next to' something.
- While Feicfidh mé go luath thú is grammatically correct, it sounds quite formal or even literary. In everyday spoken Irish, people are much more likely to use shorter, more idiomatic expressions to say goodbye.
Examples in context
- Slán, feicfidh mé go luath thú.Goodbye, see you soon.
- Go raibh maith agat, feicfidh mé go luath thú.Thank you, see you soon.
Example conversation
Niamh and Cathal are leaving a cafe.
- NiamhBa mhaise an lá é, a Chathail.It was a nice day, Cathal.
- CathalGo a aithrí, a Niamh.Likewise, Niamh.
- NiamhFeicfidh mé go luath thú!See you soon!
- CathalSlán agat!Goodbye!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries go, luath, mé, thú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
