beag
/b̥ek/
The English word small is beag in Gaelic.
beag is an adjective used to describe something that is not large.
Meaning: not large (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective beag undergoes lenition to bheag when it follows a feminine noun in certain grammatical contexts, though it remains beag in the examples provided.
How do you pronounce it?
/b̥ek/
Did you know?
- In Gaelic, the word beag can be used to describe a short period of time, such as beag an tràth for 'a little while', treating time as a physical size.
- The word beag often appears in names to distinguish a son from a father, acting as a Gaelic equivalent to 'Junior' in English.
- The word beag comes from the Proto-Celtic root *biggos, which is the same ancestor shared by the Breton word 'bic’han' and the Welsh 'bach'.
Examples in context
- Tha taigh beag againn.We have a small house.This sentence shows how to use beag to describe a house.Tatoeba #3807648 by Catriona, translation #3807649 by muriloricci
- Tha an cù donn beag ann fon bhòrd sin.There is a small brown dog under that table.This sentence demonstrates using beag to describe a dog.Tatoeba #851887 by marloncori, translation #851972 by marloncori
- duine beagA small manThis phrase shows how to use beag to describe a man.
- Tha an taigh beag.The house is small.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mairead and Angus are looking at a new apartment.
- MaireadAn t-seòmar-suim beag a th' ann.The living room is small.
- AngusTha e beag, ach tha e glan.It is small, but it is clean.
- MaireadA bheil an dealbh beag cuideachd?Is the picture small too?
- AngusCha beag a th' ann idir.It is not small at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “small” translations and entries beag, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beag, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
