tha duilich agam
The Gaelic way to say "sorry" is tha duilich agam.
tha duilich agam is used as an expression of regret or sorrow.
Meaning: expression of regret or sorrow (intj)
Which one should you use?
tha duilich agam is the standard way to express the apology "I am sorry." In contrast, the related word truagh is an adjective used to describe something or someone as "pitiful" or "miserable."
Related words
Did you know?
- Unlike English where 'sorry' is an adjective, the Gaelic expression uses the adjective duilich, which means 'difficult' or 'troublesome'.
- The structure of tha duilich agam literally suggests that the sorrow is 'at' or 'with' the speaker, rather than the speaker 'being' sorry.
- The word tha is cognate with the Irish tá and Manx ta, reflecting a shared linguistic ancestor across the Goidelic languages.
Example conversation
Isla accidentally bumps into Angus in a hallway.
- IslaO, tha duilich agam, a Angus!Oh, I'm sorry, Angus!
- AngusChan eil casualties samhain, Isla.It's no problem, Isla.
- IslaTha duilich agam, bha mi troimh ghnothach.I'm sorry, I was in a hurry.
- AngusCha matter e, chan eil duilich e.It doesn't matter, it's no trouble.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agam, tha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
