tá brón orm
[t̪ˠɑː ˈbˠɾˠoːnˠ ɔɾˠəmˠ]
The Irish phrase for sorry is tá brón orm.
tá brón orm is used to express an expression of regret or sorrow.
Meaning: expression of regret or sorrow (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tá brón orm literally translates to 'there is sorrow on me'.
Which one should you use?
While tá brón orm expresses regret or sorrow, it is not used as a casual 'excuse me' to get past someone in a crowd. For that, maith liom or gabh mo leithscéal is more appropriate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the preposition orm (on me) to express that the speaker is the one experiencing the sorrow.
Did you know?
- In traditional Irish culture, expressing brón was often linked to the practice of keening, a ritual wailing for the dead where sorrow was shared collectively.
- In Irish, feelings like sorrow or hunger are not things you 'have' but things that are 'on' you, which is why tá brón orm uses the preposition orm for 'on me'.
- The word orm has linguistic relatives in the Isle of Man, where the form orrym is used in the Manx language.
Examples in context
- Tá brón orm, níor chuala mé do cheist.I'm sorry, I didn't hear your question.
- Gabh mo leithscéal, rinne mé botún mór.Please forgive me, I made a big mistake.
Example conversation
Aoife accidentally steps on Conor's foot.
- AoifeÓ, tá brón orm, a Chonaire!Oh, I'm sorry, Conor!
- ConorNíl aon fhadhb air, a Aoife.It's no problem, Aoife.
- AoifeAn bhfuil tú ceart go leor?Are you alright?
- ConorTá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sorry” translations and entries tá brón orm, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brón, orm, tá brón orm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
