go raibh míle maith agat
In Irish, 'thanks a million' is expressed as go raibh míle maith agat.
This phrase is an enthusiastic way to express great gratitude to someone.
What does it mean word for word?
The literal translation of go raibh míle maith agat is 'may a thousand good [things] be at you'.
Which one should you use?
The phrase go raibh míle maith agat is used for an enthusiastic 'thanks a million', whereas the simpler go raibh maith agat is the standard way to say 'thank you'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'thanks a million again', you can add arís to the end of the phrase to get go raibh míle maith agat arís. If you are addressing a friend directly, you add a chara to the end of the phrase to get go raibh míle maith agat, a chara.
Did you know?
- The Irish word for thousand, míle, and the English word 'mile' both come from the Latin word mīlia. A 'mile' was originally defined as a distance of a thousand paces.
- In traditional Irish culture, the number one thousand was often used as a poetic hyperbole for 'a great many' rather than a literal count, making míle a symbol of abundance.
- The phrase uses maith meaning 'good'. This word is a direct cousin to the Welsh word mad and the Breton word mad, showing a shared Celtic heritage of praising goodness.
Examples in context
- Go raibh míle maith agat as an cabhair.Thanks a million for the help.
- Go raibh míle maith agat as an uraid.Thanks a million for the gift.
- Go raibh míle maith agat as an t-eolas.Thanks a million for the information.
Example conversation
Cian gives Niamh a lift home in his car.
- NiamhGo raibh míle maith agat as an turas, a Chiane.Thanks a million for the lift, Cian.
- CianNíl aon fhadhb a bhaineann leis, a Niamh.No problem at all, Niamh.
- NiamhBhí sé an-mhaith an t-uair i gcéad.It was very kind of you.
- CianTá fáilte romhat i gcónaí.You're always welcome.
