fàilte
/ˈfaːltʲə/
The English word "welcome" is translated into Gaelic as fàilte. Wiktionary also lists ceud mìle fàilte and fàilte is furan.
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
Ways to say it
| Gaelic | IPA |
|---|---|
| fàilte | /ˈfaːltʲə/ |
| ceud mìle fàilte | /kʰʲiət̪ ˈmiːlə ˈfaːltʲə/ (word by word) |
| fàilte is furan |
fàilte is used as an interjection to greet someone upon their arrival. To use the word as a verb meaning to affirm or greet the arrival of someone, use the phrase cuir fàilte air. The noun form, which refers to the act of greeting someone's arrival, is also fàilte.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ceud mìle fàilte literally means "a hundred thousand welcomes".
Which one should you use?
The phrase fàilte is furan is another form available in the language.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say "welcome to you" in the singular, you use the prepositional phrase romhad after fàilte. To say "welcome to" a specific place, fàilte is often followed by the preposition gu.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfaːltʲə/
Did you know?
- In Gaelic culture, the concept of fàilte historically extended beyond a simple greeting to a moral duty of hospitality toward strangers and travelers.
- The word is in the phrase fàilte is furan is actually a shortened version of the word agus, meaning 'and'.
- The expression ceud mìle fàilte uses a hyperbolic number to signal warmth, a common feature in Gaelic where extreme numbers express intensity rather than a literal count.
Examples in context
- Fàilte romhad chun dùthaich.Welcome!This sentence shows how to use fàilte to welcome someone to a country.Tatoeba #5751815 by Catriona, translation #4771541 by garborg
- Fàilte gu Tatoeba.Welcome to Tatoeba!This sentence shows how to use fàilte to welcome someone to a place.Tatoeba #1526205 by Cainntear, translation #1205289 by bart
- Fáilte roimh a h-uile duine!Welcome, everyone!
- Céad Míle Fáilte romhat!A hundred thousand welcomes to you!
- Fáilte chridheil ort!A hearty welcome to you!
- Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl. Fàilte!The end of the world may come, but love and music will endure. Welcome!
- Mòran taing airson an cuireadh. Fàilte dhan bhaile!Thank you for the invitation. Welcome to the town!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Finlay arrives at Isla's house for a visit.
- IslaFàilte, a Finlay!Welcome, Finlay!
- FinlayTapadh leat, a Isla.Thank you, Isla.
- IslaTha an t-uaine tòrr.The tea is ready.
- FinlayTha mi ag iarraidh cupa.I would like a cup.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations and entries fàilte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ceud, mìle, fàilte) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ceud, is, mìle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
