Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fáilte | /ˈfˠɑːlʲtʲə/ (Munster, Kerry) /ˈfˠɑːlʲhə/ (Munster, Cork) |
|
| céad míle fáilte | /ceːd̪ˠ ˈmʲiːlʲə ˈfˠaːl̠ʲtʲə/ | |
| fáilte romhat isteach | ||
| tá fáilte romhat | /t̪ˠɑː ˈfˠɑːl̠ʲt̪ʲə ɾˠuːt̪ˠ/ (Cois Fharraige) | singular |
| tá fáilte romhaibh | plural | |
| Dé do bheatha | singular | |
| is é do bheatha | /ʃɛ də ˈvʲahə/ (Ulster) | singular |
| Dé bhur mbeatha | plural | |
| is é bhur mbeatha | plural |
In Irish, 'welcome' can be expressed as a noun or through specific phrases used when someone arrives. You can use the noun fáilte or more complete phrases like tá fáilte romhat to tell someone they are welcome. For a very warm or official greeting, the phrase céad míle fáilte is used, which translates to 'a hundred thousand welcomes'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tá fáilte romhat literally translates to 'there is a welcome before you'. The expression fáilte romhat isteach means 'welcome in' by adding the word isteach, which means 'in'.
Which one should you use?
While fáilte is the noun for the concept of a welcome, Dé do bheatha is a traditional greeting used specifically when someone enters a place. The phrase tá fáilte romhat is used for a singular person, whereas tá fáilte romhaibh is used for a group. Similarly, the greeting Dé do bheatha is for one person, but changes to Dé bhur mbeatha when addressing multiple people. For the greeting 'God to you', you can use Dé do bheatha (singular) or is é do bheatha (singular) and Dé bhur mbeatha (plural) or is é bhur mbeatha (plural).
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group, the prepositional pronoun romhat (before you, singular) changes to romhaibh (before you, plural). The greeting Dé do bheatha must also be changed to Dé bhur mbeatha when addressing more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfˠɑːlʲtʲə/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- D’fhear sí fáilte romhainn.She welcomed us (lit. ‘She provided a welcome before us’)This sentence shows how to use the word fáilte to describe providing a welcome.
- Bhí fáilte is fiche aige romham.He had a great welcome for me (lit. ‘He had 21 welcomes before me’)This sentence shows how to use the word fáilte to express having a great welcome.
- Fáilte chuig an Vicipéid.Welcome to Wikipedia.This sentence uses the word fáilte to welcome someone to Wikipedia.Tatoeba #4256146 by DetErMinNavn, translation #4256130 by DetErMinNavn
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Aoife welcomes Cathal into her home.
- AoifeFáilte, Cathal!Welcome, Cathal!
- CathalGo raibh agat, a Aoife.Thank you, Aoife.
- AoifeFáilte romhat isteach.Welcome inside.
- CathalTá an teach go hálainn.The house is beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations and entries fáilte, céad míle fáilte, tá fáilte romhat, Dé do bheatha, is é do bheatha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries céad, céad míle fáilte, fáilte, míle, romhaibh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0, Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
