Ways to say it
| Gaelic | IPA |
|---|---|
| 's math a rinn thu! | |
| sin thu fhèin! | /ʃĩn u heːn/ (word by word) |
This phrase is used as an exclamation of praise. While 's math a rinn thu! focuses on the quality of the deed, you may also use the idiomatic expression sin thu fhèin! to express similar praise, similar to saying "That's the spirit!" or "That's more like it!" in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 's math a rinn thu! literally translates to "it is good that you did [it]".
Which one should you use?
's math a rinn thu! focuses on the quality of the action, stating that what was done was good. In contrast, sin thu fhèin! is an idiomatic exclamation of praise used to encourage someone, similar to "That's the spirit!" or "That's more like it!"
How does it change in a sentence?
You can adapt the phrase by changing the pronoun to suit different subjects. To praise a group, use 's math a rinn iad! (Well done, they did it!). If you wish to praise yourself, use 's math a rinn mi! (I did well!).
Did you know?
- In Gaelic, the concept of 'good' is tied to a historical word mathid which meant to pardon or forgive.
- Gaelic allows you to praise yourself using 's math a rinn mi!, though doing so may be seen as overly boastful in traditional social settings.
- In the phrase 's math a rinn thu!, the word math is a direct cognate of the Welsh word 'mad', showing the deep linguistic links between Celtic languages.
Examples in context
- 'S math a rinn thu!Well done!This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 's math a rinn thu!Tatoeba #4189370 by User66640, translation #464478 by lukaszpp
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “well done” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sin, thu, fhèin) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, math, rinn, thu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
