cén t-am é?
The phrase for "what time is it?" in Irish is cén t-am é?
This phrase is used to ask for the current time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what the time is it?"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the word t-am, the t- is a prosthetic t that is added because the following word am (time) begins with a vowel.
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, an Irish speaker might answer cén t-am é? by referencing the position of the sun or a specific daily chore rather than a clock, reflecting a rural agricultural history.
- The word é used at the end of the phrase comes from the Old Irish é, which originates from the Proto-Indo-European root *ís.
- While cén t-am é? is grammatically correct, in some Irish dialects, people might use the phrase Céard é an t-am? which sounds more like 'What is the time?'
Examples in context
- An bhfuil fios agat cén t-am é?Do you know what time it is?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cén, é, CC BY-SA 4.0.
