nuair a rugadh thú
The Irish phrase for "when you were born" is nuair a rugadh thú.
This phrase is used to refer to the specific time or date of a person's birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of nuair a (when), rugadh (was born) and thú (you).
Did you know?
- The word nuair is actually a combination of two words, an and uair, which originally meant 'the time'.
- Irish often expresses the act of being born through the verb rugadh, which treats the birth as something that happened to the person rather than an action they performed.
- In certain Irish dialects, particularly in Munster, the structure for 'when' or relative clauses might use 'go' or 'na' instead of the a seen here.
Example conversation
Siobhán and Cathal are looking at old family photos.
- SiobhánCathal, an bhfuil an pictiúr seo ó nuair a rugadh thú?Cathal, is this picture from when you were born?
- CathalTá, creidim go bhfuil sé ansin.Yes, I believe it is.
- SiobhánTá tú an-bhéagánach anseo!You are very small here!
- CathalBa mhaith liom fioslaoibh mo mháthair faoi ansin.I would like to ask my mother about then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, nuair, thú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
