Ceann Eile

13 Essential 'Like' Words You Must Know In Irish

Whether you like it or not, ( pé agat is maith leat é nó nach maith)

 you must accept that there are many ways to translate ‘like’ into Irish. 

Welcome to the following 13 difficulties in mastering the ‘teanga’:

i.e. amhail, mar, chomh, amhlaidh, ar nós, a leithéid, cosúil, fearacht, dála, nach, maith, leathbhreac, taitin

What would it be like if you  didn’t have the word ‘like’ in the English language?

While learning how to express your personality and your ideas in Irish make it a priority to find equivalent phrases and words that translate how you would talk normally in your mother tongue. Imagine how difficult it would be to eliminate ‘like’ from your vocabulary in English and still be able to say whatever you like!

There is no simple word-for-word translation of ‘like’ into Irish and all of the above listed words can be used to translate ‘like’ depending on context.

Here are some useful common Irish phrases taken from books, newspapers, articles, etc, that I have translated into English to show how you must know 13 different words in Irish  in order to translate  the one English word ‘like’ into Irish:

Amhail

amhail is go raibh rud inteacht suimiúil ag tarlú amuigh ansin a bhí á choimhéad go géar aici.

like as if there was something really interesting out there that she had to watch closely.

mar

Bhí sé mar a ba mhaith liomsa a bheith, láidir, cliste, dóighiúil.

He was how I myself would like to be, strong, clever, handsome.

Ná bí dár meath mar sin, don’t waste our time like that

“Mar a bhíonn i gconaí beidh go leor ag brath ar imirt agus ar cheannaireacht Ronan O’Gara  sa lár páirce.” 

“Like always, a lot will depend on the play and leadership of Ronan O’ Gara in centre field.”

chomh

píosa chomh sin, a piece like that

Ar nós

Ar nós dhá mba giota Peggy’s Leg a bheadh inti…p71 Cois Cladagh.

 Like as though it were a drop of Peggy’s Leg…

leithéid

Is é do leithéid a dhéanfadh é, it’s just like you to do it.

Ná habair a leithéid, don’t say anything like that.

cosúil

Is cosúil le chéile an ball séire is an giolla, like master like servant

Is cuimhin liom lá a chuaigh mé isteach i dteampall Ghréagrach go bfeicinn cá leis a raibh sé cosúil.

I remember one day I went into a Greek church to see what it was like.

N.B. Irish uses ‘bfeicinn’ in the conditional case whereas English uses ‘to see’ in the ‘infinitive’ case.

There is no infinitive case in Irish.

amhlaidh

Go deimhin a mhalairt ar a bhí amhlaidh. But, indeed, it was the total opposite really (like, in fact).

Verb ‘to like’ : 

Cé mar a  thaitin sé leat? How do you like it?

 Fearach (like) daoine eile timpeall an domhain is maith liom lá cois na farraige. Like people all over the world I like a day at the seaside.

Leathbhreac an lae inniu, a day like today

(Counterpart)

Nó a leathbhreac eile, or someone like him

Fearacht

Ach dá fhada á dtéann sé leis an sionnach beirtear sa deireadh air.

B’in é a fhearacht againne é. Mise p.213

But no matter how far away the fox gets he is caught in the end. It was the same (likewise) with us.

mo dhála féin, like myself, as is the case with me

Ní dhéanfainn dabht díot! Just like you! (dic.)

(Lit. I wouldn’t doubt it from you!)

Peig Sayers says it like it is

Agus mar focal scor seo síos Peig ag caint:

“Fear an-mhaith ba ea fear an tí, ach ar nós céad duine nach é, ní air a bhí an bríste.” Peig p.103

“The husband was a very good man, but as with many others like him, he wasn’t the one wearing the trousers.