Do you know how to talk about money in Irish? Learn some helpful words and phrases and test yourself on others you may already know!
[ RINGTONE ]
Sinéad
Hey, just wanted to check what you got Granny for her birthday? I want to make sure I don't get her the same thing.
Patrick
Granny's birthday?
Sinéad
Oh no, you didn't forget, did you?
Patrick
No…? No! Of course not. When is it again?
Sinéad
(laughs) It's next Tuesday. Dé Máirt seo chugainn?
Patrick
I haven't got her anything. Hang on, I'll have a quick look. What does she like?
Sinéad
Maybe a nice jumper or a scented candle?
Patrick
Woah, fifteen pounds for a candle?
Sinéad
Cúig phunt déag? What's your budget?
Patrick
Let me check. I'll see if I can do this as Gaeilge. Aon, dó, trí, ceathair, cúig. Cúig phunt.
Sinéad
That's a good attempt, but numbers can be a bit tricky. Especially when you're counting. When you're counting, you have to put the little word a in front of the number. This causes a change to numbers beginning with a vowel. You have to add a h between the a and the beginning of the word. So aon becomes a haon.
Patrick
Okay, so … a haon, a dó, a trí, a ceathair, a cúig. Tá a cúig phunt agam.
Sinéad
Well, once you've finished counting you would drop the a when saying the final sum. In this case it would be cúig phunt.
Patrick
Alright, so only using a when counting the numbers, and drop it for the final figure. Tá cúig phunt agam.
Sinéad
Go maith!
Patrick
So I can't afford a scented candle then!
Sinéad
Well, what about the flower shop near her house? Maybe you could get something delivered.
[ KEYBOARD NOISES]
Sinéad
An bhfuil sé ró-chostasach? Is it too expensive?
Patrick
Fan bomaite!
[ KEYBOARD NOISES CONTINUE]
Patrick
Sea. Tá sé ró-chostasach.
Sinéad
Cá mhéad a chosnaíonn sé?
Patrick
What does it cost?
Sinéad
Sea.
Patrick
Cosnaíonn sé fiche punt agus … fifty pence!
Sinéad
(laughs) Fiche punt agus …?
Patrick
… caoga? Caoga.
Sinéad
Deich, fiche, tríocha, daichead, caoga.
Patrick
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty … fifty pence … Fiche punt agus caoga pingin. I don't have enough!
Sinéad
(unzips her purse) Tá sé phunt déag agam?
Patrick
You have sixteen pounds?! Le chéile, tá … punt is fiche againn!
Sinéad
Iontach!
Patrick
Will we split the cost?
Sinéad
Aye, faigh ceann acu sin.
Patrick
Okay, I'll buy it.
Sinéad
Agus cá mhéad atá ar na bláthanna?
Patrick
Fiche punt agus … deich, fiche, tríocha, daichead, caoga. Fiche punt agus caoga pingin!
Sinéad
Well done Patrick!
Patrick
Oh oh.
Sinéad
Cad é atá cearr?
Patrick
Caithfidh muid íoc le cárta! Mummy? Mummy, have you got a credit card?
Image caption, pingin
a penny / 1p
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Using numbers
When counting things, always remember that there are rules that affect the spelling of the words.
Using the numbers 2–6, lenite(add a séimhiú to) the noun, eg dhá phunt
Using the numbers 7–10, eclipse (add an urú to) the noun, eg ocht bpingine
Using multiples of 10, do nothing to the noun, eg tríocha punt
You may have noticed that pingin looks a bit different when counting. Pingin does not follow the regular rules for counting most nouns.
A penny is pingin and two pence becomes dhá phingin.
However for three to six pence, add an e to make it pingine, and don't lenite the noun (ie don't add a seimhiú).
For seven to ten pence, just like most nouns, eclipse/add an urú (in this case, b) to make it bpingine.
In multiples of ten, make no changes to the noun, for example, fiche pingin and caoga pingin.
The words euro and cent are the same in Irish as they are in English, and do not take a séimhiú or urú when counting them at any time.
Learn more about counting thingsin this guide.
Cá mhéad atá air?
How much is it?
Cá mhéad?
Cá mhéad atá air?
Tá deich bpunt air /orthu.
Cá mhéad a chosnaíonn sé?
Cosnaíonn sé trí euro.
Tá sé saor in aisce.
Tá sé daor/costasach.
Tá sé róchostasach.
Tá sé saor.
Is sladmhargadh é/ í.
Ar mhaith leat admháil?
An bhfuil briseadh agat?
An féidir liom íoc le cárta creidmheasa?
How much?
How much is it?
It's/they're ten pounds.
How much does it cost?
It costs three euro.
It's free.
It's expensive.
It's overpriced.
It's cheap.
It's a bargain.
Would you like a receipt?
Do you have change?
Can I pay by credit card?
| Irish | English |
|---|---|
| ceannaigh | buy |
| íoc | pay |
| díol | sell |
| caill | lose |
| bain | win |
| caith | spend |
| faigh ar cíos | rent |
| cuir in áirithe | book (an appointment, a table) |
| cuir i dtaisce | save |
| saothraigh (airgead) | earn (money) |
| cosain | cost |
Image caption, admháil
receipt
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