tha gaol agam ort

I love you (literally "my love is on you")


tha gràdh agam dhut

I love you (literally "Love is at me to you")


tha mi sa' ghaol leat

Literally ‘I am in the love with you (familiar singular)’


tha mi sa' ghràdh leat

Literally, ‘I am in the love with you (familiar singular)’


tha gràdh agam dhuibh

I love you (literally "love is at me to you") (plural or formal singular)


head

Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Ùr Mhath

Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna Mhath Ùr

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


b' àill leibh

Sorry? Pardon? (plural or formal singular)


's e do bheatha

From Middle Irish dia do betha or dé do betha (with ’s e ‘(it is) he’ substituted for dia reanalyzed as ‘god’), from Old Irish rot·bia do bethu (“you shall have your life”) or rot·bé do bethu (“may you have your life”). Compare Irish Dé do bheatha and is é do bheatha.

inh

don't mention it, you're welcome (in response to tapadh leat) (informal and singular)

do as you please (informal and singular)


bò mhaol odhar agus bò odhar mhaol

six of one, half a dozen of the other
six of one, half a dozen of the other

six of one, half a dozen of the other (literally "a hornless dun cow and a dun hornless cow")


fortan leat

good luck! (informal singular) (literally "luck with you")


fortan leibh

good luck! (plural or formal singular) (literally "luck with you")


sealbh ort

good luck! (informal singular) (literally "luck on you")


sealbh oirbh

good luck! (plural or formal singular) (literally "luck on you")


nach maireann

Presumably borrowed directly from Irish nach maireann (literally “who does not live”), as the verb ending -ann does not exist in Scottish Gaelic.

bor

mo bhean nach maireann


a bheil Beurla agad

Do you speak English?
do you speak English


a bheil Beurla agaibh

(formal or plural) Do you speak English?


chan eil Beurla agam

I don't speak English
I don't speak English


is e an cleachdadh a nì teòma

practice makes perfect
practice makes perfect


a bheil Gàidhlig agad

do you speak Gaelic?
do you speak something


dè 'n t-ainm a tha oirbh

dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh (canonical)
dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh (alternative)


dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh

dè 'n t-ainm a tha oirbh#Scottish_Gaelic

Alternative form of dè 'n t-ainm a tha oirbh


dè an t-ainm a tha ort

dè 'n t-ainm a tha ort
dè 'n t-ainm a tha ort#Scottish_Gaelic

Alternative form of dè 'n t-ainm a tha ort


bha siud ann uaireigin

Bha siud ann uaireigin duine a bha...

(literally, “Once there was a man who was...”)

Once upon a time there was a man who was...

(used at the beginnings of fairytales) once upon a time


ionnsaich do sheanmhair lit' a dhèanamh

thalla 's ionnsaich dha do sheanmhair lit' a dhèanamh!

go away and teach your grandmother how to suck eggs!

teach grandma how to suck eggs
teach grandma how to suck eggs

teach grandma how to suck eggs (lit. Teach your grandmother how to make porridge)


faigh do latha fhèin air

to get even (literally "to get your own day on")


cho làn ri ugh

Full to the brim (literally "as full as an egg").


leugh eadar na sreathan

read between the lines
read between the lines


rach a-mach air

to fall out with somebody (literally "to go out on")


bruich lus an-seo

Bruichidh mise lus an-seo!

taste of one's own medicine
taste of one's own medicine

stew in one's own juice
stew in one's own juice

to give someone a taste of one's own medicine, to stew in one's own juice


tha inntinnean móra a' co-smaoineachadh

great minds think alike
great minds think alike


tha a' ghrian air cùlaibh gach sgothan

every cloud has a silver lining
every cloud has a silver lining


head

ged a bheirte a' bhò dhan doras mhòr rachadh i fhèin dham bhàthaich

ged a bheirte a' bhó dhan doras mhór rachadh i fhéin dhan bhàthaich

you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink (literally "Although the cow will be brought to the front door she will take herself to the byre")


chan ann leis a' chiad bhuille a thuiteas a' chraobh

Rome wasn't built in a day
Rome wasn't built in a day

Rome wasn't built in a day (literally "it is not with the first strike that the tree will fall")


mas breug bhuam e, is breug thugam e

jak jsem koupil, tak prodávám
jak jsem koupil, tak prodávám#Czech

I am only passing on what I have heard without being certain that it is true. (Literally "if it is a lie from me, it is a lie to me". Compare Czech jak jsem koupil, tak prodávám.)


's e

'S e poileas a th' annam.

yes (in answer to a question formed with an e)


is toil le

Is toil leam taigeis.

An toil le Seumas an taigh seo?


cha toil le

cha toil le am… (canonical)
cha toigh le (alternative)

Cha toil leam marag dhubh.

I don't like… (literally: is not delight with me …)


airidh air

Tha i airidh air urram, na beò 's na marbh.

She deserves respect, whether she is dead or alive.

Cùis èiginneach airidh air ìobairt èiginneach.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.


tha gaol agam oirbh

/ha(ː)ˈkɯːɫ̪ ˌakəm ˈəɾəv/

I love you (literally "my love is on you (pl.)")


Bliadhn' Ùr Mhath

Bliadhna Mhath Ùr
Bliadhna Mhath Ùr#Scottish_Gaelic

(Uist) Alternative form of Bliadhna Mhath Ùr


cho làidir ri CùChulainn

cho làidir ri Cù-Chulainn#Scottish_Gaelic

Alternative form of cho làidir ri Cù-Chulainn


chan eil fios agam

Present negative of bi fhios aig in the first-person singular.


turas math dhut

bon voyage (informal, addressed to one person)

turas math dhuibh

formal and/or addressed to two or more people


's fhada bhon uair sin

/ˈs̪at̪ə vɔn̪ˠ ˈuəɾˠʃɪn/


gun ì, gun ò, gun adhbhar

/kəɲ ˈiː kən̪ˠ ˈoː kən̪ˠ ˈɤːvəɾ/


cò às a tha thu

where are you from? (informal and singular)

càit às a bheil thu? càit às a bheil sibh?


b' eòlach do sheanair air

(idiomatic) An ironic phrase which indicates that the speaker considers what has been said to be unlikely, or refers to something newfangled, fancy or novel, with the implication that it is unnecessary as it would be to one's grandfather.


obair obair Fhearchair

no rest for the wicked
no rest for the wicked

(idiomatic) no rest for the wicked, work work and more work


às an dris anns an droigheann

out of the frying pan, into the fire
out of the frying pan, into the fire

(idiomatic) out of the frying pan, into the fire


eadar a' chlach is an sgrath

Literally, “between the stone and the turf”

lit

na cuir do làmh eadar a' chlach is an sgrath

between a rock and a hard place
between a rock and a hard place

between the devil and the deep blue sea
between the devil and the deep blue sea

(idiomatic) between a rock and a hard place, between the devil and the deep blue sea


head

na cuir do làmh eadar a' chlach is an sgrath

Literally, “don't put your hand between the stone and the turf”

lit

there's many a slip twixt cup and lip
there's many a slip twixt cup and lip

(idiomatic) there's many a slip twixt cup and lip


eadar dà chloich

eadar dà chloich na dùthcha

in the entire country; from one end of the country to the other

(idiomatic) the length and breadth of; throughout (an area)


is caomh le

/s̪ ˈkʰɤ̃ː le/

/(ə)s̪ ˈkʰɯ̃ː lɛ/

Is caomh leam teatha.


dhòmhsa dheth

as far as I'm concerned
as far as I'm concerned


cha chaomh le

Cha chaomh leam teatha.


is fheàrr

is fheàrr aon diugh na dà mhàireach

no time like the present (literally, “one today is better than two tomorrows”)

's fheàrr a bhith cinnteach na caillteach

is fheàrr leam cofaidh na tì

In conjunction with the preposition le: to prefer

is fheàrr dhut falbh

In conjunction with the preposition do: to be better for


b' fheàrr

/ˈb̥ʲe̯æːrˠ/

b' fheàrr leam fhaicinn na a chluinntinn


is fheàirrde

head

is fheàirrde (past/conditional b' fheàirrde)

[ˈʃæːr̥ˠtʲ(ə)]

's fheàirrde duine gàire

laughter is good for you (literally, “a man is better off for laughing”)

chan fheàirrde thu siud

you are not the better of that, that does you no good

to be the better of, to be better off for