HeyRuaHow to say “cheerful” in Irish
- Irish:
- gealgháireach
- English:
- cheerful
- Word type:
- adjective
- More cheerful:
- níos gealgháirí
- Most cheerful:
- is gealgháirí
- Plural:
- gealgháireacha
- Pronunciation:
- “GYAL-gaw-ruh-uck” /ˈɟal̪ˠˌɡaːɾʲəx/
What does “gealgháireach” mean?
- cheerful
- Bright, smiling and good-humoured in manner.Also: smiling, bright, good-humoured, sunny.
Other Irish adjectives for cheerful: spleodrach (exuberant), soilbhir (cheerful)
“Gealgháireach” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is gealgháireach after fear (man, masculine), after aghaidh (face, feminine) and after a plural.
séimhiú (the h) the ending
After a feminine noun the adjective gets a séimhiú, an h after its first letter: aghaidh ghealgháireach. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: fear gealgháireach.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, gealgháireacha. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant: fir ghealgháireacha; after other plurals it does not: aghaidheanna gealgháireacha.
More cheerful, most cheerful, very cheerful
Tá Máire níos gealgháirí ná a deartháir. Máire is more cheerful than her brother.
| more cheerful | níos gealgháirí | in the past tense: ní ba ghealgháirí |
|---|---|---|
| most cheerful | is gealgháirí | in the past tense: ba ghealgháirí |
| as cheerful as | chomh gealgháireach le | no change after chomh |
| very cheerful | an-ghealgháireach | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too cheerful | róghealgháireach | ró- lenites |
“Gealgháireach” in a sentence: Irish examples
With a masculine noun, a feminine noun, a plural, a comparison and on its own.
Other adjectives in Irish
More everyday Irish adjectives to learn next.
Cheerful in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for cheerful?
The Irish for cheerful is gealgháireach (pronounced “GYAL-gaw-ruh-uck”). It comes after the noun: fear gealgháireach, a cheerful man; aghaidh ghealgháireach, a cheerful face.
How do you say more cheerful and most cheerful in Irish?
níos gealgháirí is more cheerful and is gealgháirí is most cheerful. In the past tense they become ní ba ghealgháirí and ba ghealgháirí.
Why does gealgháireach become ghealgháireach?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So aghaidh ghealgháireach (a cheerful face) but fear gealgháireach (a cheerful man), because fear is masculine.
What is the plural of gealgháireach?
With a plural noun gealgháireach becomes gealgháireacha: fir ghealgháireacha, aghaidheanna gealgháireacha. After a plural that ends in a slender consonant it is lenited as well.
How do you say very cheerful in Irish?
an-ghealgháireach. Too cheerful is róghealgháireach, and as cheerful as is chomh gealgháireach le.
Is 'gealgháireach' the same as 'gealgáireach'?
Yes, both spellings are found for 'cheerful, smiling', but the Caighdeán form used here is 'gealgháireach', from 'geal' (bright) and 'gáire' (laugh).
