HeyRuaHow to say “excellent” in Irish
- Irish:
- sármhaith
- English:
- excellent
- Word type:
- adjective
- Plural:
- sármhaithe
- Pronunciation:
- “SAWR-wah” /ˈsˠɑːɾˠˌwa/
What does “sármhaith” mean?
- excellent
- Extremely good, of the very highest quality.Also: superb, outstanding, very good, first-rate.
Other Irish adjectives for excellent: breá (fine), diail (great), fíormhaith (really good)
“Sármhaith” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is sármhaith after scéal (story, masculine), after oíche (night, 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: oíche shármhaith. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: scéal sármhaith.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, sármhaithe. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant; after other plurals it does not: oícheanta sármhaithe.
“Sármhaith” 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.
Excellent in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for excellent?
The Irish for excellent is sármhaith (pronounced “SAWR-wah”). It comes after the noun: scéal sármhaith, an excellent story; oíche shármhaith, an excellent night.
Why does sármhaith become shármhaith?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So oíche shármhaith (an excellent night) but scéal sármhaith (an excellent story), because scéal is masculine.
What is the plural of sármhaith?
With a plural noun sármhaith becomes sármhaithe: scéalta sármhaithe, oícheanta sármhaithe.
How do you say very excellent in Irish?
an-sármhaith. Too excellent is róshármhaith, and as excellent as is chomh sármhaith le.
Is 'sármhaith' stronger than 'maith'?
Yes, the prefix 'sár' means 'super' or 'excellent', so 'sármhaith' is much stronger than 'maith', close to 'ar fheabhas' or 'den scoth'.
Why is the comparative not 'níos fearr'?
'Maith' has the irregular comparative 'fearr', but the compound 'sármhaith' has no comparative form; in practice speakers use 'níos fearr' instead.
