HeyRuaHow to say “harmful” in Irish
- Irish:
- díobhálach
- English:
- harmful
- Word type:
- adjective
- More harmful:
- níos díobhálaí
- Most harmful:
- is díobhálaí
- Plural:
- díobhálacha
- Pronunciation:
- “DEE-vaw-lukh” /ˈdʲiːwɑːl̪ˠəx/
What does “díobhálach” mean?
- harmful
- Causing harm, damage or injury.Also: injurious, damaging, detrimental, hurtful.
Other Irish adjectives for harmful: urchóideach (harmful), dochrach (harmful)
“Díobhálach” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is díobhálach after fear (man, masculine), after scéim (scheme, 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: scéim dhíobhálach. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: fear díobhálach.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, díobhálacha. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant: fir dhíobhálacha; after other plurals it does not: scéimeanna díobhálacha.
More harmful, most harmful, very harmful
Tá an t-ól níos díobhálaí ná mar a cheapann daoine. Drink is more harmful than people think.
| more harmful | níos díobhálaí | in the past tense: ní ba dhíobhálaí |
|---|---|---|
| most harmful | is díobhálaí | in the past tense: ba dhíobhálaí |
| as harmful as | chomh díobhálach le | no change after chomh |
| very harmful | an-díobhálach | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too harmful | ródhíobhálach | ró- lenites |
“Díobhálach” 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.
Harmful in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for harmful?
The Irish for harmful is díobhálach (pronounced “DEE-vaw-lukh”). It comes after the noun: fear díobhálach, a harmful man; scéim dhíobhálach, a harmful scheme.
How do you say more harmful and most harmful in Irish?
níos díobhálaí is more harmful and is díobhálaí is most harmful. In the past tense they become ní ba dhíobhálaí and ba dhíobhálaí.
Why does díobhálach become dhíobhálach?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So scéim dhíobhálach (a harmful scheme) but fear díobhálach (a harmful man), because fear is masculine.
What is the plural of díobhálach?
With a plural noun díobhálach becomes díobhálacha: fir dhíobhálacha, scéimeanna díobhálacha. After a plural that ends in a slender consonant it is lenited as well.
How do you say very harmful in Irish?
an-díobhálach. Too harmful is ródhíobhálach, and as harmful as is chomh díobhálach le.
Which preposition follows díobhálach?
Use do: díobhálach don tsláinte means harmful to health.
What is the difference between díobhálach and dochrach?
Both mean harmful and are largely interchangeable; dochrach is very common in official and health texts, as in substaintí dochracha.
