HeyRuaHow to say “middle-aged” in Irish
- Irish:
- meánaosta
- English:
- middle-aged
- Word type:
- adjective
- More middle-aged:
- níos meánaosta
- Most middle-aged:
- is meánaosta
- Pronunciation:
- “MAWN-ees-ta” /ˈmʲaːnˌiːst̪ˠə/
What does “meánaosta” mean?
- middle-aged
- Describes a person who is neither young nor old, roughly between forty and sixty years of age.Also: of middle age, not young.
Other Irish adjectives for middle-aged: breacaosta (middle-aged)
“Meánaosta” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is meánaosta after fear (man, masculine), after bean (woman, 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: bean mheánaosta. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: fear meánaosta.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, meánaosta. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant: fir mheánaosta; after other plurals it does not: mná meánaosta.
More middle-aged, most middle-aged, very middle-aged
| more middle-aged | níos meánaosta | in the past tense: ní ba mheánaosta |
|---|---|---|
| most middle-aged | is meánaosta | in the past tense: ba mheánaosta |
| as middle-aged as | chomh meánaosta le | no change after chomh |
| very middle-aged | an-mheánaosta | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too middle-aged | rómheánaosta | ró- lenites |
“Meánaosta” 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.
Middle-aged in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for middle-aged?
The Irish for middle-aged is meánaosta (pronounced “MAWN-ees-ta”). It comes after the noun: fear meánaosta, a middle-aged man; bean mheánaosta, a middle-aged woman.
How do you say more middle-aged and most middle-aged in Irish?
níos meánaosta is more middle-aged and is meánaosta is most middle-aged. In the past tense they become ní ba mheánaosta and ba mheánaosta.
Why does meánaosta become mheánaosta?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So bean mheánaosta (a middle-aged woman) but fear meánaosta (a middle-aged man), because fear is masculine.
How do you say very middle-aged in Irish?
an-mheánaosta. Too middle-aged is rómheánaosta, and as middle-aged as is chomh meánaosta le.
How is meánaosta different from aosta?
Aosta means old or aged, while meánaosta, from meán 'middle' and aosta, means middle-aged. Scothaosta means elderly, getting on in years.
