HeyRuaHow to say “pious” in Irish
- Irish:
- cráifeach
- English:
- pious
- Word type:
- adjective
- More pious:
- níos cráifí
- Most pious:
- is cráifí
- Plural:
- cráifeacha
- Pronunciation:
- “KRAW-fyuhkh” /ˈkɾˠaːfʲəx/
What does “cráifeach” mean?
- pious
- Deeply religious and faithful in prayer and worship.Also: devout, religious, godly.
“Cráifeach” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is cráifeach 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 chráifeach. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: fear cráifeach.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, cráifeacha. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant: fir chráifeacha; after other plurals it does not: mná cráifeacha.
More pious, most pious, very pious
Tá mo mháthair níos cráifí ná m'athair. My mother is more devout than my father.
| more pious | níos cráifí | in the past tense: ní ba chráifí |
|---|---|---|
| most pious | is cráifí | in the past tense: ba chráifí |
| as pious as | chomh cráifeach le | no change after chomh |
| very pious | an-chráifeach | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too pious | róchráifeach | ró- lenites |
“Cráifeach” 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.
Pious in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for pious?
The Irish for pious is cráifeach (pronounced “KRAW-fyuhkh”). It comes after the noun: fear cráifeach, a pious man; bean chráifeach, a pious woman.
How do you say more pious and most pious in Irish?
níos cráifí is more pious and is cráifí is most pious. In the past tense they become ní ba chráifí and ba chráifí.
Why does cráifeach become chráifeach?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So bean chráifeach (a pious woman) but fear cráifeach (a pious man), because fear is masculine.
What is the plural of cráifeach?
With a plural noun cráifeach becomes cráifeacha: fir chráifeacha, mná cráifeacha. After a plural that ends in a slender consonant it is lenited as well.
How do you say very pious in Irish?
an-chráifeach. Too pious is róchráifeach, and as pious as is chomh cráifeach le.
What is the difference between cráifeach and reiligiúnach?
Cráifeach describes a person who is personally devout, as in duine cráifeach, while reiligiúnach means religious in the sense of relating to religion, as in ord reiligiúnach, a religious order.
