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“Romhat” in Irish (before you): Meaning and Where It Comes From

Romhat means before you. It is the preposition roimh (before) and the pronoun tú (you) joined into one word. Irish does this with every simple preposition; the joined words are called prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.
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Where “romhat” comes from

Take the preposition, add the pronoun, and they fuse into one word. You never say “roimh tú” in Irish.

roimhbefore +
túyou
=
romhatbefore you

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him.

“Romhat” in the table of “roimh”

Every form of roimh with a pronoun. Romhat is the second (you, one person) row. Click any form to see its own page.

PronounIrishMeaningExample
mé (me)romhambefore meBhí sé ag fanacht romham ag an stáisiún.He was waiting for me at the station.
tú (you)romhatbefore youFáilte romhat go hÉirinn, a chara.Welcome to Ireland, my friend.
sé (him / it)roimhebefore him / itTá eagla orm roimhe.I am afraid of him.
sí (her / it)roimpibefore her / itTá eagla ar na páistí roimpi.The children are afraid of her.
sinn (us)romhainnbefore usBhí an múinteoir romhainn sa seomra ranga.The teacher was in the classroom before us.
sibh (you (plural))romhaibhbefore you (plural)Fáilte romhaibh go léir anocht.Welcome to you all tonight.
siad (them)rompubefore themNíl eagla ar bith orm rompu.I am not afraid of them at all.

“Romhat” in sentences

Fáilte romhat go hÉirinn, a chara.
Welcome to Ireland, my friend.
Fáilte romhat.
Welcome (to one person).

“tú” with the other prepositions

The same pronoun, tú (you), joined to the other prepositions.

“Romhat” in Irish: frequently asked questions

What does romhat mean in Irish?

romhat means before you: the preposition roimh (before) joined to the pronoun tú (you). The next form is roimhe, before him / it.

Is romhat one word or two?

One word. A simple preposition and a pronoun always fuse in Irish, so you never say “roimh tú”. These fused words are prepositional pronouns, forainmneacha réamhfhoclacha.

What are all the forms of roimh with pronouns?

romham (before me), romhat (before you), roimhe (before him / it), roimpi (before her / it), romhainn (before us), romhaibh (before you (plural)), rompu (before them).

When do I use romhat?

Before, and welcome or fear: fáilte romhat = welcome (a welcome before you), tá eagla orm roimhe = I am afraid of him. For example: Fáilte romhat go hÉirinn, a chara., Welcome to Ireland, my friend.

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