HeyRuaHow to say “to discourage” in Irish
- Irish:
- mímhisnigh
- English:
- to discourage, lose heart
- Word type:
- verb, second-conjugation
- Verbal noun:
- mímhisniú (ag mímhisniú, discouraging)
- Verbal adjective:
- mímhisnithe
- Pronunciation:
- “MEE-vish-nee” /ˈmʲiːvʲiʃnʲiː/
What does “mímhisnigh” mean?
“Mímhisnigh” has two alternative meanings. The most common comes first.
- to discourage
- To take away someone's courage or confidence so they lose heart.Also: dishearten, demoralise, put off.
1 other meaning: lose heart
- 2to lose heart
- To become discouraged and lose one's courage or confidence.Also: become discouraged, get disheartened.
“Mímhisnigh” in the different tenses
Every form follows An Caighdeán Oifigiúil.
Aimsir Chaite (Past)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Mhímhisnigh méI discouraged | Níor mhímhisnigh méI did not discourage | Ar mhímhisnigh mé?Did I discourage? |
| tú (you) | Mhímhisnigh túYou discouraged | Níor mhímhisnigh túYou did not discourage | Ar mhímhisnigh tú?Did you discourage? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Mhímhisnigh sé / síHe discouraged | Níor mhímhisnigh sé / síHe did not discourage | Ar mhímhisnigh sé / sí?Did he discourage? |
| sinn (we) | MhímhisníomarWe discouraged | Níor mhímhisníomarWe did not discourage | Ar mhímhisníomar?Did we discourage? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Mhímhisnigh sibhYou discouraged | Níor mhímhisnigh sibhYou did not discourage | Ar mhímhisnigh sibh?Did you discourage? |
| siad (they) | Mhímhisnigh siadThey discouraged | Níor mhímhisnigh siadThey did not discourage | Ar mhímhisnigh siad?Did they discourage? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Mímhisníodh | Níor mímhisníodh | Ar mímhisníodh? |
Aimsir Láithreach (Present)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | MímhisnímI discourage | Ní mhímhisnímI do not discourage | An mímhisním?Do I discourage? |
| tú (you) | Mímhisníonn túYou discourage | Ní mhímhisníonn túYou do not discourage | An mímhisníonn tú?Do you discourage? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Mímhisníonn sé / síHe discourages | Ní mhímhisníonn sé / síHe does not discourage | An mímhisníonn sé / sí?Does he discourage? |
| sinn (we) | MímhisnímidWe discourage | Ní mhímhisnímidWe do not discourage | An mímhisnímid?Do we discourage? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Mímhisníonn sibhYou discourage | Ní mhímhisníonn sibhYou do not discourage | An mímhisníonn sibh?Do you discourage? |
| siad (they) | Mímhisníonn siadThey discourage | Ní mhímhisníonn siadThey do not discourage | An mímhisníonn siad?Do they discourage? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Mímhisnítear | Ní mhímhisnítear | An mímhisnítear? |
Aimsir Fháistineach (Future)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | Mímhisneoidh méI will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidh méI will not discourage | An mímhisneoidh mé?Will I discourage? |
| tú (you) | Mímhisneoidh túYou will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidh túYou will not discourage | An mímhisneoidh tú?Will you discourage? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Mímhisneoidh sé / síHe will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidh sé / síHe will not discourage | An mímhisneoidh sé / sí?Will he discourage? |
| sinn (we) | MímhisneoimidWe will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoimidWe will not discourage | An mímhisneoimid?Will we discourage? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Mímhisneoidh sibhYou will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidh sibhYou will not discourage | An mímhisneoidh sibh?Will you discourage? |
| siad (they) | Mímhisneoidh siadThey will discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidh siadThey will not discourage | An mímhisneoidh siad?Will they discourage? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Mímhisneofar | Ní mhímhisneofar | An mímhisneofar? |
Modh Coinníollach (Conditional)
| Person | Positive | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| mé (I) | MhímhisneoinnI would discourage | Ní mhímhisneoinnI would not discourage | An mímhisneoinn?Would I discourage? |
| tú (you) | MhímhisneofáYou would discourage | Ní mhímhisneofáYou would not discourage | An mímhisneofá?Would you discourage? |
| sé / sí (he / she) | Mhímhisneodh sé / síHe would discourage | Ní mhímhisneodh sé / síHe would not discourage | An mímhisneodh sé / sí?Would he discourage? |
| sinn (we) | MhímhisneoimisWe would discourage | Ní mhímhisneoimisWe would not discourage | An mímhisneoimis?Would we discourage? |
| sibh (you, plural) | Mhímhisneodh sibhYou would discourage | Ní mhímhisneodh sibhYou would not discourage | An mímhisneodh sibh?Would you discourage? |
| siad (they) | MhímhisneoidísThey would discourage | Ní mhímhisneoidísThey would not discourage | An mímhisneoidís?Would they discourage? |
| saorbhriathar (autonomous) | Mhímhisneofaí | Ní mhímhisneofaí | An mímhisneofaí? |
“Mímhisnigh” in a sentence: Irish examples
Past, present, future and conditional, with a negative and a question.
Mhímhisnigh an drochaimsir na siúlóirí.
The bad weather discouraged the walkers.
Mímhisníonn an obair chrua cuid de na daltaí.
The hard work discourages some of the pupils.
Ní mhímhisneoidh an cailleadh sin í.
That loss will not discourage her.
Mhímhisneodh a leithéid de chaint duine ar bith.
Talk like that would discourage anyone.
Níor mhímhisnigh na deacrachtaí é riamh.
The difficulties never discouraged him.
Ar mhímhisnigh an toradh an fhoireann?
Did the result discourage the team?
Other verbs in Irish
More everyday Irish verbs to learn next.
To discourage in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for to discourage?
The Irish for to discourage is mímhisnigh (pronounced “MEE-vish-nee”). It is a second-conjugation verb; the verbal noun is mímhisniú.
What is the verbal noun of mímhisnigh?
The verbal noun of mímhisnigh is mímhisniú, used after ag for the continuous: ag mímhisniú (discouraging). The verbal adjective is mímhisnithe.
How do you say mímhisnigh in the past and the future?
Past: Mhímhisnigh mé; negative Níor mhímhisnigh mé; question Ar mhímhisnigh mé?. Future: Mímhisneoidh mé; negative Ní mhímhisneoidh mé; question An mímhisneoidh mé?.
What is the modh coinníollach of mímhisnigh?
The conditional (modh coinníollach) first person is Mhímhisneoinn (I would discourage); negative Ní mhímhisneoinn; question An mímhisneoinn?.
Does mímhisnigh have more than one meaning?
Yes. Mímhisnigh can mean to discourage or to lose heart, depending on context; the first is the most common.
What is the opposite of 'mímhisnigh'?
The opposite is 'misnigh' (encourage, hearten), or 'spreag' (encourage, inspire). 'Mímhisnigh' is formed from 'misneach' (courage) with the negative prefix 'mí-'.
Is there a more common way to say 'I was discouraged'?
Learners often hear 'chaill mé mo mhisneach' (I lost my courage), but 'bhí mé mímhisnithe' is also correct.
