HeyRuaHow to say “young girl” in Irish
- Irish:
- gearrchaile
- English:
- young girl
- Word type:
- noun
- Gender:
- masculine, fourth declension
- Pronunciation:
- “GYAR-khal-yeh” /ˈɟaɾˠˌxalʲə/
- Plural:
- gearrchailí (young girls)
- Genitive singular:
- gearrchaile, an ghearrchaile (e.g. gúna an ghearrchaile, the young girl's dress)
- Genitive plural:
- gearrchailí, na ngearrchailí (e.g. scoil na ngearrchailí, the girls' school)
What does “gearrchaile” mean?
- young girl
- A girl, especially one in her early teens or younger, not yet a woman.Also: girl, lass, colleen.
Other Irish words for young girl: girseach (girl)
“Gearrchaile” with the article
The plural of young girl in Irish is gearrchailí. Here is gearrchaile after the article (an t-alt), in the singular and the plural.
“Gearrchaile” in a sentence: Irish examples
Common Irish sentences using gearrchaile, the Irish word for young girl.
Other nouns in Irish
More everyday Irish nouns to learn next.
Young girl in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for young girl?
The Irish for young girl is gearrchaile (pronounced “GYAR-khal-yeh”). It’s a masculine noun and the plural is gearrchailí.
How do you pronounce gearrchaile in Irish?
Gearrchaile is said like “GYAR-khal-yeh” (IPA /ˈɟaɾˠˌxalʲə/).
What is the plural of young girl in Irish?
The plural of gearrchaile is gearrchailí; with the article, na gearrchailí means “the young girls”. The genitive plural is gearrchailí, as in scoil na ngearrchailí (the girls' school).
Why does gearrchaile change to ghearrchaile or ngearrchaile?
Irish changes the start of some words after certain words. After mo (my) gearrchaile becomes mo ghearrchaile (lenition), and after ár (our) or i (in) it becomes ár ngearrchaile (eclipsis).
Why is 'gearrchaile' masculine when it means a girl?
Like 'cailín', the grammatical gender follows the form of the word, not the person, so you say 'an gearrchaile' but use 'sí' to refer to her.
What is the difference between 'gearrchaile' and 'cailín'?
'Cailín' is the general word for a girl of any age up to young woman, while 'gearrchaile' usually means a younger girl, roughly a lass in her early teens.
