Order anything by pointing in Irish
I would like, this one, how much, the bill: survive any counter or menu. Play the ten Irish words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Irish phrases in this lesson
- Ba mhaith liom...buh WAH lum
- I would like...
- An ceann seoun KYOWN shuh
- This one
- Cé mhéad atá air?kay VADE ah-TAW er
- How much is it?
- An bille, le do thoilun BIL-eh leh duh HULL
- The bill, please
- Le cártaleh KAR-tah
- By card
- In airgead tirimin AR-ig-ud TEER-im
- In cash
- UisceISH-keh
- Water
- CaifeKAF-eh
- Coffee
- Taetay
- Tea
- Beoirbyohr
- Beer
- Gan...gon
- Without...
Literally "it would be good with me": "ba mhaith liom caife".
Literally "this one".
Literally "how much is on it?" The "mh" in mhéad sounds like a "v." You can also just say "Cé mhéad?" on its own and gesture toward the item. Prices are always in euro.
Bille is borrowed directly from English "bill." Service is not always included in Ireland so check before tipping. A tip of 10 to 15 percent is appreciated but not obligatory.
Card payment is widely accepted across Ireland, including in small shops, pubs and markets. Contactless payment is extremely common and often preferred. You may hear staff ask "cárta nó airgead tirim?" (card or cash?).
Airgead means "money/silver" and tirim means "dry," so this literally means "in dry money," the Irish way of saying cash. While card is dominant, having some cash is useful for smaller venues, markets and rural areas.
Uisce is the source of the word "whiskey" (uisce beatha, water of life). Tap water in Ireland is safe and good. Bottled water is widely available but not as necessary as in many other countries.
A pint of stout is "pionta leanna" (PYUN-tuh LAN-uh).
"Gan siúcra" (gon SHOO-kruh), without sugar.