In Irish (Gaeilge), there isn’t just one way to say hello.

Like in English, there are different greetings for different situations, from the very traditional to the quick and casual.

Let’s break down the most important Irish greetings you need to know.

The classic Irish greeting: Dia duit

The most famous and traditional Irish greeting is Dia duit.

Literally, this beautiful phrase means “God to you” or “God be with you”. While its origins are religious, today it’s used by everyone as a standard, respectful greeting, much like “goodbye” in English comes from “God be with ye”.

You use Dia duit when you are greeting a single person.

The essential response: Dia is Muire duit

Now, here’s a crucial point for beginners. When someone says Dia duit to you, you do not say Dia duit back.

The traditional response is an escalation of the blessing.

This translates to “God and Mary to you”. You are returning the greeting with an even stronger one. It’s a unique and lovely part of Irish conversational custom.

So, a typical exchange between two people looks like this:

How to greet a group of people

What if you walk into a room and want to greet everyone? The greeting changes slightly to account for the plural “you”.

Instead of duit (to you, singular), you use dhaoibh (to you, plural).

• Greeting to a group: Dia dhaoibh (DEE-uh YEEV)
• Response from the group: Dia is Muire dhaoibh

This is a fundamental concept in Irish grammar that you’ll see everywhere.

Here’s a quick summary:

A simple and modern hello: Haigh

While Dia duit is traditional and respectful, you’ll very often hear a much simpler, more informal greeting, especially in cities and among younger speakers.

It’s pronounced just like “hi” in English and is the perfect casual greeting for friends, in shops, or when you want something quick and easy. You can use it with anyone, and the response is simply Haigh back.

The next step: Asking ‘How are you?‘

Just like in English, a greeting is often immediately followed by “How are you?“. This is another essential conversational chunk.

The most standard way to ask this is:

And, you guessed it, this also changes if you’re speaking to a group: Conas atá sibh?

A simple and positive response is:

Putting it all together, a full, polite greeting might look like this:

Start your Irish conversation

Knowing which “hello” to use is your starting point to speaking Irish.

Dia duit is perfect for showing respect and acknowledging tradition, while Haigh is your go-to for quick, casual chats.

Learning these key phrases as complete “chunks” is the fastest way to build conversational confidence. It’s the core method we use in our Talk In Irish course - giving you the language you need to start speaking from your very first lesson.

Now go out and try a Haigh or a Dia duit!