Tá brón orm

I am sorry · Taw brohn ur-um

Tá brón orm means I am sorry, and is said Taw brohn ur-um.

Word for word

Taken literally it reads Sorrow is on me. Irish often puts a sentence together differently from English, so the literal reading rarely matches the meaning.

How to say it

Say it Taw brohn ur-um, written the way an English speaker would read it.

When you’d say it

Irish puts feelings on a person rather than in them: sorrow is on me, anger is on me, hunger is on me. The same sentence does for an apology and for sympathy.

More like this

• Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam: May his soul be at God's right hand
• Go ndéana Dia trócaire air: May God have mercy on him
• Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann: His like will not be seen again
• Ní maith liom do thrioblóid: I am sorry for your trouble

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