Irish Slang For Yes (Revealed!)

There are some words in our languages that are so fundamental in everyday use that we don’t even really think about them.

Answering in the affirmative with the word “yes” is something that most of us probably do at least once a day, if we don’t also use any of the other meanings there might be for that term.

So, what is the Irish slang for yes?

In Northern Ireland, the slang for yes is “aye.” It is also used in the Republic, but to a lesser extent. This is really the only commonly used slang term for yes. Interestingly, too, the Irish Gaelic language has no equivalent of yes—you must just repeat the positive. “It is raining,” rather than “yes it’s raining.”

“Aye” is a fairly commonly used slang term for yes throughout parts of Britain and Ireland.

You’re likely to hear it in the north of England, throughout Scotland, and in Ireland particularly in the north.

This is snappy and effective, so it is quite unsurprising they have had no need for more slang terms than this!

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the Irish say for yes?

The most common slang term for yes in Ireland is “aye”.

While, as I’ve said, it is much more common throughout Northern Ireland, it is also used throughout the whole country and has been for a long while.

“Do you need a hand?” “Aye, thank you,” for example.

In any case, you’re virtually guaranteed to be understood if you use this term with an Irish person.

It’s common not just in most of Ireland but also parts of England and is a ubiquitous feature of Scottish English.

Other than this, though, there really are no other commonly used modern slang terms for yes in Irish English.

Indeed, it’s a rather fascinating aspect of Irish Gaelic, still spoken in some small and remote parts of Ireland, that there is actually no word whatsoever for “yes”.

This might sound strange, so let’s look at an example of what you would say instead in Irish.

Let’s use the example we used earlier.

Say you are about to go out somewhere, and so you ask someone “Is it raining outside?”

In Irish Gaelic, the person could not simply say “yes,” as this word doesn’t exist in Gaelic.

Instead, they would have to reply, “it is raining.”

So, it’s really not surprising that there are so few slang terms for yes in Irish.

They don’t have a word for it in Gaelic to begin with!

Where does this term come from, then?

Why do the Irish say aye?

This term has passed through a few different meanings over the years.

In its oldest sense, it derived from the Old Norse ei, and meant always, or ever.

By the 1570s, it had come to be the conventional way to give your assent to a question.

It was particularly used in somewhat formal settings, such as council meetings where things would be voted on.

So, it would probably be heard in the royal court of England and Scotland.

This, itself, most likely derived from the Middle English yai, which again simply meant “yes”.

It’s also possible it was derived out of the Old Norse term, as we aren’t completely sure—but this seems less plausible.

It’s also suggested it may be more simply variant of “I”, as in, “I assent.”

The truth is it is far from completely certain.

English became the language of Ireland in the 16^th Century, when the population were coerced into adopting it by the English Crown.

It’s likely that it spread among the Irish quite soon after the 1570s, as it did into northern English dialects and indeed into Scottish English.

As I mentioned, it is spoken more in some parts of Ireland than others—so what about Dublin?

Do they say aye in Dublin?

Yes, they do say aye in Dublin.

Dublin is the largest city in all of Ireland, and the capital of the Republic of Ireland.

Here, you will certainly here “aye” used to mean yes.

It can also be used in a variety of other ways, even to sarcastically indicate the opposite of yes. “Oh aye, he’s going to get here this time?” for example.

But, more commonly, it is simply a slang word for yes which is interchangeable.

Again, actual direct usage is hard to measure, and even within a large city like Dublin you’re likely to find some areas that use it more than others.

What about up in Belfast?

Do they say aye in Belfast?

Yes, aye is also used in Belfast, and as far as we can see, a bit more commonly than in other parts of the country.

As I said, Northern Ireland—as in, the country rather than the geographical north—is where “aye” is much more commonly used.

Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and is a hotspot for the use of “aye”!

So, aye is really the catch-all slang term for yes in Ireland. It is a very interesting and somewhat unique feature of Irish Gaelic that there are no words for yes or no.

You simply have to answer by repeating the entire positive. “Aye” clearly is a very old term that has been adopted throughout large parts of Britain and Ireland, and with a simple word like this, it’s common to have only one or perhaps two slang terms to replace it.

More in Irish Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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