I was wanting a simple tattoo as well, hope strengthens. The best I can find is neartaítear dóchas. Anyone know if this is right?

Please start a new thread for this.

I can tell you that what you have is wrong.

Redwolf

I've split this off into a different thread, so that people who may want to help with this different tattoo request can see it more easily.

Once difference between Irish and English is that, in some expressions where one uses the definite article ("the") in English, it would not be used in Irish, and vice versa. I think this is one of those cases, so literally what you want would be neartaítear an dóchas. As to whether there is a better way to say it in Irish, I'll defer to the more fluent speakers.

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

The problem I see with this one is that I read it as hope becomes stronger...not as hope strengthening someone/something. I almost think we need to be less punchy with this and say something like "Hope makes a person stronger" or "hope gives strength to me/one/a person/etc."

Redwolf

Red's right. I wasn't thinking it through carefully enough, and the impersonal form we were discussing does mean "Hope is strengthened". It may be possible to use Neartaíonn an dóchas for "Hope strengthens", but that may sound odd without an object of the action. Another possibility which occurs to me is Neartaítear an duine leis an dóchas ("A person is strengthened through hope"), though that may be a bit long for what you want

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

I could also be misinterpreting what the OP wants. It's kind of an ambiguous phrase in English.

So kap...at question is, by this phrase do you mean that hope is getting stronger or that hope makes a person stronger? It will make a difference to the translation.

Redwolf

Also:
Donegal Irish: bheireann an dóchas neart
office Irish: tugann an dóchas neart

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

The thought behind it is that the person is strengthened by hope.

There's a short homely saying, tá beocht sa dóchas, that could be modified here, I think.

Tá neart sa dóchas.
There is strength in hope = Hope lends strength.

I think that works wonderfully. Thank you.