Hi all,

I'm new to this site and was referred here by someone on www.irishgaelictranslator.com. These sites are awesome and I wish I'd know about them before.

I'd like to get the words 'Thou Mayest" translated into Gaelic if possible.

I'm hoping to get them as a tattoo this weekend. These are the last words of East of Eden by John Steinbeck and stand for the idea that Man has free will and should not always be confined by social constructs or a misplaced sense of responsibility-- that you can do what you want in life (to some extent).

I have one potential translation as "Is féidir leat"
Google translator, which I know is pretty useless, seems to think this is closer to 'thou/you Can" rather than "may"
Anyone have any insight into this?

Thank you very much for any help.

I am also very interested to know what my first name might mean in Gaelic. It's "Loughran" and while I love the name it's been a pretty big pain in the neck over the years stateside.

Thanks again,
Lough

You're right that Google's is incorrect. It translates to "you can/you are able," not to "you may."

You (singular, aka "thou") may: Tá cead agat.

Wait for more.

Redwolf

"May" is never an easy one to translate into any other language. There is no directly corresponding verb in Irish.

Alternatives:

Tá cead agat. "You have permission."
Tá ceart agat air "You have a right to it"
Go n-éirí leat ! "May you succeed!"
Tá sé de cheart agat "You are entitled to it."

(Crossed with Redwolf)

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

These are fantastic answers, and I very much appreciate the help. Thank you. I will wait in case there is more confirmation, but very much like the sound of "Tá cead agat" (you have permission).

I'll confirm Tá cead agat. "You have permission."

Looks good to me.

Not wanting to put a spanner in the works but, in Shakespeare sonnet (One of the few I remember from school) he says -

SONNET 73

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

Surely that does't mean "you are allowed to" in that context.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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Very true. In Elizabethan English, "may" could mean "can" or "might." The distinction between "may" and "can" came later.

Given what Lough has said in his post, though, and the quote from "East of Eden," I think "permission" is what he's seeking here.

Redwolf

Ok, I accept that.

That is why I said "Is féidir leat" over on that other spiteful site that I am now banned from (for mentioning this site)

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___________________________________________________________

It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________

Makes sense. I didn't see his post over there (I've been staying away from there as much as possible).

Redwolf