Hello! Is there an Irish Gaelic word with the equivalent meaning of the word "aspire?' I have only been able to find various translations for the word "dream" and that's not quite the meaning I'm going for. Thanks for any input!

Could you articulate for us a bit the meaning you are going for? I can think of a few options, depending on your meaning.

Redwolf

Yes, thanks! To rise above, to reach, to grow, strive. :-)

The problem I'm encountering is that "aspire" in Irish is a phrase (tnúthaim le), which requires an object ("aspire to _______"). "Strive" has the same issue. "Rise" by itself would likely be taken literally (as in "get up" rather than "rise toward" something, which would also require a phrase). Same issue with "grow."

Often these single-word English expressions don't work particularly well in Irish. Can you think of a short phrase that would express what you're looking for?

Redwolf

Redwolf raises relevant concerns. I was going to suggest "sáraigh" (overcome, better (as in, to better something)). But that has the problems Red implied above, on its own.

So, you could have something like this:

Tnúth le bheith ag labhairt Gaeilge
Aspire to be speaking Irish

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

Thank you all for the feedback! I had a consultation scheduled but had to cancel it because of illness, and I'm glad it worked out that way because I wouldn't have had your replies in time. I actually think I quite like overcome. So I understand correctly, the word "sáraigh" is like "aspire" in that it is also part of a phrase and cannot be used alone? If I had to use a phrase, I'd have to go back to the drawing board, as a phrase will not fit on the location I was hoping to place the ink.

Thank you!

I'm a little concerned about "sáraigh," in that its primary meaning is "violate," and it can and has been used to mean "rape." I would say that it could definitely be misinterpreted if used alone.

Here's a link to its listing in FGB:

http://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/s%C3%A1raigh

Redwolf

Red is right again. Sáraigh has problems without being put in context.