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7 MIN · Module

Softening, Hedges and Indirect Answers

Learn to recognise indirect answers and softened messages in Irish English, where agreement, refusal and uncertainty may depend as much on context as words.

Yes may not be the whole answer

One of the more important skills in everyday Irish English is recognising when a response is less definite than its individual words suggest. Imagine you invite someone to an event on Friday. They answer I might, yeah. If you focus on yeah, you might record that as a yes. But the important word is might. The person has left the…

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