Conversational Gaelic, For Beginners

Hallo a chàirdean!
Hello my friends!

Tapadh leat!
Thank you!

Uill, tha mi sgìth an-dràsda.
Well, I am tired just now.

'Se do bheatha, Ròs!
You're welcome Rose!

Beannachdan Dé oribh!
God's blessings on you all!

Feasgar math, a Rois , Sonee agus Aileain ,

ciamar a tha sibh , a h-uile - how are you all?

Tha mi fhin gle mhath , ach beagan sgith - I am very well, but a bit tired. Bha mi ag obair bho sia uairean sa mhaddain gu tri uairean feasgar - i was woriking from six in the morning until three in the afternoon.

Tha an t-side sgriosail an seo - the weather is terrible here, frasan troma agus gaoth fidhaich - heavy showers and a wild wind.

Tha mi 'n dochas gum bi side nas fhearr agaibh - I hope that you have better weather .

Chi mi a-rithist sibh - I will see you again agus beannachd leibh (good bye)

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to give you another short pointer. Here are the pronouns in Gaelic:

mi - me
thu - you (singular)
e - he
i - she
sinn - we
sibh - you (formal/plural)
iad - they

Sometimes the pronouns will combine with prepostions to form a new type of word called a prepositional pronoun.

Here's an example:

Beannachd leat means good bye. Literally translated, it means A blessing with you (singular). To say good bye to a group of people or to an elder, you would say Beannachd leibh.

Here's how it works. "Le" is the preposition "with". "Le" will combine with the pronouns as follows:

Leam = le + mi = with me
Leat = le + thu = with you (singular)
Leis = le + e = with him
Leatha = le + i = with her
Leinn = le + sinn = with us
Leibh = le + sibh = with you (plural/formal)
Leotha = le + iad = with them

It works in a similar way with the prepostion "at" or "aig" in Gaelic.

Agam = aig + mi = at me
Agad = aig + thu = at you (singular)
Aige = aig + e = at him
Aice = aig + i = at her
Againn = aig + sinn = at us
Agaibh = aig + sibh = at you (plural/formal)
Aca = aig + iad = at them

It works in a similar fashion for all Gaelic prepositions. Hope this helps you understand, Sonee!

Cum ort leis a' Ghàidhlig!
Keep going with the Gaelic!

Hallo a-rithist, a Shonee!

Here is another post to help you understand a few things.

These are the possessive pronouns in Gaelic:

mo = my (lenites)
do = your (singular) (lenites)
a = his (lenites)
a = her
ar = our
ur = your (plural/formal)
an/am = their

In a previous post, I mentioned lenition. Lenition is something that happens frequently in Gaelic. When it happens, you basically add an h after the first letter of the word which is affected by lenition.

My, your (singlar) and his all cause lenition, the rest - her, our , your (plural/formal) and their - do not.

Here's how it works.

Cas is the Gaelic word for foot.

So:

Mo chas = my foot
Do chas = your foot (singular)
A chas = his foot

BUT:

A cas = her foot
Ar casan = our feet
Ur casan = your feet (Plural/formal)
An casan = their feet

That is why we say

'Se do bheatha ("You're welcome" to one person), but

'Se ur beatha ("You're welcome" to a group of people or to an elder)

Make sense?

This post has been edited by WizardofOwls on 11-Apr-2005, 10:21 PM

Tha mi duilich, Allen. I think my brain died about 2 lessons ago!! Are you going to come to the funeral? I hear someone is going to be playing the pipes, it's supposed to be briagha!! You'll be there, won't you?

Oh, come on now! Don't give up! You're doing so well!

This is a prime example of why I choose to follow a set lesson plan rather than jumping in both feet first. When you follow a set of lessons, you get the Gaelic in small digestible portions, designed to be easier to learn bit by bit. When you just jump in, you get a big jumbled mess that you're left to sort on you own. There is nothing wrong with that! Some people learn better that way. You seem to be one of them. For myself, though, I need structure.

This post has been edited by WizardofOwls on 11-Apr-2005, 10:27 PM

I wouldn't know structure if it came up and beat me over the head!! I'm trying to get ahead of myself here, I believe. Let's try this-


Feasgar math, Allen. Ciagmar tha 'dol dhut? (can you tell me why 'ciagmar' is spelled this way? Or do I have something wrong...again.)

Tapadh leat airson do chuideachaidh agus oidhche mhath.

Well, truthfully, it should be Ciamar.

Hallo a Shonee!
Tha mi gu math, tapadh leat!
'Se do bheatha, a charaid!
Oidhche mhath!

By the way, I think I slipped another lesson in there while you were typing your reply a few posts back, just after the lesson on prepositional pronouns. It is on possessive pronouns. Did you see both of them?

This post has been edited by WizardofOwls on 11-Apr-2005, 11:03 PM

Yeah, I saw them both..

Tha mi glè sgith!!! Which is probably why I'm having such trouble!! I still have a hard time with the whole adjective comes after noun thing!! For example:

Tha mi beag air bheag ag ionnsachadh.
or
Tha mi ag ionnsachadh beag air bheag.

CUIDEACHADH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Personally I would go with Tha mi ag ionnsachadh beag air bheag. Can't really say why. Maybe Faileas will be able to supply us with an answer next time she's on.

Uill, feumaidh mi falbh a-nis, a charaid.
Well, I must go now, my friend.

Tha e a' fàs fadalach agus tha mi uabhasach sgìth.
It is growing late and I am terribly tired.

Chi mi a-rithist thu a-màireach!
I'll see you again tomorrow!

Oidhche mhath!
Good night!

Cum ort leis a' Ghàidhlig!
Keep going with the Gaelic!

This post has been edited by WizardofOwls on 11-Apr-2005, 11:15 PM

Tapadh leat, Allen!! And you are right, tha e fadalach!!

Have a good night and I'll see you again another time!

Oidhche mhath!

Tha mi ag ionnsachadh beag air bheag.

I agree with that one - tha mise a' dol le sin. . And it makes complete sense by the way, don't overtax yourself and just basically try to understand one thing at one time. So, Alan, just a small tip - don't try to give too much information too quickly, laudable as your enthusiasm is but too much of a good thing can b damaging too .

still , i am going to contradict myself but in a way it complements the things alan has said already ...

There is an easier way of saying my , your , his , hers , ours, yours and theirs ... and it has to do with pronouns and their personal endings.

So for example ...


car agam - my car
car agad - your car
car aice - her car
car aige - his car
car againn - our car
car agaibh your car (plural or polite)
car againn - their car

It saves you the trouble of lenition and is gramatically as correct. And everybody will understand it , I hope.

Hallo a Fhaileas!
Hello Fileas

Ciamar a tha thu an-diugh, a ghràidh?
How are you today, dearie?

I was just going to say that the only reason I posted those last two lessons was because Sonee was confused as to when to use

'Se do bheatha/'Se ur beatha

And

Tapadh leat/Tapadh leibh.

I could see no other way to explain these to her other than posting what I did. Perhaps it would have been better to tackle the issues one at a time though...

By the way, thanks for your help here!

This post has been edited by WizardofOwls on 12-Apr-2005, 11:15 AM

Hallo a Faileas, Sonee and Allen!

Ciamar a tha sibh, a h-uile?

Tha mi fhin gle mhath

Tapadh leibh Allen and Faileas for always writing the English underneath the Gaelic. That really helps me a lot. I probably jumped in here with both feet too, but with the lessons you have been giving us in the other threads in this forum, I thought it would be a good place in here to practice what we have learned. However, all this grammar........bleh! I had a hard time with that with English in school days! But I am like you, Allen, in that I need structure and thanks for giving that to us.

I have some questions. How do you say?

"How do you say" and "I have a question"

Also, I keep seeing Slainte Mhor! I don't see "Mhor" in my dictionary. I am wondering if that is Irish?

Also, Sonee. What does Ciudeachadh mean?

Tapadh leibh agus beannachd leibh Faileas, Sonee agus Allen.