Learning Scots Gaelic, anybody want to try?

Halò a-huile duine. Càit a bheil sibh a' fuireach? Tha mi a' fuireach ann an Alba agus tha i fluich an-diugh.

Their's a few unusual words here, but I think most of them are in the lessons that have been posted so far.

A-huile duine - everyone
fluich - wet

Sibh-sa a-nise. (your turn now)

In Lesson 4 the subject is:
Discussing Languages and Saying Where You Come From

LESSON 4

To say that you speak a language, you say:
Tha ... agam - I speak

To say that you speak Gaelic you say:
Tha Gàidhlig (gaahlick) agam

Other languages are handled in the same way, eg:
Tha Beurla (bayhrluh) agam - I speak English
Tha Fraingis (fryngeesh) agam - I speak French

Note that tha ... agam really means I have


Tha ... agam

I speak ...

( ha ... ackuhm )

To ask someone if they speak a language, you ask:
A bheil ... agaibh? - Do you speak ...


A bheil ... agaibh?

Do you speak ... ?

( uh vayhl ... ackuhv? )

There are a number of replies you might make to the question:
A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh? To reply that you have a little Gaelic, you could say:
tha, beagan - yes, a little

If you simply want to say yes, in this context you can just use tha. But beware! Gaelic doesn't have a single word for yes and tha isn't always the right response when you want to say yes.


tha, beagan

yes, a little

( ha bayhkuhn )

If you feel quite confident with your fluency in Gaelic, you may reply to the question:
A bheil Gàidhlig agaibh? with: tha, gu leòr - yes, plenty


tha, gu leòr

yes, plenty

( ha guh lyewhr )

One phrase that is always handy to have is:
Tha mi ag ionnsachadh - I'm learning


tha mi ag ionnsachadh

I'm learning

( ha me uk yuhnsuchugh )


Tha mi a' tuigsinn

I understand

( ha me uh tuhykshin )


Chan eil mi a' tuigsinn

I don't understand

( chan yahl me uh tuhykshin )


To ask someone where they are from, you say: Cò às a tha sibh?

For an informal question to a child or friend, you say: Cò às a tha thu?


Cò às a tha sibh?

Where are you from?

( koe ahs uh ha shiv )


Here are the names of some countries which may be used to reply to the question: Cò às a tha sibh?:
Alba - Scotland
an Fhraing - France
Eirinn - Ireland
a' Ghearmailt - Germany


You can just give the name of the country, but to give a fuller response you would say: Tha mi à Alba; às an Fhraing; às a Ghearmailt - I come from Scotland; from France; from Germany

Notice that you use às rather than à if the Gaelic placename begins with a' (equivalent to the English word the.) So we say à Alba - from Scotland but às a' Ghearmailt - from Germany. Note that a similar thing happens in English if the placename includes the word the -
eg: às an Eilean Sgitheanach - from the Isle of Skye NOT from Isle of Skye


à Alba, às an Fhraing, à Eirinn

From Scotland, France, Ireland

( uh Ahlahbuh, ahs uhn Rahyng, uh Ayhreen )


You may wish to add a question of your own to your reply:
Cò às a tha sibh fèin? - Where are you from yourself?

Remember, you can also use the less formal thu, when you are talking to a child, or a close friend. The question would then become:
cò às a tha thu fhèin?


Cò às a tha sibh fèin?

Where are you from yourself?

( koe ahs uh ha shiv fayn )


End of Lesson 4

Hi Cu Dubh! For some of us beginners, like myself, I want to try to translate what you said first.

Hello everyone. Where do you live? I live in Scotland and it is wet today.

My turn!

Halo a-huile duine. Tha mi gli mhath. Tha mi a fuireach ann an Arizona agus tha i breagha an-diugh. Tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gaidhlig

Hello everyone. I am very good. I am from Arizona and it is lovely today. I am learning Gaelic.

Chi mi a-rithist thu -- I will see you later.

(Feel free to correct me)

hey CelticRose did u say all that without any help? no books??? that was awsome if u said it by ur self ur awsoome, beeing in the Us and knowing gaelic, im in California and i dont know ANYTHING!!! about gaelic :P

No, I didn't do that by myself. I used our lesson plans! Just practicing. I wish I could do it by myself. But that is what this thread is for is to teach us a little bit how to speak the Gaelic.

yeah i know, ur right but i guess that it would be easier if we could speak it, hear each other and see how the pronunciation are... thats how i learned the 4 languages that i speak....spanish because i lives in argentina, Italian because my granparents are italians, portuguese because i just learned it at school, and of course english, im american i dont speak all of them with perfect accent tho...i just speak spanish and english perfect, and italian almost...i need more practice with portuguese tho ...and now a new language is on my list.... GAELIC!!! i wish i could know gaelic and none of the other languages i do know... i like scotland!!!!!!! and i like gaelic, its looks weird and i like it...so we all should practice just like rose did.... bye peace for all!

Tha sin ceart. tha thu a' deanamh math dha-rireabh!!
That's right. You are doing great.

Tha mi à Alba agus tha mi 'g ionnsachadh Gàidhlig cuideachd. Tha beagan Gàidhlig agam...Chan eil Gàidhlig gu leòr agam.....Tha mi às a' Ghalltachd.

Cuideachd - Also
A' Ghalltachd - The Lowlands

Well here is a suggestion if you want to have talks. If you're both in the US then goto Wal-Mart and they have computer mics for about $10 and then swap yahoo ID's for yahoo messenger and this program (free if you don't have it you can download it free same for ID it's also free) and they have a feature where you can talk to each other. Might be a good way to practice and if you get bold enough they have a video feature as well for Web cams which run about $20 - $50 at Wal-Mart depending on the one you buy.

Cu Dubh I think you said this.

I am Scottish and I am learning Gaelic also. I speak a little Gaelic. The rest?

Chan eil mi a' tuigsinn.

My turn.

Madainn Mhath! Ciamar a tha thu an-diugh? De a t-ainm a th'ort a in Beurla?

Mar sin leibh

LESSON 5

A little review

The Gaelic for "thank you" varies depending on whether you are using sibh or thu for you.

For sibh we say:
Tapadh leibh.

For thu we say:
Tapadh leat.

The Gaelic for "goodbye" varies depending on whether you are using sibh or thu for you.

For sibh we say:
Mar sin leibh.

For thu we say:

Chan eil. Tha mi a? fuireach ann an Dùn Eideann.
A bheil thusa a? fuireach ann an Glaschu?
No. I live in Edinburgh. Do you live in Glasgow?

Tha. Tha mi fhathast a? fuireach ann an Glaschu.
Yes. I still live in Glasgow.

The names of the days of the week are fascinating. Four of them originate in Latin because of the influence of the early Christian Church; the other three derive from ancient Celtic roots. Each time you use them you are taking a journey through Scottish history. You can hear how to pronounce each day in Gaelic by clicking on the icon. Next to each one is some information on its origin.


Mar sin leat.

Halò. Is mise Seumas.
Hello. I?m James.

Halò. Is mise Ceitidh.
I?m Katie.

Dè an t-ainm a th? oirbh?
What?s your name?

Sibh

You(formal/polite/plural)

[B]When you ask somebody their name, using the sibh form, the word sibh does not actually appear.
It is instead combined with the adjective air, which means "on", to make oirbh which means "on you


Halò. Is mise Seumas. Dè an t-ainm a th? oirbh?
Hello. I?m James. What?s your name?

Is mise Ceitidh.
I?m Katie.

Ciamar a tha sibh, a Cheitidh?
How are you, Katie?

Tha mi gu math, tapadh leibh, a Sheumais.
I?m well, thanks, James.

Is math sin.
That?s good.

Mar sin leibh, an-dràsta.
See you.
(literally: Bye just now)

Mar sin leibh.
Goodbye

As soon as you have made a basic introduction, a fluent Gaelic speaker will almost certainly ask you where you come from. This unit will help you to understand and respond to such a question.


Two new words appear for the first time in this section, cò and às.
Here?s what they mean separately:

cò? ? who, which?
i.e. cò e? ? who is he?

às - from, out of.
às also appears in conversation in the form à:
Tha mi à Glaschu ? I am from Glasgow.
Tha mi às na Stàitean Aonaichte ? I am from the United States.

Put together as cò às? they mean "where from?"
Cò às a tha sibh? ? where are you from?
This does not mean where you now live, but your place of origin.

Listen to examples of people explaining where they are from using either sibh or thu for you. Then have a go at Test Yourself to see how much you have picked up!

A bheil sibh a? fuireach ann am Pàislig?
Do you live in Paisley?

Chan eil. Tha mi a? fuireach ann an Dùn Eideann.
A bheil sibhse a? fuireach ann an Glaschu?
No. I live in Edinburgh. Do you live in Glasgow?

Tha. Tha mi fhathast a? fuireach ann an Glaschu.
Yes. I still live in Glasgow.

[B]The names of the days of the week are fascinating. Four of them originate in Latin because of the influence of the early Christian Church; the other three derive from ancient Celtic roots. Each time you use them you are taking a journey through Scottish history. You can hear how to pronounce each day in Gaelic by clicking on the icon. Next to each one is some information on its origin.

Sunday Didòmhnaich Latin, dies Dominica, day of the Lord.

or Là na Sàbaid Celtic/Latin, Sabbath day.

Monday Diluain Latin, dies lunae, day of the moon.

Tuesday Dimàirt Latin, dies Martis, day of Mars.

Wednesday Diciadain Ancient Gaelic, day of the first fast.

Thursday Diardaoin Ancient Gaelic, day between two fasts.

Friday Dihaoine Ancient Gaelic, the fast day.

Saturday Disathairne Latin, dies Saturni, day of Saturn.


Sorry there was no pronunciation with this lesson. I am having a problem with that part of the the lessons as of right now.

Hope you all learned a little from this.

hey guys everything u saying is great but plz....right under the gaelic thing write it in english so i can understand cause otherwise...i cant understand!!! i feel awful some day ill be better than u guys... i hope

Sorry about that Seba. I kind of thought the same thing since this is a learning thread. I think Cu Dubh and I were testing each other and maybe at first we should write everything with English translations underneath to be helpful to each other and others. And someone can feel free to correct us if we are wrong too. Thanks!

This is what I said in the earlier post. Hope this helps.

Madainn Mhath! Ciamar a tha thu an-diugh? De a t-ainm a th'ort a in Beurla?
(Good morning! How are you today? What is your name in English?)

Mar sin leibh
(Bye for now. )

[QUOTE]Madainn Mhath! Ciamar a tha thu an-diugh? De a t-ainm a th'ort a in Beurla?
Mar sin leibh [/QUOTE]
Madainn mhath. Tha mi gu dòigheil tapadh leat agus tha mi 'n dòchas gu bheil sibh uile gu math cuideachd.
Good Morning. I'm in good form thanks and I hope you are all well too.
[/QUOTE] Chan eil Gàidhlig gu leòr agam.....Tha mi às a' Ghalltachd. [/QUOTE]
I'm not fluent in Gaelic.....I'm from the Lowlands
Tha Albais gu leòr agam-sa cia ta.
I speak Scots however.
Tha Gàidhlig glè dhoirbh aig an toiseach ach tha mi a smaoineachadh gu bheil sibh uile a' dèanamh glè mhath!
Gaelic is very difficult at the start but i think you are all doing great.

Uill feumaidh mi falbh a-nise. Mar sin leibh.

O tha mi duillich....Dhiochuimhnich mi...Cù Dubh - Black Dog
O i'm sorry...I forgot...

Don't forget you can always go back and edit your post with the translation if you forget. If you're new here this can be found in the upper right hand corner of each post. Just hit edit and it will bring up a post message page with your post just edit it and then resubmit.

Whoops...Tha mi duillich, bha mi a' ciallachadh gun do dhiochuimhnich mi a ràdh an t-ainm orm ann am Buerla.
I'm sorry, I was meaning that I forgot to mention what Cù Dubh means in English....'Black Dog'
Tioraidh.