Ceacht 4 - Aon Scéal?

Ceacht 4        Aon scéal ‘at?/Any story?

                                                                            Ayn shkayl ot? 

Begin each lesson with greetings

A. Dia duit.
B. Dia ‘s Muire duit.
A. Aon scéal ‘at?    ayn shkayl ot     Any story (news)?
B. Diabhal scéal mura bhfuil scéal agat fhéin. jowl shkayl mura wil shkayl ot hayn
Divil a story (not a one) unless you have one yourself.

4.1 Useful expressions for the classroom

 

Tuigim                                                    tigum                           I understand
Ní thuigim.                                          nee higum                   I don’t understand
Cad is brí leis?                                  cod is bree lesh            What does it mean?
Abair arís(t) é, led thoil.                 obur ureesh eh, led hul   Say it again, please.
Labhair go mall              lower (rhymes with tower) gu mol             Speak slowly.
Dáiríre?                                            dawreeru                                   Really?
Cén leathanach, led thoil?            kayn lahunoch led hul        What page, please?
Rinne mé dearmad air.                  ri ne may dar mid er          I forgot it.
Níl ‘fhios agam.                                 neel is ogum                     I don’t know.
Tuigim anois.                                 tigum unish                      I understand now.

                                                           

4.2.1                     Verb           Briathair           To Be              Bhfuil

Past Tense      bh►v sound


Bhí mé                                     I was               Bhíomar                      We were
Bhí tú                                      You were        Bhí sibh                       You were
Bhí sé                                      He/ It was       Bhí said                       They were
Bhí sí                                       She/It was
The verb is – Bhfuil will
Past Positive- Bhí vee
Past Question -An raibh? on row (rhymes with now) or on rev

Past Negative – Ní raibh nee row or nee rev


4.2.2 Verb practice
Past tense of To be Bhí (positive) Ní raibh (negative)

You will need this vocabulary for practice:
ceart             kyart       right
mícheart            meechyart        wrong
tuirseach           tirshoch      tired
tinn             teen          sick
bocht         bucht       poor
in am        in om            on time
déanach    daynoch        late


Examples/ Samplaí:
Bhí mé ceart. Bhí tú mícheart.
Make questions and answers with these.
A. An raibh tú micheart? B. Ní raibh. Bhí mé ceart.
A. An raibh sé mícheart? B. Bhí. Bhí sé mícheart. etc.

4.3 Am / Time

4.3.1                Seachtain        A Week

An Luain        on looun      Monday
An Mháirt      on waw irt      Tuesday
An Céadaoin   on kaydeen     Wednesday
An Déardaoin     on dayrdeen   Thursday
An Aoine        on eene       Friday
An Satharn      on sahurn        Saturday
An Domhnach on dohnoch        Sunday

Cultural note:
An Céadaoin means The First Fast, An Aoine means The Fast and An Déardaoin means Between Two Fasts
(Thanks to Dennis for that information ☺)

4.3.2 Time Practice

Inné     inyay        yesterday
Inniu    inyoo      today
Amárach  ahmawroch      tomorrow
Cén lá a bhí ann inné? Kayn law a vee on inyay What day was it yesterday?
Cén lá é?   kayn law eh?  What day is it?
Inniu an ….. inyoo on … Today is…
Cá ndeachaigh  tú inné? kaw rev too inyay Where did you go yesterday?
Chauigh mé go …. chua may gu… I went to …
Cá bhfuil tú ag dul anois? kaw will too eg dul unish Where are you going now?
Tá mé ag dul go dtí an … taw may eg dul gu dee on … I am going to the …
Siopa  shupa  shop
Cá bhfuil tú ag dul amárach? kaw will too eg dul amoyroch  Where are you going tomorrow?

4.3.3 Na míonna

Eanair  anur   January 
Feabhra  fyowru   February 
Márta mawrta March 
Aibreán abrawn April 
Bealtaine byoltunu  May 
Meitheamh mehuv June 
Iúil ool July

Lúnasa loonusa August 
Meán Fomhair myan fore (4) September 
Deireadh Fomhair dera fore (4) October 
Samhain sowin (sow rhymes with now) November 
Nollag nulug December


4.3.4 Dates

Cén dáta é?   keyn dawtu eh     What date is it?
Inniu an… inyu on… Today is the…

Learn the dates from:
http://quizlet.com/11714389/dates-in-irish-flash-cards/

Breithlá  brehlaw Birthday
Rugadh mé an ……………. rugoo may on … I was born on the …
Tá breithlá Shinéad ann inniu. taw brehlaw hinayd on inyu It’s Sinéad’s birthday today.
Breithlá shona dhuit! brehlaw huna ghit Happy birthday to you!

 

4.4       Questions for conversation               Ceisteanna do chómhrá

Cé hé tusa?                    kay hay tusa          Who are you?
Cé as thú?                      kay os hoo       Where are you from?
Cé as thú féin?              kat os hoo fayn          Where are you from yourself?
Cén t-am é?                   kayn tom eh          What time is it?
Cén lá é?                       kayn law eh          What day is it?
Cén dáta?                      kayn dawta          What date?
Cén aois thú?               kayn eesh hoo           What age are you?

 

4.5 How is it? Cén chaoi bhfuil sé?

 

Adjectives                   Aidíochtaí
te               te      hot,                   fuar       foor           cold,
mór           mohr       big,             beag       beog          small,
go maith    gu mo      good,        go dona      gu dunu     bad,
ard           ord        high,               íseal      eeshul           low,
gnóthach     guNOhoch    busy, saor      sayr            free,
lán          lawn         full,                folamh  fuluv           empty

Samplaí:
Tá an tae fuar. taw on tay foor The tea is cold.
Tá an mála mór. taw on mawla mohr The bag is big.
Tá an bosca folamh. taw on busku fuluv The box is empty.
Tá mé lán. taw may lawn I am full.
Mise freisin.    mishe freshin           Me too.

 

4.5.1 More fodder for conversations 

Cén chaoi bhfuil…? kayn chuee will… How is /are…?
D’obair? dubur Your work?
Do chlann? du chlon Your family?
An bia? on beea The food?
An turas? on turus The trip?
An scoil? on skul The school?
Do chairde? du chorde Your friends
Do shaol? du heel or du hayl Your life?

 

4.6   Ancient Culture

Celtic Festivals and the Calendar
 
The Celtic year was divided into two halves, the dark and the light.

1. Feb.- The Festival of Imbolc                   (Im bulk) A time of lambs and new life.
2. May -  The Festival of Bealtaine   (Biyaltineh, the fire of Bel).
The beginning of Summer. Fires were lit on hills all over the country.
3. August – The Festival of Lúnasa (Loonasa, the moon).
A Harvest Festival.        Fires were lit by moonlight.
4. Nov/Oct. The Festival of Samhain  (Sowin _ sow rhymes with now).
The beginning of Winter. Hallowe’en comes from Samhain.
They were all fire festivals and the festivals lasted for three days.

These quarters were again divided by the solstices and equinoxes, which were known as the four Albans.
December 21,       Winter Solstice,     the shortest day of the year
March 21              Spring Equinox,     equal day and night
June 21                 Summer Solstice,    the longest day of the year
September 21,      Autumnal Equinox, equal day and night

4.7  Some Ancient Sites of Interest

Visit www.pbs.org/wnet/ancientireland/ to find out more.

1. Newgrange                 Co. Meath
2.Uisneach                     Co. Westmeath
3.The Hill of Tara          Co. Meath
4. Dun Aengus               Co. Galway The Aran Islands
5.The Cliffs of Moher    Co. Clare

4.8  The Irish Mythological Cycle The 2^nd Invasion – The Nemedians

Tuan, son of Starn who was the brother of Partholon saw the arrival of the next group of invaders, the Nemedians. One night after they arrived Tuan was magically transformed into a deer as he slept. He went through various transformations through the years becoming a deer, a boar, an eagle, and finally a salmon. The chieftain Cairill’s wife ate him while he was in the shape of a salmon. Tuan was then was reborn from her as Tuan mac Cairill. Tuan related the stories of the early invasions of Ireland that come down to us.

During the time their occupation of Ireland of the Nemedians cleared 12 plains and four new lakes were formed. Like the Partholonians they came from the west and landed on the western shores of Ireland. The Fomorians camefrom their northern islands to fight the new inhabitants. The Nemedians won three battles with the Fomorians, however each time they suffered great losses. Following these battles they were struck by a plague that killed more of their men, including their leader Nemed.

The Fomorians took advantage of the weakened state of the Nemedians and demanded 2/3 of their corn, milk and that their children  be paid every Samhain eve. The Nemedians fought the Fomorians again. Only one ship of Fomorians survived. Some Nemedians, partly from fear of the possible return of the Fomorians and partly from fear of plague, left Ireland. Those Nemedians who stayed were all killed. The departed survivors then became the ancestors of the next two groups of invaders, the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha de Danaan.

4.9 Ancient Writing    Ogham Writing Review    Ogham Letters

A way to remember the order of letters:
Think of the Braveheart scene where the Irish were hired to fight against the Scottish but it was a bluff. The gangs of Ireland rushed over but fought for Scotland. So Eire (Ireland) explains that to a son of Scotland. Think of starting looking down but then raising your head and looking up and then crossing over to the over side and leaning right into the battle and then standing straight at the end of the battle.

Mnemonic to remember the consonants
1. ‘Had to come quickly (HDTCQ)
2. Believe, son. (BLVSN)
3. My gangs run (MGNgZR)

See if you can write you name in Ogham on the line below:

__________________________________________________________

Bonus

Review time with Liam O Maonlaí

Sit back, listen and read along if you wish  but don’t forget to say the sounds in Irish aloud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19gR-C21Yg&feature=autoplay&list=PL2D9DC85266EC652D&playnext=4

Ceacht 3 - Lig do Scíth

Ceacht 3 Lig do scíth/ Take it easy 

Lig du shkee  

    

This lesson is about short conversations, time/numbers and the weather.

3.0     Begin each lesson with the greetings
Dia duit
Dia is Muire duit.

Here are some more friendly phrases:

Irish               Sound             English
fáilte                fawlte                welcome
tar isteach     tor istoch            come in
lig do scíth   lig du shkee        let yourself rest


3.1     Useful expressions for the classroomIrish                Sound             English
Ní thuigim.      Nee higum      I don’t understand
Céard is brí leis? Kayrd is bree lesh    What does it mean?
Abair arís(t) é.    Obir ereeshay        Say it again.
Labhair go mall led’ thoil.  Lower (rhymes with tower) gu moll led hul. Speak slowly please
 Dáiríre?                  Dawreere                     Really?

3. 1. 2    The verb To be          Put the verb at the beginning of the sentence
Tá mé              taw may        I am       Tá muid       taw  mwid        We are
Tá tú                taw too        You are     Tá sibh        taw sib /siv       You are
Tá sé                taw shay    He/ It is     Tá said        taw sheeud      They are
Tá sí                 taw shee    She/It is
Positive: Tá                             taw
Question: An bhfuil?              on wuil
Negative: Níl                           neel

3.1.3   Vocabulary for practice:
ceart                   kyart          right
mícheart         meechyart    wrong
tuirseach        tirshok           tired
tinn               teen                   sick
bocht           bucht                poor
in am          in om              on time
déanach     daynoch       late

3.1.4 Practice in pairs: Tá mé ceart. Tá tú mícheart.
Make questions and answers with the above vocabulary beginning with An bhfuil…?
Examples

1. A. An bhfuil tú micheart?       B.  Níl. Tá mé ceart.
2. A. An bhfuil sé mícheart?       B.  Tá. Tá sé mícheart.

3.1.5       A conversation about your health (sláinte)

A. Cén chaoi ‘bhfuil tú?  Kayn chee wil too                                      How are you?
B. Go maith                   Gu moh                                                           well/good
Agus tú féin?                 Ogus too fayn                                                 And yourself?
A. Beo ar éigin     Byoh er aygin  (ay as in day/hard g )              Just about alive
B.Céard ‘tá cearr leat?    Kayrd taw kyar lat              What’s wrong with you?
A. Slaghdán uafásach  Sly dawn oofawsoch                                  An awful cold
B. Tóg go bog é mar sin.  Tohg go bug ay mor shin (ay as in day)         Take it easy then.
Note: Sláinte slawnte means health but it is also used before you drink: Here’s to your health.
The word for Good bye Slán slawn is related. Go well.

3.1.6 Audio conversational phrases

Listen to the elements of a basic conversation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmoCUCBCzs
All you need for now is #1
#1. Basic greeting (Hello) 0:00-0:12
A. Dia dhuit
B. Dia ‘s Muire dhuit
#2. How are you? Literal translation:  Which way are you? 0:13- 0:34
A. Cén chaoi’ bhfuil tú?
Bi: Níl aon caill orm. There’s no loss on me. (I’m fine).
Bii: Tá mé togha. I’m great.
Biii: Tá mé thar cinn. I’m over my head (like walking on air – I’m excellent).
Biv: Níl aon corr orm  There’s no oddness on me. (I’m fine)
Bv: Níl aon ceall orm. There’s not a bother on me. ( I’m fine)

3.1.7     A conversation for getting to know someone

A. Cé hé tusa?                         Kay hay tusa                           Who are you?
B. Is mise …                           Is mishe                                   I’m…
Agus tusa?                              Ogus tusa                                And you?
A. Is mise …                           Is mishe                                   I’m…
Cé as thú?                               Kay os hoo                              Where are you from?
B. As ………. mé.                  Os…may                                 I’m from…
Cé as thú féin?           Kay os hoo fayn                   Where are you from yourself?
A. As ………. mé.                  Os…may                                 I’m from…
Try the conversation with a partner and switch roles to practice both parts.

3.1.8 There are three expressions for ‘knowing.’

1. Aithne ahne is used for knowing people or places.
2. Fios fis or fhios is is used for knowing other information.
3. Eolas ohlus  is used for having information about something.

Here are examples of how this works. For now just note the different uses.

1. An bhfuil aithne agat ar Úna? Do you know Úna?

Tá aithne agam uirthi. I know her.

1. An bhfuil a fhios agat cá bhfuil Peader? Do you know where Peader is?

Tá ‘ fhios agam I know/ Níl fhios agam. I don’t know.

1. An bhfuil aon eolas agat faoin timpiste? Do you have any information about the accident?

Níl tada ar eolas agam faoi. I don’t know anything (nothing) about it.

3.1.9   Nouns                         Ainmfhocail

*lower rhymes with tower
an leabhar              *on lower              the book
cóipleabhar            kohplower         notebook
iris                              irish                  magazine
foclóir                        fuklohr              dictionary
páipéar                   pawpayr             paper
litir                            litir                      letter
peann                     pyon                      pen
peann luaidhe        pyon looee         pencil
mála                      mawle                  bag
doras                    durus                     door
cathaoir              koheer                    chair
fuinneog             fwinyohg              window
solas                    sulus                      light
clog                      klug                          clock
clárdubh            klawrduv            blackboard
uaireadóir       oorudohr              watch
bosca                busku                     box
eochair            uhchur                    key
Here and there:
anseo                onsho                   here
ansin                 onshin                 there
The
an                                on                 the

Challenge:  With a partner ask questions and give answers to them.
Example

1. A. Cá bhfuil an leabhar?
2. B. (Pointing) Tá sé anseo.

Do as many as you can. Good luck!

 TIME / NUMBERS

3.2       Time   (Review and development)

Am                              Om                              Time
Cén t-am é?                 Kayn tom ay          What time is it?
clog                             klug                             clock
a chlog                           a chlug                       o’clock
Add Tá sé a  before and a chlog after these numbers to turn them into a time.

1. a haon              a hayn
2. a dó                 a doh
3. a trí                  a tree
4. a ceathair         a kahir
5. a cúig              a kooig           
6. a sé                  a shay
7. a seacht           a shocht
8. a hocht            a hucht
9. a naoi               a nee
10. a deich             a de
11. a haon dhéag   a hayn yayg
12. a dódhéag       a dohyayg

1. Cén t-am é?                 Kayn tom ay                            What time is it?
2. Tá sé a haon a chlog.   Taw shay a hayn a chlug.       It’s one o’clock

3.2.1 Now, with a partner, try asking and telling the time (on the hour).
Cén t-am é?
1. Tá sé a haon a chlog.
2.________________
3.________________
4.________________
5.________________
6.________________
7.________________
8.________________
9.________________
10._______________
11.________________
12.________________

3.2.2  Minutes and more

Try saying the sounds aloud
5.   cúig                                   cooig
10. deich                                 de
20. fiche                                  fihe
25. fiche cúig                          fihe cooig
¼  ceathrú                              kahroo
½  leath uair                         la oor               half an hour
Chun                                       chun                to
Tar éis                                      turaysh            past
Tá sé fiche chun a cúig.                                               It’s twenty to five.
Tá sé deich tar éis a sé.                                               It’s ten past six.

3.2.3 Try reading the time:
Cén t-am é?

1.______________________
2.______________________
3.______________________
4.______________________
5.______________________
6.______________________
7.______________________
8.______________________
9.______________________
10._____________________
11.______________________
12.______________________

3.2.4    Uimhir Gutháin                     Telephone number

Gabh mo leithscéal                              gomuleshkayl                                            Excuse me
Cad é d’uimhir gutháin, led’ thoil? Kod ay divur guhawn led hul What’s your phone no. please?
Try saying your phone number here:
Example 044 12345 would be a náid, a ceathair, a ceathair, a haon, a dó, a trí, a ceathair, a cúig

________________________________________________

WEATHER

3.3 A: The Weather Lesson 3 of Basic Irish with Liam O Maonlaí

Watch, listen, read and repeat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJQ4KyBGuJ0&feature=youtube_gdata
It is hot: Tá sé te.    It is sunny: Tá sé grianmhar.    The sky is blue: Tá an spéir gorm.    It is 25 degrees today: Tá an teocht ag fiche cúig céim inniu.   It’s a fine day: Lá breá.   It’s hot and sunny and the sky is blue today: Tá sé te agus grianmhar agus tá an spéir gorm inniu.

It is cold: Tá sé fuar.    It is cloudy: Tá sé scamallach.   The sky is grey: Tá an spéir liath.   There is a strong breeze: Tá gaoth láidir ann.   The weather is terrible: Tá an aimsir uafásach.    It’s cold today with a strong breeze: Tá sé fuar inniu agus tá an ghaoth láidir.  The sky is blue and the temperature is 25 degrees today: Tá an spéir gorm agus tá an teocht ag fiche cúig céim inniu. It is cloudy with a strong breeze today: Tá sé scamallach agus tá gaoth láidir ann inniu.

Today is cold and cloudy: Tá sé fuar agus scamallach inniu. It is hot and the sky is blue. Tá sé te agus an spéir gorm.   It is drizzling: Tá salachar báistí ann.   It’s pouring rain: Tá sé ag stealladh báistí.   There are hailstones: Tá clocha sneachta ann.  It will snow tonight: Tá sneachta air anocht.   What is the forecast?: Cad é túr na haimsire?   There are hailstones and it will snow later: Tá clocha sneachta ann agus beidh sé ag cur sneachta níos déanaí.  Is rain forecast tonight?: Bhfuil báisteach geallta anocht?

You can follow this up with flashcard practice from http://quizlet.com/10272372/irish-ceacht-3-weather-flash-cards/

3.3 B The weather with Kate Fennell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysW3D5w8igo&feature=related

Irish History in Literature

The Irish Mythological Cycle - Ireland was invaded by five successive waves of peoples.

1.The Partholonians

Ireland was inhabited by a race of cruel, misshapen beings known as the Fomorians, thought to represent the ancient, evil gods of Ireland when Partholon, his wife Dealgnaid and their friends sailed from the west and landed in the western province of Munster on Bealtaine. When the Partholonians arrived in Ireland, it looked much different than it does today. There was only one plain, three lakes, and nine rivers. During their stay the Partholonians cleared four more plains and seven more lakes were formed. They built the first building in Ireland and the first guesthouse.
The Partholonians defeated the Fomorians and drove them from Ireland temporarily to the northern seas, from where they repeatedly returned to plague the newcomers. However in the end the Partholonians were all killed in an outbreak of plague. All died except Tuan, the son of Partholon’s brother Starn. Tuan survived alone into old age.

Seanfhocail             Proverb

I dtír na ndall, is rí é fear na leathsúile
In the land of the blind,
a man with sight in one eye is king.
Good luck!

Ceacht 2 - Tar Isteach

Gaeilge Anois  

Ceacht 2 - Tar Isteach - Come On In

                            Tar istoch   

                                

First things first: always begin with a blessing.
Greet your teacher Dia dhuit Deeah ghit
or with the response if the teacher says it first Dia ‘s Muire dhuit Deeahs mwooire ghit.
Then go over your homework. Read it aloud. Then listen as your teacher reads each line and imitate it.
Right then, let’s move on. This lesson is about sounds, basic conversations and time.

SOUNDS

2.0 Multiple letters – single sound

Try saying these words aloud. The bold print marks the strongest sound (stress).
1. In ai combinations, only pronounce a (short a)                 Ainm      a-nim *  (name)
2. In ui combinations, only pronounce i  (short i)                 Duine     di-neh    (person)
3. In aoi combinations, aoi ►ee              (long i)                  Chaoi     chee       (way)
4. For bhf combinations, bhf►w                                          Bfhuil     wuil           (is?)

See, it’s not so difficult after all.
*nm is too hard to pronounce so an extra vowel i is added to separate the letters.

2.1 Getting ready to talk       Read aloud         

Verb: to be               Remember the sounds of á aw, é ay, í ee, ó oh, ú oo?   
Tá mé                                                     I am
Tá tú                                                      You are
Tá sé                                                      He/ It is*
Tá sí                                                       She/It is
*As in French and Spanish and many other languages, things have gender in Irish.

BASIC CONVERSATIONS

2.2                Conversation 1 How are you?


The question How are you? has three variations depending on the region. Choose one.
A. Cén chaoi ‘bhfuil tú?      Kayn chee wil too?            How are you?      (Western)
Cad é mar atá tú?                 Koday mor atah too?          How are you?      (Northern)
Conas atá /tánn tú?               Kunus ataw/tawn too?        How are you?      (Southern)
B. Go maith                          Gu moh                             Well/good.
Tá mé go maith                     Taw may gu moh              I am well/good.

2.2.1 How are you? Audio with answers

Listen to the elements of a basic conversation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmoCUCBCzs

All you need for now is #2 How are you? Literal translation:  Which way are you? 0:13- 0:34

A. Cén chaoi’ bhfuil tú?
Bi: Níl aon caill orm. There’s no loss on me. (I’m fine).
Bii: Tá mé togha. I’m great.
Biii: Tá mé thar cinn. I’m over my head (like walking on air – I’m excellent).
Biv: Níl aon corr orm  There’s no oddness on me. (I’m fine)
Bv: Níl aon ceall orm. There’s not a bother on me. ( I’m fine)

2..2 .2               Conversation 2 Identifying People


A. Cé hé tusa?/                        Kay hay tusa?                   Who are you?
Cad is ainm duit?                     Kod is anim dit?                 What’s your name?
B. Is mise Cliona./                   Is misheh Kleeuna.            I’m Cliona.
Cliona is ainm dom.                 Kleeuna is anim dum.       My name is Cliona.
A. Cé hé an duine sin?             Kay hay on dine shin?         Who’s that person (male)?
Cé hí an duine sin?                   Kay hee on dine shin?         Who’s that person (female)?
B. Sin é Seán.                           Shin ay Shawn.                  That is Seán.
Sin í Sinéad.                              Shin ee Shinayd.                That is Sinéad.

.

A: Dia dhuit.                                                     Hello
Is mise Síle.                     Is mishu Sheelu.       I’m Sheila
B: Dia ‘s Muire dhuit Síle.                                Hello  Sheila
Is mise Seán.                                                      I’m Sean.
A: Cé hé an duine sin?                                       Who’s that person?
B. Sin é Tomás.                   Shin ay Tumaws.    That’s Tomás.
A: Cé hí an duine sin?                                         Who’s that person?
B: Sin í Siobhán.                   Sin ee Shuvawn.     That’s Siobhán.

2.2.3 Conversation 3:  Borrowing something     
                                  
A: An leabhar led’ thoil.   On lower (rhymes with tower) led hul  The book please.
B: Seo dhuit                        Shu  git                                                Here you are.
A: Go raibh maith agat       Gura moha gut                      Thank you. (May you have good)
B: Tá fáilte romhat              Taw fawlte roht                         You’re welcome.

2.2.4 Useful Expressions for the Classroom.
Gabh mo leithscéal                              goh mu le shkayl                       Excuse me.
Ní thuigim                                               nee higim                               I don’t understand.
Slán                                                           slawn                                     Good bye.

TIME

2.3                             Time

Cén t-am é?                                         Kayn tom ay?                    What time is it?
clog                                                      klug                                   clock
a chlog                                                 a chlug                              o’clock
Tá sé a haon a chlog                            Taw shay a hayn a chlug.   It’s one o’clock.

Numbers:
1. a haon a hayn,        2. a dó a doh,             3. a trí a tree, 
4. a ceathair a kahir,  5.  a cúig a kooig,       6. a sé a shay, 
7. a seacht a shocht,  8. a hocht a hucht,       9. a naoi a nee,    10. a deich a de

2.3.1 Extra audio resource: Introductions (Liam Ó Maonlaí)


1. Hello. Dia dhuit. 2. Please let me introduce myself. Lig dom mé fhéin a chur in aithne. 3. My name is Peader. Peader is ainm dom. 4. Hi. My name is Sean. Haigh. Seán is ainm dom. 5. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Tá sé deas bualadh leat. 6. How are you? Conas tánn tú? 7. I’m fine and you? Tá mé go breá agus tú féin? 8. Good. Thank you. Go maith. Go raibh maith agat.  9. I’m from Dublin. Is as Baile Atha Cliath domsa. 11. I’m from Donegal. Is as Dún na nGall dom. 12. You’re from Kerry? Whereabouts? Is as Ciarraí dhuit? Cén áit? Kerry is a beautiful place. 13. Tá Ciarraí go hálainn. 14. Hello. Please let me introduce myself. My name is Sean. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m from Dublin. Are you from Kerry? Kerry is a beautiful place. Dia dhuit. Lig dom mé fhéin a chur in aithne. Seán is ainm dom. Tá sé deas bualadh leat. Is as Baile Atha Cliath dom. An as Ciarraí dhuit? Tá Ciarraí go hálainn. 15. Well, it was nice meeting you. Bhuel, deas bualadh leat. 16. Goodbye. Slán.

2.4 Irish Mythology: Bealtaine Byaltineh


May 1st is an important day in Irish mythology. Three of the five groups of invaders of Ireland arrived on this day called Lá Bealtaine.

It marked the beginning of summer in the Celtic year. All fires around the country were extinguished on this day and then new sacred fires were lit in honor of the Celtic sun god Bel. The central point and biggest festival was at the hill of Uisneach Ishnoch and from its flames other fires were lit on hills all around the land. Some people still put flowers outside their door for May 1^st to welcome the May queen.

In ancient Irish law tracts, this was also a time for divorces. May was believed to be an unlucky time for marriages.

2.5 Homework

A. Telling the time

Cén t-am é?         Give the following times in Irish. Try saying them aloud.

1. 1:00                        6. 6:00                   Answer: 1. Tá sé a haon a chlog.
2. 2:00                        7. 7:00
3. 3:00                        8. 8:00
4. 4:00                        9. 9:00
5. 5:00                        10. 10:00

B. Reading vowels     Read the underlined words aloud:

1. sa (in)                2. sár (extremely)               3. te (hot)                    4. té  (person)             
5. do  (to)              6. dó  (to him)             7. ubh bh►v (egg)             8.  úll (apple)      

*Remember o is pronounced as the o in other

Ceacht 1 - Fáilte

Gaeilge Anois = Irish Now

If you want to start learning the Irish language (Gaeilge),
here’s my guide for you. I hope it helps. 

I recommend spending at least a hour a day for two weeks to get used to the sounds of the letters before trying anything else. That’s goal #1. It will really pay off.
Practice, practice, practice and have fun with it too.  If you can, get a teacher.

Search for a teacher here: http://www.daltai.com/classes/ 

LESSON 1       Ceacht 1             Fáilte / Welcome  

           

Words you may already know:  
Clann=family (children),  Cailín (Colleen)=girl,  Erin=Éireann =Ireland
Now get ready to dive into the language. This lesson is about the sounds of the letters, very basic grammar for making sentences and simple conversation. Learn to read and makes basic sounds, figure out the basic structure and then put sentences together so you can talk. That’s the plan. Here we go…

Sounds Fuaimeanna

1.1 The Sounds of Irish.

Some sounds in Irish don’t exist in English and the best way to learn any language is to imitate the sounds of a native speaker but this will help you get started. This quick simplified guide of how to pronounce letters should help you begin to read basic Irish so you can be understood. It’s lesson 1 and so we’ll keep it simple. Ready?

A. The long and the short of it

There are 5 short vowels and 5 long vowels. The long vowels differ somewhat from English long vowels.  There is only one accent mark called a fada. It is used to change short vowels to long vowels.

Short Vowels                    Long vowels
a: as in answer *               á: aw as in saw
e: as in egg                      é: ay as in  hay
i: as in it                            í:  ee as in feet    
o: u as in under **            ó: o as in over
u:  as in unless                 ú:  oo as in moon

There are two letters to watch out for: the really tricky short a and the short o. 

i) ** The short o is easy. Just change it in your head to a short u as in under.Yes that means that both o and u are pronounced u. Examples:  loch luch, obair ubur, ort urt


ii) *The pronunciation of the short vowel a is the tricky one as it varies so much. More often than not it is pronounced as a short o: agus ogus
The many sounds of the letter a:
o as in on  (most often)                                            o: am om, as os, ach och, ann on
e as in egg (with prepositions and r)                        e: ag eg, ar er, arsa ersu
u  as in unless (weak syllable)                                 u: arís ureesh, anall unol, amú umoo
*a as in at (when followed by i or th)                        a:  aice ake, aire are, athrú ahroo
*Note: it’s a British a sound, not an  American one


Don’t try to remember all these words in Lesson 1; just know that the letter a can be pronounced in many different ways and you won’t be surprised when you see that happening later on.

SHORT ►LONG a second route

 

Other ways to change short to long vowels include adding extra silent vowels.
In English pal (short a) changes to pail (long a) by adding a silent vowel.
In Irish cine kineh (short i) changes to caoine keene (long i = í) with the addition of silent vowels.

A. Practice saying these aloud. There is no difference is sound for double consonants:
a:  na                á:  ná naw  (aw is the sound many people make when they see puppies)
e:  te                 é: té tay      (tay rhymes with say)
i:  sin (shin)      í:  sín sheen
o:  an (on)        ó: ón doh (rhymes with oh)
u:  donn (dun)  ú:  dún (doon rhymes with soon)
Note the last two short vowels on this list a►o and o►u

B. Here they are again and try reading them aloud:
na, ná, te, té, sin, sín, an, ón, donn, dún
Good? Let’s try some more:
ait, áit, de, dé, min, mín, as, ós, olla, úlla
Are you getting used to the a►o and o►u? 

I won’t put the letters in red then this time. The first one ab is a short a, not an o sound.
Try reading: ab, bá, le, mé, binn, ní, an, ón, lom, úll

C. One more exercise  reading aloud before we leave the vowel section:

 Short Vowels                              Long vowels with accent                 
a:  na                                     á:  ná, bád, cá, lá, tá
e:  te                                              é: té, cén, cé hé, mé
i:  linn                                            í:  bí, ní, níl
o:  ort,  mo, do                              ó: ór, óg, bróg, tóg, ól
u:  turas                                       ú:  dún, úll, úr
Good. Go maith.

B. 1.1.2 Consonants

The letters in italics here are to help you say the sound. Bold letters show which syllable is strongest.
1. C is always a hard c, like k and not like s - cá kaw, cé kay, conas kunos. G is always a hard g, not like j: go gu, gorm gurum, glas glos.
2. S is pronounced sh before i or e or í or é - sin shin, sín sheen, sea sha, sé shay.
3. D,N,T,L,S, are dentals: the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth for these sounds: duit dit, nuair noor, tá taw, liom lum, suas soous.
4. A narrow T: when t is next to i or e it’s like a short s sound that starts with a t sound: ait.
5. The letters V or W don’t exist in Irish but the sounds of these letters are written as bh or mh: bhí vee,  amháin uwawn.

Now try reading sentences:

Irish                                     English                                     Sound
1. Tá bád ar an loch.  There is a boat on the lake.            Taw bawd er on luch.
2. Cé hé sin?                Who is that?                                   Kay hay shin.
3. Ná tóg ór.                 Don’t take gold.                             Naw tohg ohr. 
4. Níl sí ag ól.               She is not drinking.                       Neel shee eg ohl
5. Cén lá é?                  What day is it?                               Kayn law ay (as in hay)
6. Tá sé te.                    It is hot.                                         Taw shay teh

So, there’s a lot to keep in your head there.

Let’s review:
i) the vowels are like English sounds except a short o is really a short u  and a short a is really a short o. Tricky a: however the short a can also sound like e (prepositions), u  (weak syllable) or a (with i or th) .
ii) Beside an i or an e, g and c do not change to j and s sounds as they do in English but s changes to sh
iii) There is a new sound called a narrow t and it’s like a combination between an s and a t
OK, let’s do one more thing before we try to read some words.

Let’s practice the c (k) and the g sound (never j)

A. C is always a hard c, like k and not like s.
1. Cé?                          Who?                                    Kay
2. Cad?                        What?                                   Kod 
3. Céard?                     What?                                   Kayrd 
4. Conas?                     How?                                    Kunus
5.  Cén?                       Which?                                  Kayn

B. G is always a hard g, not like j.
1. gan                           without                                  gon 
2. Gaeilge                    Irish            (silent ei makes a long)   gaylghe
3. gile                           light                                        ghileh
4. go                             to                                            guh
5. gá                             need                                       gaw

C. S is pronounced sh before i or e or í or é.
1. seisear                      six people                            shehshur
2. siad                          they                                     sheeod
3. sé                              he                                       shay
4. sí                               she                                     shee

Don’t worry about learning all the meanings right now. The challenge is to see if you can read the sounds right. When you see an accent mark, switch to a long vowel sound. When you see a letter o, think u. When you see the letter a, think o etc. It takes practice. You can do it!
       

C. 1.1.3 Combinations of Letters

1. Th at the beginning or middle of a word is pronounced as the sound of h: thuas hoos, athrú ahroo
The combinations ith or igh are not pronounced at the ends of words: maith mo, thosaigh husee.
2. The combination ch is throaty: (a very light gargle) chun.
3. An initial dh sounds like gh (with a gentle vibrating sound in the throat) and occasionally as a y sound: dhún ghoon, y – dheachaigh yachee.
Let’s review again then:
i) the vowels are like English sounds except a short o is really a short u  and a short a is really a short o but the short a can also sound like e (prepositions), u  (weak syllable) or a (with i or th) .
ii) Beside an i or an e, g and c do not change to j and s sounds as they do in English but s changes to sh. There’s also a new t sound.
iii) Some letter combinations are not pronounced and others represent other sounds: th►h, mh►w, bh►v
and some sounds are throaty (dh, ch).

Ok let’s try one more reading exercise with y help and then you’ll try one on your own.

Combinations of Letters

I. Remember, the letters V or W don’t exist in Irish. These sounds are written as bh or mh.
1. bhí                         was/ were               vee
2. lámh                      hand / arm              lawv
3. amháin                  one                        awawn

II. Th at the beginning of a word is pronounced as the sound of h.
1. Thug                     gave                      hug   
2. Thóg                     took                       hohg

III. The combinations th or gh are not pronounced at the ends of words.
1. maith               good    (ignore the ith and a is pronounced as a short o as in on)     mo
2. chuaigh           went   (ignore the gh at the end, the extra vowels ai make u long)    choo

IV. An initial dh sounds like gh (with a gentle vibrating sound in the throat) and occasionally as a y sound.                                                                                                                                                                              1. dhún                       closed      (vibrating throaty gh for dh)    ghoon
2. ní dheachaigh        didn’t go (dhe►y, ignore the igh at the end, a►o)   nee yacho  
3. chun                        so as to    ( throaty ch)  chun

Well, we covered a lot there. How is your throat after that gargling?
Even though words may look complicated, once you get used to the rules it gets easier. It takes time to get used to which letters you mentally replace with others (a►o and o►u) and which letters you eliminate.
Here’s a useful link to the Daltaí na Gaeilge site to listen to sounds:  http://www.daltai.com/grammar/pronunciation-key/ 

1.1.4 Reading exercise 1 

Let’s see what you remember. Do you remember the long and the short of it? Try to read the Irish form of these words with the Irish long vowels. Good luck with your first challenge.
1. Cá?    Where?   2.  bán   white    3. slán   goodbye
4. rí      king           5. ní      not           6. Cé?    Who?
7. bó      cow          8. ól      drink  
9. dún   fortress     10. tú   you

Did they sound like 1. kaw 2. bawn 3. slawn 4. ree 5. nee 6. kay 7. boh 8. ohl 9.doon 10. too ?
If so, you did a great job. If not, go back and review the basic sounds. It’s easy to forget.

GRAMMAR

1.2 Grammar points

A.      Put the verb first.
Word Order                          verb                    subject      +   object/ time /description
                                                Tá  am                mé   I                    tuirseach tired.
                                                Scríobh wrote   Seán  Sean             an litir the letter.
                                                Bhí was             sé it                        go hálainn beautiful.

B.      There are two forms of the verb To be
i)       Use Is when defining things.                   ii) Use Tá when describing things:
Is peann é.  It’s a pen.                                           Tá sé briste.  It’s broken.

1.2.1 Vocabulary: the verb to be, numbers and more


Read and practice the following:
Tá     taw                      Be                          Go maith   gu mo                           well/good
Mé   may                      I                             Tá mé go maith                             I am well/good
Tú   too                        you                         Cé hé tusa?  kay hay tusa              Who are you?
Sé   shay                      he/it                        Aon, Dó, Trí, Ceathair, Cúig,        1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Sí    shee                      she/it                      Sé, Seacht, Ocht, Naoi, Deich       6, 7, 8, 9, 10

When people count aloud they put the word a in front of the numbers.
Here are more numbers than you need at the moment but you might try counting to ten for fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT_oieNX3_8&feature=related

 

CONVERSATION

1.3  Basic Conversation 1 Greetings


A: Dia dhuit.                                    Hello (God be with you).
Is mise ..    is mishu                         I’m..
B: Dia ‘s Muire dhuit.                      Hello  (the response) (God and Mary with you)
Is mise ..                                           I’m…

Listen to the elements of a basic conversation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BmoCUCBCzs

All you need for now is #1
#1. Basic greeting (Hello) 0:00-0:12
A. Dia dhuit
B. Dia ‘s Muire dhuit
Just repeat that part until you feel comfortable with it. Note the throaty dh sound.

 

1.3.1 Conversation 2 Asking for Something:                         Approximate pronunciation *

A: Peann led’ thoil.                       A pen please.                                       Pyon led hul
B: Seo dhuit                                 Here you are (This to you)                   Shu  ghit
A: Go raibh maith agat                Thank you ( May you have good)         Gura moha gut
B: Tá fáilte romhat                       You’re welcome                                    Taw fawlte roht
*Listen to your múinteoir (teacher) and find your own way to write accurate sounds if you need to do so.

1.3.2 Extra Audio Lesson 1 Asking For Help:

1. Excuse me.                             Gabh mo leithscéal.                             Gomulehshkayl.
2. Hi, Can you help me?            Haigh. An féidir leat cabhrú liom?      High. On faydr lat cowroo lum.
3. Where is?                               Cá bhfuil?                                            Caw wil.
4. Please.                                    Le do thoil.                                          Le du hul.
5.  Thank you.                            Go raibh maith agat.                           Gura moha gut.

 

1.3.3  Useful Expressions for the Classroom.

Gabh mo leithscéal                              Excuse me                         Gu mu lesh kayl
Ní thuigim                                           I don’t understand              Nee hi ghim
Slán                                                      Good bye                           Slawn

1.4 Geography


Try to find the following words in town names on the map of ireland:
Anglicized version              Original Irish                        Meaning
Bally/Ball                              Baile                                       Town
Dun/ Don                              Dún                                         Fortress
Kil                                         Cill/Coill                                 Church/ Woods

How many towns will you find? Write them down when you find them.
1._______________________________________________________________________________________
2._______________________________________________________________________________________
3._______________________________________________________________________________________
4._______________________________________________________________________________________
5._______________________________________________________________________________________
6._______________________________________________________________________________________
7.______________________________________________________________________________________
8.______________________________________________________________________________________
9._______________________________________________________________________________________
10.______________________________________________________________________________________

Ireland / Éire
Did you find Ballymena, Ballybofey, Ballinasloe, Donegal, Dungannon, Dundalk, Kilkee, Kilkenny, Killarney, Killybegs? Do you remember what Baile, Dún, and Cill mean?

1.5 The Written Language   The Irish alphabet has 18 letters
Though you don’t see it very often these days, Irish used to be written with this script:
Old Irish script

1.5.1 History of the Language: Gaelic and The Six Celtic Languages
Gaelic is the name of the Indo-European group of languages that includes Irish.
Gaelic is also the name of the Scottish language within that group.
Gaelic languages: Irish, Gaelic (Scottish), Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton
Manx and Cornish are no longer spoken as a first language. 

1.5.2. The Celts


The Celts occupied lands stretching from the Ireland to Galatia, an ancient territory of central Asia Minor, in present Turkey (around modern Ankara). There are historical accounts of the Celts coming from northern Italy around 400 BC.
Celtic descended from the original Ur-language and from Indo-European languages.
Old Celtic was the closest cousin to Italic, the precursor of Latin.

Two Groups

1. q-Celts were the original wave of Celtic immigrants to Britain.

They spoke Goidelic circa 2000 to 1200 BC.
Goidelic led to the languages spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man. and later Scotland.
There was no p in Celtic and an a in place of an the Italic o.

1.  p-Celts came later in a second wave of immigrants speaking Brythonic.

Brythonic gave rise to two; Welsh and Cornish in Britain and. Breton, in Brittany.
An example of the difference between the two Celtic branches:
The word ekvos in Indo-European, meant horse.
In q-Celtic this was rendered as equos. In p-Celtic it became epos.

1.5.3 What Gaelic means
The local inhabitants of Britain called the Irish arrivals gwyddel savages. From this comes geídil, goidel, Goidelic and finally Gaelic.
Please note that Irish people refer to their language as Gaeilge when speaking in Irish and Irish when speaking of it in English. They do not call their language Gaelic. The language called Gaelic is the Celtic language of Scotland and, while related, is an entirely different language.

1.5.4 Irish Mythology
Irish myths were probably recorded in the eighth century or earlier, possibly written by the Druids in Ogham. There are few surviving examples of Ogham because this writing was primarily done on bark, or on wands of hazel. However the legends of the early Celtic people were also passed down in stories.
The best record of the rich Celtic mythological tradition is contained in the four cycles drawn up by twelfth century Christian scribes:
the Mythological Cycle
the Ulster Cycle (also known as the Red Branch Cycle)
the Fenian or Fianna Cycle
the Kings or Historical Cycle
Thank you so much for your interest in Irish. It means more than you will know.

1.6 HOMEWORK:for the very motivated student. That’s you, right? Ara, give it a shot anyway.
Homework Exercises for Lesson 1 Gaeilge
Other Useful Irish Language Resources  http://alturl.com/y4cj5