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66
NUMBERS
0 náid/neamhaí
1 aon
2 dó
3 trí
4 ceathar
5 cúig
6 sé
7 seacht
8 ocht
9 naoi
10 deich
11 a haon déag
12 a dó dhéag
13 a trí déag
20 fi che
30 tríocha
40 daichead/ceathracha
50 caoga
60 seasca
70 seachtó
80 ochtó
90 nócha
100 céad
1,000 míle
million milliún
COUNTING PEOPLE
one person duine amháin
two people beirt
three people triúr
four people ceathrar
fi ve people cúigear
six people seisear
seven people seachtar
eight people ochtar
nine people naonúr
ten people deichniúr
MONTHS OF THE YEAR
January Eanáir
February Feabhra
March Márta
April Aibreán
May Bealtaine
June Meitheamh
July Iúil
August Lúnasa
September Meán Fómhair
October Deireadh Fómhair
November Samhain
December Nollaig
SEASONS
spring earrach
summer samhradh
autumn fómhar
winter geimhreadh
Speak Irish with confi denceMáire Mhic Ruairí & Dónall Mac Ruairí
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: on fi le.
First published in UK 2007 as Teach Yourself Irish conversation by Hodder Education, 338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BH.
First published in US 2007 as Teach Yourself Irish conversation by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
This edition published 2010.
The Teach Yourself name is a registered trademark of Hodder Headline.
Copyright © 2007, 2010 Máire Mhic Ruairí and Dónall Mac Ruairí
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In US: All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Typeset by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire, England.
Printed in Great Britain for Hodder Education, a division of Hodder Headline, an Hachette Livre UK Company, 338 Euston Road, London, NW1 3BH.
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Impression number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Year 2013 2012 2011 2010
65Essential vocabulary
TELLING THE TIME
what time is it? cén t-am é?
it’s one o’clock tá sé a haon a chlog
it’s fi ve minutes past one tá sé cúig tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s ten minutes past one tá sé deich tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s quarter past one tá sé ceathrú tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s twenty minutes past one tá sé fi che tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s twenty-fi ve minutes past one tá sé cúig noiméad is fi che/fi che cúig tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s half past one tá sé leath tar éis/i ndiaidh a haon
it’s twenty-fi ve minutes to two tá sé cúig nóiméad is fi che/fi che cúig go dtí/chun a dó
it’s twenty minutes to two tá sé fi che go dtí/chun a dó
it’s quarter to two tá sé ceathrú go dtí/chun a dó
it’s ten minutes to two tá sé deich go dtí/chun a dó
it’s fi ve minutes to two tá sé cúig go dtí/chun a dó
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Monday Dé Luain
Tuesday Dé Máirt
Wednesday Dé Céadaoin
Thursday Déardaoin
Friday Dé hAoine
Saturday Dé Sathairn
Sunday Dé Domhnaigh
Monday night oíche Luain
Tuesday night oíche Mháirt
Wednesday night oíche Chéadaoin
Thursday night oíche Dhéardaoin
Friday night oíche Aoine
Saturday night oíche Shathairn
Sunday night oíche Dhomhnaigh
DIRECTIONS
to the right ar dheis
to the left ar clé
straight on díreach ar aghaidh
opposite os comhair
in front of os coinne
next door to béal dorais le
between idir
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64
Essential vocabulary
GREETINGS AND OTHER PHRASES
Do you like …? An maith leat …?
good morning maidin mhaith
goodbye slán
goodnight oíche mhaith
hello dia duit
I like is maith liom
I’m Colm. Is mise Colm.
no problem fadhb ar bith
of course cinnte
OK tá go maith
we like is maith linn
What is your name? Cad is ainm duit?
why not cad chuige
you’re welcome níl a bhuíochas ort
FOOD AND DRINK
beef mairteoil
beer leann/beoir
bread arán
butter im
cheese cáis
chicken cearc/sicín
chips sceallóga
egg ubh
fi sh iasc
fruit torthaí
ham muiceoil/liamhás
juice sú
lamb uaineoil
meat feol
milk bainne
potatoes prátaí
red wine fíon dearg
sausage ispín
vegetables glasraí
water uisce
white wine fíon geal/fíon bán
COLOURS
black dubh
blue gorm
green glas/uaine
orange fl annbhuí/oráiste
purple corcra
red dearg
white bán
yellow buí
iiiContents
Contents
Track listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Only got a minute? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Only got fi ve minutes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Only got ten minutes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Conversation 1: Meeting and greeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Part 1: Greeting people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Part 2: Introducing yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Conversation 2: This is my sister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Part 1: Talking about your family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Part 2: Introducing members of your family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Conversation 3: Socializing with friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Part 1: Having a drink with a friend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Part 2: Saying goodbye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Conversation 4: Eating out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Part 1: Booking a table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Part 2: Ordering a meal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Conversation 5: Leisure time activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Part 1: Pastimes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Part 2: Likes and dislikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Conversation 6: Knowing the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Part 1: Asking the way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Part 2: More information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Conversation 7: Transactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Part 1: The pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Part 2: The clothes shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Conversation 8: Time and money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Part 1: What’s the time? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Part 2: Enquiring about local music sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Conversation 9: Small talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Part 1: Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Part 2: Yesterday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Conversation 10: Everyday living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Part 1: How did you spend your weekend? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Part 2: Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
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iv
Conversation 3/1: Meeting and greeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Conversation 3/2: This is my sister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Conversation 3/3: Socializing with friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Conversation 3/4: Eating out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Conversation 3/5: Leisure time activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Conversation 3/6: Knowing the way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Conversation 3/7: Making a purchase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Conversation 3/8: Time and money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Conversation 3/9: Weather forecast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Conversation 3/10: Everyday living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Cultural information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Listening skills: Survival phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Irish–English glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52English–Irish glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Essential vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
63English–Irish glossary
with you (plural) 3 libh
work 9 obair
working 9 ag obair
would like: I ~ 3 ba mhaith liom; would you like? (pl.) 3/3 ar mhaith libh?; I would like (emphatic form) 3 ba mhaith liomsa; I would not like 3 níor mhaith liom; would you like? 3 ar mhaith leat?
wrong: is there anything else ~ with you? 6 an bhfuil rud ar bith eile ort?; what is wrong with you? 7 cad é atá ort?
yesterday 9 inné
yet 3/3 go fóill
you 1 tú
you are right 3/2 tá an ceart agat
you are welcome (greeting) 3/2 ‘S é do bheatha
you would like (emphatic form) 3/3 ba mhaith leatsa
you’re welcome 3/7 níl a bhuíochas ort
youngest 3/2 is óige
your 2 do
your (pl.) holiday 3/6 bhur saoire
yourself 1 tú féin
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62
there 4 ann
there will not be 8 ní bheidh
they 5 iad
thing 5 rud
thirty 7 tríocha
this is 2 seo
this year 3/10 i mbliana
thousand 6 míle
three 7 trí
Thursday 3/9 Déardaoin
ticket 8 ticéad
time 3/2 am
time: what ~? 4 cén uair?
tired 3 tuirseach
to 5 go dtí
to be done 3/3 a bheith déanta
to eat 3/3 le hithe
to take (future tense form of verb) 3/6 bainfi dh
to take (the verb) 3/6 bain
today 8 inniu
tomorrow night 4 oíche amárach
tonight 5 anocht
too 7 ró-
town 6 baile; in this ~ 6 ar an bhaile seo
traditional music session 8 seisiún ceoil
Tuesday 3/9 Dé Máirt
tummy ache 7 tinneas goile
Turkey 3/10 An Tuirc
twelve euros dhá Euro déag
twenty 8 fi che
two 8 dhá
two people 4 beirt
unfortunately 8 ar an drochuair
university 3/1 ollscoil
vegetable soup 4 anraith glasraí
very 7 an-
very good 3/1 an-mhaith
walk 3 siúl
walking 3 ag siúl
was: it ~ 9 bhí sé
was not: I ~ 9 ní raibh mé
water 9 uisce
we are 3/6 táimid
we can 3/9 is féidir linn
we should leave 3/2 is fearr dúinn imeacht
we will 3/2 beimid
we will buy 3/5 ceannóimid
we will go 3/9 rachaimid
we will stay 3/10 fanaimid
Wednesday 3/9 Dé Céadaoin
weekend 10 deireadh seachtaine
welcome: you’re ~ 4 go ndéana a mhaith duit
well 1/7 go breá; bhuel
well done 3/3 déanta go maith
went: I ~ 10 chuaigh mé
were you? 9 an raibh tú?
were you there before 3/10 an raibh tú riamh ann
wet 3/9 fl iuch
what? 3 cad é?
what did you do? 10 cad a rinne tú?
what would you (plural)/you (singular) like? 3 cad é ba mhaith libh/leat?
what would you like? (emphatic form) 3 cad é ba mhaith leatsa?
what? 1 cad é?
where are you from? 1 cé as tú?
where is? 6 cá bhfuil?
white wine 3/4 fíon geal
will: I ~ have that 4 beidh sin agam; I will take it 7 beidh sé agam 7; will there be a bus going? 8 an mbeidh bus ag dul?
will you (pl.) stay? 3/10 an bhfanfaidh sibh?
wind 9 gaoth
wine 5 fíon
with 3 le
with you 2 leat
vTrack listing
Track listing
CD1
Track 1: IntroductionTrack 2–6: Conversation 1, part 1Tracks 7–10: Conversation 1, part 2Tracks 11–14: Conversation 2, part 1Tracks 15–18: Conversation 2, part 2Tracks 19–22: Conversation 3, part 1Tracks 23–26: Conversation 3, part 2Tracks 27–30: Conversation 4, part 1Tracks 31–34: Conversation 4, part 2Tracks 35–38: Conversation 5, part 1Tracks 39–42: Conversation 5, part 2
CD2
Tracks 1–4: Conversation 6, part 1Tracks 5–8: Conversation 6, part 2Tracks 9–12: Conversation 7, part 1Tracks 13–16: Conversation 7, part 2Tracks 17–20: Conversation 8, part 1Tracks 21–24: Conversation 8, part 2Tracks 25–28: Conversation 9, part 1Tracks 29–32: Conversation 9, part 2Tracks 33–36: Conversation 10, part 1Tracks 37–40: Conversation 10, part 2
CD3
Track 1: IntroductionTracks 2–4: Conversation 1 – Meeting and greetingTracks 5–7: Conversation 2 – This is my sisterTracks 8–10: Conversation 3 – Staying with friendsTracks 11–13: Conversation 4 – Eating outTracks 14–16: Conversation 5 – Leisure time activitiesTracks 17–19: Conversation 6 – Knowing the way
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Tracks 20–22: Conversation 7 – Making a purchaseTracks 23–25: Conversation 8 – Time and moneyTracks 26–28: Conversation 9 – Weather forecastTracks 29–31: Conversation 10 – Everyday livingTracks 32: Conclusion
Recorded at Alchemy Studios, London
Cast: Dónall Mac Ruairí, Sinéad Ní Churnáin, Michelle Nic Grianna, Tommy Seoige, Sarah Sherborne
Credits
Front cover: © Siede Preis/Photodisc/Getty Images
Back cover: © Jakub Semeniuk/iStockphoto.com, © Royalty-Free/Corbis, © agencyby/iStockphoto.com, © Andy Cook/iStockphoto.com, © Christopher Ewing/iStockphoto.com, © zebicho – Fotolia.com, © Geoffrey Holman/iStockphoto.com, © Photodisc/Getty Images, © James C. Pruitt/iStockphoto.com, © Mohamed Saber – Fotolia.com
vi 61English–Irish glossary
pills 7 piollaí
pint 3 pionta
pint of beer 3 pionta leanna
pity 9 trua; that is a great pity 9 is mór an trua sin
please 3 le do thoil
polite greeting/acknowledgement to a man 3/2 a dhuine uasail
polite greeting/acknowledgement to a woman 3/4 a bhean uasal
post offi ce 6 oifi g an phoist
prefer: you ~ 5 is fearr leat
present 3/9 bronntanas
public house 6 teach leanna
quarter 8 ceathrú
rain 9 fearthainn
raining 9 ag cur fearthainne
read 5 léamh
reading 5 ag léamh
ready 3/4 réidh
ready to order 3/4 réidh le hordú
red 3/4 dearg
reserve, to 4 a chur in áirithe
reserved 4 in áirithe
restaurant 6 bialann
return ticket 8 ticéad fi llet
returning 3/8 pilleadh
road 6 bóthar
salmon 4 bradán
Saturday 10 Dé Sathairn
Scotland 10 Albain
sea 9 farraige
second course: for the ~ 4 don dara cúrsa
self, own 1 féin
seven o’clock 4 a seacht a chlog
share, portion 3 cuid
she ate 3/7 d’ith sí
shopping 10 ag siopadóireacht
single ticket 8 ticéad singil
sir 6 duine uasal; oh sir 6 a dhuine uasail
sister 2 deirfi úr
small: too ~ 7 róbheag
some, approximately 5 éigin
something else 5 rud éigin eile
sore 7 nimhneach; very sore 7 an-nimhneach
spent: I ~ 9 chaith mé
splitting 9 ag scoilteadh
starting 8 ag tosnú
steak 3/3 stéig
stomach ache 7 tinneas goile
street 6 sráid
student 3/1 mac léinn
sugar 3 siúcra
sun 9 grian; the sun will be splitting the stones 9 beidh an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch
sunny, it will be very ~ 9 an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch
swim 5 snámh
swimming 5 ag snámh
table 4 tábla
take a rest 3/5 scíth a ligean
take these pills 7 glac na piollaí seo
tea 3 tae; with your tea 3 le do chuid tae
teen (number) 8 déag
ten days 3/10 deich lá
ten past 3/8 deich tar éis
terrible 9 uafásach
thank you 1 go raibh maith agat
thanks very much 6 go raibh míle maith agat
that’s 4 tá sin
the 2 an; the (plural) 5 na
the last one 3/8 an ceann deireanach
the stones 3/5 na gcloch
the sun would be 3/10 bhíodh an ghrian
the weather will break 3/9 brisfi dh an aimsir
them 5 iad
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I 1 mé
I don’t think so 3/7 ní dóigh liom
I hope you can 3/7 tá súil agam gur féidir leat
I stayed 3/10 d’fhan mé
I will go 3/5 rachaidh me
I will not go 3/9 ní rachaidh mise
I won’t be 9 ní bheidh mé
I’m great (literally, I’m on the pigs back) 3/1 tá mé ar dhroim na muice
ice 3/3 oighear
in 2 i
in the 9 sa (n)
in the area 3/6 sa cheantar
indigestion 3/7 tinneas bhéal an ghoile
inexpensive 3/6 saor
Irish (language) 3/1 gaeilge
is there? 6 an bhfuil?
it 6 sé
job 3/1 post
large 9 mór
last night 3/7 aréir
last year 10 anuraidh
late 3/2 mall
leave 3/2 imeacht
lie down 7 luigh síos
lift (ride in car) 3 síob
like: I ~ 5 is maith liom; I don’t like 5 ní maith liom
London 10 Londain
looking forward to it 3/10 dúil go mór leis
madam 7 bean uasal
may it do you (pl.) good, you’re welcome 3/6 go ndéana a mhaith daoibh
may you (pl.) enjoy it 3/6 bainaigí sult as
me 1 mé
meal 3/6 béile
medium 3/3 measartha
meet with you: to ~ 2 bualadh leat
met: I ~ 10 bhuail mé le
milk 3 bainne
morning 1 maidin
mother 2 máthair
my 2 mo
my friend 3/6 mo chara
myself 2 mé féin
name 1 ainm; what is your name? 1 cén t-ainm atá ortsa?
new 10 nua
nice 7 deas; it is nice 2 is deas
night 3 oíche
nine 8 naoi
no 6 níl
not: is ~ 6 níl
now 3 anois
OK 3 ceart go leor
on 2 ar
on a ticket 3/8 ar thiceád
on her 2 uirthi
on holiday 3/6 ar saoire
on me 7 orm
on the 9 ar an
on the right hand side 3/6 ar thaobh na láimhe deise
on them 7 orthu
on you 7 ort
one 6 ceann
one thousand thanks 6 go raibh míle maith agat
out 3/7 amuigh
out of, from 1 as
oysters 3/4 oisrí
past, after 8 tar éis
pastimes 5 caithimh aimsire
people: there will be two ~ 4 beidh beirt ann
perfume 3/7 cumhra
person 2 duine
1Introduction
Introduction
Speak Irish with confi dence is a three-CD audio course designed to get you speaking in Irish whether you are a complete beginner or have learned some Irish before and want to improve your confi dence in speaking the language.
We have designed the course to give you the basic grammar and vocabulary to be able to speak Irish effectively and correctly in a number of everyday situations.
CDs 1 and 2 are designed to get you talking! Each conversation is preceded by a full explanation of the vocabulary, grammar and phrases you will need. The conversations are then broken down into easily manageable chunks and you will get ample opportunity to practise your Irish by listening to and taking part in these conversations.
CD 3 will help to develop your listening skills. Language learners often panic because they cannot understand everything that is being said but this CD will help you train yourself to hone in and pick-out the important information.
You will fi nd Speak Irish with confi dence effective and enjoyable whether you plan to visit an Irish speaking area or you just want to be able to speak Irish with confi dence.
Ádh mór ort! Good luck!
Máire Mhic Ruairí & Dónall Mac Ruairí
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Profi
cie
nt U
ser
TY L
evel
6CE
FR L
EVEL
C2
Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from diff erent spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fl uently and precisely, diff erentiating fi ner shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
TY L
evel
5CE
FR L
EVEL
C1
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fl uently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language fl exibly and eff ectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Inde
pend
ent U
ser
TY L
evel
4CE
FR L
EVEL
B2
(A L
evel
)
Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her fi eld of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fl uency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
TY L
evel
3CE
FR L
EVEL
B1
(Hig
her G
CSE)
Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefl y give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Basi
c U
ser
TY L
evel
2CE
FR L
EVEL
A2:
(F
ound
atio
n G
CSE)
Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
TY L
evel
1CE
FR L
EVEL
A1
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
© Council of Europe. www.coe.int/lang.
Extract reproduced with the permission of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg
“Global scale” of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR)
59English–Irish glossary
enjoyment 10 sult
euro 7 Euro
ever 10 riamh
every 3/10 gach
excellent 3/10 ar fheabhas
excellent 8 ar dóigh
excuse 6 leithscéal
excuse me 6 gabh mo leithscéal
excuse me (to more than one) 3/4 gabhaigí mo leithscéal
expensive 3/6 daor
family 2 teaghlach
father 2 athair
fee 8 táille
fi ne 4 go breá
fi rst 4 céad
fi rst course: for the ~ 4 don chéad chúrsa
fi ve 8 cúig
fi ve people 2 cúigear
food poisoning 3/7 nimhiú bia
for the 4 don
for the week 3/9 don tseachtain
forty 3/8 daichead
four people 2 ceathrar
France 3/10 F(hrainc (an)
free 8 saor in aisce
from 8 ó
from Belfast: I am ~ 1 is as Béal Feirste mé
Galway 1 Gaillimh
glass of wine 5 gloine fíona
go 6 gabh; did you go? 10 an ndeachaigh tú?; I didn’t go 10 ní dheachaigh mé; to go 3 dhul
going 5 ag dul
good, well 1 go maith
good morning 1 maidin mhaith
goodbye 1 slán
goodbye and bless you 3/6 slán agus beannacht
goodbye for now 1 slán go fóill
goodnight 3 oíche mhaith
great 9 mór
great joy/delight 3/10 an-sult
greeting more than one 3/3 dia daoibh
half 8 leath
half an hour 8 leathair
half past 3/4 leathuair i ndiaidh
half past 8 leathuair tar éis
have: I ~ (at me) 4 agam; you have (at you) 1 agat
he 6 sé
headache 7 tinneas cinn: I have a headache 7 tá tinneas cinn orm
heard: I ~ 9 chuala mé
Hello 2 Dia duit; Hello (in reply to one person) 2 Dia is Muire duit; Hello (to more than one person) 2 Dia daoibh
help/to help 7 cuidiú; can I help you (plural)? 5 an féidir liom cuidiú libh?; you can help 5 is féidir leat cuidiú
here 8 anseo
here you are 7 seo duit
high 9 mór
high wind 3/9 gaoth mhór
history 3/1 stair
holidays 10 saoire
home, homewards 3 abhaile
hope 9 súil; I hope 9 tá súil agam
hour 8 uair
how? 1/6 cad é mar?; conas?
how are you? 1/6 cad é mar atá tú?; conas atá tú?
how long did you stay? 3/10 cá fhad ar fhan tú?
how many? 2 cá mhéad?; how many people will be there? 4 cá mhéad duine a bheidh ann?
how much? 2 cá mhéad?
how much is that? 7 cá mhéad atá orthu?
hundred 4 céad
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a little 3/5 giota beag
about 7/8 faoi; thart faoi
about this one 7 faoin cheann seo
across 6 trasna
across the road 6 trasna an bóthair
after, past 8 tar éis
afternoon 8 tráthnóna
again 6 arís
all 3/7 iomlán
all day 3/9 i rith an lae
alright 7 maith go leor
also 4/5 fosta; freisin
am: I ~ 1 ta mé, is mise; I am not 7 níl mé/mise
and 1 agus
another 3 eile
anything else? 7 rud ar bith eile?
at 6 ag
bank 6 banc; no bank 6 banc ar bith; there is no bank in town 6 níl banc ar bith ar an bhaile
be, exist 1 tá
be: to ~ 5 bheith
beach 9 trá
beautiful 9 álainn
because 7 mar
beer 5 leann
before 10 riamh
Belfast 1 Béal Feirste
beside 6 taobh le; beside the restaurant taobh leis an bhialann 6
book 3/5 leabhar
book, reserve 4 cur in áirithe
bottle 3/4 buidéal
bought: I ~ 10 cheannaigh mé
bottom 6 bun; the bottom of the street 6 bun na sráide
brother 2 deartháir
bus 8 bus
bus stop 3/6 stad bus
but 5 ach
buy 7 ceannaigh; to buy 7 a cheannach; did you buy? 10 ar cheannaigh tú?
can: you ~ 5 is féidir; you can because 7 is féidir mar
certain, certainly 8 cinnte
chicken 4 sicín
chips 3/3 sceallóga
cinema 5 pictiúrlann
clock 4 clog
coat 7 cóta
coff ee 3/3 caife
cold 9 fuar
Cork 3/8 Corcaigh
cup of tea 3 cupán tae
day 9 lá
dessert 4 milseog
don’t you like? 3/5 nach maith leat?
done 3/3 déanta
door 8 doras
drank: I ~ 10 d’ól mé
drink 3 deoch
Dublin 7 Baile Átha Cliath; to Dublin 8 go Baile Átha Cliath
enjoy: did you ~ it? 10 ar bhain tú sult as?; I really enjoyed it 10 bhain mé an-sult as
English–Irish glossary
NB: Numbers indicate the conversation in which the vocabulary item fi rst appears.
3Only got a minute?
Only got a minute?According to the Irish Constitution, Irish is the national and
fi rst offi cial language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also
an offi cial language of the European Union. It is also an
offi cially recognized minority language in Northern Ireland.
The language is usually referred to as Gaeilge in Irish and as
Irish in English. At least one in three people on the island of
Ireland can understand Irish to some extent. There are three
main dialects in modern Irish, which roughly coincide with the
provinces of Munster, Connacht and Ulster.
There is currently something of a renaissance
taking place in the Irish language. Recent years have seen
a signifi cant increase in printed media in Irish – books,
newspapers, magazines – and in non-print media. Irish is
now easily accessible through various radio stations, the
television channel TG4 and on the internet. It is becoming
increasingly easy to learn how to speak Irish!
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4
5 Only got fi ve minutes?
Why learn Irish?
If you want to understand Irish history and culture then you need to understand its language. The Irish language is of huge signifi cance in Irish national identity and it is the key to the most important distinguishing characteristics of Irish culture.
There is currently something of a renaissance taking place in the Irish language. Recent years have seen a signifi cant increase in printed media in Irish – books, newspapers, magazines – and in non-print media. Irish is now easily accessible through various radio stations, the television channel TG4 and on the internet.
The Irish language today
According to the Irish Constitution, Irish is the national and fi rst offi cial language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also an offi cial language of the European Union. It is also an offi cially recognized minority language in Northern Ireland. The language is usually referred to as Gaeilge in Irish and as Irish in English.
Estimates of native speakers of Irish range from 40,000 up to 80,000 people. While Irish is the main spoken language of only 3% of the population, 41.9% of the total population (aged three years and over) regard themselves as competent Irish speakers. Of these 32.5% claim to speak Irish on a daily basis. Monolingualism of Irish is now restricted to a handful of elderly within more isolated regions as well as among those speakers of Irish under school age.
57Irish–English glossary
sin 4 that
síob 3 lift; ride (in car)
siopadóireacht 10 shopping
siúcra 3 sugar
siúl 3 walk
slán 1 goodbye
slán agus beannacht 3/6 goodbye and bless you
slán go fóill 1 goodbye for now
snámh 5 swim
sráid 6 street
stad bus 3/6 bus stop
stair 3/1 history
stéig 3/3 steak
súil 9 hope
súil: tá súil agam gur féidir leat 3/7 I hope you can
sult 10 enjoyment Ar bhain tú sult as? 10 Did you enjoy it?
tá 1 be, exist
ta mé 1 I am
tá sin 4 that’s
tá súil agam 9 I hope
tábla 4 table
tae 3 tea
táille 8 fee
táimid 3/6 we are
taobh le 6 beside
taobh leis an bhialann 6 beside the restaurant
tar éis 8 after, past
teach leanna 6 pub
teaghlach 2 family
thart faoi 8 about
ticéad 8 ticket
ticéad fi llet 8 return ticket
ticéad singil 8 single ticket
tinneas bhéal an ghoile 3/7 indigestion
tinneas cinn 7 headache
tinneas goile 7 stomach ache
tosnú 8 staring
trá 9 beach
trasna 6 across
trasna an bóthair 6 across the road
tráthnóna 8 afternoon
trí 7 three
tríocha 7 thirty
trua 9 pity
tú 1 you
tú féin 1 yourself
tuar na haimsire 3/9 the weather forecast
Tuirc (an) 3/10 Turkey
tuirseach 3 tired
uafásach 9 terrible
uair 8 hour
uirthi 2 on her
uisce 9 water
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mall 3/2 late
mar 7 because
máthair 2 mother
mé 1 me
mé féin 2 myself
measartha 3/3 medium
míle 6 one thousand
milseog 4 dessert
mise 1 I, me
mo 2 my
mo chara 3/6 my friend
mór 9 great, large, high
na 5 the (plural)
na gcloch 3/5 the stones
nach maith leat? 3/5 don’t you like?
naoi 8 nine
ní bheidh 8 there will not be; ní bheidh mé 9 I won’t be
ní dheachaigh mé 10 I didn’t go
ní dóigh liom 3/7 i don’t think so
ní maith liom 5 I do not like
ní rachaidh mise 3/9 i will not go
ní raibh mé 9 I was not
níl 6 is not, no
níl a bhuíochas ort 3/7 you’re welcome
níl banc ar bith ar an bhaile 6 there is no bank in town
níl mé 7 I am not
nimhiú bia 3/7 food poisoning
nimhneach 7 sore
níor mhaith liom 3 I would not like
nua 10 new
ó 8 from
obair 9 work
oíche amárach 3 tomorrow night
oíche mhaith 3 goodnight
oifi g an phoist 6 post offi ce
oighear 3/3 ice
oisrí 3/4 oysters
ollscoil 3/1 university
orm 7 on me
ort 7 on you
orthu 7 on them
pictiúrlann 5 cinema
pilleadh 3/8 returning
piollaí 7 pills
pionta 3 pint
pionta leanna 5 a pint of beer
post 3/1 job
rachaidh me 3/5 I will go
rachaidh mé 3/9 i will go
rachaimid 3/9 we will go
réidh 3/4 ready
réidh le hordú 3/4 ready to order
riamh 10 ever, before
riamh 3/10 (an raibh tú riamh ann) 3/10 were you there before
ró- 7 too
róbheag 7 too small
rud 5 thing
rud ar bith eile? 7 anything else?
rud éigin eile 5 something else
sa (n) 9 in the
sa cheantar 3/6 in the area
saoire 10 holidays
saor 3/6 inexpensive
saor in aisce 8 free
sceallóga 3/3 chips
scíth a ligean 3/5 take a rest
scoilteadh 9 splitting
sé 6 it, he
see ar 7 air
seisiún ceoil 8 traditional music session
seo 2 this is
seo duit 7 here you are
sicín 4 chicken
5Only got a minute?Only got fi ve minutes?
10.4% of people in Northern Ireland have ‘some knowledge of Irish’. Combined, this means that at least one in three people on the island of Ireland can understand Irish to some extent.
History of the Irish language
Old Irish fi rst appeared in its written form as glosses and marginalia in Latin manuscripts written in the great monasteries of Ireland. By the 10th century Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish, which was spoken throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. From the 12th century onwards Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language on the Isle of Man. Modern Irish emerged from the literary language known as Early Modern Irish in Ireland and as Classical Gaelic in Scotland.
The 17th century saw great political and religious upheaval in Ireland and the resulting breakdown of the native Gaelic system and culture. Despite this upheaval the Irish language remained the main spoken language of the vast majority of the population of Ireland until the 19th century. During the nineteenth century, the Great Famine (1845–52) wiped out a disproportionately high number of Irish language speakers, who were the poorest and most vulnerable in society. It is estimated that one million people died during the famine and that another million emigrated as a result, the majority of these were Irish speakers and this contributed greatly to the rapid decline of the language.
The major movement to revive and preserve the Irish language was initiated in 1893 with the founding of The Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) which coincided with the national cultural revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
The Gaeltacht
The parts of Ireland where Irish is still spoken as a native language are collectively known as the Gaeltacht. It is in these areas that the
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6
Irish language continues to be the usual language of communication of the general population. The Gaeltacht regions are on the west coast of County Donegal, in County Galway, in particular Connemara, the Aran Islands, Carraroe and Spiddal, and the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. There are smaller Gaeltacht areas in County Mayo, County Waterford, County Meath and County Cork.
Almost all of these Gaeltacht areas have Irish language summer colleges which are attended by thousands of learners, teenagers in particular, every year. These students live with local Irish-speaking families and attend language classes and other cultural events. One of the most important aspects of these courses is that Irish must be spoken at all times. These summer colleges have undoubtedly inspired and assisted many Irish people, whose fi rst language is English, to attain fl uency in Irish and to realize the importance and relevance of the language in a predominantly English-speaking country.
Dialects
There are three main dialects in modern Irish, which roughly coincide with the provinces of Munster, Connacht and Ulster. The Munster dialect is spoken primarily in the Gaeltacht areas of County Kerry, Ring in County Waterford and Muskerry and Cape Clear Island in County Cork.
A strong Connacht dialect can be heard in Connemara and the Aran Islands. The dialect spoken in northern Mayo in Erris and Achill is fundamentally a Connacht dialect but has some similarities to Ulster Irish. The Connemara dialect is also spoken in the Gaeltacht area of Rá th Cairn in County Meath. This is because the Gaeltacht here was established in the 1930s by a group of mostly Connemara Irish speakers who moved there as a result of a land reform campaign.
The Ulster dialect is spoken in County Donegal, in Teelin and Glencolmcille in south Donegal, in Fintown and its surrounding area in central Donegal and in the Rosses, Gweedore, Clochaneely
55Irish–English glossary
fóill (go) 3/3 yet
fosta 4 also
freisin 5 also/as well
fuar 9 cold
g(hrian) 3/5 sun
gabh 6 go
gabh mo leithscéal 6 excuse me (to more than one)
gach 3/10 every
gaeilge 3/1 Irish (language)
Gaillimh 1 Galway
gaoth 9 wind
gaoth mhór 3/9 high wind
giota beag 3/5 a little
glac na piollaí seo 7 take these pills
gloine fíona 5 a glass of wine
go Baile Átha Cliath 8 to Dublin
go breá 1/4 well/fi ne
go dtí 5 to
go fóill 3/10 yet
go maith 1 good, well
go ndéana a mhaith daoibh 3/6 may it do you (pl.) good, you’re welcome
go ndéana a mhaith duit 4 you are welcome
go raibh maith agat 1 thank you
go raibh míle maith agat 6 one thousand thanks, thank you very much
grian 9 sun
i 2 in
iad 5 they, them; cad iad 5 what are
i mbliana 3/10 this year
i rith an lae 3/9 all day
(i)‘S é do bheatha 3/2 you are welcome (greeting)
imeacht 3/2 leave
in áirithe reserved; tábla a chur in áirithe 4 to reserve a table
inné 9 yesterday
inniu 8 today
iomlán 3/7 all
is as Béal Feirste mé 1 I’m from Belfast
is deas 2 it is nice
is fearr dúinn imeacht 3/2 we should leave
is fearr leat 5 you prefer
is féidir 5 you can
is féidir linn 3/9 we can
is féidir mar 7 you can because
is maith liom 5 I like
is mise 1 I am
is mór an trua sin 9 that is a great pity
is óige 3/2 youngest
lá 9 day
le 3 with, to
le do chuid tae 3 with your tea
le do thoil 3 please
le hithe 3/3 to eat
leabhar 3/5 book
léamh 5 read
leann 5 beer
leat 2, leatsa 3 you; cad é ba mhaith leat? 3 what would you like? cad é ba mhaith leatsa? 3 what would you like?
leath 8 half
leath tar éis 8 half past
leathuair i ndiaidh 3/4 half past
leithscéal 6 excuse
leathuair 8 half an hour
libh 3 with you (plural)
liom: ba mhaith liom 3 I would like; ba mhaith liomsa 3 I would like (emphatic)
Londain 10 London
luí síos 3/5 lie down
luigh síos 7 lie down
mac léinn 3/1 student
maidin 1 morning
maith 1 good
maith go leor 7 alright
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ceathrú 8 quarter
cén t-ainm atá ortsa? 1 what is your name?
cén uair? 4 what time?
chaith mé 9 I spent
cheannaigh mé 10 I bought
chuaigh mé 10 I went
chuala mé 9 I heard
cinnte 8 certain, certainly
clog 4 clock
conas atá tú? 6 how are you?
Corcaigh 3/8 Cork
cóta 7 coat
cuid 3 share, portion; do chuid tae 3 your tea
cuidiú 7 to help/help
cúig 8 fi ve
cúigear 2 fi ve people
cumhra 3/7 perfume
cupán tae 3 a cup of tea
cur in áirithe 4 to reserve, to book
d’fhan mé 3/10 I stayed
d’ith sí 3/7 she ate
daichead 3/8 forty
daor 3/6 expensive
Dé Céadaoin 3/9 Wednesday
Dé Máirt 3/9 Tuesday
Dé Sathairn 10 on Saturday
déag 8 number (+ ten)
déanta 3/3 done
déanta go maith 3/3 well done
Déardaoin 3/9 Thursday
dearg 3/4 red
deartháir 2 brother
deas 8 nice
deich lá 3/10 ten days
deich tar éis 3/8 ten past
deireadh seachtaine 10 weekend
deirfi úr 2 sister
deoch 3 drink
dhá 8 two
dhá uair 8 twice
dhul 3 to go
Dia daoibh 2 Hello (used when greeting more than one)
Dia duit 2 Hello – literally ‘God be with you’
Dia is Muire duit 2 God and Mary be with you (common reply to latter)
do 2 your
d’ól mé 10 I drank
don 4 for the
don chéad chúrsa 4 for the fi rst course
don dara cúrsa 4 for the second course
don tseachtain 3/9 for the week
doras 8 door
drochuair 8 crisis; ar an drochuair 8 unfortunately
dúil go mór leis 3/10 looking forward to it
duine 2 person
duine uasal 6 sir
dul 3 to go; ag dul, going
éigin 5 some, approximately
eile 3 another
Euro 7 euro
F(hrainc (an) 3/10 France
fanaimid 3/10 we will stay
faoi 7 about
farraige 9 sea
fearr: is fearr leat 5 you prefer
fearthainn 9 rain; ag cur fearthainne 9 raining
féidir (used only with copula in certain phrases); An féidir liom cuidiú libh? 5 Can I help you?; Is féidir 5 (reply) yes; Is féidir leat you can; ní féidir leat you cannot
féin 1 self, own
fi che 8 twenty
fíon 5 wine
fíon geal 3/4 white wine
fl iuch 3/9 wet
7Only got a minute?Only got fi ve minutes?
and Downings in northwest Donegal. Ulster Irish is also spoken by many people in Northern Ireland who have acquired Irish as a second language but who use it as their main spoken language. This is due, in the most part, to attendance at the Irish language summer colleges in Donegal and the use of Ulster Irish in Irish-medium education in Northern Ireland.
Irish-medium education
The growth of Irish-medium education in recent years, particularly in Northern Ireland, has made a very signifi cant and positive impact on the number of Irish speakers and so has helped ensure the continuity of the language.
This movement has led to an unprecedented growth in the Irish language in the north through a whole range of community initiatives, in primary, secondary and tertiary education, legislation, media and other areas.
Irish language in the media
As in Irish-medium education there has been signifi cant growth in the use of Irish in the media in all of its forms in recent years. This was an essential development, not only for those speakers of Irish who already exist, but also for those who are learning the language.
Irish language speakers now have their own television station TG4 (1996) which has almost 800,000 people tuning in each day. TG4 has a wide range of programmes which cater for all ages and tastes.
The national radio station Raidió na Gaeltachta (RnaG) is part of the RTÉ franchise and broadcasts throughout the island of Ireland. It can also be accessed online at www.rte.ie/rnag/
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10 Only got ten minutes?Why learn Irish?
If you want to understand Irish history and culture then you need to understand its language. The Irish language is of huge signifi cance in Irish national identity and it is the key to the most important distinguishing characteristics of Irish culture.
There is currently something of a renaissance taking place in the Irish language. Recent years have seen a signifi cant increase in printed media in Irish – books, newspapers, magazines – and in non-print media. Irish is now easily accessible through various radio stations, the television channel TG4 and on the internet.
Irish is the only language north of the Alps to have an extensive surviving ancient and medieval literature. It is, therefore, studied at many major universities throughout Europe and some in North America and Australia. Ireland also has the world’s largest collection of folklore and proverbs, the vast majority of which is in the Irish language.
The Irish language today
Irish is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. According to the Irish Constitution, Irish is the national and fi rst offi cial language of the Republic of Ireland and it is also an offi cial language of the European Union. Irish is also an offi cially recognized minority language in Northern Ireland. The language is usually referred to as Gaeilge in Irish and as Irish in English.
Irish is the main spoken language of 3% of the Republic’s population. Areas in which Irish remains the main spoken language are referred to as Gaeltacht areas. According to the 2006 Census the number of inhabitants of the offi cially designated Gaeltacht regions of Ireland is
53Irish–English glossary
ar fheabhas 3/10 excellent
ar mhaith leat? 3 would you like?
ar mhaith libh 3/3 would you like (pl.)
ar saoire 3/6 on holiday
ar thaobh na láimhe deise 3/6 on the right hand side
ar thiceád 3/8 on a ticket
aréir 3/7 last night
arís 6 again
as 1 out of, from
atá 1 are
athair 2 father
ba mhaith leatsa 3/3 you would like (emphatic form)
ba mhaith liom 3 I would like
baile 6 town
Baile Átha Cliath 7 Dublin
bain 3/6 verb ‘to take’
bainaigí sult as 3/6 may you (pl.) enjoy it
bainfi dh 3/6 future tense form of verb ‘to take’
bainne 3 milk
banc 6 bank
banc ar bith 6 no bank
Béal Feirste 1 Belfast
bean uasal 7 madam
beidh future tense verb ‘to be’; Cá mhéad duine a bheidh ann? 4 How many people will be there?
beidh beirt ann 4 there will be two people
beidh sé agam 7 I’ll take it
beidh sin agam 4 I will have it
béile 3/6 meal
beimid 3/2 we will
beirt 4 two people
bhain mé an-sult as 10 I really enjoyed it; Ar bhain tú sult as? 10 Did you enjoy it?
bheith 5 to be
bhí sé 9 it was
bhíodh an ghrian 3/10 the sun would be
bhuail mé le 10 I met
bhuel 7 well
bhur saoire 3/6 your (pl.) holiday
bialann 6 restaurant
bóthar 6 road
bradán 4 salmon
breá 1 fi ne
brisfi dh an aimsir 3/9 the weather will break
bronntanas 3/9 present
bualadh leat 2 to meet with you
buidéal 3/4 bottle
bun 6 bottom
bun na sráide 6 the bottom of the street
bus 8 bus
cá bhfuil? 6 where?
cá fhad ar fhan tú? 3/10 how long did you stay?
cá mhéad? 2 how much? how many?
cá mhéad atá orthu? 7 how much is that?
cá mhéad duine a bheidh ann? 4 how many people will there be?
cad é? 1 what?
cad é atá ort? 7 what is wrong with you?
cad é ba mhaith libh/leat? 3 what would you (plural)/you (singular) like?
cad é faoin cheann seo? 7 what about this one?
cad é mar? 1 how?
cad a rinne tú? 10 what did you do?
caife 3/3 coff ee
caithimh aimsire 5 pastimes
cé as tú? 1 where are you from?
céad 4 hundred, fi rst
ceann 6 one
ceann deireanach 3/8 the last one
ceannóimid 3/5 we will buy
ceart agat 3/2 you are right
ceart go leor 3 OK
ceathrar 2 four people
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a 2; A Eimear Oh Eimear
a bhean uasal 3/4 polite greeting/acknowledgement to a woman
a bheith déanta 3/3 to be done
a cheannach 7 to buy
a chur in áirithe 4 to reserve
a dhuine uasail 6 oh sir, polite greeting/acknowledgement to a man
a seacht a chlog 4 seven o’clock
abhaile 3 home, homewards
ach 5 but
ag 6 at
ag bun na sráide 6 at the bottom of the street
ag cur fearthainne 9 raining
ag dul 5 going
ag léamh 5 reading
ag obair 9 working
ag scoilteadh 9 splitting
ag siopadóireacht 10 shopping
ag siúl 3 walking
ag snámh 5 swimming
ag tosnú 8 starting
agam 4 at me
agat 1 at you
agus 1 and
ainm 1 name
áirithe 4 book, reserve
álainn 9 beautiful
Albain 10 Scotland
am 3/2 time
amárach 4 tomorrow
amuigh 3/7 out
an 2 the
an- 7 very
an bhfanfaidh sibh? 3/10 will you(pl) stay?
an bhfuil? 6 is there?
an bhfuil rud ar bith eile ort? is there anything else wrong with you?
an féidir liom cuidiú libh? 5 can I help you (plural)?
an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch 9 it will be very sunny
an mbeidh bus ag dul? 8 will there be a bus going?
an-mhaith 3/1 very good
an ndeachaigh tú? 10 did you go?
an-nimhneach 7 very sore
an raibh tú? 9 were you?
ann 4 there
anocht 5 tonight
anois 3 now
anraith glasraí 4 vegetable soup
anseo 8 here
an-sult 3/10 great joy/delight
anuraidh 10 last year
ar 2 on, at
ar an 9 on the
ar an bhaile seo 6 in this town
ar an drochuair 8 unfortunately
ar bhain tú sult as? 10 did you enjoy it?
ar bith: banc ar bith 6 no bank
ar cheannaigh tú? 10 did you buy?
ar dhroim na muice 3/1 I’m great (literally, I’m on the pig’s back)
ar dóigh 8 excellent
Irish–English glossary
NB: Numbers indicate the conversation in which the vocabulary item fi rst appears.
9Only got ten minutes?
91,862. Estimates of native speakers of Irish range from 40,000 up to 80,000 people. Irish is a compulsory subject in schools, however, and so many people are reasonably fl uent second-language speakers. While Irish is the main spoken language of only 3% of the population, 41.9% of the total population (aged three years and over) regard themselves as competent Irish speakers. Of these 32.5% claim to speak Irish on a daily basis. Monolingualism of Irish is now restricted to a handful of elderly within more isolated Gaeltacht regions as well as among those speakers of Irish under school age.
The 2001 Census in Northern Ireland showed that 10.4% of people ‘had some knowledge of Irish’. Combined, this means that at least one in three people on the island of Ireland can understand Irish to some extent.
History of the Irish language
The earliest identifi ed form of Irish is known as Primitive Irish. This is primarily known through fragments inscribed in the ogham alphabet, which have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. These fragments are mainly personal names inscribed on stone. Primitive Irish moved into Old Irish during the 5th century. This is the earliest form of Irish for which there are extensive written sources. Old Irish fi rst appeared in its written form as glosses and marginalia in Latin manuscripts written in the great monasteries of Ireland such as Clonard, Durrow, Clonmacnoise and Glendalough. By the 10th century Old Irish had evolved into Middle Irish, which was spoken throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Middle Irish displays a slight infl uence from Norse, which is undoubtedly due to Viking attacks and subsequent settlement in these areas. From the 12th century onwards Middle Irish began to evolve into modern Irish in Ireland, into Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language on the Isle of Man. Modern Irish emerged from the literary language known as Early Modern Irish in Ireland and as Classical Gaelic in Scotland. Early Modern Irish, also known as Classical Irish, linguistically represents a transition between Middle and Modern Irish.
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The seventeenth century saw great political and religious upheaval in Ireland and the resulting breakdown of the native Gaelic system and culture. Native Gaelic society suffered heavily as a result of the transfer of power from the Gaelic chieftains to newcomers under various British Government plantation schemes. Despite this upheaval and loss of power the Irish language remained the main spoken language of the vast majority of the population of Ireland until the nineteenth century. During the nineteenth century the Great Famine (1845–52) wiped out a disproportionately high number of Irish language speakers, who were the poorest and most vulnerable in society. It is estimated that one million people died during the famine and that another million emigrated as a result, the majority of these were Irish speakers and this contributed greatly to the rapid decline of the language. The use of Irish was also prohibited in the primary education system until 1871 which further contributed to its decline.
Initial efforts to preserve and protect the Irish language were made by Irish Protestants such as William Neilson and Robert McAdam in Belfast at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The major movement, however, was initiated in 1893 with the founding of The Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) which coincided with the national cultural revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This growing interest in the Irish language coincided with other landmark events in Irish cultural history such as the founding of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in 1884.
The Gaeltacht
The parts of Ireland where Irish is still spoken as a native language are collectively known as the Gaeltacht. It is in these areas that the Irish language continues to be the usual language of communication of the general population. The Gaeltacht regions are on the west coast of County Donegal, in County Galway, in particular Connemara, the Aran Islands, Carraroe and Spiddal, and the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. There are smaller Gaeltacht areas in County Mayo, County Waterford, County Meath and County Cork.
51Listening skills: Survival phrases
Listening skills: Survival phrases
I don’t understand. Ní thuigim.Slowly, please. Níos moille, le do thoil.Say that again, please. Abair sin arís, le do thoil.Do you speak Irish? An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?I am learning Irish. Tá mé ag foghlaim na Gaeilge.I don’t know. Níl a fhios agam.Can we …? An féidir linn …?Can we change money here? An féidir linn airgead a athrú anseo?Where is …? Cá bhfuil …?Where are the toilets? Cá bhfuil na leithris?Where is the hotel? Cá bhfuil an t-óstán?excuse me gabh mo leithscéalsorry tá mé buarthaHow much is all that? Cá mhéad atá ar sin uilig?please le do thoilThank you very much. Go raibh míle maith agat.OK tá go maithIt doesn’t matter. Is cuma.I’m lost, can you help me? Tá mé caillte, an féidir leat cuidiú liom?
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me you him her us you (pl.) they
ag (at) agam agat aige aici againn agaibh acu
ar (on) orm ort air uirthi orainn oraibh orthu
as (out of) asam asat as aisti asainn asaibh astu
chuig (to) chugam chugat chuige chuici chugainn chugaibh chucu
do (to) dom duit dó di dúinn daoibh dóibh
faoi(under/about)
fúm fút faoi fúithi fúinn fúibh fúthu
le (with) liom leat leis léi linn libh leo
roimh (before) romham romhat roimhe roimpi romhainn romhaibh rompu
4 WORD ORDER
In English the word order is most commonly as follows:
Subject Verb OtherSusan went home
In Irish, however, the order is different – the verb normally comes at the beginning of a simple sentence:
Verb Subject OtherChuaigh Seán abhaileWent Seán homewards
5 SAYING ‘YES’ AND ‘NO’ IN IRISH
There is no one word for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in Irish. Answering ‘yes’ to a question simply depends on what verb is used when asking the question. The verb is repeated in the answer without the pronoun.
Yes NoAn bhfuil tú go maith? Are you well? Tá NílAr ól tú deoch? Did you have a drink? D’ól Níor ólAn mbeidh Síle ann? Will Síle be there? Beidh Ní bheidh
11Only got ten minutes?
Almost all of these Gaeltacht areas have Irish language summer colleges which are attended by thousands of learners, teenagers in particular, every year. These students live with local Irish-speaking families and attend language classes and other cultural events. One of the most important aspects of these courses is that Irish must be spoken at all times. These summer colleges have undoubtedly inspired and assisted many Irish people, whose fi rst language is English, to attain fl uency in Irish and to realize the importance and relevance of the language in a predominantly English-speaking country.
Dialects
There are three main dialects in modern Irish, which roughly coincide with the provinces of Munster, Connacht and Ulster. The Munster dialect is spoken primarily in the Gaeltacht areas of County Kerry, Ring in County Waterford and Muskerry and Cape Clear Island in County Cork. One of the most notable features of Munster Irish is that the stress generally falls on the second syllable of a word when the fi rst syllable contains a short vowel and the second a long:
Eg. GasÚ R (boy/child), in contrast to GASú r in Connacht and Ulster.
A strong Connacht dialect can be heard in Connemara and the Aran Islands. The dialect spoken in northern Mayo in Erris and Achill is fundamentally a Connacht dialect but has some similarities to Ulster Irish. The Connemara dialect is also spoken in the Gaeltacht area of Rá th Cairn in County Meath. This is because this Gaeltacht was established in the 1930s by a group of mostly Connemara Irish speakers who moved there as a result of a land reform campaign. A notable feature of both Connemara and Ulster Irish is the tendency to use the we pronoun muid instead of the standard compound form which is used in Munster, eg. bhris muid is used for we broke instead of bhriseamar.
The Ulster dialect is spoken in County Donegal, in Teelin and Glencolmcille in south Donegal, in Fintown and its surrounding area in central Donegal and in the Rosses, Gweedore, Clochaneely and Downings in northwest Donegal. Ulster Irish is also spoken by
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many people in Northern Ireland who have acquired Irish as a second language but who use it as their main spoken language. This is due, in the most part, to attendance at the Irish language summer colleges in Donegal and the use of Ulster Irish in Irish-medium education in Northern Ireland.
Irish-medium education
The growth of Irish-medium education in recent years, particularly in Northern Ireland, has made a very signifi cant and positive impact on the number of Irish speakers and so has helped ensure the continuity of the language.
This second ‘revival’ began in the 1960s when six families established a Gaeltacht area in Belfast and opened the fi rst Irish-medium school in Northern Ireland, Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, in 1971. This movement has gone from strength to strength. According to the latest fi gure from Comhairle na Gaelscolaí ochta, the representative body for Irish-medium education in Northern Ireland, there are currently 81 schools providing Irish-medium education to over 4,000 children at pre-school, primary and post-primary level throughout Northern Ireland. Most of these children are taught in and speak the Donegal or Ulster dialect.
This movement has led to an unprecedented growth in the Irish language in the north through a whole range of community initiatives, in primary, secondary and tertiary education, legislation, media and other areas.
Irish language in the media
As in Irish-medium education there has been signifi cant growth in the use of Irish in the media in all of its forms in recent years. This was an essential development, not only for those speakers of Irish who already exist, but for those who are learning the language.
49Grammar
Grammar
1 MUTATIONS
Mutatable letter Eclipsis mutation Aspirate mutationb mb bhc gc chd nd dhf bhf fhg ng ghm mhp bp phs sht dt th
2 MY, YOUR, THEIR, ETC.
my mo + aspirateyour (singular) do + aspiratehis a + aspirateher aour ár + eclipsesyour (plural) bhur + eclipsistheir a + eclipsis
3 PREPOSITIONAL PRONOUNS
A prepositional pronoun occurs in Irish when a pronoun, e.g. me, you, is the object of a simple preposition. Here are two examples:
ar (on) + tú (you) = ort (on you)ag (at) + mé (me) = agam (at me)
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Cultural information
DIALECTS
There are three major dialects in modern Irish, which roughly coincide with the provinces of Munster, Connacht and Ulster. There is an offi cial standard An Caighdeán Oifi giúil, which was composed using elements of the three main dialects. This is what is taught in most schools in Ireland. In recent times, with the growth in the Irish language media, it has become much easier for speakers of different dialects to understand one another.
TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC AND THE ‘SESSION’
Ireland is famous worldwide for its rich musical heritage. Traditional Irish music is most frequently encountered in the ‘session’. This is a gathering of usually amateur musicians where tunes are played together by all the musicians who know the tune. Such events normally occur at scheduled times and often take place in pubs.
SPORT IN IRELAND
The most popular sport in Ireland is Gaelic football. This game is uniquely Irish and is played at underage, minor and senior levels. It was formally organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in the late nineteenth century. The main national competitions are the Senior All-Ireland Football Championship and the National Football League. Hurling is a sport of ancient Celtic origin and is also unique to Ireland. This game is played with camáin (sticks) and sliotar (ball). It is arguably the world’s fastest fi eld team sport in terms of game play. There is a similar game for women called camogie.
13Only got ten minutes?
Irish language speakers now have their own television station TG4 (1996) which has almost 800,000 people tuning in each day. TG4 has a wide range of programmes which cater for all ages and tastes.
BBC2 Northern Ireland also produces a limited number of Irish language programmes.
Irish public broadcaster RTÉ broadcasts some Irish language and bilingual television programmes. One of the more signifi cant is RTÉ Nuacht (news). RTÉ News Now is also particularly useful as it is a 24-hour live news service available on the RTÉ website which features national and international news. It uses a mix of Irish language, English language and Irish sign language and offers TV news bulletins and political programmes.
The national radio station Raidió na Gaeltachta (RnaG) is part of the RTÉ franchise and broadcasts throughout the island of Ireland. It can also be accessed online at www.rte.ie/
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Conversation 1: Meeting and greeting
PART 1: GREETING PEOPLELI CD1, TR2
Cian Maidin mhaith. Mairéad Maidin mhaith.Cian Cad é mar atá tú?Mairéad Tá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat. Agus tú féin?Cian Tá mé go breá, go raibh maith agat.Mairéad Slán.Cian Slán go fóill.
PART 2: INTRODUCING YOURSELFLI CD1, TR7
Tiarnán Maidin mhaith.Eimear Maidin mhaith.Tiarnán Is mise Tiarnán – cén t-ainm atá ortsa?Eimear Eimear.Tiarnán Cá as tú?Eimear Is as Béal Feirste mé. Cá as tú féin?Tiarnán Is as Gaillimh mé.
InsightYou have probably noticed that two different ways of saying I am have been used in this conversation.Tá mé in Part 1 and Is mise in Part 2. This is because Irish has two verbs to be:(i) The substantive verb which has the stem bí and is used in phrases which describe a state of being such as tá mé go maith.(ii) The copula is. One major use of the copula is to call a noun another noun such as Is mise Tiarnán.
47Conversation 3/10: Everyday living
Mairéad Did you go on holidays this year Tiarnán?Tiarnán Yes. I went to Turkey.Mairéad How long did you stay?Tiarnán I stayed for ten days.Mairéad Did you enjoy it?Tiarnán I really enjoyed it. The food and the weather were
excellent. It was very sunny every day.Mairéad Lovely!Tiarnán Did you go anywhere yet?Mairéad Not yet but Cian and I will go to France at the
weekend.Tiarnán How long will you stay?Mairéad We’ll stay fi ve days.Tiarnán Were you there before?Mairéad No but I am really looking forward to it.Tiarnán I was there last year. You will really enjoy it.Mairéad I hope so!
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Conversation 3/10: Everyday living
LI CD3, TR29
Mairéad A Thiarnáin, an ndeachaigh tú ar saoire i mbliana?Tiarnán Chuaigh. Chuaigh mé chuig an Tuirc.Mairéad Cá fhad ar fhan tú ann?Tiarnán D’fhan mé deich lá ann.Mairéad Ar bhain tú sult as?Tiarnán Bhain mé an-sult as. Bhí an bia agus an aimsir ar fheabhas.
Bhíodh an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch gach lá.Mairéad Go deas!Tiarnán An ndeachaigh tú féin áit ar bith go fóill?Mairéad Ní dheachaigh go fóill ach rachaidh mé féin agus Cian
go dtí an Fhrainc ag an deireadh seachtaine.Tiarnán Cá fhad an bhfanfaidh sibh ann?Mairéad Fanfaimid cúig lá ann.Tiarnán An raibh tú riamh ann?Mairéad Ní raibh ach tá mé ag dúil go mór leis.Tiarnán Bhí mé féin ann anuraidh. Bainfi dh tú sult mór as.Mairéad Tá súil agam go mbainfi dh!
15Conversation 1: Meeting and greeting
Cian Good morning.Mairéad Good morning.Cian How are you?Mairéad I am well thank you. And yourself?Cian I am well, thank you.Mairéad Goodbye.Cian Goodbye for now.
Tiarnán Good morning.Eimear Good morning.Tiarnán I’m Tiarnán – what’s your name?Eimear Eimear.Tiarnán Where are you from?Eimear I’m from Belfast. Where are you from yourself?Tiarnán I’m from Galway.
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Conversation 2: This is my sister
PART 1: TALKING ABOUT YOUR FAMILYLI CD1, TR11
Tiarnán A Eimear, cá mhéad duine atá i do theaghlach?Eimear Tá cúigear i mo theaghlach. Cá mhéad atá i do
theaghlach féin?Tiarnán Tá ceathrar i mo theaghlach – mo mháthair, m’athair,
mo dheirfi úr agus mé féin.Eimear Cén t-ainm atá ar do dheirfi úr?Tiarnán Bríd an t-ainm atá uirthi.
PART 2: INTRODUCING MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILYLI CD1, TR15
Mairéad Dia duit. Cian Dia is Muire duit.Mairéad A Chiain, seo m’athair Séamus agus seo mo mháthair
Sorcha.Cian Dia daoibh.Mairéad Seo mo dheartháir Pádraig.Cian Dia duit a Phádraig.Mairéad Agus seo mo dheirfi úr Síle.Cian Is deas bualadh leat a Shíle.
InsightTo address someone directly in Irish, the particle a is placed before the name and h is placed after the fi rst consonants b, c, f, g, m, p, d, t and most forms of s. Some masculine proper names, such as Cian, make the fi nal consonant slender by placing an i before it.
45Conversation 3/9: Weather forecast
Eimear Will there be a bus going to Dublin tomorrow?Assistant Yes, of course. There will be one at twenty to nine in
the morning. There will be another one at a quarter to one and the last one will be at a quarter past six in the evening.
Eimear How much is a ticket to Cork?Assistant A single is 5 euros and a return ticket is
9 euros.Eimear How much is a return ticket to Dublin?Assistant A return ticket is 40 euros.Eimear Thank you for your help.Assistant You’re welcome.
Broadcaster Here is the weather forecast for this week. It will be a fi ne day tomorrow and on Tuesday. It will be cold on Wednesday and it will rain throughout the day. There will be a high wind on Thursday morning but it will be very sunny in the afternoon. Friday morning will be beautiful but the weather will break on Friday afternoon and it will be cold and wet at the weekend.
Mairéad Well, we will go walking tomorrow and on Tuesday then when the weather is nice.
Cian Certainly and I will go swimming tomorrow as well.Mairéad We can go shopping on Wednesday because I
would like to buy a few presents.Cian You can go. I won’t because I don’t like
shopping.Mairéad OK.
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Eimear An mbeidh bus ag dul go Báile Átha Cliath amárach?Assistant Beidh cinnte. Beidh ceann ann ar fi che go dtí a naoi
ar maidin. Beidh ceann eile ar ceathrú go dtí a haon agus beidh an ceann deireanach ar ceathrú tar éis a sé tráthnóna.
Eimear Cá mhéad atá ar thicéad go Corcaigh?Assistant Tá cúig Euro ar thicéad singil agus tá naoi Euro ar
thicéad fi llte.Eimear Cá mhéad atá ar thicéad fi llte go Baile Átha Cliath?Assistant Tá daichead Euro ar thiceád fi llte.Eimear Go raibh maith agat as do chuidiú.Assistant Níl a bhuíochas ort.
Conversation 3/9: Weather forecast
LI CD3, TR26
Broadcaster Seo tuar na haimsire don tseachtain seo. Beidh lá breá ann amárach agus Dé Máirt. Beidh sé fuar Dé Céadaoin agus beidh sé ag cur fearthainne i rith an lae. Déardaoin beidh gaoth mhór ann ar maidin ach beidh an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch tráthnóna. Beidh maidin álainn ann Dé hAoine ach brisfi dh an aimsir tráthnóna Dé hAoine agus beidh sé fuar agus fl iuch ag an deireadh seachtaine.
Mairéad Bhuel, rachaimid ag siúl amárach agus Dé Máirt mar sin nuair a bheidh an aimsir go deas.Cian Cinnte agus rachaidh mé ag snámh amárach fosta.Mairéad Is féidir linn dul ag siopadóireacht Dé Céadaoin mar ba mhaith liom cúpla bronntanas a cheannach.Cian Is féidir leat dul. Ní rachaidh mise mar ní maith liom
bheith ag siopadóireacht.Mairéad Ceart go leor.
17Conversation 2: This is my sister
Tiarnán Eimear, how many people are in your family?Eimear There are fi ve people in my family. How many are in
your family?Tiarnán There are four people in my family – my mother, my
father, my sister and myself.Eimear What is your sister’s name?Tiarnán She is called Bríd.
Mairéad Hello (to one person).Cian Hello (reply). Mairéad Cian, this is my father Séamus and this is my mother
Sorcha.Cian Hello (to more than one person).Mairéad This is my brother Pádraig.Cian Hello Pádraig.Mairéad And this is my sister Síle.Cian It’s nice to meet you Síle.
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Conversation 3: Socializing with friends
PART 1: HAVING A DRINK WITH A FRIENDLI CD1, TR19
Waiter Dia daoibh.Cian & Mairéad Dia is Muire duit.Waiter Anois, cad é a ba mhaith libh?Cian Ba mhaith liomsa pionta leanna le do thoil.Waiter Agus tú féin, cad é a ba mhaith leatsa?Mairéad Ba mhaith liom cupán tae le do thoil.Waiter Ar mhaith leat bainne agus siúcra le do chuid tae?Mairéad Ba mhaith liom bainne le do thoil.Waiter Ceart go leor.
PART 2: SAYING GOODBYELI CD1, TR23
Cian Ar mhaith leat deoch eile a Mhairéad?Mairéad Níor mhaith, go raibh maith agat. Tá mé tuirseach. Ba
mhaith liom dhul abhaile.Cian Ceart go leor. Ar mhaith leat síob?Mairéad Níor mhaith. Ba mhaith liom siúl.Cian Ceart go leor. Oíche mhaith.Mairéad Oíche mhaith.
InsightHere we have another very common use of the copula in the conditional tense and is becomes ba. The conditional question form Ar, the conditional affi rmative ba and conditional negative níor all aspirate whatever follows.
43Conversation 3/8: Time and money
Pharmacist Hello sir, can I help you?Tiarnán I hope you can.Pharmacist What is wrong with you?Tiarnán There is nothing wrong with me but myself and my
friend were out for dinner last night and now my friend has a stomach ache.
Pharmacist What did she eat?Tiarnán She ate oysters and salmon but I also had that and
I am OK.Pharmacist Well, I don’t think that she has food poisoning then.Tiarnán I don’t think so.Pharmacist Well, maybe she has indigestion.Tiarnán Maybe.Pharmacist Give her these pills.Tiarnán Certainly. I would like to buy her something nice as
well.Pharmacist Well, I have a nice perfume here.Tiarnán I’ll take that too. How much is all of that?Pharmacist Thirty euro please.Tiarnán Here sir. Thank you very much.Pharmacist You are welcome.
Eimear What time will there be a bus going to Cork today?Assistant There will be one at ten past three.Eimear Will there be a bus going to Galway at three o’clock?Assistant: Not today, but there will be one at a quarter past
four.Eimear Will that bus return today?Assistant Yes. It will return at half past nine tonight.
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Conversation 3/7: Making a purchase
LI CD3, TR20
Pharmacist Dia duit a dhuine uasail, an féidir liom cuidiú leat?Tiarnán Tá súil agam gur féidir.Pharmacist Cad é atá ort?Tiarnán Níl rud ar bith orm ach bhí mé féin agus mo chara
amuigh don dinnéar aréir agus tá tinneas goile ar mo chara anois.
Pharmacist Cad é a d’ith sí?Tiarnán D’ith sí oisrí agus bradán ach bhí sin agam freisin
agus tá mé féin ceart go leor.Pharmacist Bhuel, ní dóigh liom go bhfuil nimhiú bia uirthi mar sin.Tiarnán Ní dóigh liom é.Pharmacist Bhuel, b’fhéidir go bhfuil tinneas bhéal an ghoile uirthi.Tiarnán B’fhéidir.Pharmacist Tabhair na piollaí seo di.Tiarnán Cinnte. Ba mhaith liom rud éigin deas a cheannach di
freisin.Pharmacist Bhuel, tá cumhra deas agam anseo.Tiarnán Beidh sin agam freisin. Cá mhéad atá ar an iomlán?Pharmacist Tríocha Euro le do thoil.Tiarnán Seo duit a dhuine uasail. Go raibh míle maith agat.Pharmacist Níl a bhuíochas ort.
Conversation 3/8: Time and money
LI CD3, TR23
Eimear Cén uair a bheidh bus ag dul go Corcaigh inniu?Assistant Beidh ceann ann ar deich tar éis a trí.Eimear An mbeidh bus ag dul go Gaillimh ar a trí a chlog?Assistant: Ní bheidh inniu, ach beidh ceann ann ar ceathrú tar éis
a ceathair.Eimear An mbeidh an bus sin ag pilleadh inniu?Assistant Beidh. Beidh sé ag pilleadh ar leathuair tar éis a naoi anocht.
19Conversation 3: Socializing with friends
Waiter Hello.Cian & Mairéad Hello.Waiter Now, what would you like?Cian I would like a pint of beer please.Waiter And yourself, what would you like?Mairéad I would like a cup of tea please.Waiter Would you like milk and sugar with your tea?Mairéad I would like milk please.Waiter OK.
Cian Would you like another drink Mairéad?Mairéad I wouldn’t, thank you. I am tired. I would like to
go home.Cian OK. Would you like a lift?Mairéad I wouldn’t. I would like to walk.Cian OK. Goodnight.Mairéad Goodnight.
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Conversation 4: Eating out
PART 1: BOOKING A TABLELI CD1, TR27
Waiter Dia duit.Mairéad Dia is Muire duit. Ba mhaith liom tábla a chur in áirithe
don oíche amárach.Waiter Cén uair?Mairéad A seacht a chlog le do thoil.Waiter Ceart go leor. Cá mhéad duine a bheidh ann?Mairéad Beidh beirt ann.Waiter Tá sin go breá.Mairéad Go raibh maith agat.Waiter Go ndéana a mhaith duit.
PART 2: ORDERING A MEALLI CD1, TR31
Waiter Anois, cad é a ba mhaith libh?Mairéad Ba mhaith liom anraith glasraí don chéad chúrsa.Séamus Beidh sin agam fosta.Waiter Agus don dara cúrsa?Mairéad Beidh an sicín agam le do thoil.Waiter Agus tú féin?Séamus Beidh an bradán agamsa le do thoil.Waiter Ar mhaith libh milseog?Mairéad Níor mhaith, go raibh maith agat.
InsightThere is a particular set of numerals which is used when counting people in Irish. Note the use of beirt (two people) in this conversation. You have also met ceathrar (four people) and cúigear (fi ve people) in Conversation 2. The different sets of numerals in Irish are listed at the back of this booklet.
41Conversation 3/6: Knowing the way
Cian OK. You can lie down and relax and I’ll go swimming.
Mairéad I would like to do that.Cian Do you not like reading?Mairéad I do.Cian Have you got a good book?Mairéad No.Cian Well, we will buy you a good book and you can read it
on the beach.Mairéad Excellent!
Tiarnán Hello sir.Dónall Hello.Tiarnán I am Tiarnán and this is my friend Eimear and we are
on holidays in this area.Dónall I’m Dónall and it’s nice to meet you (pl.).Tiarnán Is there a pub in this town Dónall?Dónall Yes, of course. It’s at the bottom of this street.Eimear Excuse me but where is the bus stop?Dónall It’s across the road on the right.Tiarnán And is there a good restaurant in this town?Dónall No, but you can get a nice meal in the pub.Tiarnán Is it expensive?Dónall No, it’s quite cheap.Eimear OK, thank you.Dónall You (pl.) are welcome. Goodbye and enjoy your
holiday.Eimear We will of course! Goodbye.Tiarnán Goodbye and bless you.
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Cian Ceart go leor. Is féidir leat luí síos agus do scíth a ligean agus agus rachaidh mise ag snámh.
Mairéad Ba mhaith liom sin a dhéanamh.Cian Nach maith leat bheith ag léamh?Mairéad Is maith.Cian An bhfuil leabhar maith agat?Mairéad Níl.Cian Bhuel, ceannóimid leabhar maith duit agus is féidir leat
é a léamh ar an trá.Mairéad Ar dóigh!
Conversation 3/6: Knowing the way
LI CD3, TR17
Tiarnán Dia duit a dhuine uasail.Dónall Dia is Muire daoibh.Tiarnán Is mise Tiarnán agus seo mo chara Eimear agus táimid
ar saoire sa cheantar seo.Dónall Is mise Dónall agus is deas bualadh libh.Tiarnán A Dhónaill, an bhfuil teach leanna ar an bhaile seo?Dónall Tá, cinnte. Tá sé ag bun na sráide seo.Eimear Gabh mo leithscéal ach cá bhfuil an stad bus?Dónall Tá sé trasna an bhóthair ar thaobh na láimhe deise.Tiarnán Agus an bhfuil bialann maith ar an bhaile seo?Dónall Níl, ach is féidir béile deas a fháil sa teach leanna.Tiarnán An bhfuil sé daor?Dónall Níl, tá sé measartha saor.Eimear Ceart go leor, go raibh míle maith agat.Dónall Go ndéana a mhaith daoibh. Slán go fóill agus bainigí
sult as bhur saoire.Eimear Bainfi dh cinnte! Slán.Tiarnán Slán agus beannacht.
21Conversation 4: Eating out
Waiter Hello.Mairéad Hello. I would like to reserve a table for tomorrow
night.Waiter What time?Mairéad Seven o’clock please.Waiter OK. How many people will there be?Mairéad There will be two people.Waiter That’s fi ne.Mairéad Thank you.Waiter You are welcome.
Waiter Now, what would you like?Mairéad I would like vegetable soup for the fi rst course.Séamus I will have that also.Waiter And for the second course?Mairéad I will have the chicken please.Waiter And yourself?Séamus I will have the salmon please.Waiter Would you like dessert?Mairéad We wouldn’t, thank you.
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Conversation 5: Leisure time activities
PART 1: PASTIMESLI CD1, TR35
Cian A Mhairéad, ar mhaith leat dul ag snámh anois?Mairéad Níor mhaith. Ní maith liom bheith ag snámh.Cian Cad iad na caithimh aimsire is fearr leat?Mairéad Is maith liom bheith ag léamh agus ag dul go dtí an
phictiúrlann. Cad iad na caithimh aimsire is fearr leatsa?Cian Is maith liom bheith ag snámh agus ag dul go dtí an
phictiúrlann fosta.Mairéad Ar mhaith leat dhul go dtí an phictiúrlann anocht?Cian Ba mhaith!
PART 2: LIKES AND DISLIKESLI CD1, TR39
Waiter An féidir liom cuidiú libh?Mairéad Is féidir. Ba mhaith liom gloine fíona le do thoil.Waiter Ar mhaith leatsa gloine fíona freisin?Cian Níor mhaith. Ní maith liom fíon.Waiter Ar mhaith leat rud éigin eile?Cian Pionta leanna le do thoil.
InsightHere we have the copula is in the present and conditional tense. Notice that the present tense forms, unlike the conditional tense, do not aspirate the word that follows:An maith?Is maith / Ní maith.
39Conversation 3/5: Leisure time activities
Waiter Hello Madam, can I help you?Mairéad Yes. I booked a table for tonight.Waiter What time?Mairéad For half past eight.Waiter That’s fi ne. How many people are there?Mairéad Two.Waiter And what is your name?Mairéad Ní Dhónaill.Waiter OK, the table is here...Waiter Excuse me, are you (pl.) ready to order?Mairéad Yes. I would like vegetable soup for the fi rst course.Friend I would like oysters.Waiter And for the second course?Mairéad I will have the chicken please.Waiter And you?Friend I will have the steak well done please.Waiter Would you (pl.) like dessert?Mairéad No but we would like a bottle of wine.Waiter What sort, red or white?Mairéad Red wine please.Waiter That’s fi ne.
Cian Would you like to go to the beach today Mairéad?Mairéad I’m not sure. It’s a little cold.Cian It’s not cold! It is very sunny!Mairéad Well I am cold.Cian Well you can put on a coat.Mairéad Alright. I will go to the beach but I will not swim. I
don’t like swimming.
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Conversation 3/4: Eating out
LI CD3, TR11
Waiter Dia duit a bhean uasal, an féidir liom cuidiú leat?Mairéad Is féidir. Chuir mé tábla in áirithe don oíche anocht.Waiter Cén uair?Mairéad Ar leathuair i ndiaidh a hocht.Waiter Tá sin go breá. Cá mhéad duine atá ann?Mairéad Beirt.Waiter Agus cad é an t-ainm atá ort?Mairéad Ní Dhónaill.Waiter Maith go leor, tá an tábla anseo...Waiter Gabhaigí mo leithscéal, an bhfuil sibh réidh le hordú?Mairéad Tá. Ba mhaith liom anraith glasraí don chéad chúrsa.Friend Ba mhaith liomsa oisrí.Waiter Agus don dara cúrsa?Mairéad Beidh an sicín agam le do thoil.Waiter Agus tú féin?Friend Beidh an stéig agamsa le do thoil agus é déanta go maith.Waiter Ar mhaith libh milseog?Mairéad Níor mhaith ach ba mhaith linn buideál fíona.Waiter Cén chinéal, dearg nó geal?Mairéad Fíon dearg le do thoil.Waiter Tá sin go breá.
Conversation 3/5: Leisure time activities
LI CD3, TR14
Cian A Mhairéad, ar mhaith leat dul chuig an trá inniu?Mairéad Níl mé cinnte. Tá sé giota beag fuar.Cian Níl sé fuar! Tá an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch!Mairéad Bhuel, tá mise fuar.Cian Bhuel, is féidir leat cóta a chur ort.Mairéad Maith go leor. Rachaidh mé chuig an trá ach ní bheidh
mé ag snámh. Ní maith liom bheith ag snámh.23Conversation 5: Leisure time activities
Cian Mairéad, would you like to go swimming now?Mairéad I wouldn’t. I don’t like swimming.Cian What pastimes do you prefer?Mairéad I like reading and going to the cinema. What pastimes
do you prefer?Cian I like swimming and going to the cinema as
well.Mairéad Would you like to go to the cinema tonight?Cian I would!
Waiter Can I help you?Mairéad You can. I would like a glass of wine please.Waiter Would you also like a glass of wine?Cian I wouldn’t. I don’t like wine.Waiter Would you like something else?Cian A pint of beer please.
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Conversation 6: Knowing the way
PART 1: ASKING THE WAYLI CD2, TR1
Tiarnán Gabh mo leithscéal, cá bhfuil oifi g an phoist?Cian Tá sé ag bun na sráide seo.Tiarnán Agus cá bhfuil an banc?Cian Níl banc ar bith ar an bhaile seo.Tiarnán Agus bialann?Cian Tá bialann ann trasna an bhóthair.Tiarnán Ceart go leor, go raibh míle maith agat.Cian Go ndéana a mhaith duit. Slán.Tiarnán Slán go fóill.
InsightNote the words ar bith, meaning any or no in the phrase banc ar bith meaning no bank or literally bank no/any. These little words are a very useful add-on and can be used with a number of other words. Look out for them again, especially in Conversations 7 and 10!
PART 2: MORE INFORMATIONLI CD2, TR5
Tiarnán A dhuine uasail, conas atá tú?Cian Go maith, go raibh maith agat.Tiarnán Is mise Tiarnán.Cian Is mise Cian agus is deas bualadh leat arís.Tiarnán A Chiain, an bhfuil teach leanna ar an bhaile seo?Cian Tá. Tá ceann maith ann taobh leis an bhialann.Tiarnán Go raibh maith agat.Cian Go ndéana a mhaith duit.
37Conversation 3/3: Socializing with friends
Mairéad It is nice to meet you sir.Síle This is my mother Máire.Mairéad Hello woman of the house.Síle This is my brother Colm.Mairéad Hello Colm.Síle This is the youngest in the family, my sister Nóra.Mairéad Hello Nóra.Síle Would you like a cup of tea?Mairéad I wouldn’t thanks. There is no time. We will be late for
the cinema.Síle You are right. We should leave.
Waiter Hello and welcome in. Now, what would you (pl.) like?
Man I would like a beer please.Waiter OK, and you, what would you like?Woman I would like a glass of water and a cup of coff ee please.Waiter Would you like ice in the water?Woman No, thank you.Waiter Would you like milk and sugar with your coff ee?Woman I don’t want milk but I would like sugar.Waiter Would you (pl.) like anything to eat?Woman I would but I’m not sure yet...Man Well, I would like steak and chips.Woman I’ll have that also.Waiter How would you (pl.) like the steak?Woman Well done please.Man Medium please.Waiter That’s fi ne.
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Mairéad Is deas bualadh leat a dhuine uasail.Síle Seo mo mhathair Máire.Mairéad Dia duit a bhean an tí.Síle Seo mo dheartháir Colm.Mairéad Dia duit a Choilm.Síle Seo an duine is óige sa teaghlach, mo dheirfi úr Nóra.Mairéad Dia duit a Nóra.Síle Ar mhaith leat cupán tae?Mairéad Níor mhaith go raibh maith agat. Níl am ann. Beimid
mall don phictiúrlann.Síle Tá an ceart agat. Is fearr dúinn imeacht.
Conversation 3/3: Socializing with friends
LI CD3, TR8
Waiter Dia daoibh agus fáilte isteach. Anois, cad é a ba mhaith libh?
Man Ba mhaith liom pionta leanna le do thoil.Waiter Ceart go leor, agus tú féin, cad é a ba mhaith leatsa?Woman Ba mhaith liomsa gloine uisce agus cupán caife le do thoil.Waiter Ar mhaith leat oighear san uisce?Woman Níor mhaith, go raibh maith agat.Waiter Ar mhaith leat bainne agus siúcra le do chuid caife?Woman Níor mhaith liom bainne ach ba mhaith liom siúcra.Waiter Ar mhaith libh rud ar bith le hithe?Woman Ba mhaith ach níl mé cinnte go fóill...Man Bhuel, ba mhaith liomsa sceallóga agus stéig.Woman Beidh sin agamsa freisin.Waiter Cad é mar a ba mhaith libh an stéig a bheith déanta?Woman Déanta go maith le do thoil.Man Go measartha le do thoil.Waiter Tá sin go breá.
25Conversation 6: Knowing the way
Tiarnán Excuse me, where is the post offi ce?Cian It is at the bottom of this street.Tiarnán And where is the bank?Cian There is no bank in this town.Tiarnán And a restaurant?Cian There is a restaurant across the road.Tiarnán OK, thanks very much.Cian You’re welcome. Goodbye.Tiarnán Goodbye for now.
Tiarnán Sir, how are you?Cian Well, thank you.Tiarnán I’m Tiarnán.Cian I’m Cian and it’s nice to meet you again.Tiarnán Cian, is there a pub in this town?Cian Yes. There is a good one beside the restaurant.Tiarnán Thank you.Cian You’re welcome.
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Conversation 7: Transactions
PART 1: THE PHARMACYLI CD2, TR9
Pharmacist Maidin mhaith a dhuine uasail, an féidir liom cuidiú leat?Tiarnán Is féidir mar níl mé go maith.Pharmacist Cad é atá ort?Tiarnán Tá tinneas cinn orm agus tá sé an-nimhneach.Pharmacist An bhfuil rud ar bith eile ort?Tiarnán Tá tinneas goile orm freisin.Pharmacist Bhuel, glac na piollaí seo agus luigh síos.Tiarnán Maith go leor. Cá mhéad atá orthu?Pharmacist Trí Euro le do thoil.Tiarnán Seo duit a bhean uasal.Pharmacist Go raibh maith agat.
InsightTwo very useful little prefi xes are used in this conversation an- meaning very and ró- meaning too. Both of these little words aspirate the word which follows when possible. In Part 1 the word nimhneach is not aspirated following an- because you cannot change the initial consonant n. In Part 2, however, we will see that beag meaning small becomes róbheag too small. If we wanted to say very small it would be an-bheag.
PART 2: THE CLOTHES SHOPLI CD2, TR13
Assistant Dia duit a bhean uasal, an féidir liom cuidiú leat?Eimear Is féidir. Ba mhaith liom cóta a cheannach.Assistant Anois, cad é faoin cheann seo?Eimear Tá sé deas ach tá sé róbheag.Assistant Bhuel, cad é faoin cheann seo?Eimear Tá an ceann sin go breá. Is maith liom é ach cá mhéad
atá air?Assistant Tríocha Euro.Eimear Beidh sé agam!
35Conversation 3/2: This is my sister
Brian Good morning. Bríd Good morning, how are you?Brian I am well, thank you, and how are
you?Bríd I am great, thanks. I am Bríd, who are
you?Brian I am Brian.Bríd Where are you from Brian?Brian I am from Belfast. Where do you live?Bríd Well I am from Galway but I live here in
Dublin.Brian Well it is nice to meet you. I’m working here.Bríd Very good. What is your job?Brian I am a teacher. What is your job?Bríd I don’t have a job yet. I’m a student and I am at
university here.Brian Which course?Bríd Irish and history.Brian Do you like it?Bríd I love it.Brian Great! I also studied Irish at university!
Síle You are welcome Mairéad. How are you?Mairéad Good thank you Síle and you?Síle I am great. Would you like to meet my
family?Mairéad I would certainly. How many people are in your family?Síle There are fi ve in my family – my mother, my father, my
sister and brother and myself. This is my father Seán.
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Conversation 3/1: Meeting and greeting
LI CD3, TR2
Brian Maidin mhaith. Bríd Maidin mhaith, conas atá tú?Brian Tá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat, agus cad é mar
atá tú féin?Bríd Tá mé ar dhroim na muice, go raibh maith agat. Is mise
Bríd. Cé thusa?Brian Is mise Brian.Bríd Cá as tú, a Bhriain?Brian Is as Béal Feirste mé. Cá bhfuil tú féin i do chónaí?Bríd Bhuel is as Gaillimh mé ach tá mé i mo chónaí anseo i
mBaile Átha Cliath.Brian Bhuel is deas bualadh leat. Tá mé féin ag obair anseo.Bríd An-mhaith. Cad é an post atá agat?Brian Is múinteoir mé. Cad é an post atá agat féin?Bríd Níl post agam go fóill. Is mac léinn mé agus tá mé ar an
Ollscoil anseo.Brian Cén chúrsa?Bríd Gaeilge agus Stair.Brian An maith leat é?Bríd Is breá liom é.Brian Ar dóigh! Rinne mise Gaeilge ar an Ollscoil fosta!
Conversation 3/2: This is my sister
LI CD3, TR5
Síle ‘Sé do bheatha a Mhairéad. Cad é mar atá tú?Mairéad Go maith, go raibh maith agat a Shíle agus tú féin?Síle Tá mé ar dhroim na muice. Ar mhaith leat bualadh le mo
theaghlach?Mairéad Ba mhaith cinnte. Cá mhéad duine atá i do chlann?Síle Tá cúigéar i mo chlann – mo mháthair, m’athair, mo dheirfi úr
agus mo dheartháir agus mé féin. Seo m’athair Seán.27Conversation 7: Transactions
Pharmacist Good morning sir, can I help you?Tiarnán You can because I am not well.Pharmacist What is wrong with you?Tiarnán I have a headache and it is very sore.Pharmacist Is there anything else wrong with you?Tiarnán I have a stomach ache also.Pharmacist Well, take these pills and lie down.Tiarnán All right. How much is that?Pharmacist Three euros please.Tiarnán Here you are madam.Pharmacist Thank you.
Assistant Hello madam, can I help you?Eimear You can. I would like to buy a coat.Assistant Now, what about this one?Eimear It is nice but it’s too small.Assistant Well, what about this one?Eimear That one is fi ne. I like it but how much is
it?Assistant Thirty euros.Eimear I’ll take it!
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Conversation 8: Time and money
PART 1: WHAT’S THE TIME?LI CD2, TR17
Eimear Gabh mo léithscéal, cén uair a bheidh bus ag dul go Béal Feirste tráthnóna inniu?
Assistant Beidh ceann ag dul ar leathuair tar éis a trí.Eimear Cén uair a bheidh sé i mBéal Feirste?Assistant Beidh sé ann thart faoi ceathrú tar éis a cúig.Eimear An mbeidh bus ag dul ó Bhéal Feirste go Baile Átha
Cliath maidin amárach?Assistant Beidh cinnte. Beidh ceann ann ar ceathrú go dtí a naoi
agus ceann eile ar fi che tar éis a naoi.Eimear Cá mhéad atá ar thicéad ó Bhéal Feirste go Baile Átha Cliath?Assistant Tá dhá Euro déag ar thicéad singil agus tá fi che Euro ar
thicéad fi llte.Eimear Go raibh maith agat.Assistant Go ndéana a mhaith duit.
PART 2: ENQUIRING ABOUT LOCAL MUSIC SESSIONSLI CD2, TR21
Bartender Dia duit a dhuine uasail.Tiarnán Dia is Muire duit. An mbeidh seisiún ceoil anseo
anocht?Bartender Ní bheidh, ar an drochuair, ach beidh ceann anseo san
oíche amárach.Tiarnán Cén uair a bheidh sé ag tosnú?Bartender Ar leathuair tar éis a naoi.Tiarnán Ar dóigh! An mbeidh táille ar an doras?Bartender Ní bheidh, beidh sé saor in aisce.Tiarnán Go raibh míle maith agat.
InsightThe 24-hour clock is rarely used in Irish. Technical terms are r.n. = roimh nóin (before noon) and i.n. = iarnóin (afternoon). For am and pm one says ar maidin (in the morning) and tráthnóna (in the evening) or san oíche (at night).
33Conversation 10: Everyday living
Tiarnán Eimear, what did you do at the weekend?Eimear I was shopping on Saturday.Tiarnán Did you buy anything nice?Eimear I bought a new coat. What did you do?Tiarnán I met Cian in the pub on Saturday and I drank a
pint.Eimear Did you enjoy it?Tiarnán I really enjoyed it.
Mairéad Cian, did you ever go on holidays?Cian Yes. I went to Scotland last year.Mairéad Did you enjoy it?Cian Yes. Did you go on holidays last year?Mairéad No but I went to London at the
weekend.Cian Did you enjoy it?Mairéad I really enjoyed it. The shopping was great!
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Conversation 10: Everyday living
PART 1: HOW DID YOU SPEND YOUR WEEKEND?LI CD2, TR33
Tiarnán A Eimear, cad é a rinne tú ag an deireadh seachtaine?Eimear Bhí mé ag siopadóireacht Dé Sathairn.Tiarnán Ar cheannaigh tú rud ar bith deas?Eimear Cheannaigh mé cóta nua. Cad é a rinne tú féin?Tiarnán Bhuail mé le Cian sa teach leanna Dé Sathairn agus d’ól
mé pionta.Eimear Ar bhain tú sult as?Tiarnán Bhain mé an-sult as.
PART 2: HOLIDAYSLI CD2, TR37
Mairéad A Chiain, an ndeachaigh tú ar saoire riamh?Cian Chuaigh. Chuaigh mé go hAlbain anuraidh.Mairéad Ar bhain tú sult as?Cian Bhain. An ndeachaigh tú féin ar saoire anuraidh?Mairéad Ní dheachaigh ach chuaigh mé go Londain ag an
deireadh seachtaine.Cian Ar bhain tú sult as?Mairéad Bhain mé an-sult as. Bhí an siopadóireacht ar dóigh!
InsightOne of the most commonly used verbs in any language is the verb to go and this is an irregular verb in Irish. It does not follow the rules which regular verbs like ceannaigh, bain and ól in Part 1 do.An ndeachaigh tú? (Did you go?)Chuaigh (yes) / Ní dheachaigh (no)There are eleven irregular verbs in Irish.
29Conversation 8: Time and money
Eimear Excuse me, what time will there be a bus going to Belfast this afternoon?
Assistant There will be one going at half past three.Eimear What time will it be in Belfast?Assistant It will be there at about a quarter past fi ve.Eimear Will there be a bus going from Belfast to Dublin
tomorrow morning?Assistant There will certainly. There will be one going at a
quarter to nine and another one at twenty past nine.Eimear How much is a ticket from Belfast to Dublin?Assistant A single is 12 euros and a return ticket is
20 euros.Eimear Thank you.Assistant You’re welcome.
Bartender Hello sir.Tiarnán Hello. Will there be a traditional music session here
tonight?Bartender No, unfortunately, but there will be one here tomorrow
night.Tiarnán What time will it be starting?Bartender At half past nine.Tiarnán Excellent! Will there be an admission fee?Bartender No, it will be free.Tiarnán Thank you very much.
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Conversation 9: Small talk
PART 1: WEATHERLI CD2, TR25
Tiarnán Tá maidin bhreá ann, a Eimear. Eimear Tá cinnte ach beidh sé fuar tráthnóna.Tiarnán Beidh cinnte agus beidh sé ag cur fearthainne.Eimear Tá sin uafásach agus beidh gaoth mhór ann fosta.Tiarnán Is mór an trua sin.Eimear Chuala mé go mbeidh lá álainn ann amárach.Tiarnán Tá súil agam go mbeidh.Eimear Beidh an ghrian ag scoilteadh na gcloch!
PART 2: YESTERDAYLI CD2, TR29
Mairéad Bhí lá álainn ann inné.Cian Bhí sé ar dóigh. Chaith mé an lá ar an trá.Mairéad An raibh tú ag snámh san fharraige?Cian Bhí ach bhí an t-uisce fuar! An raibh tú féin ar an trá
inné?Mairéad Ní raibh. Bhí mise ag obair!
InsightHere we have the past, present and future tense forms of the substantive verb to be. Now is a good time to look at the question and the affi rmative and negative forms in each of these tenses:PastAn raibh? Bhí / Ní raibhPresentAn bhfuil? Tá / nílFutureAn mbeidh? Beidh / ní bheidh.
31Conversation 9: Small talk
Tiarnán It is a fi ne morning, Eimear. Eimear It is certainly but it will be cold tonight.Tiarnán It will of course and it will be raining.Eimear That is terrible and there will be a high wind also.Tiarnán That is a great pity.Eimear I heard that it will be a beautiful day tomorrow.Tiarnán I hope that it will be.Eimear It will be very sunny!
Mairéad It was a beautiful day yesterday.Cian It was excellent. I spent the day on the beach.Mairéad Were you swimming in the sea?Cian I was but the water was cold! Were you on the beach
yesterday?Mairéad I was not. I was working!
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