Q&A | Bitesize Irish: Recent Episodes
Eoin Ó Conchúir: Irish language speaker from Ireland
Niall and Ben answered questions about how to tackle your greatest challenges in learning to speak the Irish language. They gave tips on spelling and pronunciation, where to find other learners to practice Irish conversation with, how to structure your practice and how to maintain a sense of momentum as you progress along your learning journey!
Dennis told us that his greatest challenges are vagaries in pronunciation, speed of speech and a fear (on his part) of coming off as a dolt for asking others to speak more slowly or to repeat themselves.Niall explained that nearly everyone gets that social anxiety in this situation. Just try to remember you don’t come across as a ‘dolt’ if you don’t understand or make a small mistake, you come across as a learner.
There are lots of things we can do to understand Irish speakers better: more listening practice at home, on the radio/podcasts, on TG4, social media, and in person.
Niall reminds us that we have excellent resources at hand: the online dictionaries teanglann.ie and focloir.ie, the pronunciation sites fuaimeanna.ie and abair.ie as well as all the help that is at hand on the Bitesize Irish self-study platform, of course!
Peggy asked How she can practice actual conversation in Irish? she has trouble understanding the spoken Irish and being able to quickly respond. Niall advised Peggy to find people to practice with. At Bitesize Beo we offer weekly and monthly live conversation role-play sessions on our ‘Beo’ video calls as part of our Grow and Explore membership plans respectively. Peggy could also look for Pop Up Gaeltachts in her region, or look for Irish groups on Facebook wherever she happens to live.
Niall suggests trying controlled practice at first, sticking to a script (like Bitesize Beo) or a topic you know you can manage comfortably.
You can slowly expand from there, varying the ‘script’ and finding a way to include other things you have learnt.
Our motto here at Bitesize Irish is Gaeilge gach lá, meaning Irish everyday! The principle of daily practice pays a dividend – there are no quick fixes, but doing a little regularly will yield results.
Seán got in touch to tell us that his greatest challenge is Conversing with native Irish and other speakers in person or live online.As Niall explains, speaking can be very daunting, so break it down. Make it Bitesize.
There are two main types of practice: 1. Controlled practice 2. Free practice.
Controlled practice is working from a script or an agreed-upon topic that’s not too broad, that’s at the right level for you.
In free practice the emphasis is more on fluency and communication than perfect grammar and pronunciation. Give yourself licence to relax and have fun.
Kathleen says that she finds written pronunciation guides for Irish challenging. Niall agrees, saying that it all depends on the accent/dialect of the person who writes and reads these descriptions of the sounds. IPA is used in more academic sources, but most of us aren’t too familiar with that. It’s always best to trust your ears, and the website fuaimeanna.ie has phonetics as well as high-quality audio.
The post your greatest challenges learning irish first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
Emma & Ben answered questions about the three major dialects of Irish – Connacht, Munster and Ulster. They spoke about pronunciation, the main differences between the dialects, and some of the things that they have in common. They also walked us through through the free-to-download Bitesize Irish Dialects cheat-sheet.
Deborah asked: In addition to differences in pronunciation of common words, greeting forms etc among dialects are there any other commonly-used words or expressions that beginners would find useful?As Ben explained, there are loads! A good place to find them is the Wikipedia entry on Ulster dialect of Irish. This lists terms preferred in or unique to the Ulster dialect, but helpfully gives examples of what terms are used to mean the same thing in the other dialects. Ben also recommends the Twitter/X account AnGhaelainn – Gaelainn Chorca Dhuibhne if you’d like to get to grips with the Irish spoken in Gaeltacht Corca Chuibhne, the region West Kerry where Irish is spoken.
Ben gives the examples:
Doiligh (Ulster) meaning ‘difficult’ vs deacair (Munster & Connacht).
Tuige? (Ulster) meaning ‘why?’ vs canathaobh? (Munster) or cén fáth? (Connacht, Munster).
Amharc (Ulster) or breathnaigh (Connacht) or féach (Munster) meaning ‘look’.
Rud inteacht (Ulster) meaning ‘something’ vs rud éigin (Connacht, Munster).
Tig liom (Ulster) meaning ‘I can’ is preferred over is féidir liom (Munster) or tá mé in ann (Connacht).
Ben also tells us that in West Kerry a question asking how old somebody is may be asked using a unique form of the word for age. The usual noun for age is ‘aois’, which feminine. In Kerry the masculine form ‘aos‘ is preferred. So, for example, in West Kerry people ask ‘cén t-aos é?‘ (how old is he?) while elsewhere in the country people say the standard form ‘cén aois é?‘
Lila asked: What can I do to practice and interact with people in Irish?Emma explained that Bitesize Explore/Grow memberships offer opportunities to practice with others – through both video calls and forum posts.
She also encouraged Lila to look up events in her area or online on the website called peig.ie. A common event is something called a ‘ciorcal cómhrá‘ which is Irish for conversation circle. It is also worth joining Facebook groups for Irish language learners and enthusiasts.
Ste asked: How is the ‘f’ sound pronounced in the Munster dialect with verbs in the future and conditional tenses?Ben tells us that the ‘f’ sound in verbs in future and conditional tenses is pronounced as ‘h’ in the Munster dialect except in three cases:
- The conditional tense second-person singular. In this case it may be pronounced as either ‘f’ or ‘h’ depending on the individual person. Example: d’ólfá (the verb ‘ól’ – to drink).
- The passive mood of the conditional tense. In this case it is pronounced as ‘f’. Example: d’íosfaí (the verb ‘ith’ – to eat)
- The passive mood of the future tense. In this case it is also pronounced as ‘f‘. Example: brisfear (the verb ‘bris’ – to break).
Deborah says that she Sometimes hears a vowel sound in the middle of a word that is not indicated in the spelling of that word. She ask if Is this common among the dialects, or generally more common in one than the others?Ben explains that this phenomenon is known as an epenthetic vowel. You hear it in words such as ‘dorcha’, ‘fearg’, ‘seirbhís’, ‘dearfa’, ‘tolg’ and ‘banbh’. It is common among the dialects, though the presence or extent of the ‘extra’ vowel sound in a given word may vary depending on the dialect.
Ben points out that this feature of pronunciation appears to have made its way from Irish into Hiberno-English. For example, many Irish people pronounce the word ‘film (‘movie’) as “fill-um”.
Terra is interested in the Ulster dialect (specifically Donegal), and asks for some recommendations of resources to help her to refine her pronunciation.The BBC Ulster series ‘Now You’re Talking’ is great for beginners (and being a 1980s production features some terrific hairstyles!).
The team also recommends Céim Ar Aghaidh, a site dedicated to supporting learners and teachers of Ulster Irish. Listen to the videos and read the accompanying scripts. The sites teanglann.ie, abair.ie and fuaimeanna.ie are also great for finding out how individual words and phonemes sound in specific dialects.
Listen to the programs ‘Barrscéalta‘ and ‘Bladhaire‘ on the RTE Raidió na Gaeltachta player, or watch Daithí Ó Sé interview the Donegal music groups Altan and Clann Mhic Ruairí on the very enjoyable Comhluadar Ceoil show on TG4.
You can also pick up a copy of the book ‘An Teanga Bheo, Uladh edition‘ for a more detailed analysis of the dialect.
The post diving into dialects first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
This month Ben hosted an insightful ‘ask me anything!’ session with Irish language author and academic Garry Bannister. They discussed the links between the Irish language and Russian, the Irish language roots of Hiberno-English, proverbs in Irish (seanfhocail) and approaches to Irish language education.
The elusive irish-russian dictionaryDr. Bannister’s background told us how he came to study Rusian by chance, and about his role in the publication of the first (and only) Irish-Russian dictionary in the early 1980s. He is currently busy working on a new edition of this impossible-to-find dictionary, so keep your eyes peeled for that in the near future!
echoes of lost wordsGarry also described the process of compiling his recently-published Irish-English Thesaurus (4th Edition). He laments the amount of words that he could not include due to them no longer being in use. He describes one such word, the beautuifully onomatopoeic ‘fafall‘. This word was used in reference to when the rain is starting to die away. ‘Fafall’ seems to describe perfectly the sound that water makes when dropping from one leaf of a tree to a leaf lower down after the rain has eased, doesn’t it?! Perhaps it is time to start using this word again..
Common rootsHaving explained that the Slavic group of languages is a different branch of Proto-Indo-European than the Celtic group of languages, Garry discussed words in Russian and Irish that have common roots in Latin, English or Greek.
Bizarrely, the Irish and the Russians have some proverbs in common. This may be explained by older Proto-Indo-European shared heritage. Garry gives two examples. Firstly, ‘Tá lapa gruaigeach aige’ /thaw loh-pah groo-ig-ukh ah-geh/, which translates literally as ‘he has a hairy paw’ but is used to indicate that a person has influence. Garry’s second example is ‘Ní sonas seanaois, ní bainis bás’ /nee sun-nus shan-eesh, nee bon-ish bawss/. This translates as ‘Old age isn’t happiness, death isn’t a wedding’, something upon which Irish and Russian people evidently agree!
traces of irish in hiberno-englishIn response to a question from Fraser from Scotland Garry discussed how the way in which some Irish people speak English is influenced by the grammar of the Irish language. These include various ways in which the Irish language conditional tense shows up in Hiberno-English (saying ‘I would’ rather than‘I used to’, for instance), and statement forms such as ‘I’m after making a mistake’ (a manifestation of the Irish ‘tar éis’ /tarr aysh/). Garry explained how the expression ‘that put the kibosh on that’ (meaning, that out an end to that) is derived from the Irish ‘caidhp bháis’ /kyp vaww-ish/, meaning ‘death cap’.
language as a window to the soul of a peopleAnswering a question from Julia about how phrasings in the Irish language may mirror how Irish speakers view the world, Garry discussed words in Irish that do not have direct equivalents in English. Amongst these Garry mentions the preponderance in the Irish language of words for different types of love, the richly suggestive term for desire ‘dúil’ /dhoo-il/, and the concept of being under-obligation to someone (‘faoi gheasa’ /fwee gyas-ah/) which originates in early Irish Brehon law.
Books referenced in this Q&A includeIrish-English Thesaurus (4th Edition) by Dr Garry Bannister (New Island)
Peig Sayers Vol. 1: Labharfad le Cách / I Will Speak to You All by Professor Bo Almqvist and Dr Pádraig Ó Héalaí (New Island)
The Open Door collection of books for intermediate level Irish language learners published by New Island Publications.
The post Ask the author With special guest Gary Bannister first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
Niall & Ben gave pointers on how to form your questions in Irish confidently and effectively. Niall described the new ‘Asking Questions In Irish’ course module on the Bitesize learning platform, and walked us through the free to download cheat-sheet that he put together to accompany the launch!
Janine asked if there Is a standard format to building questions using question words (especially in past tense)?As Niall explains, the tricky thing is that there are two formats.
After certain question words we use a direct relative clause – this means the particle ‘a’ and séimhiú.
Following other question words we use an indirect relative clause – this means the particle ‘a’ and urú – or for regular past tense verbs, the particle ‘ar’ and séimhiú. Consequently, we need to learn which question words use which format.
Sue wanted to know when to use ‘a bhfuil’ and ‘atá’ when asking questions.Niall answered by telling us that the form ‘atá’ is an example of the verb ‘bí’ in a direct relative clause. Usually the DRC takes séimhiú as well, but not for this verb, for some reason.
Any other verb, in any tense, which follows ‘conas’ would also be in a direct relative clause e.g.Conas a théann tú go dtí an obair? Conas a d’éirigh leat inné? Conas a dhéanfaidh sibh sin?
The form ‘a bhfuil’ is an example of the verb ‘bí’ in an indirect relative clause. This means we use urú, or the question form of the verb, if that is different (e.g. bhfuil v tá, raibh v bhí).
For regular past tense verbs we use ‘ar’ and séimhiú. After ‘cén chaoi’ we always use an *indirect relative clause e.g. Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?* Cén chaoi a ndearna tú sin? Cén chaoi ar bhuail sibh le chéile? Cén chaoi a dtiocfaidh tú abhaile?
Jay asked how one gets one’s irish to sound melodicBen compared fluency and ease in language with the mastery of playing traditional music on the uileann pipes. First you must be on intimate terms with the rhythm of the language, its syntax and grammar. Then, whether through hard study or extended exposure and practice, you train your mind and muscles to put what you know and feel into fluent speech.
There isn’t any fast way to do this, but it is good to listen out for examples of alliteration such as ‘tinn, tuirseach’ and ‘sona sásta’ and use them to make your speech more pleasing to the ear!
Niall offered that it is important to listen as much as possible, and learn which words to stress in a sentence. Find speakers on radio and television whose Irish you admire and practice repeating what they say. Repeat the process and you may start to hear details that you did not notice at first.
This will help to train you throat and mouth to make sounds that you may have found difficult initially, such as the ‘ch’ sound.
irish language songs recommended during this Q&ARís – ‘Sínte’
Imlé – ‘Críochfort’
Súil Amháin – ‘Oíche Mhaith’
Kila – ‘Ón Taobh Tuaithail Amach’
Planxty – ‘Bean Phádín’
Sinéad O’ Connor – Báidín Fheilimí
Resources referenced in the Q&A ‘Asking Questions in Irish’ cheat-sheet from Bitesize irish. Free to download and share!
Raidió na Gaeltachta
Raidió na Life
Raidió Fáilte
‘Ros na Rún’ drama series on TG4
The post How To Ask Questions in irish first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
This month Ben and Emma welcome your questions on balancing Irish learning with other responsibilities as we settle back into our daily routine after the summer break. They’ll take a look at resources for busy people and tips for speaking Irish with kids. Get in touch with your query, big or small!
The post Back To School first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
Eoin and Ben discussed where to use your Irish when visiting Ireland. They spoke about the expectations that you may have as a visitor, and how to experience the native culture during your stay. Barra is an Irish emigrant who is returning to Galway City from living abroad for the past 6 years. he asked …
Visiting Ireland Read More »
The post Visiting Ireland first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
Emma and Ben discussed the challenges that Irish language learners face in maintaining a routine during the Summer months, and gave tips on both offline and mobile-friendly learning resources for the holiday season!
The post Learning in Summertime: Tips for holiday learning. first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
This month Niall and Ben answered questions about nouns. Topics covered included gender, cases, declensions and the vocative form of names.
Here’s a flavour of the discussion..
Does the gender of nouns matterBen explained that in Irish all nouns are either feminine or masculine. Niall explains that the gender of a noun is important because of the way in which it affects grammar. He says that if you don’t the gender of nouns you will be making small mistakes as you go along, and that while communication is the main goal of using a language we don’t want these mistakes to be a constant feature of our speech.
How do I know if a noun is masculine or feminine?Niall explains that most of the time you can guess the gender of a noun by observing some simple rules. These steps are outlined in our free shareable How To Tell A Noun’s Gender Cheat Sheet. Download and enjoy!
What are cases, in terms of nouns?As Niall outlines, cases refers to where we have different forms of the nouns in different situations. The main cases that we encounter in Irish are the nominative case, the dative case, the vocative case and the genitive case. If you are interested in exploring the delights of the genitive clause it is covered in some considerable detail by Ben and Siobhán in this Live Q&A from another date.
What are declensions?As Niall tells us, the declensions in Irish are five categories of nouns organised according to how they behave in the genitive case.
Do I know about declensions?Ben and Niall agree that beginners do not need to worry about declensions. At that level it is best to learn through phrases and expressions without thinking too much about the technicalities of the genitive case. There are examples of the genitive case all around us – if you want to say something interesting the chances are that you will be using it! For this reason, declensions become important as learners progress to intermediate level. They are not that hard – they just require a little study!
The value of online dictionaries when working with nounsBen and Niall emphasised how useful the various online dictionaries are when working with nouns in Irish. Online resources recommended were:
focloir.ie
teanglann.ie
tearma.ie
The post Everything You Wanted To Know About Irish Nouns Explained! first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
Niall and Siobhán discussed Irish language words, phrases, and customs related to fauna, flora, and the weather.
I imagine there are some very poetic names for flowers and plants in Irish. Could you give some examples? [01:42]There are many plant names beginning with the word lus (plant, herb) that have very evocative meanings.
lus na mbó – cucumber (also cúcamar). Literally, the cows’ plant.
lus liath – lavender. Literally, grey plant.
lus an chodlata– opium poppy. Literally, the plant of sleep.
lus an óir – hedge mustard. Literally, the plant of gold.
lus an chromchinn – daffodil. Literally, the plant of the stooped head.
lus na gcearc – Buckwheat. Literally, the hens’ plant. This is probably due to it being a good source of protein for chickens. It’s higher in protein than almost any other grain.
Here are some other lovely names for flowers in Irish:
plúirín sneachta – snowdrop. Literally, little snow flower.
bainne bó bleachtáin – cowslip. Literally, milk of a milch cow.
coinneal oíche – evening primrose. Literally, night candle.
What’s your favourite Irish words for animals? [08:37]Gráinneog – Hedgehog
Gráinneog trá – Sea urchin. “Beach Hedgehog”.
There are similarities between the names for both animals in Spanish (Erizo / Erizo del Mar) and in German (Igel / Seeigel).
Madra uisce – otter. . Literally, water dog. Another name for an otter is dobharchú. Literally, water hound/dog. Dobhar is an uncommon word for water. Another word containing dobhar is the Irish for hippopotamus which is dobhareach, literally, water horse. Interestingly, hippopotamus literally means river horse in Greek.
A number of names for animals are onomatopoeic, such as: bó – cow, capall – horse, muc – pig, caora – sheep.
There are two names for a blackbird in Irish, depending on if it’s a male or female blackbird. A male blackbird is called lon dubh but a female blackbird is called céirseach. As the male and female look quite different, it makes sense that they were not called by the same name, particularly since the female is not black at all! Dubh is the Irish for black.
Breac – trout. The word ‘breac’ is more common in Irish than its English counterpart which is ‘speckled’.
Fáinleog – swallow. Literally, little wondering one. Fáin is related to ag fánaíocht, wandering.
Do you have any proverbs / sayings that are linked with nature? [21:49]Ní hé lá na báistí lá na bpáistí – The day of rain is not the day of children. The fact that this proverb is a pun makes it very memorable. You learn more at this link.
Laethanta na Bó Riabhaí (literally: The Days of the Brindled Cow / known in English as: The Old Cow’s Days) This refers to the last days of March and the first three days of April when the weather can be quite miserable and unpredictable. It comes from seanchas (folklore). There are a number of versions of the story but it basically goes that the month of March tried to kill a particular bó riabhach but failed so needed to get three days on loan from April to finish its murderous mission. So that’s why the first few days of April can be as bad as March weather can be.
Bó Riabhach, or Bridled Cow is its own breed of cattle and it’s now classified as a rare breed. It’s a redish brown colour with vertical black stripes all over its body.
Bíonn súil le muir (also Bíonn súil le farraige). It means there is hope from the sea. Either muir or farraige can be used as they’re synonyms that mean sea. There is a longer proverb which is Bíonn súil le muir ach ní bhíonn súil le huaigh (There is hope from the sea, but there is no hope from the grave.)
Here’s a descriptive way to remember the seasons in Irish!
Geimhreadh ceoch, earrach reoch, samhradh grianmhar is fómhar biamhar – Foggy winter, frosty spring, sunny summer and autumn abounding in food.
Maireann an crann ach ní maireann an lámh a chuir é – The tree lives but the hand that planted it does not.
What is the exact difference between lear, muir and farraige? [37:56]All three of these words mean sea.
Lear is found in the phrase thar lear, which means overseas.
Muir has a more literary and poetic usage. It is found in place names and in songs and poetry.
Farraige is the common word for sea in Irish.
What are some Irish customs that incorporate nature? [46:35]May bush: a tradition still found in some parts of the country where you’ll see hawthorn bushes outside of homes, either ones already growing in the ground or a large branch of one tied outside, and it will have colourful ribbons and clothes tied to the branches. They’re decorated on the eve of the 1st of May. The meaning behind it seems to be to celebrate the coming of summer and also, for some, it’s to keep away the fairies – different forms of fairies being a huge part of Irish superstitions
Irish poetry on the theme of nature [52:20]Na Gaotha, which means the winds, is a traditional poem in Irish that is a great way to learn loads of weather-related vocabulary as well as the directions. Watch Siobhán’s video here.
Some poets to check out whose poetry regularly refers to nature:
Máirtín Ó Direáin. Here’s a poem of his called An tEarrach Thiar (Spring in the West)
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill
Doireann Ní Ghríofa
The post All Things Nature in Irish first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
In this month’s Bitesize Live Q&A Ben and Niall welcomed you to submit your questions on how to pronounce words and sounds in the Irish Language. Topics covered included dialects, broad and slender consonants, and how and why the form of surnames in Irish can change.
The boys also answered questions on adding ‘t’ to the start of words, what dialect the film ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ (The Quiet Girl) is in, whether tourists should assume that most Irish people understand the Irish language and, phew, whether there is any point in learning and remembering when to use ‘séimhiú’!
Here’s a taste of the discussion..
Michael asked for tips on learning pronunciation and being clear with accent and dialectNiall recommended reading and listening at the same time. It can be helpful to make a note of sounds which are difficult or very different to English, and practise them. Gaeilge gach lá is our motto here at Bitesize, and practising a little every day makes it easier to retain and build on what you’ve learnt before. Regarding dialect, it’s best to choose one dialect for your own speaking. Ben reminded learners to keep an eye out for the words and terms that are preferred in your chosen dialect.
Clare asked how her maiden name might have changed from Bhaoilligh to Boyle somewhere down the line, and wondered How is Bhaoilligh pronounced?Niall explains that the typical spelling for a maiden name would be Ní Bhaoill /nyee wee-ill/. Sometimes a form ending in -(e)ach is used to refer to someone, so that would be an Baoilleach, which Bhaoilligh is a form of.
Joel asked how the word ‘déisi’ is pronouncedAs Ben explains, the term Déise or Déisi derived from the word ‘déis’, which meant ‘vassal’, or ‘subject-people’ in Old Irish.* It is pronounced day-shuh.* The Déisi Muman were a prominent enough power to form their own regional kingdom in Munster from the early Middle Ages. County Waterford is based on the historic Gaelic territory of the Déise. The modern-day Irish-speaking area in the south-west of the county is known as Gaeltacht na nDéise**.
As Renata points out, we pronounce “s” as broad or slender depending on the vowels that surround it. She asks if there is ever an “s” with a broad vowel before it and a slender vowel after it?Niall says that the closest example that springs to mind is the word “ospidéal” (hospital). Generally speaking, the ‘caol le caol, leathan le leathan’ rule governing the placement of slender (‘i’, ‘e’) and broad (‘a’, ‘o’, ‘u’) vowels is consistently applied. The most common exceptions are when we have compound words, e.g. “osréalach” (surreal). The prefix “os-” finishes with a broad s and we don’t change that if the following noun starts with a slender consonant.
The post Irish Language Pronunciation Explained first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
In this month’s Bitesize Live Q&A Ben and Eoin welcomed you to submit your beginner learners’ questions about the Irish language. Topics covered included blended approaches to learning, learning from poetry and song, prepositions, initial mutations, the Irish primary school system and preserving the linguistic and cultural richness of the language.
Here’s a taste of the discussion..
John asked for advice on Prepositions – particularly relating to irish terms for the English word ‘in’ (i, in, sa, san, isteach) and when to use which one.Ben explained that ‘i’ is used where the article (”the”) does not occur before the noun, e.g. “in a bank’ > “i mbanc”. ‘In’ is used in the same way but where the noun begins with a vowel, e.g. “in an office” > “in oifig”. Sa” is used when we are referring to a singular noun when the article ‘an’ (the) is present. So, we have ‘an banc’ (the bank) > “sa bhanc” (in the bank). ‘San’ is used in the same way but for a singular noun beginning with a vowel: san oifig.
Tom asked what the best approach is to learning eclipsis (urú ) and lenition (séimhiú)?Ben recommended that Tom expose himself to the Irish language as much as he can – both reading and listening. That way the brain will eventually get acquainted with these changes.
There are a lot of different instances in which séimhiú and urú can occur, and a lot of rules involved in remembering them all, so it may be useful to focus on them one rule at a time. For instance, if today you were to study the way that that the possessive adjectives cause séimhiú and urú – my, your, his, her etc. – you could then spend the next week or two on the look-out for examples of this rule – whether that be when listening to the radio, talking to people or when reading a book or online content such as a journal or social media. That way you are focusing on one distinct aspect of eclipsis and lenition, and when you are comfortable with that aspect you can consider learning the next set of rules using the same approach.
Check out this special Q&A session that Ben & Niall did in 2022 on How Words Change In Irish (initial mutations)
James said that one thing that gives him trouble is finding the right irish word to use in that place of the english word ‘to’ (i.e. when to use ‘go’, ‘go dtí’ and ‘chuig’).Ben explains that ‘chuig’ is preferred when talking about going to an event rather than a place, i.e. “ag dul chuig ceolchoirm” (going to a concert) or “ag dul chuig cluiche peile” (going to a football match). Ben points out that ‘chuig’ is not used in the Munster dialect.
We use ‘go’ and ‘go dtí’ when talking about going to a place’, i.e. “ag dul go dtí An Spáinn” or “ag dul go Corcaigh’. You will notice that ‘go dtí ‘ is used when the article appears before the noun, whereas simply ‘go’ is used when the article does not feature. Another option rather than ‘go dtí’ is to use ‘chun’. Do bear in mind, though, that after ‘chun’ the noun changes to its genitive form, e.g. “ag dul chun na Spáinne” (going to Spain)or “ag dul chun páirce” (taking the field).
Michele lives in an Irish speaking region and her Husband speaks Irish the language. She tried going to conversational classes but did not find them helpful. she asks if she could memorise verb conjugation first and then add rest. Ben explains that different approaches to learning work better for different people than others, and suggests that Michele might benefit most from a blended approach that includes both learning verbs from a grammar book and interacting with people in everyday life through Irish, given that she lives in An Ghaeltacht. Ben suggests that Michele might like to join a club or society, or doing some voluntary work in the area, in order to benefit from regular exposure to the language in an everyday context.
Here are some of the resources that were recommended in this Q&A: Poetry for the Junior Cycle on Tuairisc.ie
Gaschaint
Leighleat.com interactive lesson on prepositions
The post Live Q&A: Irish Language Beginners’ Questions – No Query Too Simple! first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
In this month’s Bitesize Live Q&A Ben and Niall answered your questions about how the beginnings of words change (or “mutate”) in Irish depending on context. They also shared some handy tips for learning grammar and pronunciation in Irish!
The questions that Bitesize subscribers asked Ben and Niall this month raised some very interesting topics. Here’s a taste of the discussion..
What initial mutations occur only in the Connacht dialect? The biggest difference is that urú follows the word “sa” in Connacht, instead of séimhiú in Ulster and Munster. “Tá sé sa mbaile.” Also, after “den” or “don” the letter “t” comes before “s” – “den tsaol” “don tsagart”.
Why do some nouns take séimhiú after the word ‘cén’ while other nouns do not? We have ‘Cén fáth’ and ‘cén cineál’ with no séimhiú but ‘cén chaoi’ and ‘cén chúis’ with séimhiú.As Niall explained the article “an” is contained within “cén”, and that means the normal rules of séimhiú etc. apply as they would with the article. “Fáth” and “cineál” are masculine nouns, hence no séimhiú. “Caoi” and “cúis” are feminine nouns, and so séimhiú is applied after the article. Another good example is that masculine nouns which start with a vowel need to take “t-” – “cén t-am…”, “cén t-ábhar…” etc.
how does one go about learning irish prepositions coming from English?Gradually! The preposition we need usually depends on the verb or noun next to it, like in all languages. For example, in English we say “listen to music” but in Irish it’s “éist le ceol”. If you try to study prepositions on their own you might be thinking “but le means with!”. The trick is, when you study the word “éist”, also take note of and practice the preposition “le” with it.
does the Bitesize learning platform give explicit instruction on word order? I have difficulty in this area, trying to make sense of “who did what” in longer sentences.Irish is a VSO language, verb-subject-object. Apparently only 9% of languages use this structure, including our Celtic cousins. This means the verb is generally the first word in the sentence, and the noun following it is the subject. The object comes last, and if it’s a pronoun rather than a noun, we often push it way back to the end of the sentence, e.g. Cheannaigh mé san ionad siopadóireachta é. I bought it in the shopping centre. Because of this, it’s not always clear if an adjective is qualifying a noun or belongs to another part of the sentence, e.g. an teach mór = the big house, but if we say Tá an teach mór, then, in order for it to make sense, it must be “The house is big.” If it’s a longer sentence, though, we can see that the adjective is qualifying the noun: Tá an teach mór suite ar imeall an bhaile (The big house is situated on the edge of the town). There can be a bit of confusion in longer sentences, however, especially if there is a relative clause, e.g. an bhean a phóg mé could mean “the woman who kissed me” or “the woman I kissed.” There’s a way out if I say an bhean ar phóg mé í, but it’s a tricky corner of grammar. At the moment we don’t have a corner of Bitesize Aistear dedicated to this topic, but it’s definitely good idea for the future, at both entry and advanced levels.
Do you have any tips on remembering the gender of nouns?A great question! Various typical endings are either masculine or feminine.
Masculine nouns include words: that finish with (1) a broad consonant (e.g. fear, cupán) and (2) a vowel (e.g. uisce, dalta). Also, words professions/occupations (e.g. múinteoir, dochtúir) and words that finish with -ín (e.g. cailín, teachín).
Feminine Words include words that finish with a slender consonant (e.g. beoir, cúis) and words that finish with -óg or -eog (e.g. crannóg, fuinneog) Also, word for places that finish with -lann (e.g. bialann, leabharlann). Interestingly, the names of all languages except Béarla (English) are feminine nouns! Long words that finish with -acht or -ocht (e.g. Gaeltacht, iománaíocht) are feminine.
There are of course a few exceptions that don’t fit these rules!
The other way to remember the gender of a noun is if you know a good example and can work backwards from the rules you have learned. For example “an Ghaeltacht” has séimhiú and “Raidió na Gaeltachta” has “na” in the genitive singular, therefore “Gaeltacht” MUST be feminine.
Is the term ‘Dil’ used to start a letter?Yes, it is. ‘Dil’ means ‘dear’ or beloved’. It is used in a more literal, affectionate sense than when we write ‘dear sir/madam’ when writing relatively formal letters in English. So, ‘A chara dhil’ for an actual dear friend, ‘A Mháthair Dhil’ (my beloved mother) etc.
To learn irish I need to hear it spoken and have someone to speak with in turn . Can you say what Bitesize level ITo learn a irish I need? Bitesize GROW subscription is the one. It enables you to:
- Access to Bitesize Pobal private learners community with fluent staff.
- Gain confidence in your conversational skills with weekly Bitesize Beo calls with fluent instructor (20:00 Irish time every Tuesday for one hour). Scripted conversation to support all abilities.
- Continually grow toward self-expression, with daily challenges on Bitesize Pobal by our fluent community manager.
- Practice reading aloud with monthly one-hour Cogar Mogar calls with fluent instructor (20:00 Irish time, usually during last week of month).
View our various Bitesize membership plans here!
Learning resources referenced in this Q&A session included:Fuaimeanna.ie and Teanglan.ie – two great resources for comparing how words sound in different dialect!
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On this November’s live Q&A, Ben and Siobhán from Bitesize Irish answered your questions on the Genitive Clause (‘An Tuiseal Ginideach’). Watch back to hear them demystify this intricate feature of Irish language grammar.
Here are links to resources that were mentioned during the livestream:
Conceptualising the Genitive So, as you may be aware, the genitive case isn’t unique to the Irish language. You’ll find it in Latin, German and also in a number of Slavic languages, as well as a number of other languages. The genitive has a few different functions in Irish, one of them being to show possession. You use the genitive to show who something belongs to. In English you would use an apostrophe to indicate what belongs to someone eg. the boy’s apple. Another way of saying ‘the boy’s apple’ in English, a more cumbersome way, is ‘the apple of the boy’. The ‘of’ (the word that shows possession) is expressed in Irish using the genitive form of the noun, in this case boy. So, the boy’s apple in Irish is úll an bhuachalla. As you can see, an bhuachalla is the genitive singular form of an buachaill.
Here are the other instances in which the genitive is used in Irish:
- The verbal noun (ainmneacha briathartha) ‘-ing’: ag imirt peile (playing football), ag glanadh an tí/na dtithe (cleaning the house/the houses), ag déanamh curaí (making a currach – a type of boat), ag déanamh ruda (doing something).
- After certain prepositions: chun eg. chun na scoile (to school), also, trasna, tar éis, cois, timpeall, fearacht.
- Following a compound preposition (réamhfhocal comhshuite): in aice na farraige (beside the sea), tríd na spéire (through the sky), os comhair an tsaoil (in front of the whole world), and many more. Here’s a link to the other compound prepositions.
- Two nouns together: lá gréinne (a sunny day, “a day of sun”), cluiche peile (football game), foireann iománánaíochta (hurling team), mála scoile (school bag).
- Following words that describe quantity: a lán eolais (a lot of information), tuilleadh oibre (more work).
- Periods of time (tréimhsí ama): ar feadh, i gceann, go ceann seachtaine/bliana. But not when a number is specified eg. ar feadh trí mhí (for three months).
Grammar books* Gramadach gan Stró * New Irish Grammar by The Christian Brothers * Teach Yourself Irish Grammar You Really Need to Know * Collins Easy Learning Irish Grammar * QuickGuide Irish Grammar * Gramadach na Gaeilge: An Caighdeán Oifigiúil
Synthetic forms of verbs Do ghlanas is an example of a synthetic form not found in An Caighdeán Oifigiúil (The Official Standard). Other synthetic forms, such as glanaim, are in An Caighdeán. These are all forms of the verb glan (to clean).
You can find non-standard synthetic forms of a number of verbs on the Cork Irish website.
To get a better understanding between what are standard and non-standard synthetic forms, compare the conjugation of the verb ‘glan’ on Teanglann to the conjugation of the same verb on the Cork Irish website.
The post Bitesize Irish Live Q&A – The Genitive Clause first appeared on Bitesize Irish.
On this October’s live Q&A Ben and Siobhán from Bitesize Irish answered your questions on raising children with the Irish language. They discussed the challenges that parents can face when trying to introduce more Irish language into daily family life. Watch back to find helpful resources and strategies to help you to achieve your goals, …
Raising Children with the Irish Language – Live Q&A Read More »
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Watch the recording of Ben, Emma and Eoin of Bitesize Irish walk you through Bitesize Irish in 2022. If you’re looking to embark on your Irish language journey with us, you’re surely curious of what’s inside. Watch our walkthrough and an explanation of our membership plans.
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In this live Q&A with Ben and Niall of Bitesize Irish, we answer your questions! The topic this month is how the beginnings of words change (or “mutate”) in Irish, depending on context. Unfortunately during this session, we had audio difficulties and so we don’t have a recording of the Q&A session. However, we’ll add …
How words change in the Irish language – Q&A Read More »
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Emma and Ben from Bitesize Irish answer your Irish language questions questions live on YouTube! July’s Q&A was all about the biggest challenges that you encounter when learning the Irish language. Question: How do you pronounce consonants When speaking irish? Scarlett said: “My BIGGEST confusion comes from the CONSONANT sounds. Is there somewhere where I …
Irish Language Q&A – July 2022 Read More »
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What’s your biggest challenge in trying to learn to speak the Irish language? Our July 2022 live Q&A is about hearing your biggest challenges, and we might even be able to give some advice to help you. Send in your biggest challenge, in our Q&A submission form. Be sure to submit the form a couple …
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These are the shownotes of the Irish Language Live Q&A held by Eoin and Ben in May 2022. Ben grew up in Corca Dhuibhne (the Dingle Peninsula) in County Kerry. We invited questions specifically around Gaelainn Chorca Dhuibhne (the Irish language of Corca Dhuibhne). In the questions below, we’ve linked to specific parts of that …
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Will Bitesize Irish run Irish language immersion courses? We’ve run Irish language workshops in the past. We have been considering this as a team, and it does depends on resources. There is certainly something special about the focus of a weekend or one-week course, to help you learn to speak the Irish language. Other than …
Irish Language Q&A – April 2022 Read More »
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Ask your questions about Aistear, which is the new Irish language learning platform launched this week by Bitesize Irish. It features the foundational course “Tús Maith” for learning the Irish langauge. It’s on Tuesday 16th March 2022 at 8pm Irish time. Ask your questions, and set a reminder on YouTube:
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Watch back February’s Live Q&A with Siobhán and Emma above or find below a summary of what we covered. We answered questions from Irish learners on various topics related to the Irish language and in particular the Connacht Irish dialect. The questions quoted below are abridged summaries of the original questions. Click on the timestamps …
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Watch back January’s Live Q&A with Niall and Emma above or find below a summary of what we covered. We answered questions from Irish learners on various topics related to the Irish language and in particular the Ulster Irish dialect. The questions quoted below are abridged summaries of the original questions. Click on the timestamps …
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Watch back December’s Live Q&A with Siobhán and Emma above or find below a summary of what we covered. We answered questions from Irish learners on various topics related to the Irish language. The questions quoted below are abridged summaries of the original questions. How to say and pronounce in Ulster dialect. “Mr/Madam Chairman, Ladies …
Q&A Le Siobhán Agus Emma – Thursday December 16Th 2021 Read More »
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