Irish Language Today » Learn to speak

Learn to Speak Irish Gaelic

mise — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:38:29 +0000

It’s not easy to learn to speak any language. But isn’t it nice to get a taste of a new language? The following are a couple of Irish language links to get you interested.

There are some free resources for your to learn to speak Irish Gaelic online.

The BBC has invested a lot of interest in their language learning resources, and it’s always being updated. It usually features an Ulster dialect, as it’s BBC Northern Ireland that creates these resources. You can check out their Irish language section here.
If you’re already a bit familiar with the language, funny man Des Bishop has an online learning section. The “funny man” part is debatable (here at IrishLanguageToday.com we like him a lot). He grew up in New York, moved to Ireland, and more recently dedicated a year of his life to learning the language.

Irish Language for Beginners

This site has some articles to get you started speaking bits of the language:

Learn to speak Gaelic online

Learning Gaelic online is a great way for you to learn for a couple of reasons:

Access the lessons anywhere online. No need to install software on a particular PC.
Your progress is tracked no matter which computer you’re using.
You start to learn instantly, no need to wait for the software to arrive.

Bitesize Irish Gaelic teaches you Irish Gaelic online. Its approach is to take learning Gaelic in bitesized chunks. It makes it easier to learn, since you learn at your own pace bit-by-bit.

Learn to speak Gaelic at home

LearnIrishGaelic.com offer a complete language program if you’re willing to invest in learning the language. The program features software with lessons, quizzes, a built-in dictionary, pronunciation practice, and there’s also an audio CD and a little book of stories. It’s targeted at Irish language for beginners, so you don’t need to know a single word before getting in to it. Click here to find out more about the learning program.

Counting People in Irish

mise — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:06:49 +0000

We’ve covered how to count numbers in Irish. But when you’re counting people, Irish Gaelic has a special way of counting people.

It’s a nice specific way of counting, as the words make it instantly obvious that you’re talking about a collection of people rather than things.

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Counting People

one person
Duine amháin /din-ah ah-woyne/

two people
Beirt /bayrt/

three people
Triúir /troor/

four people
Ceathrar /kah-hrar/

five people
Ciúigear /coo-ig-er/

six people
Seisear /shesh-er/

seven people
Seachtar /shockt-er/

eight people
Ochtar /uck-ter/

nine people
Naonar /nay-ner/

ten people
Deichniúr /jeh-ner/

Tips About Counting People in Irish

Bitesize Irish Gaelic offer a full Irish Gaelic lesson on counting people in Irish Gaelic. You can sign up to access the lesson, it’s also full of audio so you can better learn how to say the words.
You’ll notice that most of these words end with -ar. That’s a little tip for helping you to memorize the words.

Irish Language Lessons

mise — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 11:40:25 +0000

Our aim here is to give you a complete overview of how and where to get Irish language lessons. While the language is weak in its traditional areas, there is a huge buzz about the language. This includes people who haven’t grown up in Ireland but still have a great interest in the Irish language. To that end, there are Irish language lessons available worldwide.

It’s a much more effective method, in our opinion, than just learning Irish on your own. In a class context, you can ask questions, learn from multiple people, practice your conversation, progress at an adaptive pace, and get to know other people who are also learning the language.

If you can’t get to a lesson, then there is still hope for you. You should sign up on Bitesize Irish Gaelic for their online Gaelic lessons.
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Irish Language Lessons in Universities Worldwide

In 2006, the Irish government announced that it would make €300 million available to universities around the world who teach Irish. Believe it or not, there is a large number of universities who have Irish studies. So if you’re serious in learning the language, this might be a great place for you to start your search for Irish Gaelic lessons.

Institutions receiving funding from the Irish government for their Irish lessons/studies:

UWM Foundation (Wisconsin University), USA
Humbolt-Scoil na Léinn Cheiltigh, Berlin, Germany
Institiúid an Léinn Ghael-Mheiriceánaigh (Lehman), New York, USA
Universität Mannheim, Germany
Institiud na hÉireann i bPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
University of Oslo, Norway
Coláiste na nGael, Paris, France
University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales
Károli Gáspár University, Budapest, Hungary
University of Szeged, Hungary
Ionad na Léinn Éireannaigh, Univerzita Karlova, Prague, Czech Republic
Cardiff University, Wales
University of Liverpool, England
Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
Dusseldorf University, Germany
University of Freiburg, Germany
University of Bonn, Germany
North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers, Ontario, Canada
University of St. Thomas, Texas, USA
University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, USA
Boston College, USA
University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Université Rennes 2, Brittany, France
The Centre for Canadian Irish Studies, Concordia, Montreal, Canada
Glucksman Ireland House, New York University, USA
SKSK (Studienhaus für Keltische Sprachen und Kulturen), Germany
University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
University of Cambridge, England
Comhaltachtai do Mhic Léinn – Johann Kaspar Zeuss
Ollscoil Chaitliceach Lublin, Poland
New College of California, USA
Daltaí na Gaeilge
Nova Scotia, Canada
Fordham University, Nua Eabhrac, USA
St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, England
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
Fealsún (Irish tuition for beginners), Missouri, USA

Irish Language Numbers

mise — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:59:17 +0000

If you’re a native English speaker, you’ll only be familiar with counting such as “One, two, three”, and also counting things using the exact same words “One dog, two dogs, three dogs”.

But the words for the numbers in the Irish language change depending on the following situations:

If you are just counting numbers.
Or if you’re counting things.
Or if you’re counting people.

(We’ve written an article also on Irish language grammar).

Basic Irish Language Numbers (1 to 3)

Let’s teach you how to first count the basic Irish Gaelic numbers. You need to start small!

1. A haon /ah hay-un/ = One

2. A dó /ah doh/ = Two

3. A trí /ah tree/ = Three

That’s it! You can now count to three in the Irish language. There’s a couple of things to look at here. First, I have put the approximate pronunciation guide in italics for English speakers. Second, you have surely notice the “A” at the beginning of each number. It’s pronounced somewhere between /ah/ and /uh/. The “A” is said before a number when you’re counting up. It’s just a convention which comes naturally to Irish native speakers. The pure Irish words for “one, two, three” are “aon, dó, trí”. But if you’re counting up in a row, you’ll say “a haon, a dó, a trí“.
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Counting 1 to 10 in Irish

Ready to count some more numbers? Let’s go now from one to ten. To hear these numbers spoken, check the Irish Gaelic lesson on Bitesize Irish Gaelic.

1. A haon /ah hay-un/ = One

2. A dó /ah doh/ = Two

3. A trí /ah tree/ = Three

4. A ceathair /ah cah-hir/ = Four

5. A cúig /ah coo-ig/ = Five

6. A sé /ah shay/ = Six

7. A seacht /ah shocked/ = Seven

8. A hocht /ah hukt/ = Eight

9. A naoi /ah nay-ee/ = Nine

10. A deich /ah jeh/ = Ten

For more examples on counting in Irish Gaelic, sign up for Bitesize Irish Gaelic to listen to Counting above 20 Part I and Counting above 20 Part II. The BBC have a great online lesson on counting that you can listen to in your browser. Do you want this lesson to be longer and cover more items? If so, just comment on this article, and I’ll get right to it! Seriously!

Irish Grammar

mise — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:48:48 +0000

I want to tell you a bit about Irish language grammar. But grammar is complex, and is a vast topic! So let’s hit a couple of interesting parts of Irish grammar. But for more in-depth information, you could look into Bitesize Irish Gaelic, which are online Irish Gaelic lessons.

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The Copula in the Irish Language

Irish uses two different verbs that correspond to the English verb is/am. A special verb called the copula is used:

To say what something is (identification and classification).
With the preposition le to express ownership.
To give your name.
To mark emphasis by moving words toward the beginning of a sentence.

In other situations, the verb bí (tá) is used. Here are some examples:

Tá mé sásta = I am happy.
Is múinteoir mé = I am a teach.
Is mé an múinteoir = I am the teacher.
Is mise Máire = I am Máire.

Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan

Irish has a very regular spelling system. although it may seem intimidating at first. The golden rule for spelling in Irish, caol le caol agus leathan le leathan, means “slender with slender and broad with broad“. It means that the vowels on either side of a consonant (or group of consonants) should agree; they should both be broad or both be slender. There are a few common words that do not satisfy this rule.This rule is important when you add an ending to a word (e.g., when conjugating a verb). To satisfy the rule you may need to add a vowel between the word and its ending.

More Irish Grammar

Learn Irish Gaelic grammar in bitesize lessons on Bitesize Irish Gaelic.
For a quick fix, check out the free PDF grammar guide.

Irish Dictionary

mise — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:33:27 +0000

Bitesize Irish Gaelic has Irish Gaelic phrases.

Search Irishionary for Irish Gaelic words. It’s a collaborative Irish dictionary.