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Tag: Learn Gaelic
#Scottish #Gaelic on #DuoLingo
If you are interested in Gaelic, the Gaelic version launches on the free Duolingo app on St Andrews Day which is tommorrow.
Lesson 18 Scottish Gaelic Vocabulary
So much fun learning Gaelic Vocabulary on @memrise. Check out my free vocabulary course: I add new words daily. http://bit.ly/2xrrm9e
Scottish Gaelic Lesson 17 – Possessives and word change
One absolutely frightening thing about Gaelic is that when you think you know a word, suddenly that word appears looking very very different leaving the reader very very confused. Some of these differences we have already spoken about, like an H coming in after the first letter, or an I being added at the end (lenition and slenderisation).
In Slenderisation particularly, when the I is added, another vowel letter sometimes changes. This happens a lot, but today we want to focus on short nouns because these usually change when they are in the possessive.
Try to examine the following and complete the ones which are missing:
Ceann becomes cinn / mo chinn / my head
fear becomes fir / còta an fhir mhòir / coat of the big man
mac becomes mic / ainm a mic / name of her son
falt becomes fuilt
eun becomes eòin
bard becomes bhùird
Please see page 32 of Gràmar na Gàidhlig by MIchael Byrne
Gaelic Lesson 16: Adjectives
As in English, we have two types of adjectives:
- the adjectives before the noun (the green man )
- the adjectives after the noun (the man is green)
The same rules apply in Gaelic but can be a little bit vague when trying to translate because the adjective comes immediately after the noun (not before) in both cases. As always there are exceptions to this rule and there are some appearing before.
The rules surrounding the lenition of singular adjectives is fairly complicated and I think it is best to learn these “on the go”. More will be said about these as we move forward.
points to note:
some masculine adjectives lenite if they are with prepositions or possessives. Slenderising only happens with the possessive and an article where the adjective is masculine .
Feminine adjectives always lenite, however they also add an E if the noun is in its long form.
In plural adjectives, an “a” is added at the end, otherwise they do not change
brògan ùra
the adjective can be lenited with some plurals,
balaich bheairteach
Gaelic Lesson 14 – Tràth Caithte and More About Tenses
Tha mi a ‘sgrìobhadh leabhar.
(Tha sibh etc…..)
Tràth Caithte
Bha mi a ’sgrìobhadh leabhar.
(Bha sibh etc……..)
The above examples show the most common and easiest ways to create the present tense and past, using the continuous of the verb “to be” . To use the simple present (instead of the Continuous present) there is a construction, unusual in Gaelic, using the future tense.
Sgriobhadh mi or bidh mi a´sgriobhadh
The future tense used as the present simple is more common when we talk about things we do habitually and things which happen a lot or are generally true. Practice will make this clearer. Please try to use the continuous until you have more practice with this.
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H is added to create the simple past, here is a chart of imperatives. Notice the irregular form of “DH” with vowels” and “F”. It is also interesting to notice that nothing happens to “SG” and “R”
| Imperative | English Translation | Past Tense | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| fàg! | leave! | dh’fhàg | left |
| ionnsaich! | learn! | dh’ionnsaich | learnt |
| pòg! | kiss! | phòg | kissed |
| obair! | work! | dh’obair | worked |
| sabaid! | fight! | shabaid | fought |
| sgrìobh! | write! | sgrìobh | wrote |
| ruith! | run! | ruith | run |
| seas! | sit! | sheas | sat |
| teasgaisg! | teach! | theagaisg | taught |
| tog! | lift! | thog | lifted |
dh´ionnsaich e
Dè dh‘ionnsaich thu anns an obair sin?
It is formed by exactly the same rules as the continuous present tense.
Questions etc and how to ask them will be shown later
Gaelic Lesson 13: Tha Seosaidh ann.
Is mise Seosaidh, Tha mi a Cill Bhreannain agus tha mi nam mhaighstir-sgoile. Tha mi a ‘fuireach ann am Pàislig. Thàinig mo theaghlach à Ìle.
Is mise fear-gèidh, bàrd, bruadaire, agus cluicheadair piàna.
Cur-seachadan agus ùidhean
- ´Stoil leam a bhith a ‘leughadh agus a’ sgrìobhadh
- Is toigh leam a bhith a’ coiseachd ann an coilltean
- A’ coimhead telebhisean
- A’ leughadh
- ag èisteachd ris an rèidio.
Agus a’ bruidhinn ri mo charaidean air-loidhne, ’S e tidsear a th’ annam, Air-loidhne.
Meadhanan Ceilteach
Kilbirnie & Beyond 