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Bunús na Gaeilge - Basic Irish Language
 There is no other way to revive Irish than for a crowd of people to spread it.
- Douglas Hyde
Note: The spellings and pronunciations used are based on Aideen's own natural use of Connemara Irish but they have been kept simple, so as to be understood where there are differences in the language.
For example, the word 'feicfidh' is used only in Connemara Irish; in Leinster, Ulster and Munster the word is 'cífidh'. There are two pronunciations; Leinster/Munster - kee-fee; Ulster - chee-fee.
The biggest problem for people whose native language is English is that the soft 't' and 'd' are in Irish, but not in English; it's difficult to 'reproduce' them in writing. Where I use 'th' and 'dh' here, they are best achieved by putting your tongue gently behind your front upper teeth."
Click here for our words & phrases Index.
 Lesson #20 - Seasons and Weather.
Here, we tackle the seasons and the weather. It's a somewhat wide-ranging topic , so we're bringing you words in this lesson and we'll give related phrases next. Once again, we are most grateful to Aideen, our native Irish speaker, for making this lesson possible.
Photo Credit: Spring in Ireland/Irish Thatch Owners
Word: Season
Irish: Séasúr
Pronunciation: shay-soor
Word: Weather
Irish: Aimsear
Pronunciation: am-shir
Word: Spring
Irish: Earrach
Pronunciation: arr-och
Word: Summer
Irish: Samhradh
Pronunciation: sow(as in cow)-rah
Word: Autumn/Fall
Irish: Fomhair
Pronunciation: foh-wir
Word: Winter
Irish: Geimhreadh
Pronunciation: geev-reh (note: a hard 'g' sound, as in 'gale' and not in 'gel')
Word: Wet
Irish: fliuch
Pronunciation: fli-ukh
Word: Dry
Irish: tirim
Pronunciation: chi-rm
Word: Hot
Irish: te
Pronunciation: cheh
Word: Cold
Irish: fuair
Pronunciation: foo-er
Word: Sun
Irish: griain
Pronunciation: green
Word: Sunrise
Irish: éirí na gréine
Pronunciation: eye-ree na gray-ne
Word: Sunset
Irish: luí (na) gréine
Pronunciation: lee (na) gray-ne
Word: Sunshine
Irish: dealramh na gréine
Pronunciation: jal-rav na gray-ne
Word: Snow
Irish: sneachta
Pronunciation: shnokh-tha
Word: Rain
Irish: báisteach
Pronunciation: baw-ish-thioch
Word: Wind
Irish: gaoth
Pronunciation: gwee
Word: Bitter
Irish: géar
Pronunciation: gayr
Word: Breeze
Irish: feothan
Pronunciation: fee-oh-hawn
Word: Storm
Irish: stoirm
Pronunciation: stherm
Word: Stormy
Irish: stoirmeach
Pronunciation: stherm-ockh
Word: Blizzard
Irish: síobadh sneachta
Pronunciation: shee-bah shnokh-tha
Word: Blast (of wind)
Irish: séideán ghaoithe
Pronunciation: shay-dhawn gwee-heh
Word: Sheet (of ice)
Irish: leac oighir
Pronunciation: lack-eyer
Word: Sky
Irish: spéir
Pronunciation: spare
Word: Sleet
Irish: flichshneachta
Pronunciation: flickh-shnokh-tha
Word: Umbrella
Irish: scath fearthainne
Pronunciation: scaw farr-hinne
Word: Topcoat
Irish: cóta mór
Pronunciation: ko-tha mor
Word: Raincoat
Irish: cóta báistí
Pronunciation: ko-tha baw-ish-thee
Word: Hat
Irish: hata
Pronunciation: hah-tha
Irish: Cap
Irish: caipín
Pronunciation: cop-een
Irish: Shoes
Irish: bróga
Pronunciation: broh-gah
Irish: Boots
Irish: buataí
Pronunciation: boo-thee
Lesson #21 - Weather Phrases.
Phrase: Take care of yourself (mind yourself), or you might catch a cold in this weather
Irish: Tabhair aire duit fhéin no gheobhaidh tú slaideán san aimsear seo
Pronunciation: Thohr arr-eh dhitch hayn noh yeo-ee thoo sly-dhawn son am-shir shuh
Phrase: The forecast for tomorrow is good
Irish: Tá comharthaí na haimsire go maith le haghaidh amárach
Pronunciation: Thaw cohr-hee na ham-shir-eh guh mye leh heye a-mawr-och
Phrase: There is a blast of sharp wind coming from the north / the south-east
Irish: Tá séideán gaoithe ghéirr ag teacht ó thuaidh / ó thoir-theas
Pronunciation: Thaw shay-dhawn gweeheh yayr egg tiochth oh hoo-ee (oh herr-hass)
Phrase: Now that Spring is here the days will be lengthening
Irish: Anois teacht an Earraí beidh na laethe ag dul chun síne
Pronunciation: A-nish tiocht on arr-ee bye na lay-heh egg dhul khun shee-neh
Phrase: Isn't it so wonderful to look at a lovely sunset
Irish: Nach aoibheann bheith ag breathnú ar luí (na) gréine áileann
Pronunciation: Knock eev-en veh egg bra-noo err lee (na) gray-ne awl-yinn
Phrase: Do you have an umbrella with you? There will be rain/sleet in the afternoon
Irish: Bhfuil scath fearthainne leat? Beidh báisteach/flichshneachta sa tráthnóna
Pronunciation: Will scaw farr-hinne li-ath? Bye baw-ish-thioch/flickh-shnokh-tha sa thraw-nona
Phrase: No need for a topcoat/raincoat today
Irish: Ní gá cóta mór / cóta báistí inniu
Pronunciation: Nee gaw ko-tha mor / ko-tha baw-ish-thee inn-yuh
Phrase: The Irish weather is usually so uncertain
Irish: De ghnath in Éireann bíonn an aimsear neamhchinnteacht
Pronunciation: Djeh gnaw in ayr-inn bee-on on am-shir nav-khinn-thiochth
Phrase: We will have a bonfire tonight
Irish: Beidh tine chnámh againn anocht
Pronunciation: Bye chin-eh knawv og-inn a-nokhth
Phrase: Come in from the sun. It's hot out there now
Irish: Tar isteach on ngriain. Tá sé te amach ansin anois
Pronunciation: Thar is-tioch own ngreen. Thaw shay cheh amokh on-shin a-nish
Phrase: My shoes are wet
Irish: Tá mo bhróga fliuch
Pronunciation: Thaw muh vroh-gah fli-ukh
Phrase: We are having a very good summer this year
Irish: Tá Samradh breá againn i mbliana
Pronunciation: Thaw sow(as in cow)-rah bra og-inn i mblee-na
For More Irish words & phrases please click here: Irish Index
Image: Gaeilge Beo from All Posters and Prints.
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Sun, Mar 4, 2018
Bitesize Irish Gaelic
Start learning on line with a free trial!
Why Learn Irish with Bitesize Irish Gaelic?
Eoin is a native Irish speaker who you can listen to in the online lessons.
Sasa has helped develop the lessons from the perspective of a complete beginner.
Audrey has created conversation lessons to get you speaking Irish.
And last but certainly not least, they are proud of the Irish language and want more people to speak it.
Affordable, fun and effective - To learn more, Click Bitesize Irish
Irish Grammar
by Noel Mogonagle
This book is excellent for beginners who are wanting a book that gives basic grammar without all the extra information that confuses beginners. The book is well laid out, with information very easy to find. Amazon Reviewer
Here is a good follow-on to our words and phrases.
Click for Irish Grammar.
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Irish - English
English - Irish
Dictionaries
Note: We have yet to see a dictionary with phonetic pronunciations for each word. We suspect this is partly due to the variations. Providing for all four 'green fields' (Connacht, Leinster, Ulster and Munster), would be cumbersome at best. Still, someone may do it some day. Until then, these are all very good and recommended. Serious students will have more than one; they are inexpensive.
These two (either or both) are the handy-references needed to go with a good grammar or 'teach yourself' course.
We would need both (and some other help) if found wandering in a Gaeltacht late at night.
Amazon has an offer of either one combined with a grammar for a reduced price.
Click for Collins Gem
Click for Oxford Pocket.
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While I wouldn't recommend you use many of these phrases, this is a terribly funny book. I picked it up after leafing through it at the store and finding phrases about sheep and inns and the hazards of driving in Ireland without insurance. Each little section starts out innocuously enough, then quickly degenerates into truly funny comments. If you like Monty Python or BlackAdder, this will really make you laugh. If you liked the Father Ted tv show, this little book will make you keel over giggling. Ah, go on, ya eejit, buy it already! Amazon Reviewer
(We want this, you may see a few on these pages - watch out).
Click for Wicked Irish
An easy-to-use program for learning on your own, or can be used as supplemental material for your classes. These new editions have been thoroughly revised and updated to include the engaging dialogues and helpful exercises you have come to expect from the Teach Yourself series.
Click for Teach Yourself
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The Best Irish Course Available! Three years ago I decided to learn Irish, and in the next two years I bought three different courses. The first two were simply useless, (that's the obvious reason for my buying new courses) you could learn some phrases, but not construct sentences yourself. Learning Irish, on the other hand, is an excellent book, which gives you a thorough vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. It consists of 36 lessons, all containing vocabularies, grammar instructions, texts and excercises. Amazon Reviewer.
Click for Learning irish
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