Tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge / I am learning Irish

[avanutria]

In this thread, try your best to make sentences in Irish. Where possible, translate your sentences into English as well to help others build their vocabulary.

If you see a mistake, or think you see a mistake, feel free to mention it. (This means that people will point out your errors in this thread - this is a Good Thing, please don't take offense )

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Is mise Elizabeth, agus tá mé i mo chónaí i Londain. Is Meiriceánach mé. Bíonn mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge 5 bliain ó shin, ach ní mé ag foghlaim mé é "actively" go minic. I 2007 bhí blog as Gaeilge agam, http://asgaeilge.blogstream.com/ , ach ní scríobhann mé ann anois.

I am Elizabeth, and I live in London. I am American. I have been learning Irish for five years, but I don't study it "actively" often. In 2007 I had a blog in Irish, http://asgaeilge.blogstream.com/ , but I don't write in it now.

[Redwolf]

Mise Audrey (nó "Redwolf" mas mian libh), agus tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge le cuig bhliana anuas. Is Meiriceánach atá ionam fosta. Tá mé i mo chónaí sna sléibhte Santa Cruz, ar an cósta California, seachtó míle ó dheas ná San Francisco.

Canaim i gcór Gaeilge, agus is docha go múinfidh mé rang Gaeilge an fómhar seo chugainn, mar beidh an múinteoir gnách thar sáile. Is ball ghrúpa comhrá mé fosta...tá cruinniú againn gach Aoine ag bialann áitiúil.

Tá mé pósta. Tony is aimn do m'fhear céile. Is ríomhchláratheoir é. Tá iníon amháin againn. Johanna is ainm di, ach is fearr léi "Anna." Tá dhá pheata againn -- cat dubh ("Jonah") agus púdal mionsamhail ("Wiley").

Caithfidh mé imeacht anois, mar tá coinne dochtúra agam. Feicfidh mé sibh go luath!

Slán go fóill!

Redwolf

I'm Audrey (or "Redwolf" if you like), and I have been learning Irish for five years. I'm an American as well. I live in the Santa Cruz mountains on the California coast, seventy miles south of San Francisco.

I sing in an Irish choir, and it's possible that I will be teaching an Irish class this autumn, as the regular teacher will be overseas. I'm also a member of a conversation group...we have a meeting every Friday at a local restaurant.

I'm married. Tony is my husband's name. He's a computer programmer. We have one daughter. Johanna is her name, but she prefers "Anna." We have two pets -- a black cat ("Jonah") and a miniature poodle ("Wiley").

I have to leave now, as I have a doctor's appointment. See you soon!

Goodbye for now!

Redwolf

[peeplj]

Please don't laugh, it's been a long time, and I never got all that far.

James 'ta orm. Ta me go maith; agus tu fein?

Slan!

--James

[Redwolf]

Maith thú, a James!

Tá mé go maith, go raibh maith agat. Bhuel, giota beag tuirseach, b'fhéidir...seachtain fada a bhí ann an seachtain seo caite!

Well done, James!

I'm well, thank you. Well, a little bit tired, maybe...it was a long week last week!

Redwolf

[avanutria]

Dia dhuit, a James. Cá as duit? Ar mhaith leat cupán tae "virtual"?

Hello, James. Where are you from? Would you like a virtual cup of tea?

[avanutria]

Inniu, bheimid go dtí teach tábhairne mar ag seinm ceol Sasanach. Níl fhios agam na cheol fós ach tá fhios a Máirtin é. Bheidh Máirtin a fhidil aige agus bheidh mé mo consairtín agam.

Today, we are going to a pub to play English music. I don't know the music yet but Martin does. Martin will have his fiddle and I will have my concertina.

[Redwolf]

Inniu, bheimid go dtí teach tábhairne mar ag seinm ceol Sasanach. Níl fhios agam na cheol fós ach tá fhios a Máirtin é. Bheidh Máirtin a fhidil aige agus bheidh mé mo consairtín agam.

Today, we are going to a pub to play English music. I don't know the music yet but Martin does. Martin will have his fiddle and I will have my concertina.

Tá lá ceoil romham fosta. Tá cleachtadh cóir shéipéal agam ar leath i ndhiaidh a naoi, an
t-aifreann ar leath i ndhiaidh a deich, agus cleachtadh cóir Gaeilge idir leath i ndhiaidh a haon agus leath i ndhiaidh a ceathair. Ar a laghad déanfaidh Tony dinnéar anocht, buíochas le Dia...beidh mise ro-thuirseach!

I've got a day of music ahead of me as well. I have church choir practice at nine thirty, the mass at ten thirty, and Irish choir practice between one thirty and four thirty. At least Tony's making dinner tonight, thank God...I'm going to be too tired!

Redwolf

[Nanohedron]

Probably biting off more than I can chew, here:

Anocht, tá seisiún anseo freisin, ach beidh ceol Gaelach aige, ó na traidisiúin as Éire 's as Alba. Agus gan dabht ólfaidh mé "an stuif dubh".

This evening there is a session here, too, but it will be Gaelic music, from the traditions of Ireland and Scotland. And of course I will be drinking "the black stuff".

Hit me.

[avanutria]

Thuigeann mé é gan an Béarla! Maith ceol thú

I understood it without the English! Well done.

[Nanohedron]

Bhí mo gramadach ceart go leor, nó ábhairín tuathalach?

Was my grammar okay, or a bit awkward?

(I am SO hitting the foclóir today. )

[avanutria]

Níl fhios agam...is fuar liom na gramadach! 'S níl mo ghramadach go maith ar aon nós.

I don't know...I hate grammar! And my grammar isn't good anyway.

[Nanohedron]

Okay, Gaeilge switch off. I see I forgot to lenite the G in "gramadach", following "mo" as it did. Now, I sometimes see some variance about that within the same combinations (such as the GHB piping term rendered either "ceol mór" and "ceol mhór"), and am wondering if that variability is hard error for one or the other, or the flexibilty of an acceptable if not necessarily correct option, or simply an acceptable option.

I realise that lenition and such also have much to do with noun gender and other fun stuff, and I've yet to get my head fully around that.

Whatever other difficulties you might encounter with it, at least D/N/Lakota uses only the intransitive case.

[avanutria]

I don't know if the h was right or not in that instance...sometimes I just go with what feels right! But I don't think there's much in gaeilge that is optional in terms of grammar.

And I've been hitting http://www.englishirishdictionary.com as mo fhoclóir is at work.

[Nanohedron]

Go raibh míle maith agat leis an ceangal chabrach.

Thanks for the useful link.

[Redwolf]

Great job! Maith thú! Just a couple of tweaks:

Anocht, beidh seisiún anseo freisin, ach beidh ceol Gaelach ann, ar nós na hÉireann agus na hAlbain. Agus gan dabht ólfaidh mé "an stuif dubh".

Don't take this as gospel, though...I'm not exactly a grammar mayven.

"Gaelach" wouldn't be lenited after "ceol" because "ceol" is masculine. If speaking Irish, "ceol mhór" would be incorrect (I don't know about Scottish Gaelic, other than that the accent would slant the other way). Unfortunately, a lot of these lenition errors get perpetuated by the musicians themselves, who may not understand Irish well (which is why you see "Sí bheag, sí mhór" so often, even though it's just plain wrong).

Redwolf