Irish On Your Own V

21: Giving invitations



Chapter 21 Audio File as MP3

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GIVING INVITATIONS

Ar mhaith leat ... Would you like ...
  • a dhul chuig dráma liom? to go to a play with me?
  • a dhul ag rith? to go running?
  • cluiche gailf a mirt? to play a game of golf?
  • a theacht ag siopadóireacht liom? to come shopping with me?
  • a theacht isteach? to come in?
  • suí síos? to sit down?

ACCEPTING AND REFUSING INVITATIONS

Ba mhaith. I would.
Níor mhaith. I wouldn't.
Ba bhreá liom. I'd love to.
Cinnte. Níl mé gnóthach innui. Certainly. I'm not busy today.
Tá brón orm - ní thig liom. I'm sorry - I can't.

GIVING EXCUSES

Tá mé ag tabhairt aire do na páistí. I'm looking after the children.
Tá mé ag cóiriú an chairr. I'm repairing the car.
Tá mé ag péinteáil an tí. I'm painting the house.
Tá mé róthuirseach. I'm too tired.
Tá mé an-gnóthach. I'm very busy.

We already looked at the genitive case in Aonad 18. The genitive also comes after verbal nouns- that is, the Irish equivalents of those words that end in -ing in English:
an carr the carr
ag cóiriú an chairr repairing the car
an teach the house
ag glanadh an tí cleaning the house

Look out for more examples of the genitive case in other units.

ASKING SOMEONE WHAT THEY'LL BE DOING

Before inviting someone to do something, you might ask first whether they will be free.
Cad é atá a dhéanamh ... What are you doing ...
tráthnóna? this evening?
san oíche amárach? tomorrow night?
anocht? tonight?

SAYING YOU ARE DOING NOTHING.

Dadaí. Nothing.

FINDING OUT IF SOMEONE WILL BE FREE

An mbeidh tú saor maidin Dé Domhnaigh? Will you be free on Sunday morning?
An mbeidh tú gnóthach oíche Shathairn? Will you be busy on Saturday night?

ARRANGING TO MEET SOMEONE

Cá háit mbuailfidh muid le chéile? Where will we meet?
Fan go bhfeicfidh mé ... Wait till I see ...

ARRANGING A PLACE TO MEET

Buailfidh mé leat ... I'll meet you ...
in aice ... beside ...
in aice leis an bhanc. beside the bank.
taobh amuigh ... outside ...
taobh amuigh den óstán outside the hotel.
sa bhialann in the restaurant.

Note how in aice leis an and taobh amuigh den add a séimhiú to words beginning with a consonant (except d, l, n, r, or s):
an banc
in aice leis an bhanc

an caife
taobh amuigh den chaife

ARRANGING A TIME

Cad é an t-am? What time?

You already know how to say 1 to 12 o'clock, quarter past, half past, and a quarter to.
Buailfaidh mé ... I'll meet you at ...
  • ceathrú i ndiaidh a haon. a quarter past one.
  • leath i ndiaidh a do. half past two.
  • ceathrú go dtí a trí. a quarter to three.
Here are some times in between:
cúig bhomaite i ndiaidh ... five past ...
deich mbomaite i ndiaidh ... ten past ...
cúig bhomaite is fiche go dtí ... twenty-five to ...
fiche bomaite go dtí ... twenty to ...
thart fá... about ...


22: Illness and injuries



Chapter 22 Audio File as MP3

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ASKING SOMEONE HOW THEY FEEL

Cad é mar a bhraitheann tú? How do you feel?
The phrase Cad é mar atá tú? (How are you?) is generally used as a greeting, but it can also be used to find out how someone is feeling.

You learnt in Aonad 19 how to ask what's wrong with someone:
Cad é atá ort? What's wrong with you?
Cad é atá air? What's wrong with him?
Cad é atá uirthi? What's wrong with her?

SAYING HOW YOU FEEL

Tá mé go breá. I'm fine.
Níl mé ach go measartha. I'm only middling.
Ní bhraithim go maith. I don't feel well.
Tá mé tinn. I'm sick.

NAMING ILLNESSES

Tá tinneas cinn orm. I have a headache.
Tá droim nimhneach air. He has a sore back.
Tá bólg nimhneach uirthi. She has a stomach-ache.
or
Tá pian ina bólg. She has a pain in her stomach.
Tá slaghdán orthu. They have a cold.
Tá droch-chasachtach orm. I have a bad cough.
Tá sceadamán nimhneach uirthi. She has a sore throat.

DESCRIBING AND DISCUSSING INJURIES

Ghortaigh mé ... I hurt ...
mo chos. my foot.
Ghortaigh sé a chos. He hurt his leg.
Bhris sí a cos. She broke her leg.
Tá sí briste. It's broken.
An bhfuil sí briste? Is it broken?

mo cheann my head
mo bholg my stomach
mo dhroim my back
mo sceadamán my neck
mo chos my leg or foot
mo ghlúin my knee
mo sciathán my arm
mo lámh my hand
mo mhéar my finger
mo chluas my ear
mo shúil my eye
mo ghaosán my nose
mo bhéal my mouth
m'aighaidh my face
mo chuid gruaige my hair

CANCELING ARRANGEMENTS

Sometimes it's necessary to cancel arrangements because of illness or some injury. Here are a few useful phrases that can be used in such a situation.
Ní bheidh mé ábalta a dhul amach anocht. I won't be able to go out tonight.
Ní bheidh mé ag an chruinniú anocht. I won't be at the meeting tonight.

If you're asked the question
An mbeidh tú ansin anocht?. Will you be there tonight?

You can reply
Beidh. I will.
or
Ní bheidh. I won't.
If you feel it necessary to appologize you can use the following:
Tá brón orm. I'm sorry.

In Aonad 10 we looked at how the Irish equivalents of words like 'my' and 'your' that denote possession affect the words that follow them. Here are some more examples:
mo (my) mo chos m'aghaidh
do (your) do ghlúin d'aghaidh
a (his) a shúil a aghaidh
a (her) a béal a haghaidh


TELLING SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE

Tabhair aire duit féin. Take care of yourself.

SAYING YOU ARE BETTER OR WORSE

Tá mé ag teacht chugam féin. I'm recovering.
Tá mé níos fearr. I'm better.
Níl mé níos fearr - tá mé níos measa. I'm not better - I'm worse.

The word níos is used when comparing things in Irish. Words that follow níos are generally changed.
deas nice
níos deise nicer
fuar cold
níos fuaire colder

Adjectives that are irregular change completely:
maith good
níos fearr better
olc bad
níos measa worse


23: Asking for permission and favor



Information Text from the Workbook

ASKING FOR PERMISSION

An dtig liom ... May I ...
  • an fón a úsáid? use the phone?
  • caitheamh? smoke?
  • an fhuinneog a oscailt? open the window?
  • a dhul chuig an scannán anocht? go to the film tonight?

GIVING AND REFUSING PERMISSION

Thig. You may.
Thig, cinnte. You may indeed.
Ní thig. You may not.

If you want to add emphasis to this and say a very definite 'no' you can use leat, or libh if your addressing more than one person.
Ní thig leat! You may not!

Pay special attention to word order in the phrases you've learnt so far in this unit. In some instances it differs from English.
[An dtig liom] [an fhuinneog] [a oscailt?] [May I] [the window] [open?]

ASKING FOR FAVOURS AND MAKING REQUESTS

In units 9 and 19 you learnt how to ask children and friends to do various things, such as to open a door or to hurry up. Let's look at more polite ways of asking for favours and making requests.
An dtiocfadh leat ... Could you ...
  • an doras a dhruid? close the door?
  • scairtigh ar Bríd? call Bríd?
  • an litir seo a chur sa phost domh? post this letter for me?
  • na soithí a ní? wash the dishes?

MORE POLITE FORMS

Ar mhiste leat... Would you mind ...
  • páipéar nuachta a fháil domh? getting a paper for me?
  • an chistin a ghlanadh? cleaning the kitchen?
  • cuidiú liom an tábla seo a bhogadh? helping me to move this table?

ASKING TO SEE OR SPEAK TO SOMEONE

An dtig liom labhairt le ...? May I speak to ...?
An dtig liom labhairt le Séamas? May I speak to Séamas?
An dtig liom labhairt le an bhainisteoir? May I speak to the manager?
An dtig liom ... a fheiceáil? May I see ...?
An dtig liom an dochtúir a fheiceáil? May I see the doctor?

Again you can say Thig or Ní thig in answer to these questions.

GIVING SOMEONE A REASON WHY THEY CAN'T SEE OR SPEAK TO SOMEONE

Tá sé/sí ... He/She is ...
  • as baile. away.
  • ar shiúl go dtí an banc. gone to the bank.
Níl sé/sí ... He/She isn't ...
  • san oifig. in the office.
  • anseo faoi láthair. here at the moment.
  • ag obair inniú. at work today.


24: Exchanging news



Chapter 24 Audio File as MP3

Information Text from the Workbook

ASKING SOMEONE IF THEY HAVE ANY NEWS

An bhfuil nuacht ar bith agat? Have you any news?

Here is a common response:
Muise, níl. Indeed I haven't.

ASKING SOMEONE IF THERE'S ANYTHING HAPPENING

An bhfuil an dhath ag dhul? Is there anything happening?
Ní mórán. Not much.

TELLING GOOD NEWS

Fuair m'fhear céile post úr. My husband got a new job.
Cheannaigh mé carr úr Dé Luain. I bought a new car on Monday.
Bhí leanbh ag Bríd arú aréir. Bríd had a baby the night before last.

REACTING TO GOOD NEWS

Sin dea-scéala! That's good news!
Tá lúcháir orm sin a chloisteáil. I'm glad to hear that.
Is maith sin. That's good.
Comhghairdeachas! Congratulations!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS IN THE PAST

We've already looked at how the past tense is formed. We'll now turn our attention to asking and answering questions in that tense.

REGULAR VERBS
With regular verbs, you place Ar before the past tense form:
Cheannaigh mé ... I bought ...
Ar cheannaigh tú ...? Did you buy ...?
Cheannaigh. / Níor cheannaigh. I did (buy). / I didn't (buy).
Ar bhuail tú le Laura? Did you meet Laura?
Bhuail. / Níor bhuail. I did (meet). / I didn't (meet).

IRREGULAR VERBS
These are commonly used verbs, so it's worth learning the correct forms.
An raibh tú ...? Were you ...?
Bhí. / Ní raibh.
An ndearna tú ...? Did you do/make ...?
Rinne. / Ní dhearna.
Ar chuala tú ...? Did you hear ...?
Chuala. / Níor chuala.
An bhfuair tú ...? Did you get ...?
Fuair. / Ní bhfuair.
Ar thug tú ...? Did you give ...?
Thug. / Níor thug.
An ndeachaigh tú ...? Did you go ...?
Chuaigh. / Ní dheachaigh.
Ar tháinig tú ...? Did you come ...?
Tháinig. / Níor tháinig.

An is usually not pronounced if it preceds the verb. We will be returning to the past tense in Aonad 29.

REACTING TO BAD NEWS

Sin drochscéala. That's bad news.
Tá brón orm sin a chloisteáil.
or
Tá mé buartha sin a chloisteáil. I'm sorry to hear that.


25: Location and movement part 2



Chapter 25 Audio File as MP3

Information Text from the Workbook

ASKING WHERE SOMETHING IS

You learnt the folllowing in Aonad 15:
Cá bhfuil ...? Where is ...?

Here is a longer more polite version of the question:
An bhfuil a fhios agat cá bhfuil ..?
or
An bhfuil a fhios agat cá háit a bhfuil ..? Do you know where ... is/are?

GIVING DIRECTIONS

Téigh síos an bóthar. Go down the road.
Téigh suas an tsráid. Go up the street.
Tóg an chéad tiontú ar chlé. Take the first turn on the left.
Tóg an dara tiontú ar dheis. Take the second turn on the right.
Téigh díreach ar aghaidh. Go straight on.
Téigh trasna an droichid. Go across the bridge.
Téigh síos go dtí an crosbhóthar. Go down to the crossroads.

In Irish, two words rather than one are often used to describe location:
os comhair opposite
os cionn above
ar chúl behind

Nouns coming after these are put in the genitive case:
an siopa the shop
os comhair an tsiopa opposite the shop
an leabharlann the library
ar chúl na leabharlainne behind the library

DESCRIBING LOCATION

Tá sé ansin ar thaobh na láimhe clé. It's there on the left-hand side.
Tá sé anseo ar thaobh na láimhe deise. It's here on the right-hand side.
ar an choirnéal on the corner
os comhair an chaife opposite the café
ar chúl na leabharlainne behind the library

GIVING REASONS FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP

Tá brón orm. Níl a fhios agam. I'm sorry, I don't know.
Níl barúil agam (cá bhfuil sé). I have no idea (where it is).
Ní as an cheantar seo mé. I'm not from this area.

LOCATION OR DIRECTION?

We've already come across some of the single words used in Irish to describe location:
thuas up
thíos down
thall yonder/over there
amuigh outside

The single words that describe direction can be divided into two groups:

(1)Words that describe movement away from the speaker:
Chuaigh sé ... He went ...
suas up
síos down
anonn over
amach out
isteach in

(2)Words that describe movement towards the speaker:
Tháinig sí ... She came ...
aníos up
anuas down
anall over
amach out
isteach in


When we last looked at directions, we came across the ordinal numbers an chéad (the first) and an deichiú (the tenth). Nouns beginning with a consonant (except d, n, t, l, or s) take a séimhiú after an chéad:
an chéad chrosbhóthar the first crossroads
but
an chéad tiontú the first turn

Words beginning with a consonant don't change after the numbers an dara (the second) to an deichiú (the tenth):
an dara crosbhóthar

the second crossroads

Vowels that follow an dara to an deichiú, however, are preceded by h:
an dara háit the second place
an séú háit the sixth place

CEANN
As we saw in Aonad 22, the word ceann means 'head', but in certain contexts it can also mean 'one'.
an chéad cheann ar chlé the first one on the left

DÁTAÍ DATES
The ordinal numbers are also used when talking about dates.

an chéad lá de mhí Eanáir the first of January
(Literally the first day of the month of January)

Here is a complete list of the months of the year:
Eanaír January
Feabhra February
Márta March
Aibreán April
Bealtaine May
Meitheamh June
Iúil July
Lúnasa August
Meán Fómhair September
Deireadh Fómhair October
Samhain November
Nollaig* December

*The word Nollaig also means 'Christmas'.

The months in Irish are usualy preceded by the word (month), or by de mí (of the month) when a specific date is being mentioned:
mí Feabhra February
an ceathrú lá de mhí feabhra the fourth of February

This shorter version is also acceptable but it is less widely used:
an ceathrú lá d'fheabhra the fourth of February
an chéad lá d'Aibreán the first of April

Note how the following months change slightly after the word (month), or de mí:
An tríú lá de mhí an Mhárta
An ceathrú lá de mhí an Aibreáin
An cúigiú lá de mhí na Bealtaine
An séú lá de mhí an Mheithimh
An seachtú lá de mhí an Mheán Fómhair
An t-ochtú lá de mhí an Dheireadh Fómhair
An naoú lá de mhí na Samhna
An deichiú lá de mhí na Nollag


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