Vocabulary

seacht gcarr (shahk*t gahr), seven autos

ocht gcarr (ohk*t gahr), eight autos

naoi gcarr (nee gahr), nine autos

deich gcarr (de gahr), ten autos

snámh, ag snámh (snaw*v, uh SNAW*V), swim

pós, ag pósadh (pohs, uh POHS-uh), marry

clis, ag cliseadh (klish, uh KLISH-uh), fail

érigh, agéirí(EYE-ree, eg EYE-ree), rise, get up

Drill

To improve your fluency with the present habitual tense and with aspiration and eclipses of initial "d" and "f", go through these four progressive drills:

An ndíolaim nuachtáin? (un NEE-lim NOO-uhk*-taw*-in) Do I sell newspapers? Nídhíolaim nuachtáin (nee YEE-lim NOO-uhk*-taw*-in). Díolann tú(DEE-luhn too) nuachtáin. An ndíolann túnuachtáin? Nídhíolann túnuachtáin, etc. The last sentence is: Díolaim nuachtáin.

An ndúnaim na fuinneoga? (un NOON-im nuh fwin-YOHG-uh) Do I close the windows? Nídhúnaim (nee GOON-im) na fuinneoga. Dúnann tú(DOON-uhn too) na fuinneoga, etc. Last sentence: Dúnaim na fuinneoga.

An bhfillim abhaile ar a séa chlog? (un VILL-im uh-VWAHL-e er uh shay* uh k*luhg) Do I return home at six o'clock? Nífhillim abhaile (nee ILL-im uh-VWAHL-e) ar a séa chlog. Fillean tú(FILL-uhn too), etc. Last sentence: Fillim abhaile ar a séa chlog.

An bhfanaim leis an bhfearr sin? (un VAHN-im lesh un var shin) Do I wait for that man? Nífhanaim (nee AHN-im) leis an bhfearr sin. Fanann tú(FAHN-uhn too), etc. Last sentence: Fanaim leis an bhfearr sin.

Write or say the "we" form for these verbs: díolaimid (DEEL-uh-mid); dúnaimid (DOON-uh-mid); fillimid (FILL-i-mid); fanaimid (FAHN-uh-mid).

Count doors and windows from one to ten. Doras, dhádhoras, trídhoras, ... seacht ndoras, etc. Fuinneog, dháfhuinneog, trífhuinneog, ... seacht bhfuinneog, etc.

Irish Lesson 40

PRONUNCIATION EXERCISE

Read the phrases below out loud, referring to the pronunciation guide if necessary. When you can read the phrases readily, look at the translation and then go over the phrases again, visualizing the meaning as you say each.

This week we will do heavy memorizing and drilling. The purpose is the thorough learning of aspiration, eclipsis, and some verb forms.

PRONUNCIATION EXERCISE

Read the Irish phrases below out loud, referring to the pronunciation guide if necessary. When you can read the phrases readily, look at the translation and then go over the phrases again, visualizing the meaning as you say each:

trígheata; ceithre ghúna; sémhéadar; dhámhadra; cúig phingin; tríphaidir; dhásheomra; ceithre sholas; séthicéad; cúig thoitín

naoi ngrian; acht nglas; deich míle; seacht mála; ocht bpíopa; deich bpunt; seacht seál; naoi sac; deich dteach; seacht dtobar

(tree YAT-uh; KER-e GOON-uh; shay* VAY*-duhr; gaw* VWAH-druh; KOO-ig FEENG-in; tree FAHD-ir; gaw* HOHM-ruh; KER-e HUH-luhs; shay* hi-KAY*D; KOO-ig hi-TYEEN

neeng REE-uhn; ohk*t nglahs; de MEEL-e; shahk*t MAW*-luh; ohk*t BEEP-uh; de boont; shahk*t shaw*l; nee sahk; de dyahk*; shak*t DOH-buhr)

three gates; four dresses; six meters; two dogs; five cents; three prayers; two rooms; four lights; six tickets; five cigarettes

nine suns; eight locks; ten thousand; seven bags; eight pipes; seven pounds; seven shawls; nine sacks; ten houses; seven wells

GRAMMAR

You know several verbs of two syllables whose endings in some forms differ somewhat from the one-syllable verbs. "Ceannaigh" is an example: "ceannaíonn sé" (kan-EE-uhn shay*) means "he buys", and "cheannaíomar" (hyan-EE-uh-mar) means "we bought". Other verbs similar to "ceannaigh" are "imigh", "éirigh", and "deisigh".

Many verbs ending in: ----il, ----in, ----ir and ----is are similar. They naturally drop out a syllable in some forms because the omission makes them easier to pronounce. Otherwise, they are very much like "ceannaigh". Learn the following examples, starting with oscail (OH-skil) open.

Present:

osclaím (OH-skleem), I open

osclaíonn tú(oh-SKLEE-uhn too), you open

osclaíonn sé, he opens

osclaíonn sí, she opens

osclaímid (oh-SKLEE-mid), we open

osclaíonn sibh (shiv) you (pl) open

osclaíonn siad (SHEE-uhd), they open

Níosclaím, níosclaíonn tú, níosclaímid, etc.

An osclaím? An osclaíonn tú? an osclaímid? etc.

Nach n-osclaím (nahk* NOH-skleem), nach n-osclaíonn tú? etc.

Past:

d'oscail mé(DOH-skil may*), I opened

d'oscail tú, you opened

d'oscail sé, he opened

d'oscail sí, she opened

d'osclaíomar (doh-SKLEE-uh-kuhr), we opened

d/oscail sibh, you (pl) opened

d'oscail siad, they opened

Níor oscail mé, níor oscail tú, níor osclaíomar (NEE-uhr oh-SKLEE-uh--muhr) etc.

Ar oscail mé? ar oscail tú? ar osclaíomar? etc

Nár oscail mé? nár oscail tú? nár osclaíomar? etc.

cosain (KUH-sin) defend

Present:

Cosnaím (KUHS-neem), cosnaíonn tú(kuhs-NEE-uhn-too), cosnaímid (kuhs-NEE-mid), cosnaíonn sibh, etc

Níchosnaím (nee K*UHS-neem), níchosnaíonn tú, níchosnaímid (nee k*uhs-NEE-mid) etc.

An gcosnaim? etc. Nach gcosnaim? etc.

Past:

Chosain mé(K*UH-sin may*) I defend, etc. Chosnaíomar (k*uhs- NEE-uh-muhr), we defend, etc.

Níor chosain mé, níor chosain tú, níor chosnaíomar, etc.

Ar chosain mé? ar chosnaíomar? (er k*uhs-NEE-uh-muhr) etc.

Nár chosain mé? nár chosnaíomar? etc.

Labhair (LOU-ir), speak, becomes "labhraíonn sé" (lou-REE-uhn shay*), he speaks, "labhraíomar" (lou-REE-uh-muhr) we spoke. The basic form of this verb is "labhair", of course, and "labhair sé" means "he spoke".

Inis (IN-ish), tell, becomes "insíonn sé" (in-SHEE-uhn shay*), he tells, and "d'insíomar" (din-SHEE-uh-muhr), we told. The basic form of the verb is "inis", and "d'inis sé" means "he told".

For "oscail, cosain, labhair" and "inis," note the loss of the syllable in pronouncing forms with added suffixes, such as oscail, osclaíonn.

DRILL

Go through the present and past tenses of these verbs: imigh (IM-ee), depart; tochail (TOHK*-il), dig; cogain (KUHG-in), chew; bagair (BAHG-ir), threaten.

For example: Imím, imíonn túetc. Níimím, níimíonn túetc. An imím? etc. Nach n-imím? etc. D'imigh mé, etc. Níor imigh mé, etc. Ar imigh mé?, etc. Nár imigh mé?, etc.

The key forms are: Imíonn, d'imíomar. Tochlaíonn, thochlaíomar. Cognaionn, chognaíomar. Bagraíonn, bhagraíomar.