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

On these pages, we will make a valiant effort to provide you with useful words and phrases. One of our subscribers, Aideen, grew up speaking Irish at her mother's knee. She has generously agreed to help us with our lessons. We have put her comments and pronunciations in green.

Note: The spellings and pronunciations used by Aideen are based in her own natural use of Connemara Irish but they have been kept simple, so as to be readily understood in any part of Ireland 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 the Irish language, but not in the English language; it's difficult to 'reproduce' them in writing in English. 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.

So, it's late and dark. You are in a Gaeltacht in your rental car. The car has a flat tyre. You look in the boot and there is no spare. From out of the gloom comes a voice. Whatever you heard was in gaeilge and now he is asking you if you need help (but you don't know that's what he said). You studied well but you don't know many who speak Irish and you are now talking to the only non-English speaking Irishman for twenty miles. You will need the following phrases.
How we came to forget them, we can't say. To make amends we will leave them here; no matter what the latest offering may be.

Note: In case you think I am taking shortcuts with some of these, I am! These phrases would be used as very simple responses by a person who had little Irish, therefore, they would not generally use full sentences. So, 1, 3, 5 and 6 are pithy phrases which are easy to use, are 'conversationally correct' and would be immediately understood. Much better for a person to use these rather than struggling with a full grammatical sentence.

Phrase: I don't speak Irish
Irish: Níl Gaeilge agam
Pronunciation: kneel gway-il-geh ah-gum (literally 'I don't have Irish')

Phrase: I only speak a little/very little Irish
Irish: Níl ach beagán/beagáinín Gaeilge agam
Pronunciation: kneel okh bweeuh-gawn/bweeuh-gawn-een gway-il-geh ah-gum

Phrase: Please speak a little more slowly
Irish: Níos moille led thoil
Pronunciation: kneess mwell-eh ledh hell (literally 'more slowly please')

Phrase: I don't understand you
Irish: Ní thuigim thú
Pronunciation: knee hig-im hoo

Phrase: Could you say that in English please?
Irish: As Béarla led thoil?
Pronunciation: oss bayr-lah ledh hell? (literally 'in English please?)

Phrase: Could you repeat that?
Irish: Arís?
Pronunciation: ah-reesh? (literally 'again?')

Phrase: Did I say that right?
Irish: An raibh sin i gceart agam?
Pronunciation: ah row (as in cow) shin ih gih-ah-rth ah-gum?

Autumn in Ireland
The aroma of fresh-baked apple pie, the crunchy sound of leaves underfoot; a bit of a chill in the air; trees and bushes turning from green to gold, red and russet. It’s Autumn in Ireland!

Phrase: Autumn in Ireland
Irish: An Fhomhar in Éireann
Pronunciation: on oh-ahr inn ayr-unn

Word: Autumn
Irish: Fomhar 
Pronunciation: foh-ahr

Word: Colours 
Irish: dathanna 
Pronunciation: dhah-ah-nah

Word: Brilliant 
Irish: aoibheann 
Pronunciation: eev-un

Word: Tree (s) 
Irish: Crann (crainnte) 
Pronunciation: krahn (krahn-tcheh)

Word: Foliage/Leaves 
Irish: duilleogaí 
Pronunciation: dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee

Word: Apple (s) 
Irish: úll (úill) 
Pronunciation: ool (oo-ill)

Word: Season 
Irish: séisiúr 
Pronunciation: say-shoor

Word: Harvest 
Irish: fomhar  
Pronunciation: foh-ahr

Word: Rake 
Irish: réce 
Pronunciation: rake

Word: Bag (for leaves) 
Irish: mála 
Pronunciation: Imaw-lah

Word: Frost 
Irish: shíonn 
Pronunciation: sheen

Hunt (or hunting)
Irish: Sceilp
Pronunciation: shkellp

Phrase: Autumn leaves 
Irish: duilleogaí Fomhair 
Pronunciation: dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee foh-ahr

Phrase: Falling Leaves 
Irish: duilleogaí ar chasadh  
Pronunciation: dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee err khahsah
 
Phrase: Burning leaves
Irish: duilleogaí ar lasa   
Pronunciation: dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee err lah-sah
 
Phrase: Raking Leaves
Irish: duilleogaí á réceadh 
Pronunciation: dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee aw ray-kah
 
Phrase: Blaze of colour 
Irish: glasadh daithiní 
Pronunciation: gloss-ah dhah-in-ee
 
Phrase: First frost of the season 
Irish: céad shíonn an tséisúir 
Pronunciation: kaydh sheen on thay-soo-ir

Phrase: Toffee Apples 
Irish: Úill Tafaí 
Pronunciation: oo-ll tah-fee

Phrase: There’s a chill in the air.
Irish: Tá fuair beagáinín géar san aer.
Pronunciation: thaw foo-ir bee-awgn-een gayr sahn air
 
Phrase: Winter is coming.
Irish: Tá teacht ar an Gheimridh 
Pronunciation: thaw tshockt err on gheev-ree
 
Phrase: Apple Pie/Apple Tart 
Irish: ciste  (cake) úlla 
Pronunciation: kish-theh ool-ah

Phrase: It’s time to put the clocks back. 
Irish: Tá sé in am na cloigeanna a chur siar.
Pronunciation: thaw shay in om nah klig- ahn-nah ah khur sheer
 
Phrase: The children love playing in the piles of leaves.
Irish: Is breá leis na páistí bheith ag gliondar sna duilleogaí.
Pronunciation: iss brah lesh nah pawsh-thee veh egg glundahr snah dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee

Phrase: The days are getting shorter.
Irish: Tá na laethannta ag dul ar siar.
Pronunciation: thaw nah lay-han-tha egg dhull err sheer

Phrase: It gets dark much earlier now.
Irish: Tá an ghrian ag dull faoi níos luaithe anois.
Pronunciation: thaw on ghreen egg dhull fwee nees loo-yheh ah-nish

Phrase: It’s dark when I get up now.
Irish: Tá sé dorcha nuair a éirím chuile mhaidin anois.
Pronunciation: thaw shay durr-khah noo-ir ah eye-reem khuileh wadj-in ah-nish.

 
Phrase: It’s always dreary this time of year.
Irish: Tá an t-aimsear chomh ghruama an t-am seo den bhliain.
Pronunciation: thaw on thyme-sheh khoh groom-ah on tham shuh djen vleen

Phrase: Autumn is my favourite season.
Irish: Is fearr go mór liom séisiún an fhomhar.
Pronunciation: iss fahr guh mohr li-um say-shoon on oh-war
 
Phrase: Are you going to the Harvest Festival? 
Irish: Bhfuil bail ort ar fhéile an Fhomair? 
Pronunciation: will bahl urth err ay-leh an oh-ir
 
Phrase: Raking leaves is great exercise.
Irish: Cuireann réceáil duilleogaí spraoi id' chos (literally 'spring in your foot').
Pronunciation: kwirr-en ray-kawl-il dhill-oh-g (hard g) ee spree idh khuss

Phrase: I love the aroma of a fresh-baked apple pie (tart).
Irish: Is breá liom ciste úlla nua-bhácáilte a bhlas teacht as an oighean.
Pronunciation: iss brah lih-um kisteh ool-ah ah vlas tih-okth oss on eyen

Phrase: I used to love playing conkers.
Irish: Ba mhian liom chluiche cnó chapaill a imirt.
Pronunciation: bah veen lih-um cliff-eh croh khahp-il a im-irtch


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Note: This caught our eye. Yes, we know it isn't gaeilge, but it is fascinating. If nothing else, it is certainly language (and Irish language as well.)
Slanguage
by Bernard Share
...for all 'decent skins', 'crawthumpers', horse-protestants', 'hard chaws' and 'strong farmers'...a dictionary of Irish slang that's as amusing as it is informative.
Click here for Slanguage


For More Basic Irish please click here: Irish Index

Image: Gaeilge Beo from All Posters and Prints.