The Irish People is the only newspaper of its kind published in the United States. The Irish People is published 50 weeks a year since 1971. A sixteen page political weekly, The Irish People gives up-to date, uncensored information pertaining to the war in northeast Ireland. It also keeps its readers abreast of events here in the United States aimed at combating the injustices carried out by the British forces of occupation.
 

 

 

Irish Language Lessons

Irish Lesson 113

Cleachtadh tuisceana Ghaeilge labhartha (KLAK*-tuh TISH-kuh-nuh GAY*-lig-e LOU-uhr-huh); Comprehension drill for spoken Irish

Read aloud the following sentences, or have someone who is familiar with the pronunciation guide for these lessons read them to you. Read or listen to the sentences at least three times to get the sense. Then look at the key in English and, after that, the key in Irish. The verbs are the irregular ones.

nee VOO-ir may* ay*n ruhd ohn SHOHP-uh shin, ahk* k*uh-NIK MAW*-re KOOP-luh RUHD-ee uh vee uh TAS-taw*-il WU-hee le FAH-duh uh-NISH. nee AHK-uh-muhr aw*r GAH-ruh, SHEE-luh, oun. TYUHK-hee shee hig aw*r dyahk* uh-NOHK*T, AW*-fuhk*.

RAHK*-i-mish hig uh tyahk* MU-rahk* nahk* me-YUHK* oum goh lohr uh-GIN. DOO-irt NOH-ruh luhm in-YAY* go NYAY*N-huhk* shee tay* AH-guhs BAY*L-uh DOO-in tahr AY*SH tyahk*t uh-VWAHL-e DOO-in. hug shee DOO-in tay*, kyahrt goh lohr, AH-guhs DI-huh-muhr aw*r SHAY*-ruh er uh shahk*t uh k*luhg.

nee VWEYE-faw* BAY*L-uh moh-RAW*N nees fahr naw* ay shin. taw* OH-rin ruhd AY*-gin dyas uh AW*-il di NOO-ir uh HOOR-i-mid KOO-ahrt hig un K*AH-hir uh-REESH.

 

Key (Bearla): I didn't get anything from that store, but Máire saw a couple of things that she was wanting for a long time now. We didn't see our friend, Síle, there. She will come to our house tonight, however.

We would go to her house, except that we wouldn't have enough time.

Nora told me yesterday that she would make tea and a meal for us after we had come home. She gave us tea, sure enough, and we ate our supper at seven o'clock.

You wouldn't get a meal much better than that. We must get something nice for her when we visit the city again.

 

Key (Gaeilge): Ní bhfuair mé aon rud on siopa sin, ach chonaic Máire cúpla rudaí a bhí ag teastáil uaithi le fada anois. Ní fhacamar ár gcara, Síle, ann. Tiocfaidh sí chuig ár dteach anocht, áfach.

Rachaimis chuig a teach murach nach mbeadh am go leor againn. Dúirt Nóra liom inné go ndéanfadh sí tae agus béile dúinn, tar éis teacht abhaile dúinn. Thug sí dúinn tae, ceart go leor, agus d'itheamar ár séire ar a seacht a chlog.

Ní bhfaighfeá béile mórán níos fearr ná é sin. Tá orainn éigin deas a fháil di nuair a thabharfaimid cuairt chuig an chathair arís.

 

Graiméar

Indirect speech with "is" and an modh coinníollach

The equivalent of "You say that you would like a boat" is:

Deir tú gur (gur) mhaith leat bád.

For "You say that you wouldn't like a boat":

Deir tú nár (naw*r) mhaith leat bád.

Memorize these two sentences as a guide.

"Gur" and "nár", which must always be in the sentence to connect the two clauses, cause aspiration of the first consonant in the next word.

Other examples of usage:

Cloisfidh (KLISH-hee) sibh gur mhaith le Seán bheith (ve) sa bhaile; you-all will hear that Seán would like to be home.

Shílfinn (HEEL-hin) gur bhád mór é sin; I would think that that would be a large boat.

Cheap sé nár mhian leo ceann eile a cheannach; he thought that they wouldn't wish to buy another one.

 

If the word following "gur" or "nár" begins with a vowel or "f" followed by a vowel, then:

gur becomes gurbh (GU-ruhv); nár becomes nárbh (NAW*R-ruhv)

Examples of this:

Deir sé gurbh í Siobhán (shi-VAW*N) í; he says that it would be Siobhán.

Déarfainn leo nárbh é sin an bord ceart; I would tell them that that would not be the right table.

Chuala (K*OO-luh Séamas gurbh fhearr (GU-ruhv AHR) le Brian an traein luais (LOO-ish); Séamas heard that Brian would prefer the express train ("train of speed").

Síleann sí nárbh fhiú (NAW*R-uhv YOO) di clárú; she thinks it wouldn't be worth her while to register.

Sílim gurbh fhiú na bróga sin a cheannach; I think that it would be worth my while to buy those shoes.

 

The forms for this are the same as for the past tense of "is" in indirect speech. When doubt could arise whether the past tense (was) or the conditional (would) is intended, an extra clause can follow the first two. Examples:

Dúirt mé gurbh é Seán a bhí ann; I said that it was Seán who was there.

Dúirt mé gurbh é Seán é a bheadh ann; I said that it would be Seán, who would be there.

 

Cleachtadh

Dúradh gurbh fhiú do gach Meiriceánach teach a cheannach; it was said that it would be worth the while of every American to buy a house.

Nár shíl tú gurbh fhearr duit fanacht sa bhaile go dtiocfadh an dochtúir?; didn't you think it best for you to wait at home until the doctor would come?

 

Vocabulary

Cruinn (krin) is a useful adjective. Its most important meaning is "round", but it can mean "exact", too. Bord cruinn is a round table, and na boird chruinne are the round tables. Eolas cruinn is exact knowledge. "This book is more accurate than that" is: Is cruinne an leabhar seo ná an ceann sin.

Míchruinn (mee-K*RIN) and neamhchruinn (nyav-K*RIN) mean "inaccurate" and can also mean "out of round" or "not round".

Cearnach (KYAR-nahk*) is "square". Míle cearnach is "a square mile", and cúinní (KOON-yee) cearnacha are "square corners". A square in a city is a cearnóg (kyar-NOHG); an chearnóg, na cearnóige, na cearnóga; the square, of the square, the squares (2nd declension, feminine).

 


Irish Lesson 114

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