Useful links

[English below]

Fàilte gu snàth cabadaich na seachdaine

Tha an snàth seo do dhuine sam bith a tha airson cabadaich mu chàil sam bith sa Gàidhlig gun snàth ùr a thòiseachadh (ach faodaidh tu ma thogras tu).

• Feumaidh tu post ann an Gàidhlig (gu susbainteach co-dhiù, tha beagan suidseadh còd nàdarra obviously taghta)
• Faodaidh tu cabadaich mu chàil sam bith a thogras tu.
• Na biodh iomagain ort mu dhèidhinn mhearachdan (co-dhiù do chuid fhèin, no a nì càch).
• Chan fhaodar Google Translate (no a leithid) a chleachdadh airson postadh a chruthachadh.

—

Welcome to the weekly learners' chat thread

This thread is for anyone who wants to chat about anything in Gaelic without starting a new thread (though you can if you want).

• You must post in Gaelic (substantially at least, a bit of natural code switching is fine)
• Chat about anything you like.
• Don't worry about mistakes (either yours or anyone else's)
• No using Google Translate (or any other machine translator) to create posts.

Siuthad!

I was doing a review lesson on Duolingo and one of my things was typing what I hear. I heard the computer say "An làmh ghoirt agus an ceann goirt", and that's what I typed. Later on in the review, I had another question where I had to type what I hear. I heard and typed "Tha an làmh ghoirt" (because I remembered "làmh ghoirt" from the earlier exercise), but when I hit submit, Duolingo told me I had a typo and it should have been "Tha an làmh goirt", without the lenition. Was Duolingo incorrect, or was I?

I am familiar with translating lyrics, but mostly in other languages like German, Japanese, Mandarin where often I can rely on little tricks to add or remove syllables to suit rhythms and rhymes, without significantly changing the meaning of a sentence or rendering it gramatically invalid.

I'm struggling with this in Gàidhlig, however, where my familiarity is poorer. For adding a single syllable, the main ways I've found to add a syllable (where possible) are adding a -sa or other emphatic suffix to an end of e.g. a pronoun, or inserting glè before an adjective. I would really value more ways to add a single syllable without rendering the sentence invalid or altering the meaning (too much!)

I'm also struggling with how to shorten sentences. I'm finding translation of English in Gàidhlig has a tendency to produce longer, unwieldy sentences, e.g. anywhere where you've got to use "'S e...a th'ann" produces a longer multi-syllabic sentence for even simple short sentences in English.

The only place I've found it easier to construct a shorter sentence is in the past or future tense where the verb can be monosyllabic in many cases monosyllabic rather than having to lengthen with "tha mi a ' sreap" etc.

Can anyone help with any general tips or tricks for adding or removing single syllables to/from sentences in Gàidhlig? All help very gratefully received!

Feasgar math a h-uile!

I've been going over prepositional pronouns, and there's an example from LearnGaelic.scot that's confusing me a bit.

One of their examples for "le" is "thàinig caraid leam", or "a friend came with me". Why don't they use "còmhla ri" here instead, since we're talking about a person accompanying you? For example, "thàinig caraid còmhla rium"? Or is it a case where both might be acceptable here?

Mòran taing!

Yeah, chan eil seo an cuspair seo glè thoilichte ach ciamar ag ràdh seo? "Not even god knows why I lived this long.!"

Brevity is the secret here ( they charge by the letter :) :) :) ) Chan eil mi airson mo theaghlach bochd a dèanamh :)

Is toil leam an facal 'sneapagan' , chan eil is agam carson.

One of the Christmas presents to my wonderful boyfriend is a new wallet (cliche I know but his is literally held together with duct tape) and I found someone who can engrave a message on this inside. He's a proud Scot (non-gaelic speaking as he was just born there) but I want to commemorate his heritage with an old proverb or message that's special. I'm thinking something that is somewhat inspirational, maybe a blessing of some kind, or maybe even one that has something to do about love or wealth. Here's my leading contenders but if you have a favorite any more that you think would fit please comment!

-Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl

The world may come to an end, but love and music will last forever

-Chan eil tuil air nach tig traoghadh

There isn't a flood which will not subside

-Mu tha thu airson a bhith buan, na teid eadar an té ruadh agus a' chreag

If you want to live a life that is long, don't die

-I also like this one but can not find a translation

May there always be work for your hands to do. May your purse always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine upon your window pane

I'm in the early process of learning Gàidhlig, so please bear with me.

One door, two doors, three doors translates to aon doras, dà dhoras, trì dorsan. (According to Duolingo).

The difference between singular and plural makes total sence to me, i. e. aon doras, dà dhoras, since it's the rule in all other languages I know.

My questions:

• How come it's "trì dorsan" rather than "trì dhoras"?

• If I keep counting will it be "ceithir dorsan", "deich dorsan", "mile dorsan" and so forth?

(Perhaps the rule is three and up is many doors, and hence has same ending i.e "moran dorsan"?)

• Is this logic applicable for all nouns or just some?

Thank you in advance for any help given!

(Also, I'm not native English, so sorry for any mistakes I've might have made.)

I can see it means something like "to go to your/one's [sgeimhil]", but I'm having trouble finding out anything more about that final word.

It looks like it could be a genitive - original form 'sgeimheal'? This page suggests sgeimheal means 'skirmishing party'. Could that be the translation, or does anyone know different? Tapadh leibh!

I need your help!!!

I am conducting on experiment on some elements of Scottish Gaelic grammar and I have prepared a short experiment. I need native speakers to answer it, and I am having a short time finding them (I have contacts, but I am from Barcelona). It is very short, and they just have to read some sentences and rate how good they sound to them.

If you know native Gaelic speakers, please send the survey to them. If you yourself are one, please answer it. I am starting to get a bit worried because I have a deadline approaching.

Here is a short introductory text and the link to it:

Halò!
Tha sinn a’ sgrùdadh diofar rudan ceangailte ri gràmar na Gàidhlig, agus feumaidh sinn luchd-labhairt dùthchasach na Gàidhlig airson an deuchainn seo a dhèanamh. Bheir e nas lugha na 10 mionaidean dhuibh agus tha e gu tur gun urra. Cuidichidh ur com-pàirteachadh sinn gu mòr!
https://forms.gle/5EQYPzaSxsPUEzCQ6

Thank yous again!!!

Learning Gaelic on Duolingo or SpeakGaelic, or elsewhere? Or maybe you're thinking about it?

If you've got any quick language learning questions, stick them below and the community can try to help you.

NB: You can always start a separate post if you want – that might be better for more involved questions.

I've been doing some research on this saying and trying to figure out the origin of it. I'm also wondering if it is connected to the right to roam laws in Scotland. Anyone know anything about the origin or use of this saying? I've been it translated as "A fish from the river, a stick from the wood, And a deer from the mountain,Actions no Gael was at any time ashamed of."

Thanks!

Does anybody know the most common term in usage? The dictionary gives various options, but I am looking for the one that is actually in regular usage...

Many thanks!

For those who are thinking about it, I know I was.

WIll be there on Weds evening and was wondering if there were any Gaelic leaning pubs/bars where Gaelic speakers tend to congregate. Anyone know?

Shin thu!

I was wondering if anyone knows of any classes or in-person meet up for learning Gaidhlig in Aberdeen (preferably suitable for beginners). I’ve already searched the council website for the local club and they seem to be inactive (last post was 8 years ago and no responses to my emails). Anyone from around here have any suggestions?

Hi guys,

I was just wondering, the Learn Gaelic Dictionary gives "athar-céile" as the Genitive of "athair-céile"; but shouldn't it be "athar-chéile"? "athar-céile" seems to conflict with the grammar rules of lenition that I have learnt.

[English below]

Fàilte gu snàth cabadaich na seachdaine

Tha an snàth seo do dhuine sam bith a tha airson cabadaich mu chàil sam bith sa Gàidhlig gun snàth ùr a thòiseachadh (ach faodaidh tu ma thogras tu).

• Feumaidh tu post ann an Gàidhlig (gu susbainteach co-dhiù, tha beagan suidseadh còd nàdarra obviously taghta)
• Faodaidh tu cabadaich mu chàil sam bith a thogras tu.
• Na biodh iomagain ort mu dhèidhinn mhearachdan (co-dhiù do chuid fhèin, no a nì càch).
• Chan fhaodar Google Translate (no a leithid) a chleachdadh airson postadh a chruthachadh.

—

Welcome to the weekly learners' chat thread

This thread is for anyone who wants to chat about anything in Gaelic without starting a new thread (though you can if you want).

• You must post in Gaelic (substantially at least, a bit of natural code switching is fine)
• Chat about anything you like.
• Don't worry about mistakes (either yours or anyone else's)
• No using Google Translate (or any other machine translator) to create posts.

Siuthad!

are ‘gach’ and ‘a h-uile’ interchangeable or do they both strictly mean ‘every’ and ‘each’ respectively? Does it matter

I’m on Section 2, Unit 12, “Go to a restaurant” on duolingo, and I’ve just encountered the word “srùbag” which translates as “a cup of tea.” I remember learning the phrase “cupa tì” from Speaking our Language. What’s the difference between the two?

The dictionary gives two options: "obair-lann" as well as "deuchainn-lann". Which one is the most commonly used, for instance by institutions such as Sabhail Mór Ostaig?

So ive been studying gaelic for about 10 weeks now on a pretty intensive course at my university. One thing that i am really keen to get to grips with is verbs because i understand that they all have different forms for positive negative and questions.

So far i haven't really found any resources online that would be a good place to learn about this part of gaelic grammar. Any help or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated :)

Among the other issues with Duolingo, they, for some reason, think it is very important to have three different spellings of Joseph (Eòsaph, Eòsaiph, and Eòseph).

Does this actually matter to learning the language? Because it is a little maddening when doing the listening lessons and I get the notification that I have a "typo" when I don't add an "I" when IT SOUNDS THE EXACT SAME.

Hello guys, I hope you are well today. I come to you because you are more reliable than the translator. Could you help me translate this phrase correctly?: "When I don't who I am, I serve you. When I know who I am, I am you." I hope it's not too forward of me :(

Hello guys, I hope you are well today. I come to you because you are more reliable than the translator. Could you help me translate this phrase correctly?: "When I don't who I am, I serve you. When I know who I am, I am you." I hope it's not too forward of me 😦

Edit: Someone told me that the correct translation would be: "nuair nach eil fios agam cò th' annam, bidh mi gad fhrithealadh. nuair a bhios fios agam cò th' annam, is mise tusa" is that correct?

Halò. I started using Duolingo to learn Gaelic this past month but I was wondering if anyone had a good resource on learning how pronounce Gaelic properly since Duolingo doesn't really teach that. Taing.

Hi there!

I was wondering if any Gaelic speakers could give me some advice on the term 'Aonachas'. I have seen some people (namely Wikipedia) say this is a term for Scottish Unionism, but (based on my quite limited knowledge of Gaelic) don't fully believe this. If anybody could give me some insight, that would be great, thank you!

Learning Gaelic on Duolingo or SpeakGaelic, or elsewhere? Or maybe you're thinking about it?

If you've got any quick language learning questions, stick them below and the community can try to help you.

NB: You can always start a separate post if you want – that might be better for more involved questions.

I've been trying to determine what would be the anglicized toponym for Abhainn Uaine (Green River). It seems like it would be common over time for it to have developed into a singular name, but I have no idea how to figure out what the result would be. Any help would really appreciated. Thanks

Aithris-àichidh: Bidh e a' dol a bhith teacsa fada! Gabh mo leigeul air, a chàirdean!

Mar a thuirt mi roimhe san fo-reddit seo, tha mi air a bhith a’ dèanamh mapan dà-chànanach de sgìrean Ghlaschu is Dhùn Èideann, sa Bheurla is Ghàidhlig airson pròiseact beag agam…

Ri na rannsachaidhean agam, thog a dhà no trì rudan m’ aire agus chan eil fhios agam dè a’ smaoineachadh orra:

• A' chiad phuing:

Dh’ionnsaich mi nach atharraich buadhairean nuair a leannas iad ainmearan fireann agus sèimhichidh iad le ainmearan boireann a-mhàin. Ma tha mi a’ tuigsinn an riaghailt seo gu ceart, ´s urrain dhomh ainmean àite a chleachdach air an achd ceudna, sin a ràdh: Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu, far a bheil Glaschu a’ fàs Ghlaschu air sgàth ’s gur e abairt boireann a th’ ann an sgoil-ealain.

A’ leanntainn an tuigse seo, bu chòir dhomh Caisteal Dùn Èideann airson Edinburgh Castle a sgrìobhadh oir tha am facal caisteal fireann, nach bù chòir? Ge-tà, chì mi gu tric tùsan leithid LearnGaelic, Openstreetmap no Uicipeid (is feadhainn eile) a’ cleachdadh na clàran-ainmeir sèimhichte, fiu ‘s an dèidh ainmeiran fhireinn, mar ‘s urrain dhaibh fhaicinn an seo no an sin.

Tha seo a’ faighinn uaireannan caran troimhe-chèile dhomh, mar eisimpleir nuair a sgrìobhas iad Oilthigh Ghlaschu ach Oilthigh Cailleannach Ghlaschu (nach e facal fireann a th’ ann oilthigh cuideachd ?)

Nach bu chòir Oilthigh Glaschu is Oilthigh Cailleannach Glaschu (no Oilthigh Ghlaschu is Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu) a bhith?

Carson a tha seo? A bheil mise a’ call rudeigin? Am bu chòir ainmearan sònrachaidh daonnan a’ seimheachadh, ge be dè gnè ghràmarach a tha na faclan roimhpa?

• An dàrna phuing agam a-nis:

Nuair a tha mi ag iarraidh ainmean Beurla mar Gogarburn Golf Course sa Ghàidhlig eadar-theangachadh mar eisimpleir, chan eil mise cinnteach co-dhiù bu chòir dhomh Raon-goilf Allt Gogar no Raon-goilf an Uillt Goga(i)r?

Dè ur beachd? Am bu chòir an tuiseal ainmneach no ginideach a chleachdach? Eadar dà sgeul, tha mi a’ faireachdainn nach robh an tuiseal ginideach cleachte daonnan gu cunbhalach trasna tùsan dìofraichte; mar eisimpleir, carson a tha Ainmean-àite na h-Alba a’ feuchainn Crois an Naoimh Seòras airson St Georges Cross? Carson nach Crois an Naoimh Seòrais?

Eisimpleir eile: eadar-theangachas LearnGaelic Queen Street mar Sràid na Banrighinn ach The Queen’s Institute mar Institiud na Banrighe

• Aon rud dheireannach air tùs na h-ainmean Gàidhlig is eadar-theangachadh leis a’ Bheurla:

Ciamar a tha thu a’ faireachdainn mun t-eadar-theangachadh airson ainmean leithid Cowcaddens mar Coille Chailltean no Ibrox mar Àth Bruic ?

Nach bi sin a’ fuaimneachadh caran fuadain ("fake" if you will), even tough i guess these English names were Gaelic names in the first place but kind of got butchered into words that would mimic English phonology...

Uill, tha fios agam, ‘s e mòran a th’ ann ach bidh mi glè mholta air ur cuideachadh leis na puingean sin sam bith! Bu toil leam na rudan cho furasta ‘s a ghabhas a cùmail ged tha ceart is co-sheasmhach leis a’ ghràmar cuideachd

‘S e neach-ionnsachaidh a th’ annam fhathast, so , tha mi an dòchas nach eil mo ghàidhlig cus briste! Seo an teacsa as fhaide a sgrìobh mi sa Gàidhlig, is cinnteach!

Feel free to correct me about anything here ;)

Guma slàn dhaibh uile is suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig a chàirdean !