Gaeilge agus Fáilte - Welcome to Irish Ceacht 3 - Lesson 3

So far we have met Tá mé (ta may)- I am,Níl mé (Nyeel may)- I am not and An bhfuil mé? (un will may)- Am I? We can use these words referring to other people, of course: Tá Pól - Pól is, An bhfuil tú? - Are you ? etc. We also met the proverb ‘Eoghan ar meisce agus a bhean ag ól uisce’. (Owen er meshki agus a van eg oll ishki) - Eoghan drunk and his wife drinking water. We can now use parts of the proverb to build new sentences.
By Liam Uilliam Eoghain
Published 23rd May 2020, 16:34 BST
Signs in English and Irish in Bunbeg.Signs in English and Irish in Bunbeg.
Signs in English and Irish in Bunbeg.

Tá Seán ar meisce. Seán is drunk. An bhfuil tú ag ól tae? (tay) Are you drinking tea? Níl mé ag ól tae. Tá mé ag ól caife. (kafay) I am not drinking tea. I am drinking coffee.

To say ‘I am doing something’, we use ‘ag’(eg) and then add the action word. Here are some topical sentences: Tá mé ag fanacht sa bhaile. (ta may eg fanaht sa walyi) I am staying at home; Níl mé ag dul amach. (eg dul amah) I am not going out; Níl Ruairí ag dul ar scoil. (er skul) Ruairí is not going to school; An bhfuil tú ag obair sa bhaile? Are you working at home?; Níl na páistí ag dul chuig an Ghaeltacht anois.(nyeel na pwashtchee eg dul hig un gale-taht anish) The children are not going to the Gaeltacht now.

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Translate: I am drinking water. Are you drinking coffee? Áine is going to school. Peadar is working at home. I am not going to the Gaeltacht. (Tá mé ag ól uisce. An bhfuil tú ag ól caife? Tá Áine ag dul ar scoil. Tá Peadar ag obair sa bhaile. Níl mé ag dul chuig an Ghaeltacht.)

And now some more proverbs: Níl bua gan dua. (nyeel boouh gun doouh) There is no achievement without effort; Níl galar gan leigheas. (nyeel galur gun layus) There is no disease without a cure.

Níl ciall ag an ghrá. (nyeel kyeel eg un ghra) Love knows no sense; Is minic a leag cac bó fear mór láidir.(iss minik a lyag cac baw far more ladjir). It is often that a big strong man has slipped on a cowpat.- i.e. don’t be over confident, ‘Pride comes before a fall’.

More next week. Meanwhile, watch you feet!

See more:

Lesson 1: www.derryjournal.com/education/gaeilge-agus-failte-welcome-irish-lesson-1-2848172Lesson 2: www.derryjournal.com/education/gaeilge-agus-failte-welcome-irish-ceacht-2-lesson-2-2854732