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Gaidhlig agus Gaeilge

(Common greetings/sayings in Gaelic)

GAELIC Language Bulletin Board

Rabhadh: teachtaireacht fhada!



   T Dia duit                             (Lit. God to you)
  Dia is Muire duit                   (Lit. God and Mary to you)

  Go mbeannai/ Dia duit                 May God bless you.
  Go mbeannai/ Dia is Muire duit    May God and Mary bless you.

  Bail o/ Dhia ort                        The blessing of God on you.
  Bail o/ Dhia is Muire duit        The blessing of God and Mary on you.

  Go raibh maith agat                Thanks (Lit. May there be good at you).
  Go dtaga do ri/ocht                  May thy kingdom come.
  Na/r laga Dia do la/mh             May God not weaken your hand.
  Gura sla/n an sce/alai/             May the bearer of the news be safe.
  Gurab amhlaidh duit                The same to you.
  Ta/ fa/ilte romhat                     You are welcome.

  Cad e/ (Goide/) mar ta/ tu/?       How are you? (Ti/r Chonaill)
  Ce/n chaoi 'bhfuil tu/?                How are you  (Connacht)
  Conas ata/ tu?                           How are you? (Mumhan)

  Ta/ me/ go maith                        I'm doing well.

  An bhfuil aon rud u/r ag dul?      What's new?
  Aon sce/al 'ad?                           What's new? (Connacht)

  Sla/n leat                          Good Bye (said to one going).
  Sla/n agat                         Good Bye (said to one remaining).

  Sla/inte chugat                     Good health to you.
  Gabhaim pardu/n agat         beg your pardon.
  Gabh mo leithsce/al             Pardon me (Lit. Accept my excuse).
  Ma/s e/ do thoil e/                If you please.
  Le do thoil                            Please
  Saol fada chugat                  Long life to you.

For the following greetings Gurab amhlaidh duit is a common answer:
  Oi/che mhaith duit                   Good night.
  Codladh sa/mh duit                 A pleasant sleep.
  Nollaig shona duit                    Happy Christmas.
  Nollaig faoi she/an is faoi        A prosperous and pleasant
   mhaise duit                             Christmas.
  Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit       A prosperous New Year.

Terms of Endearment
 a ghra/
 a ru/n
 a sto/r
 a thaisce
 a chroi/
 a chuisle
     my dear darling/love/treasure
 muirni/n
 leanna/n
 ce/adsearc
     sweetheart
 a ghra/ mo chroi/
     love of my heart!
Curses
 Imeacht gan teacht ort
      May you leave without returning.
 Titim gan e/iri/ ort
      May you fall without rising.
 Fa/n fada ort
      Long travels to you.
 Go n-ithe an cat thu/ is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat
      May the cat eat you, and may the cat be eaten by the devil.

Faclair

Here is a short list of vocabulary words to enable us to construct
some simple sentences.

sgìth tired
fluich wet
teth hot
fuar cold
tinn sick
tioram dry
luath swift
dubh black
bàn fair, white
mór big, great
beag small, little
agus and
ach but
cù m. dog
cat m. cat
teine m. fire
dorus m. door
taigh m. house
falt m. hair

Here are three comparisons in English/Ga\idhlig/Gaeilge:

        English         Ga\idhlig       Gaeilge
        -------         ---------       -------
        I am            Tha mi          Ta/ me/
        You are         Tha thu         Ta/ tu/
        He (or it) is   Tha e           Ta/ se/
        She (or it) is  Tha i           Ta/ si/
        We are          Tha sinn        Ta/ muid
				        (or Ta/imid) (or Ta/ sinn)
        You are         Tha sibh        Ta/ sibh
        They are        Tha iad         Ta/ siad

        I am not        Chan eil mi     Ni/l me/
        Are you?        A' bheil thu?   An bhfuil tu/?
        Aren't you?     Nach eil thu?   Nach bhfuil tu/?
        I am (habitual) Bi mi           Bi/m
        You are (hab.)  Bi thu          Bi/onn se/

        I will be       Bi mi           Beidh me/
        I won't be      Cha bhi mi      Ni/ bheidh me/
        Will you be?    Am bi thu?      An mbeidh tu/?
        Won't you be?   Nach bi thu?    Nach mbeidh tu/?

        I was           Bha mi          Bhi/ me/
        I was not       Cha robh mi     Ni/ raibh me/
        Were you?       An robh thu?    An raibh tu/?
        Weren't you?    Nach robh thu?  Nach raibh tu/?

        I would be      Bhithinn        Bheinn
        You would be    Bhiodh tu       Bheadh tu/

        I am drinking   Tha mi ag ol    Ta/ me/ ag o/l
        I drink (hab.)  Bi mi ag ol     O/laim

        I am going      Tha mi ag dol   Ta/ me/ ag dul
        I go (hab.)     Bi mi a' dol    Te/im
        You go (hab.)   Bi thu a' dol   Te/ann tu/

Impossible looking combinations of consonants at the beginning of Irish Gaelic words ("eclipsis" - eg "mb", "gc", "nd", "bhf", "bp", "dt") strike terror in Scottish Gaelic speakers, but they are really very simple. They just mean that the preceding word historically used to end in an 'n' or 'm', which often survives in the Scottish Gaelic spelling, but in Irish Gaelic only only survives as a modified pronounciation of the first letter of the following word. To get at the basic dictionary headword, just strip of the initial consonant. e.g.:

Latha nam paistean             La/ na bpa/isti/  (look up "pa/iste")
Tha fhios agam gum bi e ann    Ta/ fhios agam gu mbeidh se/ ann
Pairc nan caoraich             Pa/irc na gcaorach  (look up "caorach")
nam biodh airgead agam         da/ mbeadh airgead agam

The spelling revision in Irish Gaelic about 40 years ago did away with a lot of letters in the middle or at the ends of words which were no longer pronounced. They may or may not be still pronounced in Scottish Gaelic. e.g.
              saoghal             saol
              ceartachadh         ceartu/

If you can't find an Irish Gaelic word in a Scottish Gaelic dictionary, try changing unvoiced consonants (c p t) to the corresponding voiced consonant (g b d) (which may actually be pronounced unvoiced in Scottish Gaelic too), and try changing unstressed 'a' or 'o' to 'u', e.g.:

              sgian               scian
              sgoil               scoil
              uisge               uisce
              agad                agat
              comunn              comann
              gu                  go


Here is a list of equivalent words in phrases in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, in no particular order, which I made years ago.

   Gaidhlig                                Gaeilge
   --------                                -------

   cuideachd                            (  freisin
                                        (
                                        (  fosta

 # idir                                  * ar chor ar bith

   eadar                                 # idir

   gun teagamh                           * gan amhras
                                              /
   breagha                                 brea
     \
   gle mhath                               an-mhaith
                                            / /
   latha air ais   )                       la o shin
                   )
   bho chionn latha)
                                            /
   cha bhi                              (  ni bheidh
                                        (   /   /
                                        (  ni bhionn

   barrachd air                            breis agus
                                              /
   coltach ri                              cosuil le (* cosmhail)

   bruidhinn                             * labhairt

   gu tric                               * go minic
                                                 /
   mar is trice                            de ghnath

   ann an greiseag    )                  * ar ball
          \           )
   ann an uine goiread)
     \
 - sgith                                 # tuirseach
                                             /
 # tuirseach                             * bronach
                                             /
   program (reideo)                      # clar (raidio)
     \                                      /   /
 # clar                                    ceirnin

 * fear-teagaisg)                          muinteoir
                )
 * bean-teagaisg)
    \                                       / /
   bardachd                                filiocht

   oilthigh                                ollscoil

   clas                                    rang
    \    \                                  /   /   /
   co-dhiu                              (  pe sceal e
                                        (     /
                                        (  cibe ar bith

   cabhag                                  deifir

   difir            )                      difri/ocht
                    )
   eadar-dhealachadh)

 - eachdraigh                              stair
    \
   canan                                  - teanga
   \
   ni mi an obair                           deanfaidh me/ an obair

   ar falbh                               ( imithe
                                          (      /
                                          ( ar shiul
                                             /
 * cearr                                    mi-cheart

 * fuireach                               ( fanacht
                                          (
                                          ( feitheamh
                                                /
   ri faighinn                              le fail

   snoc                                     seascair(?)

   caidil                                   codladh
                                                   /
   coinneamh                                cruinniu
                                                       /
   feumaidh tu                             caithfidh tu
                                            /
   boidheach                              * alainn

 * a' tuigsinn                              ag tuiscint
        \
   an drasda                                faoi la/thair

 * cu                                    (  madra
                                         (
                                         (  madadh

   a' tighinn                             * ag teacht
                                             /
   fhathast                              (  fos
                                         (      /
                                         (  go foill

   a' coimhead                            * ag fe/achaint
                                             /
   na's fhasa                               nios fusa

   cudthromach                              ta/bhachtach

   ag ionnsachadh                           ag foghlaim
                                             /
   chan eil                                 nil

   faisg air                                in aice le
                                                 /
   neo air thaing nach ... (?)              ar ndoigh ...

   is toigh leum)                           is maith liom
                )
   is caomh leum)
                                                 /
   faodaidh  )                               b'fheidir
             )
   ma fhaoite)
             )
   smaoit    )
                                              /
   toilichte                                 sasta
     \             /                          /            /
   deonach rud a dheanamh                    sasta rud a dheanamh
                                                 /  /
   daonnan                                 * i gconai
     \
   neonach                                   aisteach

   taobh-duilleag                            leathanach
                         \                                   \
   duine aig a bheil a' Gaidhlig             duine a bhfuil Gaidhlig aige

   mus an robh                               sula raibh
                                                   /
   piuthar                                   deirfiur
     \                                             /
   brathair                                  dearthair
            \                                 /
   rud no dha                                cupla rud
                                               /   /
   feasgar                                   trathnona
                                              /   /
   tha mi duilich                            ta bron orm
                                                        /
   thachair rudeigin                         tharla rud eigin
                                                   /
   thachair mi ris                           chas se orm
    /                                              /      /
   de a tha a' tachairt?                     cad ata ar siul
        \
   air sailleabh                             de bharr

   chionn's                                  cionn is

 * baile                                     cathair

   sabaid                                  * troid

   siorrachd                                 contae
    \                                         \
 * duthaich                               (  tir
                                          (
                                          (  tuath
    \
   maileid                                   mala

   rud sam bith                              rud ar bith
                                                / /
   deuchainn                                 scrudu
                                              /  /
   tha mi an seo bho chionn bliadhna         ta me anseo le bliain
                                                 /   /
   bho chionn goirid                         le deanai
    \
(  te  (boirionn)                         (  te  (duine)
(                                         (
(  fear  (firionn)                        (  ceann  (rud)
                                               /
   trang                                     gnothach
     \          \                                           /
 - crioch  (na duthcha)                      teorainn  (na tire)
      \
   gu ire                                    ar shli/
                                              /
   meadhon a' bhaile                         lar an bhaile

   feadhain                                * daoine

   mu          )                             faoi
        \      )
   mu dheidhinn)

   ann an                                    i, in

   anns an                                   sa

   boireanach                              - bean
                                                    /
 - bean                                    * bean cheile
                                                     /
 # Gaidhealtachd (na h-Alba)                 Garbhchrioch

   na h-Eileanan an-Iar                      Inse Gall

   dhachaigh                                 abhaile
                                              /
   cha robh dad ann )                        ni raibh dada ann)
                    )                         /               )
   cha robh call ann)                        ni raibh faic ann)
             \      )
   cha robh sian ann)

   cus obrach                                an iomarca oibre
                                              /
   chan eil fhios ...                        ni fheadar ...

   cuspair scoile                            a/bhar scoile
                                                  /
   an toiseach                               ar dtus

Symbols
-------
* : exists in other language
# : exists in other language, but with a different meaning
- : exists in other language, but not common, or not common
with same meaning

stobhaim=stew
cois tine=fireside
cla'irseach=harp
cla'irseoir=harpist
bord=table
cru'sca=jug
cu'=hound
ara'n=bread
claiomh=sword
feoil=meat
taoiseach=chief
gaiscioch=warriors
seanchai=storyteller
crann=tree
tuatha'nach=peasant
deatach=smoke
carraig=rock
talamh-ground
ceann=head


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The Indigenous Peoples' Literature pages were researched and organized by Glenn Welker.