Scottish Gaelic basics
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Gaelic is a wonderful language, but don't expect it to be like learning other languages, as it is very distinct from many of the commonly studied languages. One of the most noticeable differences is in word order. Whereas in English, we always begin a statement by stating the subject, or the one performing the action, Gaelic always begins the sentence with the verb, the action being performed. This may sound odd at first, as this is how questions are formed in English.
Let's start with an example conversation. Background: Iain MacLeoid is introducing himself to an elderly gentlemen; Seumas Greum.
Iain: Là math dhuibh. Is mise Iain MacLeoid. Dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh?
Seumas: Là math. Is mise Seumas Greum.
Iain: Tha mi toilichte ur coinneachadh a Sheumais. Ciamar a tha sibh?
Seumas: Tha mi gu math, tapadh leat. Ciamar a tha thu fhèin?
Iain: Glè mhath, tapadh leibh.
Now the translation:
Iain: Good day to you. I'm Iain MacLeoid. What's your name?
Seumas: Good day. I'm Seumas Greum.
Iain: I'm happy to meat you, Seumas. How are you?
Seumas: I'm well, thank you. How are you (yourself)?
Iain: Very good, thank you.
A few key phrases and points to remember. Greetings: There are many ways of greeting people in Gaelic. Iain said to Seumas: "Là math dhuibh." which means, "Good day to you."
Here are some other greetings.
| Gaelic | English |
|---|---|
| Hallò | Hello |
| Madainn mhath | Good morning |
| Feasgar math | Good evening/afternoon |
Gaelic has two ways of addressing a person. One way is used informally, with friends or people younger than you are. The other is more formal, used when addressing people you don't know, the elderly, or people to whom you should show respect.
When Iain wanted to ask how Seumas was, he said "Ciamar a tha sibh?" because he was addressing an older person. Someone whom he should respect. Whereas Seumas, when he inquired the same of Iain, said "Ciamar a tha thu...?" because he was addressing a younger person. This differentiation of formal and informal "you" is shown in many other expressions.
Iain used an idiomatic way of asking someone his name. The phrase "Dè an t-ainm a tha oirbh?" literally means "What is the name that is on you?" this sounds odd to English ears, but in Gaelic it is quite correct. The form that Iain used was the formal, or sibh form. The informal, or thu form, would be "Dè an t-ainm a tha ort?". If you ever have any doubts as to which form to use, your best bet is to go with the sibh form.
Another useful expression from the dialogue is "Tha mi toilichte ur coinneachadh." This means "I am happy to meet you." This is the sibh form. The thu form is "Tha mi toilichte do choinneachadh."
Did you notice when Iain addressed Seumas by name, his (Seumas') name changed a little bit. That's because in Gaelic, when you want to address a person by his or her name, you must put the name in the "vocative" case. Here's how you do it, it's rather simple.
Male names:
Lenite the first consonant. This simply means to insert an H right after the initial consonant. That's why Seumas became "Sheumais". If the name begins with a vowel, an N, R, L, or an H, you need not lenite the word in writing, although pronunciation of N, R, and L are affected.
Slenderize. This means you add an I before the final consonant to make it slender. If final consonant is already slender, you don't have to worry about it.
Female names:
The same as male names, only you don't have to slenderize.
In both cases, Male or Female, the name is preceeded by the word "a."
