GO mbeannaí Dia daoibh agus bhur gcéad fáilte isteach chuig The Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
How are yez getting on?
We’re going to continue with getting to know people, a sort of teach yourself Irish meets speed dating.
We haven’t done asking peoples’ names yet and you do that by saying Cad é an t-ainm atá ort? - What is your name? - although you can pretend you are a native speaker by saying c’ainm atá ort? - what’s your name?
You would reply with Ciara an t-ainm atá orm - My name is Ciara or Seán an t-ainm atá orm - my name is Seán.
Literally this translates as “Seán is the name that is on me” which might sound weird to your
Anglophone ears but the lovely thing about languages is that you cannot just translate it word for word. Each language, be it English, Maori, Swahili or Vietnamese, has its own way of looking at the world and this is reflected in the way they say things.
Things are “on” people a lot in Irish as we have seen about names it is important to learn what are romantically called Prepositional Pronouns, ie on me, on you, on him etc.
So here goes: orm - on me; ort - on you; air - on him; uirthi - on her; orainn - on us; oraibh - on you (pl) and orthu - on them.
There is a pattern to prepositional pronouns which we will pick up as we go along. But what about some examples, I hear you cry.
You can change c’ainm atá ort? to c’ainm atá uirthi? - what is her name?
Now there are lots of other things that are “on” people and not just names.
Most feelings and emotions fall into this category so you would say tá eagla orm - I am afraid or tá áthas air - he is happy or tá brón orainn - we are sorry.
You can already see who you can take a group of words (tá/níl/an bhfuil) then some emotion words and then add the prepositional pronouns and you already have a lot of sentences you can use.
Illnesses are also on you so tá slaghdán orm - I have a cold or an bhfuil déideadh ort? - do you have a toothache?
Instead of orm, ort words you can put in ar and then someone’s name as in tá tinneas cinn ar Aoife - Aoife has a headache. When you use ar before some of the consonants at the start of a name, they change so you would say tá imní ar Bhreandán - Brendan is anxious, for example, or níl uaigneas ar Mháire - Mary isn’t lonely.
So now you can introduce yourselves, tell people who you are, ask their names, and describe how you are feeling at the time.
You can ask people how they are, if they are not feeling well, what is wrong with them so already you are onto a winner on this speed dating as Gaeilge by showing what a sympathetic, caring soul you are. I can even hear Barry White singing sean-nós in the background.
Why don’t you listen to some Irish music, learn the words of some songs off by heart and before long you will be singing power ballads in Irish à la Whitney Houston.
Cad é an t-ainm atá ort? (cadge ay un tanyim ataa ort) - What is your name
c’ainm atá ort? (canyim ataa ort) - what’s your name?
Ciara an t-ainm atá orm (keera un tanyim ataa orim) - my name is Ciara
Seán an t-ainm atá orm (shaan un tanyim ataa orim) - my name is Seán
orm (orim) - on me; ort (ort) - on you; air (er) - on him; uirthi (erhee) - on her; orainn (oreen) - on us; oraibh (oriv) - on you (pl) orthu (orhoo) - on them
c’ainm atá uirthi? (canyim ataa erhee) - what is her name?
tá eagla orm (taa ugla orim) - I am afraid
tá áthas air (taa ahiss er) - he is happy
tá brón orainn (taa brone oreen) - we are sorry
tá slaghdán orm (taa slaydaan orim) - I have a cold
an bhfuil déideadh ort? (un wil jayjoo ort) - do you have a toothache?
tá tinneas cinn ar Aoife (ta chinyiss kin er eefa) - Aoife has a headache
tá imní ar Bhreandán (taa imnee er vrendaan) - Brendan is anxious
níl uaigneas ar Mháire (neel ooinyass er Wyra) - Mary isn’t lonely
