Role Play
Múinteoir:
Mora dhaoibh ar maidin, a leanaí!
Good morning, children!
An bhfuil aon nuacht agaibh dom tar éis an deireadh seachtaine?
Do you have any news for me after the weekend?
Tomás:
Mise! Mise!
Me! Me!
Múinteoir:
Inis dúinn, a Thomáis.
Tell us, Tomás.
Tomás:
Tá deirfiúr nua agam!
I have a new sister!
Múinteoir:
Á, tá sé sin go hiontach, a chroí!
Aw, that is great, my dear!
An bhfuil ainm aici fós?
Does she have a name yet?
Tomás:
Róise is ainm di.
Her name is Róise.
Tá gruaig rua uirthi.
She has red hair.
Rugadh oíche Dé Sathairn í.
She was born on Saturday night.
Múinteoir:
Ar rugadh?
Was she?
Agus an bhfuil sibh tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar Róise agus Mam san ospidéal?
And have you visited Róise and Mam in the hospital?
Tomás:
Níl.
No.
Sa bhaile a rugadh í.
She was born at home.
Deir Mamaí nach galar é an toircheas, agus nach gá dul go dtí an t-ospidéal i gcónaí.
Mammy says that pregnancy is not an illness, and that it is not always necessary to go to the hospital.
Múinteoir:
Is fíor sin, is dócha.
That is true, I suppose.
Tomás:
Tháinig an bhean ghlúine go dtí an teach chomh luath is a tháinig tinneas linbh ar Mhamaí.
The mid-wife came to the house as soon as Mammy went into labour.
Thug Daidí go teach ár Mamó sinne.
Daddy brought us to our grandmother’s house.
Dúirt sé go mbeadh Mamaí ag búireach ar nós bó ar feadh na hoíche!
He said that Mammy would be bellowing like a cow all night long!
Múinteoir:
An rógaire!
The rogue!
Tomás:
Bhuel, deir Mamaí gur stail asail é Daidí, agus go mbíonn sé ag srannadh ar nós míl mhóir istoíche!
Well, Mammy says that Daddy is a jackass, and that he does be snoring like a whale at night!
Múinteoir:
Bhuel, is ainmhithe Dé sinn ar fad, i gcruth amháin nó i gcruth eile!
Well, we are all God’s creatures, in one shape or another!
An mó deartháir agus deirfiúr atá agat anois, a Thomáis?
How many brothers and sisters do you have now, Tomás?
Tomás:
Is mise an t-aon bhuachaill sa chlann.
I am the only boy of the children.
Tá ceathrar deirfiúracha agam – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife agus Laoise.
I have four sisters – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife and Laoise.
Múinteoir:
An bhfuil aon duine dearmadta ansin agat, a Thomáis?
Have you forgotten anyone there, Tomás?
Tomás:
Ó! Is ea, Róise bheag!
Oh! Yes, little Róise!
Role-Play With Phonetics
Múinteoir:
Mora dhaoibh ar maidin, a leanaí!
/Morr-a yeev air maw-dinn, a lyan-ee!/
Good morning, children!
An bhfuil aon nuacht agaibh dom tar éis an deireadh seachtaine?
/Un wil ay-un noo-ukth a-gwiv dum tar aysh un derr-eh shokh-thin-eh?/
Do you have any news for me after the weekend?
Tomás:
Mise! Mise!
/Mish-eh! Mish-eh!/
Me! Me!
Múinteoir:
Inis dúinn, a Thomáis.
/In-ish doo-in, a Hum-aw-ish/
Tell us, Tomás.
Tomás:
Tá deirfiúr nua agam!
/Thaw drif-oo-ur noo-ah ah-gum!/
I have a new sister!
Múinteoir:
Á, tá sé sin go hiontach, a chroí!
/Aw, thaw shat shin guh hoo-tukh, a khree/
Aw, that is great, my dear!
An bhfuil ainm aici fós?
/Un wil an-im a-kih fose?/
Does she have a name yet?
Tomás:
Róise is ainm di.
/Ro-ish-eh iss an-im dih/
Her name is Róise.
Tá gruaig rua uirthi.
/Thaw groo-ig roo-ah irr-hih/
She has red hair.
Rugadh oíche Dé Sathairn í.
/Rug-ukh ee-heh Day Sa-hirn ee/
She was born on Saturday night.
Múinteoir:
Ar rugadh?
/Air rug-ukh?/
Was she?
Agus an bhfuil sibh tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar Róise agus Mam san ospidéal?
/Ah-guss un wil shiv thar aysh koo-irt ah hoo-irt air Ro-ish-eh ah-guss Mom sun owe-spid-ay-ul/
And have you visited Róise and Mam in the hospital?
Tomás:
Níl.
/Neel/
No.
Sa bhaile a rugadh í.
/ Suh voh-leh a rug-ukh ee/
She was born at home.
Deir Mamaí nach galar é an toircheas, agus nach gá dul go dtí an t-ospidéal i gcónaí.
/Derj Mom-ee nokh gol-ur ay un thirr-khuss, a-guss nokh gaw dul guh dee un towe-spid-ay-ul i goe-nee/
Mammy says that pregnancy is not an illness, and that it is not always necessary to go to the hospital.
Múinteoir:
Is fíor sin, is dócha.
/Iss fee-ur shin, iss dow-kuh/
That is true, I suppose.
Tomás:
Tháinig an bhean ghlúine go dtí an tigh chomh luath is a tháinig tinneas linbh ar Mhamaí.
/Haw-in-ig un van ghloo-in-eh guh dee un tig khow loo-ah iss a haw-in-ig tin-uss lin-iv air Vom-ee/
The mid-wife came to the house as soon as Mammy went into labour.
Thug Daidí go tigh ár Mamó sinne.
/Hug Dad-ee guh tig ore Mom-owe shin-eh/
Daddy brought us to our grandmother’s house.
Dúirt sé go mbeadh Mamaí ag búireach ar nós bó ar feadh na hoíche!
/Doo-irt shay guh mbekh Mom-ee egg boo-ir-uckh air noess boe air faag nuh hee-heh!/
He said that Mammy would be bellowing like a cow all night long!
Múinteoir:
An rógaire!
/Un roe-girr-eh!/
The rogue!
Tomás:
Bhuel, deir Mamaí gur stail asail é Daidí, agus go mbíonn sé ag srannadh ar nós míl mhóir istoíche!
/Well, derj Mom-ee gur stah-il os-ill ay Dad-ee, a-guss guh mee-un shay egg ssran-ah air noes meel voo-irr is-thee-heh/
Well, Mammy says that Daddy is a jackass, and that he does be snoring like a whale at night!
Múinteoir:
Bhuel, is ainmhithe Dé sinn ar fad, i gcruth amháin nó i gcruth eile!
/Well, iss an-iv-ih-heh day shin air fodd, i gkruth a-vaw-in noe i gkruth eh-il-eh/
Well, we are all God’s creatures, in one shape or another!
An mó deartháir agus deirfiúr atá agat anois, a Thomáis?
/Un moe dreh-hawr-ukha ah-guss dreh-foor a-thaw a-nish, a Hum-aw-ish?/
How many brothers and sisters do you have now, Tomás?
Tomás:
Is mise an t-aon bhuachaill sa chlann.
/Iss mish-eh un tay-un voo-akh-il suh khlown/
I am the only boy of the children.
Tá ceathrar deirfiúracha agam – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife agus Laoise.
/Thaw kah-rur dreh-foor-ukha a-gum – Aaw-in-eh, Graw-in-eh, Ee-feh a-guss Leesh-eh/
I have four sisters – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife and Laoise.
Múinteoir:
An bhfuil aon duine dearmadta ansin agat, a Thomáis?
/Un will ay-un dinn-eh darr-ood-thuh un-shin a-guth, a Hum-aw-ish?/
Have you forgotten anyone there, Tomás?
Tomás:
Ó! Is ea, Róise bheag!
/Owe! Sha, Ro-ish-eh vyug/
Oh! Yes, little Róise!
Grammar Notes
Múinteoir:
Mora dhaoibh ar maidin, a leanaí!
Good morning, children!
An bhfuil aon nuacht agaibh dom tar éis an deireadh seachtaine?
Do you have any news for me after the weekend?
Mora dhaoibh: the precise origins of this greeting are unclear. Mór is thought to have been a Celtic goddess, and so the greeting may relate to her. Another theory is that is derived from the English word “morrow “.
daoibh – to you (plural). Prepositional pronoun second-person plural of the preposition do (to, for).
Tomás:
Mise! Mise!
Me! Me!
mise – emphatic form of the pronoun mé (I, me).
Múinteoir:
Inis dúinn, a Thomáis.
Tell us, Tomás.
inis dúinn– the verb inis (to tell, relate) in the imperative mood second-person singular. An alternative here would be to say ‘abair linn‘. We can see that the preposition le is used with the verb abair (to utter, speak) while the preposition do is used with the verb inis. A third, less common, way to say this is to use the verb eachtraigh (to tell, relate): ‘eachtraigh dúinn’.
eachtra: adventure, expedition.
eachtrúil – adventurous, eventful
Tomás:
Tá deirfiúr nua agam!
I have a new sister!
agam – prepositional pronoun first-person singular derived from the preposition ag. While the preposition ag can mean ‘at’ in statements such as ‘tá mé ag baile’ (I am at home’), when used in relation to possession it does not make sense to translate it as such. An Irish-speaker whose second language is English would make the statement tá deirfiúr nua agam! thus in English: ‘I have a new sister by me!’
Múinteoir:
Á, tá sé sin go hiontach, a chroí!
Aw, that is great, my dear!
a chroí – my dear (literally, my heart). The vocative case is used when calling someone by name, but we also use the vocative case to address someone by a title or term of endearment, and, indeed, when insulting someone.
An bhfuil ainm aici fós?
Does she have a name yet?
aici – prepositional pronoun third-person singular feminine derived from the preposition ag.
fós – yet, still, even (when used with comparative form of adjective).
ar tháinig an bus fós? – did the bus arrive yet?
an bhfuil tú fós breoite? – Are you still ill?
Is duine deas é Tomaí ach tá Ciarán nios deise fós – Tomaí is a nice person but Ciarán is even nicer (“nicer still”).
Tomás:
Róise is ainm di.
Her name is Róise.
Tá gruaig rua uirthi.
She has red hair.
Rugadh oíche Dé Sathairn í.
She was born on Saturday night.
Tá gruaig rua uirthi: we speak of features external to the body as being ‘on’ us, using the preposition ar.
We use the preposition ag when referring to features internal to the body, e.g. tá croí cineálta aige (figuratively, ‘he has a kind heart’) or tá fiacla deasa aici (‘she has nice teeth’)rugadh – past tense passive mood of the irregular verb beir (to bear, give birth to, lay. bring, take)
í – when the personal pronouns sé, sí or siad are the object of a sentence the ‘s’ is lost and they become é, í, or iad. Also, tú become thú
Múinteoir:
Ar rugadh?
Was she?
Agus an bhfuil sibh tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar Róise agus Mam san ospidéal?
And have you visited Róise and Mam in the hospital?
cuairt – visit
cúirt – court (i.e. place where legal proceedings take place)
cúirt ríoga – royal court
cúirt dlí – court of law.
Tomás:
Níl.
No.
Sa bhaile a rugadh í.
She was born at home.
Deir Mamaí nach galar é an toircheas, agus nach gá dul go dtí an t-ospidéal i gcónaí.
Mammy says that pregnancy is not an illness, and that it is not always necessary to go to the hospital.
Deir Mamaí nach galar é – that it is not an illness.
nach is the dependent negative form of the copula is in the present and future tenses.
The opposite of nach is gur (dependent affirmative form of the copula is in the present and future tenses).
Deir Mamaí gur galar é – Mammy says that it is a diseasean t-ospidéal – male nouns that begin with a vowel take prefix t following the definite article an in the nominative singular. No change to feminine nouns, e.g. an aimsir.
Múinteoir:
Is fíor sin, is dócha.
That is true, I suppose.
is dócha (go) – it is probable/likely (that)
ní dócha (go) – it is improbable/unlikely (that)
Tomás:
Tháinig an bhean ghlúine go dtí an teach chomh luath is a tháinig tinneas linbh ar Mhamaí.
The mid-wife came to the house as soon as Mammy went into labour.
Thug Daidí go teach ár Mamó sinne.
Daddy brought us to our grandmother’s house.
Dúirt sé go mbeadh Mamaí ag búireach ar nós bó ar feadh na hoíche!
He said that Mammy would be bellowing like a cow all night long!
an bhean ghluíne – the midwife.
glúin – knee, generation.
bean chabhrach – alternative term for midwife
cabhair – help, assistanceag búireach – (act of) bellowing, roaring. Used for bellowing of bulls, braying of donkeys, lowing of cows etc.
Múinteoir:
An rógaire!
The rogue!
rógaire – rogue, rascal
bithiúnach – scoundrel
foghlaí mara – pirate (robber of ships)
ropaire – highwayman
Tomás:
Bhuel, deir Mamaí gur stail asail é Daidí, agus go mbíonn sé ag srannadh ar nós míl mhóir istoíche!
Well, Mammy says that Daddy is a jackass, and that he does be snoring like a whale at night!
ag srannadh – snoring.
ag srantarnach – snoring (Muster dialect variant)
ag méanfach – yawning
ní féidir liom stad de bheith ag méanfach – I can’t stop yawning.ar nós míl mhóir – like a whale
míol – animal, insect, creature
míol mór – whale
here míol is in the genitive case (míl) as follows the compound preposition ar nós. Likewise, the adjective mór is in the genitive as in Irish the adjective follows the gender, number and case of the noun.
Múinteoir:
Bhuel, is ainmhithe Dé sinn ar fad, i gcruth amháin nó i gcruth eile!
Well, we are all God’s creatures, in one shape or another!
ainmhithe Dé – God’s creatures. Here the word Dia (God) is in the genitive case (Dé).
Briathar Dé – word of God
Mac Dé – Son of God
Le cúnamh Dé – with the help of God.
ainmhí – creature
ainmhithe – creatures
An mó deartháir agus deirfiúr atá agat anois, a Thomáis?
How many brothers and sisters do you have now, Tomás?
An mó (how many) = cé mhéad. After these question forms the noun stays in the singular.
Tomás:
Is mise an t-aon bhuachaill sa chlann.
I am the only boy of the children.
Tá ceathrar deirfiúracha agam – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife agus Laoise.
I have four sisters – Áine, Gráinne, Aoife and Laoise.
an t-aon bhuachaill – séimhiú following aon on initial consonants b, c, f, g, m, p.
clann – offspring of the family (i.e. the children).
sa chlann – – sa + séimhiú on consonants b,c,f,g,m & p. No séimhiú on d & t. Feminine nouns beginning s take t (e.g. sa tsráid – ‘in the street’). Masculine nouns beginning s do not (e.g. sa samhradh – ‘in the summer’) In the Ulster dialect masculine nouns beginning with s do take t.
Múinteoir:
An bhfuil aon duine dearmadta ansin agat, a Thomáis?
Have you forgotten anyone there, Tomás?
dearmadta – forgotten (adverb)
dearmad – verb: to forget, overlook, omit
dearmad – noun (masc.) – forgetfulness, negligence / omission, mistake
Pronounced and spelled ‘dearúd’ in Munster (though this is not ‘official’ spelling).
Rinne mé dearmad glan orthu (Connacht, Ulster) – I forgot clean (‘all’) about them.
Dheineas dearúd glan orthu (Munster) – I forgot clean (‘all’) about them.
Tomás:
Ó! Is ea, Róise bheag!
Oh! Yes, little Róise!
Róise bheag – séímhiú on adjective that follows a woman’s/girl’s name
Tomaí beag – no séimhiú on adjective that follows a man’s/boy’s name.
Open questions to ask each other
1. An bhfuil aon nuacht agat dúinn tar éis an deireadh seachtaine?
Do you have any news for us after the weekend?
2. An mó deartháir agus deirfiúr atá agat?
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
3. An bhfuil aithne agat ar aon bhean atá ag iompar clainne faoi láthair?
Do you know any woman who is pregnant at the moment?
4. An mbíonn tú ag srannadh? An bhfuil aon leigheas air, an dóigh leat?!
Do you snore? Is there any cure for it, do you think?!
5. An raibh tú riamh i láthair ag breith linbh sa bhaile?
Were you ever present at a baby’s home birth?
Printable PDF version of script
If you’d like to print this conversation script click here to access the printable PDF.
Teagascóir: Glac pictiúr den ngrúpa.