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The review of grammar and vocabulary through conversation continues in this lesson. Work by phrase at first, saying each out loud until you can repeat the entire sentence. Cover the English translation until you have read all the Irish at least once and have obtained a good idea of what it means.
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| Niall (NEE-uhl): Dia dhuit, a Chaitríona (uh *ah-TREE-nuh). | Neil: Hello, Catherine.
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| Caitríona: Dia’s Muire dhuit, a Niaill (DEE-uhs MWIR-e git, uh NEE-il). Conas tá tú anois? (KUN-uhs taw* too uh-NISH) | Hello, Neil. How are you now?
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| Niall: Táim go maith agus conas tá tú féin? (fay*n) | I am well, and how are you?
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| Caitríona: Tá mé go maith, leis (lesh). Táim ag déanamh deifre chuig an busáras (TAW*-im uh DAY*N-uhv DEF-re hig un BUS-aw*-ruhs). | I am well, too. I am hurrying to the bus station.
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| Niall: Nach n-oibríonn tú in oifig an eolais ann? (nahk* NIB-ree-uhn too in IF-ig un OH-lish oun) | Don’t you work in the information office there?
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| Caitríona: Oibrím ann, cinnte (IB-reem oun, KIN-tye). Tá an-eolas agam ar gach bealach bus agus ar a gcláir ama (taw* AHN-oh-luhs uh-GUHM er gahk* BAL-uhk* bus AH-guhs er uh GLAW*-ir AH-muh). | I work there, certainly. I have excellent knowledge of every bus route and of their schedules.
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| Niall: Maith an cailín thú! (mah un kah-LEEN hoo). An féidir leat a insint dom cathain a imíonn an bus deireanach go hÁth Luain inniú? (un FAY*-dir lat IN-shint duhm CAH-hin uh im-EE-uhn un bus DER-i-nuhk* goh haw* LOO-in in-YOO) | Good girl! Can you tell me when the last bus leaves for Athlone today?
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| Caitríona: Is é sin bus fiche a seacht (SHAY* shin bus FI-hye uh SHAHK*T). Imeofar ar deich nóméad tar éis a haon déag anocht (im-YOH-fuhr er de NOH-may*d tahr AY*SH uh HAY*N day*-uhg uh-NOHK*T). | That’s bus number 27. Departure will be at 10 minutes past 11 tonight.
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| Niall: Cad mar gheall ar mo mhála taistil? (kahd mahr YOUL er muh VWAH*-luh TASH-til) | What about my suitcase?
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| Caitríona: Cuir sa raca bagáiste é agus cuir do shicíní ar dhíon an bhus (kir suh RAH-kuh buh-GAW*SH-te ay* AH-guhs kir duh hi-KEEN-ee er YEE-uhn uh VWUS). | Put it in the baggage rack, and put your chickens on the roof of the bus.
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| Niall: Ná bí ag magadh fúm anois (naw* bee uh MAH-guh foom uh-NISH). Rud tábhachtach is ea é seo (rud TOU-uhk*-tuhk* sha ay* shuh). | Don’t be making fun of me now. It’s an important matter that this is.
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| Caitríona: Ó, gabh mo leithscéal (oh, gou muh LE-shkay*l). Ach is í an riail is tábhachtaí i leabhar na rialacha an riail faoi shicíní (ahk* shee un REE-il is TOU-uhk*-tee i LOU-uhr nuh REEL-uhk*-uh un REE-il fwee hi-KEEN-ee). | Oh, excuse me. But the most important rule in the book of rules is the rule on chickens.
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| Niall: Cé mhéad sicíní a théann amach? (kay* vay*d shi-KEEN-ee HAY*-uhn uh-MAHK*) | How many chickens go out?
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| Caitríona: Tháinig slua mór díobh isteach anuraidh ach ní dheachaigh mórán díobh amach (HAW*-nig SLOO-uh mohr DEE-uhv ish-TYAHK* uh-NOOR-ee, ahk* nee YAK*-hee muh-RAW*N DEE-uhv uh-MAHK*). Fiafraigh den bhúistéir cad a tharla dóibh (FEE-uh-ree den vwoosh-TAY*R kahd uh HAHR-luh DOH-iv). | A great many of them came in last year, but not many went out. Ask the butcher what happened to them.
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| Niall: Agus ar dhíon an bhus a thagann siad agus a théann siad, an ea? (AH-guhs er YEE-uhn uh VWUS uh HAHG-uhn SHEE-uhd AH-guhs a HAY*-uhn SHEE-uhd, un A). | And on the top of the bus they come and go, is it?
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| Caitríona: Ó, ní hea. Ar trucail a thaistealaíonn an chuid is mó díobh (er TRU-kil uh hash-TAL-ee-uhn un K*WID is moh DEE-uhv). Níl luach ticéad bus acu (neel LOO-ahk* ti-KAY*D bus ah-KUH). | Oh, it’s not. By truck most of them travel. They don’t have the price of a bus ticket.
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| Notes: “An-eolas”, with stress on the “an”, means excellent knowledge. “Ama” is the genitive form of “am”, time, and a “clár ama” is a table or list of time, which is a schedule. “Thú” is the word “tú”, you, with the first sound aspirated or changed to (h). This aspiration is common in some words; “dia dhuit” is an example.
The sentence “Is í Síle an múinteoir” means “Sheila is the teacher”. “Is í an riail is tábhachtaí an riail” in the conversation above is a longer example of this type of sentence. “Riail” is feminine, requiring the “í”. “Faoi” can mean either “under” or “about”.
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