Introducing yourself and asking how someone is doing is always a good idea. Here are some normal phrases that Irish speakers use all the time: write them out and practice saying them out loud. Always emphasize the first syllable of the word.

maidin mhaith ["majin wy"] = good morning

iarnóin mhaith ["eer-non wy"] = good afternoon

oíche mhaith ["ee-khya wy"] = good night

cad é mar atá tú? ["kajey mar ataw tu"] = how are you?

tá mé go maith ["taw mey guh my"] = I am good/fine, or just go maith = good

go raibh maith agat ["gurev my agutt"] = thank you

tá fáilte romhat ["taw fawl-cha rowat"] = you’re welcome

is mise ["iss misha"]_________________. = my name is______________.

In Ireland people will be able to tell what dialect you speak as soon as you say “how are you,” because each of the three dialects uses a different phrase:

Ulster: cad é mar atá tú? ["kajey mar ataw tu"]

Connemara: cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? ["keyn khwee a wil tu"]

Munster: conas atá tú? ["konas ataw tu"]

Each of these (and some other phrases) means “how are you,” but from a different area. No one will be offended if you use one instead of another.

Gaeilge does not have focail for the indefinite article, “a.” Instead, it simply uses the noun by itself, as in carr (“car” or “a car”). For the definite article, Gaeilge uses an, meaning “the” as in an carr, “the car.” Sound vague? You bet! But Irish people refer to everything in context, so that you always know whose car you are talking about. Gaeilge also uses the important indicators seo (“this”) and sin (“that”), which must be used with the definite article (an [singular] or na [plural]). Na focail seo ["nuh fokil sho" = these words] always come after the noun that they indicate, as in an pionsail seo ["unn pinsil sho" = this pencil] and an peann sin ["unn pen shin" = that pen. Write out the translation of the following sentences in Béarla.

Cá bhfuil an carr? ["ka wil unn car"]

Cá bhfuil an carr seo? ["ka wil unn car sho"]

Cá bhfuil an carr sin? ["ka wil unn car shin"]

At the beginning you were introduced to the Key Question Words. Na focail seo are the most essential building blocks for learning Gaeilge. Throughout an leabhar ["lya-wer" = book] seo you will need to fill in the missing question focal. Use the opportunity to review all your question focail. For example, you can now say “Cad é sin?” (“What is that?”) agus (“and”) answer “Sin é pionsail” (“That is a pencil”). Try doing it with each new noun.

Look Around You

Can you name the rudaí ["ru-dee" = things] that you see in your seomra [“shom-ra" = room] in Gaeilge? You can probably guess some of them, like lampa and teileafón. Let’s learn the rest of them. After practicing an focail seo out loud, write them several times in the blank space below.

lampa ["lampa" = lamp]
cathaoir ["ka-heer" = chair] f
cairpéad ["kar-peyd" = carpet]
bord ["bord" = table]
doras ["dor-iss" = door]
fuinneog ["fwin-yog" = window] f
cuirtín ["kur-chin" = curtain]
teilifís ["telefeesh" = television] f
teileafón ["telefone" = telephone]
scáthán ["skaw-hawn" = mirror]
cupard ["ku-pard" = cupboard]
seomra ["shom-ra" = room]
balla ["balla" = wall]
pictiúir ["pik-tyoor" = picture]

Now ask yourself, “Cá bhfuil an lampa?” and point at it while you answer “Sin é an lampa” ["shin ey unn lampa" = That is the lamp]. Notice that you can change “this” and “that” (seo and sin) to “here” and “there” by simply adding “an" before seo and sin. For example, cá bhfuil an bord (“where is the table?”) may be answered with tá an bord anseo (“the table is here”) or tá an bord ansin (“the table is there”), or even tá an bord ansiúd (“the table is way over there”). Most people just respond with anseo ["an-sho" = here], ansin ["an-shin" = there], or ansiúd ["an-shyood" = way over there]. While learning your focail, please don’t forget these!

teach ["tyakh" = house]
oifig ["iffig" = office] f
cistin ["kish-tin" = kitchen] f
leithreas ["lyer-as" = toilet]
seomra leapa ["shom-ra lyappa" = bedroom]
seomra teaghlaigh ["shom-ra tya-lee" = living room]
urlár ["orr-lar" = floor]
leaba ["lyab-ba" = bed] f
tine ["tchinna" = fire] f
garáiste ["gar-awsh-tya" = garage]
garraí ["gar-ree" = garden]
carr ["kar" = car]
rothar ["ro-her" = bicycle]
gluaisrothar ["gloo-ish-ro-her" = motorbike]
cat ["kat" = cat]
madra ["ma-dra" = dog]
éan ["eyn" = bird]
capall ["ka-pul" = horse]
bó ["bo" = cow] f
muc ["muck" = pig] f
caora ["kwee-ra" = sheep] f
sicín ["shi-keen" = chicken]
gabhar/puc ["gawer"/"puck" = goat]
asal ["as-il" = donkey]
bláth ["blaw" = flower]

Let’s try a few substitutions here, using places in your own home. Respond to the question Cá bhfuil an lampa? If you want to say “in the kitchen,” “in the garden,” etc., use sa (“in the”) before the location (like sa chistin ["suh khish-tin").

Initial sentence: Tá an lampa anseo ["taw unn lampa an-sho"]. You know this means "the lamp is here." Now substitute the words for there, over there, garden, garage, bathroom, and kitchen. Use this space to write down your substitutions.

Now substitute something for the lamp in each sentence. Your last sentence should have read tá an lampa sa chistin; in the following sentence, make the subject of the very same sentence a leabhar (“book”), then dog, bird, flower, bicycle. Now change the location: room, house, living room. Use this space to write down your substitutions.

Irish people who live outside of the cities sometimes have farm animals, especially sheep; while the ubiquitous black and white farm madra (generally speaking, a border collie) is always spoken to in Béarla, cats are spoken to in Gaeilge. In addition, madraí often seem to come in for some of the most colorful swearing imaginable (from both men and women), but it is all done with great affection. In the following practice sentences, try asking around for one of the farm animals. Notice that if you have a feminine noun (and some of these are indeed feminine) with the definite article (an or “the”), you have to lenite the noun by placing an h after the first consonant, as in an bhó (the cow). For masculine nouns that use the definite article, as in cat or madra or capall, you don’t lenite.

Cá bhfuil an madra? Now substitute the word cat, cow, horse, donkey, sheep, pig, and goat. Use this space to write out your substitutions.

Free focail:
babaí ["bah-bee"]… baby
báicéir ["baw-keyr"]… baker
banc ["bank"]… bank
bróg ["broeg"]… brogue, shoe
bus ["buss"]… bus