Fòram na Gàidhlig

Halò a h-uile duine,

Douglas Fraser (dughlas on the forum) and I were having a Skype session recently and he suggested I try to round up some other beginners to have a sort of group class over Skype. Would anyone be interested in this? If you don't get to practice your speaking skills a lot, this would be a great chance! So far, the next session is set for this Sunday (June 9), 9 p.m. (GMT+1). We'll probably be using the latest An Litir Bheag to base our "lesson" around, so if you're interested, you might want to study it beforehand: http://www.bbc.co.uk/alba/foghlam/learn ... itirbheag/.

If you'd like to do it but the time doesn't work, let me know another time that you can do and I'll see if I can arrange something with Douglas.

Mòran taing!
Màiri na Coille

That's a great idea. Mòran taing, a Dhubhghlais!

Glé mhath!
9pm GMT + 1 .... Am biodh 5pm EDT a tha an ionnanachd ri seo? Would this be equivalent to 5pm EDT?
'S dòcha gum bi mi ann ma bhios cuimhne agam air an t-ainm-cleachdaidh 's am facal-faire agam. I'll be there if I can remember my username and password.

Tha EDT coig uairean air dhèireadh GMT+1 (neo BST), mar sin tha 9f ann an Alba co-ionnan ri 4f ann an New York
EDT is 5 hours behind GMT+1 (or BST), so 9pm in Scotland equivalent to 4pm in New York

Time has been moved an hour up to accomodate Elke (Adelheid) in Germany. So it's now 8pm for Dùghlas, 3pm for JLBeale, 2pm for me. Does that still work for everyone?

These weekly Skype sessions are still open for anyone else who'd like to join! The next session is Sunday, June 23, at 8pm GMT+1. This week's assignment is to prepare a short speech or bit of writing in Gaelic on any subject you like--your pet, your hobbies, your town, whatever. Expect to answer questions on your topic, too. If you're interested, please post a reply and let us know your Skype username so Dùghlas can add you into the group call.

Màiri

Halo, ma tha thu ga dheanamh fhathast tha mi a' gabhail uile còthrom airson a bruidhinn sa ghàidhlig. 'tam155' air Skype. Chan e tòisichear a th' annam, ach bidh mi toilitche a' bruidhinn comhla ri duine sam bith. Mòran taing.

Tapadh leibh, a bhalaich - bruidhinnidh mi air Skype ribh.

Mu dheireadh bidh tìm a' foghnadh gu cunbhalach a-rithist
A bheil Group Skype a' dol fhathast? 'S urrainn dhomh a bhith a' cur romham ann gach Didòmhnaich san àm ri teachd faisg ach 25 an Lùnastal
'S mise beale.jennifer441 air Skype.

JLBeale: Tha Group Skype a' dol fhathast! Bidh an ath-chòmhradh air Didòmhnaich, 28 an t-Iuchar, aig 8f GMT+1. Cha bhi mise ann, ach bidh Dùghlas agus Elke ann. Sgrìobh Dùghlas fhèin airson fios barrachd.

Tapadh leibh a Mhàiri, sgrìobhidh mi gu Dùghlas.

'S e do bheatha!

Ar leam gu bheil tòrr luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlige ag obair dìreach leotha fhèin air feadh an t-saoghail, a' mhòr chuid dhiubh gun neach sam bith ris a bhith bruidhinn sa Ghàidhlig ach am faileas aca fhèin! Tha mòran dhiubh gu math comasach air sgrìobhadh sa Gàidhlig ach caran aindeonach a bhith bruidhinn, 's dòcha air eagal gun dèan iad mearachdan. Uill, thèid mise an ràthan orra, air mo shon fhìn agus 's dòcha airson a' mhòr chuid de luchd-ionnsachaidh, tha sinn UILE a' dèanamh mearachdan! (gun teagamh mar a chìthear ann a' sheo!) Tha mòr-mheas agam air luchd-ionnsachaidh ag obair dìreach leotha fhèin agus mholainn gun bu chòir dhaibh a dhol an sàs ann an còmhradh. Tha Skype a' gabhail cothrom mòr air seo a dhèanamh agus tha mi cinnteach gu bheil grunn air FnG deònach cuidich a thoirt dhan fheadhainn a tha iomallach à cothrom airson còmhraidh sa Ghàidhlig fhaighinn.
Mholainn, a-rèiste, gu bheil 'ainmean-Skype' a dhìth oirnn air (A) neach sam bith a bu toigh leotha a dhol air adhart bho dìreach sgriòbhadh sa Ghàidhlig (ged a tha sin cudromach cuideachd!) gu bruidhinn, agus (B) neach sam bith air FnG a tha deònach gan cuideachadh.
Air toiseachadh, is mise 'dougfraser' air Skype.

It seems to me that there are lots of Gaelic learners working away on their own in various parts of the world, many of them with no-one to talk to in Gaelic but their own reflection. Many are competant in written Gaelic but are a bit reluctant about speaking, perhaps in case they make mistakes. Well, let me assure them that, speaking for myself and probably for most learners, we ALL make mistakes!. I am full of admiration for learners plugging away on their own and would encourage them to get involved in conversation. Skype offers a great chance for this and I am sure there are lots on FnG who would be willing to help those who are remote from any chance of conversing in Gaelic.
I suggest therefore that we need Skype names (A) of anyone who would like the chance to move forward from writing in Gaelic (important though that is!) to speaking and (B) anyone on FnG who is willing to help them.
For a start, I'm 'dougfraser' on Skype.

I'm not sure if these still run, but if anyone wants to add me on Skype its: Teddie109 (or Thomas (underslash) Eddie (at) hotmail (dot) com, since they linked MSN and Skype together). I haven't been on here in a while, and I had to drop my Gaelic lessons due to time restraints at uni. I am picking them back up again come September when I go back, but I imagine I've probably lost quite a bit of what I knew through lack of use.

It would be good to be able to use Gaelic outside of class in a dynamic conversation (Though I'm not confident enough in my speaking ability to join any of these voice chats. Maybe I could listen in and improve my listening skills )

Hello, Teddie! Yes, these sessions are still running, and there is one this Sunday (25) at the usual time. I'll let Dùghlas know you'd like to join. Don't worry about speaking fluently. I don't either! A session typically starts with greetings, talking about the weather, and sharing a couple things we've been doing that week. If we don't understand something, Dùghlas always slows down and helps us out. About half-way through we start using English more, typically because we're discussing a new point of grammar or something like that. We also usually read a bit from the weekly Litir Bheag or Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh. (This week it's Litir 735, if you'd like to look at it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/alba/foghlam/learngaelic/litir/) So it's not as intense as you might think. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly!