Fòram na Gàidhlig

The first phrase I learnt when learning to speak my first foreign language was "my hovercraft is full of eels".

Therefore, despite being able to say some things in Gaelic like, hello, thank you. I find it suiting that my first full Gaelic phrase also be "my hovercraft is full of eels".

I found this phrase on a website translated to Gaelic, but the word hovercraft is written differently to other websites where I've looked up the word hovercraft. Which is correct?

1. Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein loma-làn easgannan.
2. Tha mo bàta-falbhain loma-làn easgannan.
3. Something else?

I suppose, like most people, I try to get some nonsense phrases in first to build up a bit of fun for when the brick wall arrives, I don't get overly frustrated and lose interest. Or possibly just my way of approaching the imminent learning curve

This is what I'm referring to, should anyone be wondering:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6D1YI-41ao

Tha mo bhàta-falbhain loma-làn easgannan.

LOL so this was my tr*nsl*t**n, and not the one I found

tapadh leibh

MacAonghais wrote: LOL so this was my tr*nsl*t**n, and not the one I found

tapadh leibh

Note the H that GunCleoc added though.

Níall Beag wrote:

MacAonghais wrote: LOL so this was my tr*nsl*t**n, and not the one I found

tapadh leibh

Note the H that GunCleoc added though.

Oh thanks for pointing that out. I missed that initially.

MacAonghais wrote:

Níall Beag wrote:

MacAonghais wrote: LOL so this was my tr*nsl*t**n, and not the one I found

tapadh leibh

Note the H that GunCleoc added though.

Oh thanks for pointing that out. I missed that initially.

The reason for that (worth pointing out for anyone else even if you already know) is that 'mo' ('my') lenites the following word where possible.

Just to add an explanation - the word -foluaimein is bandied around a lot for 'hover' but it's problematic because it's not a permissible sequence of sounds and letters in modern Gaelic i.e. the uai in an unstressed syllables is just a no-no. It's a form that has found it's way out of an ancient dictionary into cyberspace due to that eel thing. It's essentially and archaic Irish-ism, a word that in modern Gaelic has turned into falbhan.