Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Sgrìobh 'sa Ghàidhlig is Beurla / Write in Gaelic and English
Forum rules
Sgrìobh a h-uile rud gu dà-chànanach / Write everything bilingually
Polygot2017
Posts: 99
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 6:42 pm
Language Level: Learning
Corrections: Please correct my grammar
Location: Inbhir Nis, Alba

Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by Polygot2017 »

Hi, for a bit of fun I'm going to make a video where I speak in every language I know (for about 1 minute or so per language), and I'd like to do a bit in Gàidhlig. I have written down a few ideas for what I could say (also for a bit of writing practice) and I was wondering if I could get a bit of feedback on this. Any corrections would be appreciated. There are one or two expressions I would like to ask about too. Thanks.

Gàidhlig

Feasgar math. A-nis / an-drasta, bu toil leam anns a Gàidhlig a'bruidhinn.

Ged rugadh mi ann an Lunnainn is thogadh mi ann an Sasann, tha Teaghlach Albannach agam agus cuideachd tha mi a’ fuireach ann an Alba, ann an Inbhir Nis. air a' mhodh sin tha Gàidhlig cànan math tha mi ag ionnsachadh (for me)

Cuideachd is toigh leam ag ionnsachadh cànanain Ceilteach, agus tha mi ag iarraidh a' còbhradh a'cùm air mhaireann mion-chànanain.

Is toigh leam leughadh, agus a’ coimhead air an telebhisean agus ag èisteachd ris an rèidio anns a Gàidhlig Cuideachd tha ceòl iomad (much) anns a Gàidhlig.

Tha mi a smaoineachaidh gu bheil chan eil e cho furasta. ach chan eil e ro dhoirbh ag ionnsachadh, is tha mi a' faighinn nas fheàrr a h-uile latha.

English

Good afternoon/evening. Now I would like to speak in Scottish Gaelic.

Although I was born in London and I grew up in England, I have Scottish family and I also live in Scotland, in Inverness, so/therefore Gaelic is a good language (for me) to learn.

I also like learning Celtic languages, and I want to help keep minority languages alive

I like reading, watching television and listening to the radio in Gaelic, and there is also a lot of music in Gaelic.

I think it's not too easy or too difficult to learn and I am getting better every day.

Questions

1. I'm not sure how to say 'for me' and 'although' (I thought 'ged' or 'ghed' was used but not 100% sure)
2. Is getting better 'faighinn nas fheàrr' ? (I think 'faighinn' means 'getting' as in 'getting a lift', but not sure if it can be used in this sense)
3. For 'keep alive', I've seen 'cùm air mhaireann', 'cùm air chois' and 'cagail'
4. There are different words for 'so' / 'therefore' also
5. I still get confused when to use 'a-nis' and 'an-drasta' for 'now'.
6. Is 'a' còbhradh' the best verb for 'to help'?


GunChleoc
Rianaire
Posts: 4607
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:26 am
Language Level: Mion-chùiseach
Corrections: Please correct my grammar
Location: Dùthaich mo chridhe
Contact:

Re: Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by GunChleoc »

Feasgar math. Nise, bu toil leam bruidhinn anns a' Ghàidhlig.

Ged a rugadh mi ann an Lunnainn is a thogadh mi ann an Sasainn, tha teaghlach Albannach agam agus cuideachd tha mi a’ fuireach ann an Alba, ann an Inbhir Nis. Air an adhbhar sin, tha Gàidhlig 'na chànan math dhomh airson ionnsachadh.

Cuideachd, is toigh leam cànanan Ceilteach / cànain Cheilteach (depending on dialect) ionnsachadh, agus tha mi ag iarraidh cuideachadh le mion-chànanan/mion-chànain a chumail beò.

Is toigh leam leughadh agus coimhead air an telebhisean agus èisteachd ris an rèidio anns a' Gàidhlig. Cuideachd, tha iomadh ceòl anns a' Gàidhlig.

Tha mi den bheachd nach eil e ro fhurasta no ro dhoirbh (smaoineachadh means you are actually sitting down and thinking about something for a period of time) ri ionnsachadh is tha mi a' fàs nas fheàrr / a' tighinn air adhart / a' dèanamh adhartas a h-uile latha.
4. There are different words for 'so' / 'therefore' also
Indeed there are. I alway play them by ear, so I can't give you any advice on when to pick which.

The rest of your questions are hopefully answered by my rewrite. Let me know if you need to know more.

On another note, I prefer writing "is toil leam" as "is toigh leam", because it reflects the pronunciation better.
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Níall Beag
Rianaire
Posts: 1432
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 6:58 pm
Language Level: Fluent (non-native)
Corrections: I'm fine either way
Location: Sruighlea, Alba
Contact:

Re: Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by Níall Beag »

GunChleoc wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:18 amOn another note, I prefer writing "is toil leam" as "is toigh leam", because it reflects the pronunciation better.
That would depend on dialect, surely...? The move to "toil" was led by changes in the pronunciation, I thought...
GunChleoc
Rianaire
Posts: 4607
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:26 am
Language Level: Mion-chùiseach
Corrections: Please correct my grammar
Location: Dùthaich mo chridhe
Contact:

Re: Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by GunChleoc »

No, it's a spelling thing.
  • toil (noun) is pronounced /tɔl/
  • toigh (adjective) is pronounced /tɤj/ and used in the expression An toigh leat... 's toigh l'
So, when you say "Is toil leam", you should still pronounce it /tɤl/, but the spelling suggests that it should be pronounced /tɔl/ which is wrong. After many years of learning, I am still struggling with eradicating that ingrained pronunciation mistake from my speech.
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Níall Beag
Rianaire
Posts: 1432
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 6:58 pm
Language Level: Fluent (non-native)
Corrections: I'm fine either way
Location: Sruighlea, Alba
Contact:

Re: Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by Níall Beag »

GunChleoc wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:16 am No, it's a spelling thing.
  • toil (noun) is pronounced /tɔl/
  • toigh (adjective) is pronounced /tɤj/ and used in the expression An toigh leat... 's toigh l'
So, when you say "Is toil leam", you should still pronounce it /tɤl/, but the spelling suggests that it should be pronounced /tɔl/ which is wrong. After many years of learning, I am still struggling with eradicating that ingrained pronunciation mistake from my speech.
Ah yes, I see what you mean.

However, it's a matter of picking one inaccuracy/irregularity over the other, because the "L" has fused with the toigh, so "is toigh leam" isn't quite right, because there is an L in the second word now.
GunChleoc
Rianaire
Posts: 4607
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:26 am
Language Level: Mion-chùiseach
Corrections: Please correct my grammar
Location: Dùthaich mo chridhe
Contact:

Re: Writing/speaking a bit of Gaelic, any feedback/corrections appreciated

Unread post by GunChleoc »

The l in leam would be there without the toil ;)
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
Post Reply