Learn to read Irish
A short, active path into reading Irish: sound out eight real words before the alphabet, learn to undo séimhiú and urú on sight, put the verb at the front of the sentence, and read a story whose pronunciation and English begin hidden.
How sentences work
5 sectionsFirst words: hello, thank you, goodbye
- Irish greetings come in pairs: Dia duitJEE-uh ditch is answered with Dia is Muire duit, never with itself.
- To call someone by name, put a little a in front of it and soften it — the séimhiú you just learned to undo.
- Feelings sit on you in Irish: “I’m sorry” is “there is sorrow on me”.
- Two goodbyes: the one leaving says Slán agat, the one staying says Slán leat.
Hello. — literally: God to you.
Dia duit.
JEE-uh ditch.
The decoding is done — from here on it is real language. Greetings come in pairs: the reply is always slightly different.
Hello to you too. — literally: God and Mary to you.
Dia is Muire duit.
JEE-uh iss MWIR-uh ditch.
Both are set pieces; nobody thinks about the religion in them.
Calling someone by name: a in front, softened
Thank you — and two feelings
| English | Irish | Said | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you. | Go raibh maith agat. | guh roh MAH AH-gut | may there be good at you |
| I’m sorry. | Tá brón orm. | taw brohn OR-um | there is sorrow on me |
| I’m hungry. | Tá ocras orm. | taw UK-rus OR-um | there is hunger on me |
Irish puts feelings on you rather than in you, and ormOR-um“on me” is one word — the “me” is welded inside. Both stories use it, and both use maithmah“good” from the thank-you.
Two goodbyes
| Who says it | Irish | Said |
|---|---|---|
| The one leaving | Slán agat. | slawn AH-gut |
| The one staying | Slán leat. | slawn lat |
If you cannot remember which, Slán.slawn on its own is safe.
Say it back
- Dia duit, a Mhina.
A set piece, then a name.
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“Hello, Mina.” Said “JEE-uh ditch, uh VIN-uh”. - Somebody says Dia duit to you. What do you say back?
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Dia is Muire duit.JEE-uh iss MWIR-uh ditch - Tá ocras orm.
The feeling is sitting on somebody.
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“I am hungry”, said “taw UK-rus OR-um”.