House & Home

A Few To Get Started:

Dia Dhuit!

If you enjoyed the photo in the last entry, I am elated. I hope you were able to review the word, "garda." If you are curious about the word "swan," that is good. Reading or viewing while reading should stir in you a desire to know more of the language in your studies.

The word for "swan" is eala.

I selected just a random selection of words we use at the home site.

Word: focal

Words: focail



desk: deasc

office: oifig

kitchen: cistin

food: bia

milk: bainne

water: uisce

dog: madra

cat: cat

We are no where near the 100 words you need to know generally when you learn a new language, but what you can do is attain a familiarity of these words and be able to recognize them each time you come across them. That will reinforce what you have already learned.

Reading does wonders for reinforcing a word. Try to read with your eyes and gain a familiarity with your new words.

I saw an activity that some kids in a school did with their new words.

They created a blank book and saved pages for words that started with every letter of the alphabet. Every time, they came across a new word, they wrote it into their book. Later, when they had more time, they would study the word, write it again for practice, or research its meaning if it hadn't been supplied already.

If you find your own method of retaining your new words and practicing them, don't hesitate to employ that method. I list my words, but I feel I should digest them a bit more, and so I try to use my new word in a sentence, no matter if the rest of the words are in English. This helps me visualize my new word in context.

For example:

(review for "coffee" and "tea" ), cupan: cup


They gave me a cup of caife.
They gave me a cup of tae.
They gave me a cupan of caife and tae.

It's fun to play around with the words at first.

Later, you will find out if you were incorrect in your use or grammar.

Right now, just have fun visualising* the words and trying to pronounce them. You won't be cheating if you find a guide to pronounce them.

We will cover pronouncing words soon, but right now, get your eyes used to Irish.

It is a unique language, and it may not make sense if you don't get the gist for what it looks like first.

This is the same feeling I had when I tried to learn French by listening first. The spellings were not provided, nor any words provided for me to follow along, so that slowed me down considerably. If you are of Irish descent and are around the Irish language daily through contact or are in areas where Irish is in print around you, you may already be a step ahead of us. Use your advantage wisely and learn as much as you can.

Most of us may not have the means to acquire Irish as readily in the states or elsewhere.

Students who love listening and learning can listen to the sounds of language in music or pages I gave you earlier where the words are spoken as well. The pages with translator provides the sounds each time you translate a word. I think Rosetta Stone also provides CDs with photos, sounds, and words. (Munster dialect)

Practice your new words every day!


~ Ms. A.



*Sometimes, I alternate the spellings of words that utilize letters such as "s" or "z." This is to show the variation of spellings around the world. Americans prefer using the "z" while Europeans and some Asians prefer the "s."

Examples: visualise, visualize

This is a common practice of people who interact with different users of English around the world.