You are now ready
to make a classic entry into the Irish language, by way of an important
verb: Tá (taw*).
"Tá" serves
to tell where something is or what its condition is, and therefore
it has some of the functions of English "is".
For the (t) sound
next to an "a", "o" or "u", put the front part of your tongue up along
the top of your mouth, with the tip against the upper front teeth
and almost--but not quite--protruding between the teeth. Pronounce
the (t) sound a few times. If you extend the tongue too far between
the teeth, you will say English "th" as in "that" or "throw". Irish
does not have those sounds.
For the (aw*)
sound, say the English word "tot", but start the word with the Irish
(t) you have just learned. Repeat several times, then drop the final
"t" and lengthen the (aw*) sound. As a check, try making the (aw*)
sound in another way: Say English "awful" several times slowly, and
notice that your lips are pushed far out. Try the word with your lips
held in closer and more rounded. You may recognize the sound as the
way some Irish pronounce "awful".
Now learn these
words, referring back to the Lesson 1 pronunciation guide as necessary:
Tá sé
(TAW* shay*) he is, it is
tá sí (TAW* shee) she is
tá mé (TAW* may) I am
fuar (FOO-uhr) cold
mór (mohr) big
te (te) hot
óg (ohg) young
sean (shan) old
lán (law*n) full
Next, learn these
sentences, then translate them. Form a mental picture each time.
Tá sé
fuar. Tá mé mór. Tá sí óg.
Tá sé lán. Tá sé te. Tá
sí sean.
Learn these new
words thoroughly:
fear (far) man,
a man
cat (kaht) cat, a cat
bean (ban) woman, a woman
cailín (kah-LEEN) girl, a girl
bord (bohrd) table, a table
ard (ahrd) high, tall
gairid (GAH-rid) short
anseo (un-SHUH) here
ansin (un-SHIN) there
fada (FAH-duh) long
bosca (BOHSK-uh) box, a box
íseal (EE-shuhl) low, short
sráid (sraw*d) street, a street
agus (AH-guhs) and
láidir (LAW*-dir) strong
tanaí (TAH-nee) thin
ramhar (ROU-wuhr) fat
cam (koum) crooked
We can substitute
these into the basic sentence "Tá sé fuar", he is cold,
to make new sentences:
Tá fear
anseo (taw* FAR un-SHUH). A man is here.
Tá Seán
anseo (taw* SHAW*N un-SHUH). John is here.
Tá bean
agus fear ansin (taw* BAN AH-guhs FAR un-SHIN). A women and a man
are there.
Tá Bríd
láidir (taw* BREED LAW*-dir). Bridget is strong.
"Tá" is
irregular, one of only ten or eleven Irish verbs that are.
For the negative
of "tá", the basic word is "níl" (neel).
Read these:
Níl sé mór (NEEL shay* mohr). He is not big.
Níl mé
fuar (NEEL may* FOO-uhr). I am not cold.
Níl Seán
ramhar (NEEL shaw*n ROU-wuhr). John is not fat.
For questioning
with "tá", the basic group is "an bhfuil" (un VWIL).
In the West of
Ireland this may be pronounced (un WIL). Read these:
An bhfuil fear
ansin? (un vwil FAR un-SHIN) Is a man there?
An bhfuil Nóra
óg? (un vwil NOH-ruh ohg) Is Nora young?
An bhfuil bosca
anseo? (un vwil BOHSK-uh un-SHUN) Is there a box here?
Pronunciation
Irish t and d. Every Irish consonant has two different sounds. The
one selected depends on what kind of vowel is next to the consonant.
The vowels "a", "o" and "u" are called broad and give the broad sound
to consonants next to them. The slender vowels are "e", "i", "ea"
and often "ai".
You learned how
to pronounce broad "t" above, in the word "tá". Pronounce a
broad "d" with the front part of the tongue in the same position,
along the roof of the mouth, with the tongue tip almost protruding
between the teeth.
Try: dá
(daw*), dó (doh), dún (doon), drom (drohm), dlú
(dloo), dath (dah).
For slender "d"
and "t", place the tongue tip, and only the tip, on the hard ridge
just behind your upper front teeth. Then pronounce the "t " or "d".
(In the West there is a tendency to pronounce these by sliding the
tongue off the ridge, giving sounds closer to ch or j). Practice on
these: deil (del), déan(day*n), dílis (DEE-lish), ding
(ding), deacair (DAK-uhr), dlí (dlee), te (te), téann
(TAY*-uhn), timire (TEEM-i-re), teas (tas).
Conversation
Read this carefully until you can go from one language to the other
quickly, phrase by phrase and sentence by sentence.
Do not try to
understand the grammar of the words or phrases yet. Pay special attention
to "duit". This is generally pronounced with a (g) sound at the start,
and we will do that in this lesson. The letter "u" in the word merely
tells you that the "d" or "g" gets its broad sound. The "t" must get
a slender sound.
Séamas:
(SHAY*-muhs): Dia duit, a Nóra (DEE-uh git, uh NOH-ruh). Hello,
Nora.
Nóra:
Dia's Muire duit, a Shéamais (DEE-uhs MWIR-uh git, uh HAY*-mish).
Hello James.
Séamas:
Conas tá tú? (KUN-uhs TAW*too). How are you?
Nóra:
Tá mé go maith, agus conas tá tú féin?
(TAW* may* goh MAH, AH-guhs KUN-uhs TAW* too fay*n). I am well, and
how are you?
Séamas:
Tá mé go maith, leis. (TAW*may* goh MAH, lesh). I am
well, too.
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(c) 1997 The
Irish People. May be reprinted with credit.
