Help Your Child With Irish
If you are not confident in speaking Irish, a fun way to get into practice is to start using some at home with your children. It can be a great learning opportunity for both you and your children and you can do it at your own pace. Your child might also like to teach you some of the Gaeilge they are learning in school!
Cúla Caint Apps: There are a series of three FREE Apps available from TG4. They teach basic words in a fun interactive way. They will teach you 300 words – a great start to building your vocabulary!
Read a bedtime story ‘as Gaeilge’. If you are not fluent, it can be daunting to launch into a full conversation with your child, but you can still use Irish every day by using Irish language story books. There are some really lovely books available ‘as Gaeilge’ like Futa Fata publications but there are usually a good selection of books available in your local library which won’t cost a thing. If you are not confident in your pronunciation, many stories come with CDs so you and your child can just enjoy listening together and following along with the book. https://tuismitheoiri.ie/ , a site for parents of children in the Gaeltacht, has some lovely stories that you can listen to.
https://gaeloideachas.ie/resources-primary/ has some nice downloadable resources for primary school aged children.
The language learning site duolingo.com offers an Irish learning option with over 5000 interactive exercises to work on conversational Irish.
Another easy thing you can do is ‘change the channel’. TG4 have a great selection of cartoons for children which are available at any time on their online player. Watching television or listening to Irish language radio will help attune their ear to the sound of Gaeilge and support them in their learning of the language.
The simplest thing you can probably do is to exchange a few regular phrases you use in English to their Irish equivalent. These are things that can be made a permanent fixture in your home and will send your children a clear message that you like Gaeilge and are happy to use what you have.
| Gaeilge | Bearla |
|---|---|
| Maidin mhaith | Good Morning |
| Ar chodail tú go maith? | Did you sleep well? |
| Tá sé in am éirí | It’s time to get up |
| Déan deifir! | Hurry Up |
| Cá bhfuil do bhosca lóin? | Where is your lunch box? |
| Cuir ort do chóta | Put on your coat |
| Tá sé gaofar/fuar/ag cur baistí | It is windy/cold/raining |
| Lá brea atá ann | It’s a lovely day |
| Día dhuit | Hello (‘God be with you’) |
| Céad míle fáilte romhat! | A hundred thousand welcomes |
| Cad is ainm duit? | What is your name? |
| Seán is ainm dom | My name is Seán |
| Conas atá tú? | How are you? |
| Tá mé go maith | I am well |
| Tá mé tinn | I am sick |
| Tá tuirse orm | I am tired |
| An bhfuil ocras ort? | Are you hungry? |
| Tá ocras/tart orm | I am hungry/thirsty |
| Cad ba mhaith leat? | What would you like? |
| Ar mhaith leat caife, tea, bainne? | Would you like coffee, tea, milk? |
| B'fhearr liom liomanáid | I would prefer lemonade |
| Más é do thoil é | Please |
| Go raibh míle maith agat! | Thank you very much! |
| Tá fáilte romhat | You’re welcome |
| Cá bhfuil Máire? | Where is Máire? |
| Slán agus beannacht leat | Goodbye and bless you |
| Comhghairdeas | Congratulations |
| Sláinte | Cheers |
| An dtuigeann tú? | Do you understand? |
| Tuigim/Ní thuigim | I understand/don’t understand |
| Cad e sin? | What is that? |
| Cén tam e? | What time is it? |
| Ta sé a haon a clog, a dó a clog, trí, ceathair, cuig, sé, seacht, hocht, naoi, deich | It’s one o’clock, two o’clock, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten |
| Gabh mo leithscéal | Excuse me |
| Stad! | Stop! |
| Ná déan sin! | Don’t do that! |
| Cuir sin síos! | Put that down! |
| Buachaill/cailín maith! | Good boy/girl |
| Éistigí liom! | Listen to me! |
| Dún an doras! | Close the door! |
| Tá an ceart agat. | You are right |
| Oíche mhaith | Good night |
| Codladh samh | Sleep Well |