EASY LESSONS IN IRISH.
(The First and Second Parts are now issued in book form: see advertisements.)
EXERCISE LXXXVI.
§ 500. All burdens like rent, tax, debt oppression, hard work, etc, are said to be on a person.
cáin (kaun), tax.
cíos (kees), rent.
fiaċ (fee′-ăCH), debt.
muiriġin (mwir′-een), a burden, usually
means a large family to support. In
Munster, muirear (mwir′-ŭr).
§ 501. Atá obair ṁór orm anois. Ní ḟuil an obair úd mór. Ní ḟuil agam aċt gort beag, boċt, agus atá cíos mór orm. Atá an ḃean sin boċt, agus atá muiriġin ṁór, lag uirri. Atá siad boċt; atá cíos agus cáin ṁór orra, agus atá fiaċ orra. Níl an ṁin daor, atá sí saor anois, aċt ḃí sí daor indé. Taḃair ḋom an ṁin daor, atá sí ú, folláin.
§ 502. Is the rent heavy? It was heavy, but it is not heavy now; but the tax is heavy. There is a tax on silk, satin and wine, when they are coming to Ireland. The eagle went up in the sky, he was afraid. The lamb is inside in the barn. I saw Edmund inside; he has a heavy cold. Owen Roe was sitting in the saddle. The saddle is broad; it is soft, it is not hard. There is no saddle or bridle on my horse.
EXERCISE LXXXVII.
THE FORM OF ANt CONTINUED.
§ 503. We have seen that feminine words in the nominative and accusative singular have their first consonant aspirated. There is a peculiarity about such nouns beginning with s—for, not only is the s aspirated, but the t of the article re-appears. Thus we say, not an ṡúil, but ant ṡúil, or as we usually write it, an tsúil, an t-súil (thool).
§ 504. an tsráid (thraud), the street. an tSiuir (toor), the Suir. an tSionainn (tin′-ăn), the Shannon. an tsúil (thool), the eye. an tseanḃean (tan′-van), the old woman. biaḋ (bee′-ă), ford.
§ 505. Ċonnaic Briġid an tSionainn ar maidin indiu, agus ḃí sí duḃ. Atá an tSiuir leaṫan go leor ins an áit so. Ní ḟuil an tsráid glan, atá sí bog. Ní ḟaca an tseanḃean an madaḋ astiġ ag an teine. Atá ocras mór ar an madaḋ úd, ní ḟuair sé biaḋ ná deoċ fós. Fuair an cú biaḋ, agus ḃí lúṫġáir air. Ná cuir cíos mór ar an talaṁ so.
§ 506. The Shannon is in Ireland: the Moy is slow and wide; this river is dark and cold. The Shannon is wide at this place, there is a beautiful ship on it now. Did you see the ship on the river? His eye is black, her eye is blue; the other eye is crooked. We are sorry, we are not angry. I saw the high mountain to-day. The eagle did not see the light.
EXERCISE LXXXVIII.
§ 507. It will now be seen that we have a clue to the gender of many words whenever we hear or see them in the nominative and accusative case singular. Thus from the following exercise we might conclude that uisge, balla, baile, bainne are masculine; and súiste, eagla, feminine.
§ 508. S is never aspirated when followed by a consonant, unless this consonant be l, n or r. The reason is that the sound of ṡ, that is h, could not be pronounced before the other consonants. Thus, mo sgian, mo speal, mo smeur.
[ 19 ] § 509. Ċonnaic an fear an spel agus an tsúiste ar an urlár. Atá an t-uisge so fuar, folláin. Fuair mé an t-uisge fuar ins an tobar. Fág an tsúiste ins an sgioból, atá bríste. Ní raiḃ an flaiṫ óg astiġ, aċt ḃí an t-ard-rí astiġ in a luiġe, ḃí tinneas air. Atá sé marḃ leis an eagla. Ní’l an eagla orm. Ní ḟaca an capall an balla. Ḃí baile mór ar an oileán. Cuir an bainne ins an uisge. Ṫug Euḋmonn buille trom do Niall, mar ḃí fearg air.
§ 510. Correct the following: Atá an t-áit so folláin. Atá an tsolas geal. Fuair Nóra an uisge agus an feoil. Cuir an t-uisge fuar ar an im. Atá ualaċ mór ar an t-asal. Ċuaiḋ an bó a ḃaile leis an t-uan. Ní raiḃ an uan óg, ḃí sí mór. Atá an t-aill árd. Deun deifir leis an t-obair so.
EXERCISE LXXXIX.
§ 511. “Niall owes Art a debt” is translated into Irish by Atá fiaċ ag Art arNiall, Art has a debt or claim on Niall. When the amount of the debt is to be stated, it is placed instead of the word fiaċ, as atá sgilling agam ort, you owe me a shilling; I have a (claim of a) shilling on you.
§ 512.
an t-aṫair, (thah′-ĕr), the father.
an t-iomaire (tim′-ă-rĕ), the ridge.
an t-uḃall (thoo′-ăL), the apple.
punt, a pound.
sgilling, a shilling.
piġinn (peen) a penny. Munster pinginn
(ping′-in).
leiṫ-ṗiġinn (leh′-feen), a halfpenny.
§ 513. Cuir an ṗiġinn úd in do ṗóca. Ná fág an t-uḃall ar an urlár. Fuair tú uḃall uaim indé; atá piġinn agam ort. Ní ḟuair mé aċt uḃall beag uait; ní ḟuil aċt leiṫṗiġinn agat orm. Fuair Briġid caora ó Euḋmonn, agus atá punt aige uirri. Ní ḟaca mé an t-uḃall ar an iomaire, aċt ḃí an feur ag fás air, agus ḃí an feur tiuġ Fuair an t-aṫair bás, agus ḃí cuṁa agus brón mór ar an mac. Ḃí mé ag obair ó ṁaidin go hoiḋċe, aċt ní ḟuair mé piġinn ruaḋ uait.
§ 514. This apple is sweet, that apple’s bitter (searḃ). There is a young tree growing on the ridge; the ridge s high, but the tree is not high yet. The father gave the apple to Edmond. The mother found the apple on the floor, and she gave the apple to the father (do’n aṫair). I do not owe you a penny to-day; I owed you a halfpenny yesterday.
EXERCISE XC.
§ 515. Instead of saying that a thing has a certain taste, colour, shape, etc., we say that the taste, colour, or shape, etc., is on the thing, as in the following exercise.
§ 516.
| blas, taste. | |||
| daṫ (dhah, like tha in that) colour. | |||
| cuma (kum′-ă), shape, form. | |||
| caoi (Kee, as -ky in lucky | shape, | ||
| deis (desh) | West Conn. | arrangement, | |
| dóiġ dhō′-ee) | Ulster. | way. | |
§ 517. Look back at rule for aspiration of adjectives. After FEMININE nouns in NOMINATIVE and ACCUSATIVE singular, the first consonant of following adjective is aspirated, as min ḃuiḋe (min Wee), yellow meal; an tseanḃean ḃoċt, the poor old woman.
§ 518. Feuċ! (faeCH, Munster Fiaċ! fee-oCH′) see! look at! as feuc an fear boċt ag an doras.
§ 519. Some phrases: Cia ċaoi ’ḃfuil tú? (kee′-ă CHee Wil thoo), what way are you? Cia an ċuma (CHum′-ă) ’tá ort? how are you, what (is) the way that is on you? Cuir caoi ar, repair, set in order; ag cur caoi ar, repairing.
§ 520. The relative pronoun who, which, that, before is, are, is not used in Irish; as, an fear atá, the man who is; an t-uan atá, the lamb that is; an áit atá, the place which is; na fir atá tinn, the men who are sick.
§ 521. Go mbeannuiġiḋ Dia ḋuit, a Ṫaiḋg! Go mneannuiġiḋ Dia is Muire ḋuit, a Nóra! Cia ċaoi ’ḃfuil tú indiu? Atá mé go láidir. Taḃair ḋom an t-uḃall úd, an ḃfuil sé milis. Atá blas milis air go deiṁin, aċt cuir an t-uḃall ins an [ 20 ]mála. An ḃfuil Cormac ag obair anois? Atá; atá sé ag cur caoi ar an teaċ, atá sé ag cur tuiġe air, mar atá an aimsir fuar, fliuċ. Nuair ḃí an ḃean ḃoċt ag cur caoi ar an áit, fuair sí an t-airgead ins an tuiġe. Feuċ an duine sin; atá airgead aige orm, agus ní’l piġinn in mo ṗóca anois.
522. Atá caoi ṁaiṫ ar Aoḋ, Hugh is in good circumstances. Ní’l caoi (or dóiġ) ar Niall, Niall is not well off, is in a bad wav.
523. Ḃí Doṁnall boċt, aċt atá caoi ṁaiṫ air anois. An ḃfuil Nóra saiḋḃir? Ní’l; atá muiriġin ṁór uirri, agus atá cíos mór, trom, ar an talaṁ atá aici. Feuċ an t-iolar ṡuas ins an spéir!
524. The water is dark blue in colour (say, there is a dark blue colour on the water). This lamb is white, Nora is repairing the spinning-wheel, and Dermot is mending the stool. This chair is broken, and James is mending it (ag cur caoi uirri). See the lamb that is in the meadow. See the turf (Wōn) that is on the floor, it (sí) is soft and heavy. Do not leave the broken stool outside; leave the stool inside and mend it. I owe Cormac a shilling.