Grammar

A Gaelic sentence normally starts with the verb, then the subject, then everything else. Where English says "I am tired", Gaelic says "am I tired" — without it being a question.

• Tha mi sgìthHA mee SKEEI am tired

  Tha

  am

  mi

  I

  sgìth

  tired

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tha an cù mòrHA un KOO MOHRThe dog is big

  Tha

  is

  an

  the

  cù

  dog

  mòr

  big

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Dh'òl Seumas an tìGHAWL SHAY-mus un TCHEEJames drank the tea

  Dh'òl

  drank

  Seumas

  James

  an

  the

  tì

  tea

  🎙 Say it yourself

Tha describes how or where something is. It has separate forms for statements, negatives and questions, and Gaelic has no single word for yes or no: you answer with the verb itself, tha or chan eil — see answering yes and no.

• A bheil thu sgìth?uh VEL oo SKEEAre you tired?

  A bheil

  are?

  thu

  you

  sgìth

  tired

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Chan eil mi sgìthkhun YEL mee SKEEI'm not tired

  Chan eil

  am not

  mi

  I

  sgìth

  tired

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Bha mi trangVA mee TRANGI was busy

  Bha

  was

  mi

  I

  trang

  busy

  🎙 Say it yourself

Bidh covers habits as well as the future: bidh mi a' snàmh can mean I will swim or I usually swim.

Is says what something is, rather than how it is — identity and classification — and it turns up in a set of everyday expressions of liking and preference.

For a job or a nationality, speech uses a longer idiom: 's e … a th' annam, "it's a … that is in me", with the rest of ann an for the other persons. Its negative and question are below.

• Is mise Seumasis MEE-shuh SHAY-musI am James

  Is

  is

  mise

  I (emphatic)

  Seumas

  James

  🎙 Say it yourself
• 'S e tidsear a th' annamsheh TCHEE-chur uh HA-numI am a teacherLiterally "it's a teacher that is in me".

  'S

  is

  e

  it

  tidsear

  a teacher

  a

  that

  th'

  is

  annam

  in-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• 'S e Albannach a th' inntesheh AL-uh-puh-nukh uh HEEN-chuhShe is ScottishLiterally "it's a Scot that is in her".

  'S

  is

  e

  it

  Albannach

  a Scot

  a

  that

  th'

  is

  innte

  in-her

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Is toil leam cofaidhis TOL lum KOF-eeI like coffee

  Is

  is

  toil

  pleasing

  leam

  with-me

  cofaidh

  coffee

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Is fheàrr leam tìis YAAR lum TCHEEI prefer tea

  Is

  is

  fheàrr

  better

  leam

  with-me

  tì

  tea

  🎙 Say it yourself

A rule of thumb: if you could stop being it tomorrow — tired, hungry, at home — use tha. If it is what you are — a teacher, Scottish, James — use is. Older books write the short form, is tidsear mi, but in speech you will hear the idiom.

The 's e … a th' annam idiom changes only its first word: chan e to say it is not so, an e to ask. The last word says who, from ann an: annam in me, annad in you, ann in him, innte in her.

Keep these apart from the forms of tha. A sentence that starts with tha — having something, feeling something, being somewhere — takes chan eil and a bheil instead, as in the last four rows, where the last word, from aig, says who. So it is chan e for what you are not, and chan eil for what you do not have.

• Chan e tidsear a th' annamkhun YEH TCHEE-chur uh HA-numI'm not a teacher

  Chan e

  it is not

  tidsear

  a teacher

  a

  that

  th'

  is

  annam

  in-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• An e tidsear a th' annad?un YEH TCHEE-chur uh HA-nudAre you a teacher?

  An e

  is it?

  tidsear

  a teacher

  a

  that

  th'

  is

  annad

  in-you

  🎙 Say it yourself

The answer to an e…? is 's e for yes and chan e for no — see answering yes and no.

Gaelic has no word for yes and no word for no. You answer with the question's own verb: said plainly for yes, with its negative for no. A bheil thu sgìth? — are you tired? — is answered tha or chan eil.

So the answer changes with the verb and the tense. A question in the past gets a past answer, never tha; a question with is gets 's e or chan e; and a question with any other verb is answered with that verb, in the form it would take in a statement.

• An toil leat cofaidh?un TOL lat KOF-eeDo you like coffee?

  An

  is?

  toil

  pleasing

  leat

  with-you

  cofaidh

  coffee

  🎙 Say it yourself
• 'S toilSTOLYes (I do)

  'S

  is

  toil

  pleasing

  🎙 Say it yourself
• An deach thu dhachaigh?un JAKH oo GHA-kheeDid you go home?

  An deach

  did go?

  thu

  you

  dhachaigh

  home

  🎙 Say it yourself
• ChaidhKHAH-eeYes (I did)

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Am faca tu e?um FAKH-kuh too ehDid you see it?

  Am faca

  did see?

  tu

  you

  e

  it

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Chan fhacakhun AKH-kuhNo (I didn't)The f is softened away: fhaca begins with the vowel.

  Chan

  not

  fhaca

  saw

  🎙 Say it yourself

A bare verb is a complete answer, but a fuller one just says the rest again: Tha, tha mi sgìth — yes, I'm tired. The yes and no entries in the phrasebook carry the same rule in their notes.

Each pronoun has a plain form and an emphatic form for contrast — "I did it, not you". thu is for one person you know well; sibh is for more than one person, or for one person you want to be polite to.

Gaelic does not say "at me" or "on you" as two words. The preposition and the pronoun merge into one word, and you learn each set as a pattern.

These do a lot of work. Gaelic has no verb "to have": tha cù agam is literally "a dog is at me". Feelings sit on you — tha an t-acras orm, "hunger is on me".

• Tha cù agamHA KOO AK-umI have a dog

  Tha

  is

  cù

  a dog

  agam

  at-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Chan eil cù mòr agamkhun YEL KOO MOHR AK-umI don't have a big dogThe adjective goes between the thing and the owner: a dog big at me.

  Chan eil

  is not

  cù

  a dog

  mòr

  big

  agam

  at-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tha an t-acras ormHA un TAKH-krus OR-omI'm hungry

  Tha

  is

  an

  the

  t-acras

  hunger

  orm

  on-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Thoir dhomh an leabharHOR GHAW un LYAW-urGive me the book

  Thoir

  give

  dhomh

  to-me

  an

  the

  leabhar

  book

  🎙 Say it yourself

Five more prepositions merge with the pronouns in the same way. ri is the one you will need soonest: you talk ri someone, and listen ri something.

bho is also said o, and its forms uam, uat and so on — you will hear both.

• Bruidhinn riumBROO-een RYOOMTalk to me

  Bruidhinn

  speak

  rium

  to-me

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Fhuair mi litir bhuaipeHOO-ur mee LYEE-tchir VOO-uh-puhI got a letter from her

  Fhuair

  got

  mi

  I

  litir

  a letter

  bhuaipe

  from-her

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Cuir dhìot do chòtaKOOR YEE-ut duh KHAW-tuhTake off your coatLiterally "put off you your coat".

  Cuir

  put

  dhìot

  off-you

  do

  your

  chòta

  coat

  🎙 Say it yourself

mu on its own is mostly kept for set phrases. For about in general, say mu dheidhinn, which takes the genitive: mu dheidhinn an leabhair, about the book.

The words for my, your, his, her, our and their go in front of the noun, as in English. What catches people out is what each one does to the start of that noun.

mo (my), do (your) and a meaning his all soften the noun — lenition. a meaning her leaves it alone, so his dog and her dog differ only in the h: a chù, a cù. Before a vowel, mo and do shorten to m' and d', her puts h- on the noun, our and your put n- on it, and his disappears altogether.

ur is your for more than one person, or for one person you would call sibh. an (their) becomes am before b, f, m and p, as the article does.

• mo chùmo KHOOmy dog

  mo

  my

  chù

  dog

  🎙 Say it yourself
• a bhàtauh VAA-tuhhis boatSoftened: bh sounds like v.

  a

  his

  bhàta

  boat

  🎙 Say it yourself
• a bàtauh BAA-tuhher boatLeft alone.

  a

  her

  bàta

  boat

  🎙 Say it yourself
• m' athairMA-hirmy father

  m'

  my

  athair

  father

  🎙 Say it yourself
• ar n-athairur NA-hirour father

  ar

  our

  n-athair

  father

  🎙 Say it yourself
• an taigh agamun TUY AK-ummy houseThe house at me — the everyday way to say my for things you own.

  an

  the

  taigh

  house

  agam

  at-me

  🎙 Say it yourself

In speech, mo and the rest are kept mostly for family and the body — mo mhàthair, mo cheann — and for owned things people more often say the thing aig you: an taigh agam, the house at me. Both are correct; the phrasebook's Seo mo charaid and Tha mo cheann goirt use the first.

Gaelic has no word for "a" — cù is a dog. The word for "the" changes with the gender of the noun and the letter it starts with, and before a feminine noun it softens the first consonant.

• am balachum BAL-ukhthe boy

  am

  the

  balach

  boy

  🎙 Say it yourself
• a' chaileaguh KHAL-yakthe girl

  a'

  the

  chaileag

  girl

  🎙 Say it yourself
• an t-uisgeun TOOSH-kuhthe water

  an

  the

  t-uisge

  water

  🎙 Say it yourself
• na h-òrainnuh HAW-rinthe songs

  na

  the

  h-òrain

  songs

  🎙 Say it yourself

In the plural it is na for both genders, and na h- before a vowel.

After a preposition, the behaves differently. Most prepositions simply sit in front of it — air an, aig an, anns an, leis an, ris an — and several contract: bho and an make bhon, and likewise don, den, fon, mun and tron.

Then the noun is softened whatever its gender, as a feminine noun is after the plain article: am bòrd, the table, but air a' bhòrd, on the table. As always, d, t and vowels resist; a noun starting with f becomes an fh-, and one starting with s before a vowel, l, n or r takes t-. A feminine noun has already changed, so it stays as it is.

• air a' bhòrder uh VAWRDon the table

  air

  on

  a'

  the

  bhòrd

  table

  🎙 Say it yourself
• anns a' chàrOWNS uh KHAARin the car

  anns

  in

  a'

  the

  chàr

  car

  🎙 Say it yourself
• leis an fhearLESH un ERwith the man

  leis

  with

  an

  the

  fhear

  man

  🎙 Say it yourself
• aig an dorasEK un DOR-usat the door

  aig

  at

  an

  the

  doras

  door

  🎙 Say it yourself
• ris an t-sagartRISH un TAK-arshtto the priest

  ris

  to

  an

  the

  t-sagart

  priest

  🎙 Say it yourself
• anns an uisgeOWNS un OOSH-kuhin the water

  anns

  in

  an

  the

  uisge

  water

  🎙 Say it yourself
• air an t-sràider un TRAATCHon the street

  air

  on

  an

  the

  t-sràid

  street

  🎙 Say it yourself

In speech anns an is often shortened to san: san taigh, in the house. A feminine noun may also change its ending here — air a' bhròig for a' bhròg — in writing and in some speakers' Gaelic, though many say air a' bhròg.

Where English says the boy's house or the door of the school, Gaelic puts the owner after the thing, in a changed form called the genitive: taigh a' bhalaich, house of-the-boy.

With a masculine noun, the softens it and the noun usually turns slender: am balach, a' bhalaich. With a feminine noun, the becomes na, which does not soften, and the noun usually gains -e: a' chaileag, na caileige. The first noun drops its own the — taigh a' bhalaich, never an taigh a' bhalaich.

Without the, most nouns change little or not at all: cupa tì, a cup of tea. A name is softened: taigh Sheumais, James's house.

• taigh a' bhalaichTIE uh VAL-eekhthe boy's house

  taigh

  house

  a'

  of-the

  bhalaich

  boy

  🎙 Say it yourself
• biadh a' choinBEE-ugh uh KHOYNthe dog's food

  biadh

  food

  a'

  of-the

  choin

  dog

  🎙 Say it yourself
• doras na sgoileDOR-us nuh SKOL-uhthe school door

  doras

  door

  na

  of-the

  sgoile

  school

  🎙 Say it yourself
• an dèidh na sgoileun JAY nuh SKOL-uhafter schoolan dèidh (after), airson (for) and ri taobh (beside) all take the genitive.

  an dèidh

  after

  na

  of-the

  sgoile

  school

  🎙 Say it yourself
• cupa tìKOO-puh TCHEEa cup of tea

  cupa

  cup

  tì

  tea

  🎙 Say it yourself
• taigh SheumaisTIE HAY-mishJames's house

  taigh

  house

  Sheumais

  James's

  🎙 Say it yourself

Lenition — adding an h to the first consonant — is how Gaelic grammar marks many relationships between words. The most common triggers:

• mo (my), do (your) and a (his) — see my, your, his and her
• glè (very) and ro (too)
• the article before a feminine noun: a' chaileag
• an adjective after a feminine noun: caileag bheag
• the past tense of verbs: cheannaich mi
• the numbers aon (one) and dà (two)
• many prepositions, including bho, de, do, fo, mu and tro

• a chùuh KHOOhis dog

  a

  his

  chù

  dog

  🎙 Say it yourself
• a cùuh KOOher dogOnly the lenition tells his and her apart.

  a

  her

  cù

  dog

  🎙 Say it yourself
• a h-athairuh HA-hurher fatherBefore a vowel, her takes h- and his does nothing at all.

  a

  her

  h-athair

  father

  🎙 Say it yourself

When you speak to someone by name, the name changes. Put a in front and soften it — lenition. A man's name usually turns slender as well: Seumas, a Sheumais. A woman's name is only softened: Màiri, a Mhàiri.

Before a vowel the a disappears and nothing changes: Iain, Anna. The words you call people by work the same way: a charaid, friend, and a ghràidh, dear.

• Ciamar a tha thu, a Mhàiri?KYEM-ur a ha oo, uh VAA-reeHow are you, Mary?

  Ciamar

  how

  a

  that

  tha

  are

  thu

  you

  a

  O (calling)

  Mhàiri

  Mary

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Madainn mhath, a SheumaisMA-tin VA, uh HAY-mishGood morning, James

  Madainn

  morning

  mhath

  good

  a

  O (calling)

  Sheumais

  James

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tapadh leat, a charaidTAP-uh lat, uh KHAR-itchThank you, friend

  Tapadh

  thanks

  leat

  with-you

  a

  O (calling)

  charaid

  friend

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Oidhche mhath, a ghràidhUH-ee-chuh VA, uh GHRAA-eeGood night, dear

  Oidhche

  night

  mhath

  good

  a

  O (calling)

  ghràidh

  love

  🎙 Say it yourself

Adjectives normally come after the noun, and are lenited after a feminine singular noun. A few come before it instead — seann (old) is the most common, and it lenites the noun unless it starts with d, t or s.

• taigh mòrTIE MOHRa big house

  taigh

  house

  mòr

  big

  🎙 Say it yourself
• caileag bheagKAL-yak VEKa little girl

  caileag

  girl

  bheag

  little

  🎙 Say it yourself
• seann taighSHOWN TIEan old house

  seann

  old

  taigh

  house

  🎙 Say it yourself
• seann chàrSHOWN KHAARan old car

  seann

  old

  chàr

  car

  🎙 Say it yourself

Every noun is masculine or feminine, and a dictionary will tell you which. A few endings give it away:

• -ag is feminine: caileag (girl), uinneag (window), piseag (kitten)
• -achd is feminine: Gàidhealtachd (the Highlands), rìoghachd (kingdom)
• a slender last consonant often means feminine: sràid (street), sgoil (school), obair (work)
• -an on a small thing is masculine: lochan (little loch)
• someone who does a job, in -air or -aiche, is masculine: dotair (doctor), iasgair (fisherman)
• most countries are feminine: Alba (Scotland), an Fhraing (France)

• na caileagannuh KAL-yak-unthe girls

  na

  the

  caileagan

  girls

  🎙 Say it yourself
• na coinnuh KOYNthe dogs

  na

  the

  coin

  dogs

  🎙 Say it yourself
• taighean mòraTIE-un MOH-ruhbig housesAn adjective after a plural noun usually adds -a.

  taighean

  houses

  mòra

  big

  🎙 Say it yourself

The plural is most often -an or -ean. Many masculine nouns make their last vowel slender instead, as balach does, and a handful — cù, bean — are irregular and learned one by one.

The simplest form of a verb, its root, is the command: ceannaich! means buy! Every other tense is built from that root.

• Past: lenite the root — cheannaich mi, I bought. Before a vowel or fh, add dh' — dh'òl mi, I drank.
• Future: add -idh or -aidh — ceannaichidh mi, I will buy.
• Negatives and questions in the past use do: cha do cheannaich mi, an do cheannaich thu?
• For "I am buying", use tha with the verbal noun: tha mi a' ceannach.

• Cheannaich mi aranKHYAN-eekh mee AR-anI bought bread

  Cheannaich

  bought

  mi

  I

  aran

  bread

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Ceannaichidh mi aranKYAN-eekh-ee mee AR-anI will buy bread

  Ceannaichidh

  will-buy

  mi

  I

  aran

  bread

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tha mi ag òlHA mee uk AWLI am drinking

  Tha

  am

  mi

  I

  ag òl

  drinking

  🎙 Say it yourself

"I am buying" is tha mi a' ceannach: tha with the verbal noun, the -ing form. It takes a' before a consonant and ag before a vowel: a' ceannach, buying, but ag òl, drinking.

To say who you are doing it to with a pronoun — seeing him, helping her — the pronoun becomes a possessive fused with ag: tha mi ga fhaicinn, I see him, literally "I am at his seeing". The fused forms soften the verbal noun exactly where the possessives do, so ga fhaicinn is him and ga faicinn her.

• Tha mi ga fhaicinnHA mee guh ECH-kinI can see him

  Tha

  am

  mi

  I

  ga

  at-his

  fhaicinn

  seeing

  🎙 Say it yourself
• A bheil thu gam chluinntinn?uh VEL oo gum KHLOON-tchinCan you hear me?

  A bheil

  are?

  thu

  you

  gam

  at-my

  chluinntinn

  hearing

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tha i ag òl cofaidhHA ee uk AWL KOF-eeShe is drinking coffee

  Tha

  is

  i

  she

  ag òl

  drinking

  cofaidh

  coffee

  🎙 Say it yourself

Me and them differ only by the h: gam fhaicinn, seeing me, but gam faicinn, seeing them.

Ten very common verbs, plus bi, do not follow the pattern. There are few enough to learn as a list, and you will use them constantly.

• Chaidh mi dhachaighKHY mee GHAKH-eeI went home

  Chaidh

  went

  mi

  I

  dhachaigh

  home

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Chunnaic mi eKHOO-nik mee ehI saw him

  Chunnaic

  saw

  mi

  I

  e

  him

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Thèid mi a-màireachHAYJ mee uh-MAA-ryukhI'll go tomorrow

  Thèid

  will-go

  mi

  I

  a-màireach

  tomorrow

  🎙 Say it yourself

Several have a different form again in the negative and question: chaidh mi but cha deach mi; chunnaic mi but chan fhaca mi.

For would, soften the root and add -inn for I, or -eadh with any other subject: cheannaichinn, I would buy, and cheannaicheadh tu, you would buy. Before a vowel add dh': dh'òlainn, I would drink. bi becomes bhithinn and bhiodh. Negatives take cha and questions an or am, as in the future.

If is nan, or nam before b, f, m and p, with the same form unsoftened: nam bithinn beartach, if I were rich.

The conditional you will use most is the copula's: bu toil leam, I would like — the polite way to ask for something.

• Bhithinn toilichteVEE-hin TOL-eekh-tchuhI would be happy

  Bhithinn

  I-would-be

  toilichte

  happy

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Bhiodh sin mathVEE-ugh shin MAThat would be good

  Bhiodh

  would-be

  sin

  that

  math

  good

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Bu toil leam cofaidhboo TOL lum KOF-eeI'd like a coffee

  Bu

  would-be

  toil

  pleasing

  leam

  with-me

  cofaidh

  coffee

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Am bu toil leat tì?um boo TOL lat TCHEEWould you like tea?

  Am bu

  would-be?

  toil

  pleasing

  leat

  with-you

  tì

  tea

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Nam bithinn beartach, cheannaichinn bàtanum BEE-hin BYARSH-tukh, KHYAN-eekh-in BAA-tuhIf I were rich, I would buy a boat

  Nam

  if

  bithinn

  I-would-be

  beartach

  rich

  cheannaichinn

  I-would-buy

  bàta

  a boat

  🎙 Say it yourself

To say something was done without saying who did it, use chaidh (went) with the thing, a, and the softened verbal noun: chaidh an taigh a thogail, the house was built — literally "the house went to its building". thèid does the same for the future: thèid a dhèanamh a-màireach, it will be done tomorrow.

When the thing is a pronoun, it becomes a possessive before the verbal noun — and that is how Gaelic says where you were born: chaidh mo bhreith, I was born.

• Chaidh an taigh a thogailKHY un TIE uh HOK-alThe house was built

  Chaidh

  went

  an

  the

  taigh

  house

  a

  its

  thogail

  building

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Chaidh mo bhreith ann an GlaschuKHY mo VRAY ah-nun GLAS-khooI was born in Glasgow

  Chaidh

  went

  mo

  my

  bhreith

  birth

  ann an

  in

  Glaschu

  Glasgow

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Càite an deach do bhreith?KAA-tchuh un JAKH duh VRAYWhere were you born?The question uses an deach, as chaidh always does.

  Càite

  where

  an deach

  did go

  do

  your

  bhreith

  birth

  🎙 Say it yourself

You will also hear rugadh mi, I was born, from beir: rugadh mi ann an Glaschu.

When counting on their own, numbers take a in front. With a noun the a is dropped. After aon (one) and dà (two) the noun is singular and lenited; from three to ten it is plural. Twenty, fichead, goes back to the singular.

• dà chatDAA KHAHTtwo cats

  dà

  two

  chat

  cat

  🎙 Say it yourself
• trì caitTREE KATCHthree cats

  trì

  three

  cait

  cats

  🎙 Say it yourself

The rest of the system — the teens, the old counting in twenties, the separate numbers for people, and the ordinals — is on the numbers page.

To compare, put nas before a changed form of the adjective, and na for than. For the biggest or the best, use as instead of nas. Most adjectives change by slendering and adding -e; the everyday ones are irregular.

• Tha an cù nas motha na an catHA un KOO nus MO-uh nuh un KAHTThe dog is bigger than the cat

  Tha

  is

  an

  the

  cù

  dog

  nas motha

  bigger

  na

  than

  an

  the

  cat

  cat

  🎙 Say it yourself
• as mothaus MO-uhbiggest

  as

  -est

  motha

  big

  🎙 Say it yourself

Gaelic uses different words for moving in a direction and for being in a place. Going outside is a-mach; being outside is a-muigh.

• Chaidh e a-machKHY eh uh-MAKHHe went out

  Chaidh

  went

  e

  he

  a-mach

  out (going)

  🎙 Say it yourself
• Tha e a-muighHA eh uh-MOO-eeHe is outside

  Tha

  is

  e

  he

  a-muigh

  outside (being)

  🎙 Say it yourself