Focal an Lae - Irish Word a Day - All Comments

re: Irish Word a Day - Milis - Sweet

alanmstrong@hotmail.com — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 20:40:04 GMT

I think it would be - Tá tú milis.

re: Irish Word a Day - Searbh - Bitter

lsm3456 — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 22:50:41 GMT

what is this anyway?

re: Irish Word a Day - Searbh - Bitter

emerson — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 18:34:29 GMT

Is maith liom liomoide search

re: Irish Word a Day - Madadh - Dog

Tommylamb — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:29:28 GMT

Sorry....just saw the explanation above.

re: Irish Word a Day - Madadh - Dog

Tommylamb — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:28:31 GMT

Why do some use madadh and others madra. Is it a regional variation?

re: Irish Word a Day - Madadh - Dog

Tommylamb — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:28:30 GMT

Why do some use madadh and others madra. Is it a regional variation?

re: Irish Word a Day - Bríste Géine - Jeans

joe f — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:05:22 GMT

re: Irish Word a Day - Aintín - Aunt

elspeth — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 14:46:08 GMT

Nach bhfuil m’aintín ag teacht go dtí an siopa?

re: Irish Word a Day - Iníon - Daughter

elspeth — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 14:02:28 GMT

Tá do iníon ag an doras.

re: Irish Word a Day - Mac - Son

elspeth — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:56:08 GMT

Nach raibh thusa agus a mac ag damhsa?

re: Irish Word a Day - Máthair - Mother

elspeth — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 13:21:47 GMT

Chuir an máthair an gúna nua ar an leaba.

re: Irish Word a Day - Cócaireán - Cooker

tranadams — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:17:01 GMT

Thanks! I don't think we use the word cooker here in Canada. Is that referring to the oven ...or the stove top? I thought I had seen a different word for oven ..."oigheann."

re: Irish Word a Day - Bus - Bus

seano — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 19:16:52 GMT

We have had a query from a member who says that they were told at school that mall is slow, while déanach is late. Unfortunately, not everything you are taught in school is 100% accurate! If you look at Ó Dónaill's dictionary, you will find that mall is somewhere between slow and late in meaning. Late potatoes are prátaí malla and a clock can be mall if it's running late! If you think about it, they are very closely related concepts. In the north, mall usually means late, while fadálach is more likely to mean slow. Déanach hardly exists at all in the north, apart from in phrases like an Ola Dhéanach (Extreme Unction). In other words, it's partly a dialect thing, and partly that Irish doesn't parcel up the meanings exactly the same (random) way that English does. It parcels them up in its own random and mysterious ways!

re: Irish Word a Day - Lámh - Hand

Caoladóir — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 17:41:08 GMT

A bhecky3086,

I might be able to help you, although, with that, the caveat that I am neither a language teacher nor fluent in Irish.

The sound which you are finding difficult to reproduce is one which is familiar to native speakers of English as well as Irish from Ulster: the "ow" sound.

While most of the English speakers of the world pronounce the "ow" in "how now brown cow?" as o followed (naturally, you might think) by a w; in Ulster it is o followed by a y.

As a result when somebody from Ulster says "now" it sounds more like "nigh", as in "the end is nigh".

If you take this and apply it to the rest of the words in the above phrase, you get "high nigh brine kigh".

Now try again but, in place of the vowel sound ih which comes after the initial consonant and before the final y, use uh, i.e. "h-uh-y" instead of "h-ih-y"

And finally, make the same sound but preceded by an l.

I hope that works for you.

re: Irish Word a Day - Láidir - Strong

fiach.dubh — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 14:56:29 GMT

Tá mé láidir.