I am lost in Irish Class (Higher Level) how can I get better?

naxmax9

5th year started and I'm lost in honors Irish. I don't know what half of the words mean, the teacher talks and everyone responds like their fluent in the language while I'm just there with a confused face and I'm afraid I'll do horrible in it. I got a B in the JC at HL but that was really through learning off phrases and preparing before hand and the essay topics were quite easy. How can I get better at irish? It's my worst language and I'm so bad at it compared to French.

I've been learning Irish vocab everyday since school started but I don't know if that will instantly make me better at the subject.

spurious

You need to learn the basics.
This is the problem with learned off answers, it might get you through the exam, but you know nothing of the subject.

Can you get yourself some primary Irish grammar books?

skooterblue2

Stop wasting your time on a subject you do not love and doesn't not love you. Go find another subject you do love and that loves you. Speaking from experience, I busted myself to do pass Irish when I could have done two honours science subjects at higher level in the same time. No one will ever ask you what you got in the Leaving Cert but other subject may lead to greater things.

endacl

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Stop wasting your time on a subject you do not love and doesn't not love you. Go find another subject you do love and that loves you. Speaking from experience, I busted myself to do pass Irish when I could have done two honours science subjects at higher level in the same time. No one will ever ask you what you got in the Leaving Cert but other subject may lead to greater things.

You’re bringing your own biases to the posters question.

skooterblue2

Irish is like a fart if you force something that is unnatural... its S&*t. Plus I am speaking with a lot of experience, this is my 4th time doing the Leaving Cert and have had "supposedly" one of the best Irish teachers outside the Gaeltacht. In reality I was following the dreams of a madman much like the Sir David Niven in Bridge over the River Kwai.

dory

I wrote a long answer but it disappeared...

The short version is do whatever you can to learn how to make your own sentences. Learn off by heart in 6th year if you need to. But for now, really concentrate on being able to write 10 sentences on whatever you're doing in clazs - a poem, a sraith etc. If you need to say - He wants to, he has to , he can.... and you don't know how then ask, figure it out from old text books of yours. Write your own sentences when you hand things up so that it's your irish that's being corrected / improved ,not just some stuff you learned off.

There's an Irish forum around here where you can ask how to say things if you don't know. Build that up, two to three things a week that would be helpful for a lot of the sraiths etc.

Failing all that maybe a few grinds but stress that you don't need pages and pages of notes. You'll only get better if someone sits down with you and explains the basics, things like how two verbs can rarely be put next to each other etc.

Breifne72

There's no quick fix, but you can do it! Talk to your teacher privately, tell them you're feeling a bit lost and ask them for advice on what to do. See if they will help you put together a study guide, so each week you can improve a little bit. What is it you're really struggling with? I'm currently training to be an Irish teacher, and would love to help you in any way I can!