Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Best way to learn Irish

2»

Comments

  • #32
    biko
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,219 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Join a language club, meet in a pub once a week or so and chat in Irish
    Persuade a friend to also start learning and speak to each other as much as you can.


  • #33
    JohnnyFlash
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,055 ✭✭✭JohnnyFlash


    The pop up Gaeltacht idea is great. It brings people of various levels of language proficiency together in a relaxed environment where they can have a few pints and a chat. I'm a native speaker, and love them. Doesn't do any harm that I tend to get the ride as a result of attending - porter, the language, and the allure of seeing a real 'in the wild' native speaker living it large in Dublin seems to be attractive to women in their 30's.

    What I would recommend you avoid at all costs are the joyless sorts you tend to find rising to positions of authority in organisations such as Gael Linn. These are easy spot - usually humourless and very serious looking men wearing corduroy trousers and tweed jackets. They will have a beard and glasses. The language for them isn't something to be enjoyed, but to be forced upon people along with a large dose of nostalgic Irish nationalism - usually involving reciting terrible poems about Pearse dying. They'll also be working under the assumption that being lectured on the necessity of physical force Republicanism and socialism is the type of thing that interests people who want to learn the language.

    They speak the clipped, forced, and haughty Irish of the South Dublin gaelscoil and the UCD School of Irish. They'll usually have made some terrible attempt to convert their name into Irish, refusing to accept that they either have a planter surname, or that their ancestors took the soup.

    If you find yourself in the company of one or more of these interminable bores, then I suggest you stand up, bid them a slán agat, and make a rapid stage left through whatever exit is closest.


  • #34
    Ferris_Bueller
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,674 ✭✭✭Ferris_Bueller


    KevRossi wrote: »
    A couple of tips on learning languages:

    To speak it better and get a better vocabulary; speak/think to yourself in Irish during the day. So instead of thinking to yourself
    'I'm hungry, will I go to McDonalds or will I make myself a sandwich?"
    start to say
    "
    "Tá ocras orm, an dtéann mé go McDonalds nó an ndéanfaidh mé ceapaire orm féin?""

    This way you'll have the words ready if in a conversation, at least for the basics anyway.

    For reading, just buy kids books. Start off on basic stuff for 5 year olds and move up. Books with a lot of conversation are better.

    For listening then the radio is excellent, but try to avoid the political programmes. The hourly news is good, you will have an idea of the story anyway and will be able to make out a lot of words. The same story will be on the radio for a few hours, if not days, so you'll get a good idea of all the words used.

    And look for local conversation groups, MeetUp, libraries, Irish social clubs.... there's a couple in every town. Go on holiday for a weekend to a Gaeltacht and see how you get on. Build up a relationship with some of the locals and see how it develops over time.

    Yeah some good tips here, I find the thinking/speaking to yourself through Irish to be one of the best ways of improving. The local conversation groups are more active than you would think a lot of the time and could be good but can be a bit intimidating starting off if you don't know anyone there, the pop up Gaeltachts are brilliant because it is casual and can be an introduction to meeting people in these groups or in a similar position to yourself.

    I think the best way to learn is just to try and speak it as much as possible, even if it is broken Irish with lots of mistakes you will learn by trial and error and eventually improve and pick up new words to fill in certain gaps. So many people are afraid to even try but generally people are better than they give themselves credit for.


  • #35
    aloneforever99
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 179 ✭✭aloneforever99


    JohnnyFlash wrote: »
    If you find yourself in the company of one or more of these interminable bores, then I suggest you stand up, bid them a slán agat, and make a rapid stage left through whatever exit is closest.

    What if the nearest exit is stage right?


  • #36
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,956 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    retalivity wrote: »
    Listening to RnaG helps...after a few weeks i found myself understanding a lot more. And im no longer translating to english in my head - i'm 'thinking' in Irish.
    In the mid-90s, after finishing college, I found myself living alone and without a telly! :eek: I started to listen to RnaG sometimes and thought it was a great way to learn the language. My favourite programme was a general knowledge quiz. Even when I didn't fully understand the question, I'd usually get it right. :cool: And yeah, I'd find myself thinking in Irish too.

    I've never tried the MeetUp groups but I'd say they'd be good for this purpose. There's nothing like using a language in real life situations to become part of it.


  • Advertisement
  • #37
    Sabre0001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,499 ✭✭✭Sabre0001


    Hoping to make the effort to relearn a cúpla focal again. Duolingo app seems useful (or more specifically the desktop portal as it gets you to write words rather than just match pairs / the right word).

    Watching and listening to Irish content would be good - even better if you can find something with subtitles. I have seen someone point out that it's best if you can get something subtitled in the language you are trying to learn (i.e. listen and read Irish - sometimes translations might not be accurate).

    Use online forums (there's Teach na nGealt here) and also in-person meetups (Meetup.com would be a good place to check out).

    🤪



  • #38
    Suckler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,061 ✭✭✭Suckler


    upinsmoke wrote: »
    Should be stop been thought after primary school and be swapped with an IT class.

    That is a lot of stupidity for one sentence.
    Ubbquittious wrote: »
    Any methods people here have had success with. Classes, hanging out in the Gaeltacht, duolingo?

    I picked up a few books for children in Galway. As Gaelige in the front and English translation at the back which was very helpful.


  • #39
    JohnnyFlash
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,055 ✭✭✭JohnnyFlash


    aloneforever99 wrote: »
    What if the nearest exit is stage right?

    Whatever works. It’s extremely important you just find a quick way of getting away from them. Even an open window is a valid option if cornered.


  • #40
    Chancer3001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    Op - how would you go about learning chinese or italian?

    Speak it. Try listen to it. Find others who speak it.

    Oh nobody speaks it blah blah blah there are 100s of gaelscoils where everybody, students and teachees alike are fluent . Colleges have irish conversation meetups


  • #41
    Princess Consuela Bananahammock
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,779 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    Pretty sure there are plenty of Irish speaking social events going on.

    The trick is not to be too worried about making mistakes or that the Irish-speaker is going to judge you. Most of them want to encourage speakers as much as possible and will probably extra patient if asked.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



  • Advertisement
  • #42
    topper75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    One difficulty is the chasm between 'standardised' school Irish (makey-uppy Irish) and actual Irish spoken in Gaeltachts in all their dialect glory that you hear on RnaG and TG4.

    A book which helped me bridge this to a fair extent by McGraw Hill is titled Speaking Irish - An Ghaeilge Bheo, Taking your conversation beyond basics. Loads of videos included and real transcriptions including every um and ah.

    Might be in your local library. If not- request it.


  • #43
    sabrewolfe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 52 ✭✭sabrewolfe


    A few things I've found helpful when it comes to re-learning Irish is to try and use it as often as possible. Using the cupla focal every day makes a big difference even if its just little phrases like "Tá bealach fada romhat" (You have a long road before you). TG4 have some great documentaries in Irish that are subtitled and Ros Na Run is handy for picking up some phrases and practising your listening comprehension.

    I've also been using two apps on my phone which I found extremely helpful. Duolingo is great for your comprehension of the written language and constructing sentences and getting to grips with things like possessive phrases, and things like eclipsis and lenition (things that we have automatically picked up in English but generally don't even know the name for when it comes to learning them).

    Another great application is Mango languages, personally I tend to listen to this as I'm walking into work on headphones, things are broken down into lessons, like greetings, directions, buying things in the shops etc. It might seem odd to be walking down the road repeating things like "an bhfuil teach tábhairne anseo" (is there a pub there) but it really does help with getting your head back around the basics, and giving you some practical phrases for when your in a Gaeltacht area. Access to this is free for anyone who is a member of any library in Ireland.

    Perseverance is the key, do something in Irish everyday even if its trying to make sense of street signs or the Irish Language version of a name or locality.

    Go n-éirí leat!


  • #44
    topper75
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    doolox wrote: »
    ...Monoglot English speakers were treated like dirt and punished severely by fanatical Irish speaking teachers who did not realise the level of difficulty in learning Irish and assumed that the English speaking pupils were being difficult and awkward about acquiring for what to them was a completely alien language. ...

    Generally a good post there. Unfortunately for the bit I have quoted above, you have resorted to irrational hyperbole - treated like dirt?

    If a teacher gives more respect to a pupil who has mastered geometry as well as arithmetic than to a pupil who has only grasped arithmetic, do we feel that the teacher is treating the second pupil 'like dirt' or is the teacher merely acknowledging a differential in ability?


  • #45
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,712 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    sabrewolfe wrote: »
    A few things I've found helpful when it comes to re-learning Irish is to try and use it as often as possible. Using the cupla focal every day makes a big difference even if its just little phrases like "Tá bealach fada romhat" (You have a long road before you). TG4 have some great documentaries in Irish that are subtitled and Ros Na Run is handy for picking up some phrases and practising your listening comprehension.

    I've also been using two apps on my phone which I found extremely helpful. Duolingo is great for your comprehension of the written language and constructing sentences and getting to grips with things like possessive phrases, and things like eclipsis and lenition (things that we have automatically picked up in English but generally don't even know the name for when it comes to learning them).

    Another great application is Mango languages, personally I tend to listen to this as I'm walking into work on headphones, things are broken down into lessons, like greetings, directions, buying things in the shops etc. It might seem odd to be walking down the road repeating things like "an bhfuil teach tábhairne anseo" (is there a pub there) but it really does help with getting your head back around the basics, and giving you some practical phrases for when your in a Gaeltacht area. Access to this is free for anyone who is a member of any library in Ireland.

    Perseverance is the key, do something in Irish everyday even if its trying to make sense of street signs or the Irish Language version of a name or locality.

    Go n-éirí leat!
    This is the best advice I've seen in this thread, speaking as someone who only started learning Irish from Leaving Cert onwards. It's interesting to note that you use apps, but also place heavy reliance on speaking the language -- in my view, that's the key to any successful grasp of Irish.

    I tried lots of approaches - apps, buying Irish newspapers, listening to RnaG (hadn't a clue what they were talking about, meself; with their Ulster and Connacht canuinti). It was only when I began to speak the language, and was confident that my minor mistakes weren't catastrophes, that I began to feel confident using Irish.

    If I could give one piece of advice to prospective Irish-language speakers, it's that there is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Everyone does it, even native speakers.


Advertisement