CONVERSATION

Seán (shaw*n):Éist! Táduine ag cnagadh ar an doras. Listen! Someone is knocking at the door.

Máire (MAW*-re): Céhéann? (kay* hay* oun) Who is there?

Seán: Níl a fhios agam, ach gheobhaidh méamach go díreach (neel is uh-GUHM, ahk* YOH-ee may* uh-MAHK* goh dee-RAHK*). I don't know, but I will find out right away. Osclóidh méan doras (oh-SKLOH-ee may* un DUH-ruhs). I'l open the door.

Irish Lesson 61

PRONUNCIATION REVIEW

English has no sound comparable to Irish broad "d". Pronounce it by placing the broadened tongue tip against the back of the upper front teeth, with the front of the tongue along the roof of the mouth before the hard ridge that you can feel behind the upper front teeth. This sound occurs when the nearest vowel in the word is "a", "o", or "u". Try these:

dá(daw*), two; dath (dah), color; duine (DIN-e), person; doirt (dirt), pour; dó(doh), to him; doras (DUH-ruhs), door; damhsa (DOU-suh), dance; dún (doon), close; dlúth (dloo), compact.

draein (dray*n), drain; droichead (DRUH-huhd), bridge; druid (drid, close in; púdar (POO-duhr), powder; acadamh (ah-KAHD-uhv), academy; airgead (AR-i-guhd), money; bád (baw*d), boat; duilleog (dil-YOHG), leaf; ródaí(ROH-dee), wayfarer.

Where aspirated broad "d" is sounded, pronounce it like "g" in English "goat". Examples:

mo dhoras (muh GUH-ruhs), my door; mo dhádhán (muh gaw* gaw*n), my two poems.

Inside a word, or at a word end, aspirated broad "d" usually indicates a special sound for the letter group in which it is. Examples:

deireadh (DER-uh), end; moladh (MUHL-uh), praising; adhmad (EYE-muhd), timber, wood; adhain (EYE-in), kindle.

GRAMMAR

By now you should have some ability to form the comparative of most adjectives. There are some irregular ones, however. Some are only slightly irregular. "Cóir" (KOH-ir), just, is one. Its comparative is "córa" (KOH-ruh) instead of "cóire". "Deacair" (DAK-uhr), difficult, becomes "deacra" (DAK-ruh). The most important of the highly irregular ones are in the vocabulary below.

VOCABULARY

maith (mah), good; fearr (fyaw*r), better

beag (byuhg), small; lú(loo), smaller

mór (mohr), big; mó(moh), bigger

olc (uhlk), bad; measa (MAS-uh), worse

te (te), hot; teo (tyoh), hotter

breá(bi-RAW*), fine; breátha (bi-RAW*-huh), finer

dócha (DOHK*-uh), likely; dóichí(DOH-hyee), more likely

furasta (FU-ruhs-tuh), easy; fusa (FU-suh), easier

DRILL

Read these sentences aloud, putting the comparative forms in them.

(olc) 1. Is olc an madraésin, ach is _ _ _ _ _ an capail náé.

(beag) 2. An _ _ _ _ _ an teach (tahk*) seo náár dteach?

(te) 3. Nach _ _ _ _ _ an pláta náan cupán?

(breá) 4. Ní_ _ _ _ _ an láseo náan láeile.

(mór) 5. Is _ _ _ _ _ an cóta seo náan cóta a bhíort inné(in-YAY*).

(dócha) 6. Is _ _ _ _ _ an scéal sin náan scéal a d'inis do chara dúinn inné.

(furasta) 7. Ní_ _ _ _ _ an ceacht (kyahk*t) seo náan ceacht a thug (hug) an múinteoir (moo-in-TYOHR) dúinn.

(maith) 8. Nach _ _ _ _ _ na bróga seo náiad sin?

Key:1. measa; 2. lú; 3. teo; 4. breáthá; 5. mó; 6. dóichí; 7. fusa; 8. fearr

Translations:

1. That dog is bad, but the horse is worse. 2. Is this house smaller than ours? 3. Isn't the plate hotter than the cup? 4. This day isn't finer than the other. 5. This coat is bigger than the one you had on yesterday. 6. That story is more likely than the one your friend told us yesterday. 7. This lesson isn't easier than the one the teacher gave us. 8. Aren't these shoes better than those?

To put a sentence into this form of comparative in Irish, Change "John is taller than Mary" to "Is taller John than Mary", which then easily becomes "Is airde Seán náMáire". After a little practice, you will be able to dispense with this, because the adjective form will come naturally to your mind first.

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