A thread for (Scots) Gaelic learners

[Black_and_White_Stripes]

3 hours ago, DonnieMurdo said:

 Madainn mhath a chairdean!

'Tha mi sgith' is correct for saying 'I am tired'.

'A bheil thu sgith?' is also the way I would ask ' Are you tired?'

DM

Madainn mhath, a Dhonnie!

Indeed, I'm pretty sure Duolingo taught me those phrases. I'm sure folk have been saying, "Tha mi toilichte" at my Gaelic class., too

So, my questions are:

1) Can I also say, 'tha toilichte orm' or 'tha toilichte agam'? [or the same with 'sgíth'?]

2) When should one use 'orm' and 'agam'? 

[I think the answer to (2) may be that agam is used to describe possessing a feeling which is then applied (i.e. air) on something else, e.g. 'tha gaol agam air Andrea.']

3) Sometimes the definite article precedes the feeling, e.g. 'tha an t-eagal orm', whereas sometimes it doesn't, e.g. 'Tha gràin agam air.' Is there a reason for this?

[Again, maybe the definite article is used with 'aig', but not with 'air'?]

4) Then there's the issue of when to use 'esan' and 'e', as per my previous post.

 

All very confusing. 

 

I have learned a great Gaelic phrase, though - 'eagalach feagalach'!

 

It's all a bit confusing. These are questions I may be able to put to my Gaelic teacher, but we're not covering this at the moment, so I'd need to wait really, until we do.

[A Diamond For Me]

Sgìth and toilichte are adjectives, so Tha mi [adjective] is fine with them.  There are many emotional, mental and physical states are expressed with propositions, but these all require the thing that is "on" or "at" you (ore which you are "under") to be nouns.   So, Tha cnatan orm (I have a cold) - cnatan is a noun.  Or Bha eagal oirre (she was afraid - fear was on her) - eagal is a noun. 

[Black_and_White_Stripes]

46 minutes ago, A Diamond For Me said:

Sgìth and toilichte are adjectives, so Tha mi [adjective] is fine with them.  There are many emotional, mental and physical states are expressed with propositions, but these all require the thing that is "on" or "at" you (ore which you are "under") to be nouns.   So, Tha cnatan orm (I have a cold) - cnatan is a noun.  Or Bha eagal oirre (she was afraid - fear was on her) - eagal is a noun. 

That makes sense and is very helpful. Thank you. 

[invergowrie arab]

It makes a bit more sense when, as is often the case, these nouns are paired with the definite article.

Tha am pathadh orm.

Tha an t-acras orm.

I tell learners it's not always useful to need to know why but simply to accept and learn as you go. Often the answer is to be found in 12th century Irish and nobody has time for that.

IMO its not useful to mark e as a mistake.

Esan is an emphathic noun so absolutely makes more sense in a comparative situation but IMO e isn't wrong.

[Black_and_White_Stripes]

1 hour ago, invergowrie arab said:

It makes a bit more sense when, as is often the case, these nouns are paired with the definite article.

Tha am pathadh orm.

Tha an t-acras orm.

I tell learners it's not always useful to need to know why but simply to accept and learn as you go. Often the answer is to be found in 12th century Irish and nobody has time for that.

IMO its not useful to mark e as a mistake.

Esan is an emphathic noun so absolutely makes more sense in a comparative situation but IMO e isn't wrong.

Móran taing, a charaid!

I notice Duolingo's more forgiving when I have simply failed to use the definite article, e.g.

 

 

I appreciate your advice. Based on what you've written, I'm not going to worry about it too much, at this stage. Obviously if there is a simple rule, I want to know it.

I'm finding that by checking different sources, I find a wee nugget of info that doesn't seem to be contained anywhere else. 

[invergowrie arab]

You are right to ask in case there's a rule but my experience of prepositions is unfortunately they are absolutely not intuitive or consistent and just need learned as best you can.

It's probably the thing I struggle with most.

[Cheese]

Moving on to some grammar stuff now on Duolingo and fml.

[Black_and_White_Stripes]

2 hours ago, Cheese said:

Moving on to some grammar stuff now on Duolingo and fml.

I'm doing Duolingo, too. If there's anything you need help with, just ask. I'm on Section 2, unit 15 - so if I'm ahead of you, then I will have covered it in the last few months. I'm not a natural linguist, either. However, so far I think I understand almost everything I've covered.

[A Diamond For Me]

On 16/09/2024 at 15:45, invergowrie arab said:

It makes a bit more sense when, as is often the case, these nouns are paired with the definite article.

Tha am pathadh orm.

Tha an t-acras orm.

I tell learners it's not always useful to need to know why but simply to accept and learn as you go. Often the answer is to be found in 12th century Irish and nobody has time for that.

IMO its not useful to mark e as a mistake.

Esan is an emphathic noun so absolutely makes more sense in a comparative situation but IMO e isn't wrong.

 

Heh, my instinct is totally the opposite.  If something seems random and arbitrary in Gaelic, there's probably something in Old Irish that clears it up.  And if there's something that seems random and arbitrary in Old Irish, there's probably something in Proto-Celtic that clears it up.  Beyond that you're on your own!