Irish Lesson 89
| Niall (NEE-uhl): Dia dhuit, a Chaitríona (uh k*ah-TREE-nuh). | Neil: Hello, Catherine. |
| Caitríona: Dia's Muire dhuit, a Niaill (DEE-uhs MWIR-e git, uh NEE-il). Conas tá tú anois? (KUN-uhs taw* too uh-NISH) | Hello, Neil. How are you now? |
| Niall: Táim go maith - agus conas tá tú féin? (fay*n) | I am well, and how are you? |
| Caitríona: Tá mé go maith, leis (lesh). Táim ag déanamh deifre - chuig an busáras (TAW*-im uh DAY*N-uhv DEF-re hig un BUS-aw*-ruhs). | I am well, too. I am hurrying to the bus station. |
| Niall: Nach n-oibríonn tú - in oifig an eolais ann? (nahk* NIB-ree-uhn too in IF-ig un OH-lish oun) | Don't you work in the information office there? |
| Caitríona: Oibrím ann, cinnte. (IB-reem oun, KIN-tye). Tá an-eolas agam - ar gach bealach bus - agus ar a gcláir ama (taw* AHN-oh-luhs uh-GUHM er gahk* BAL-uhk* bus AH-guhs er uh GLAW*-ir AH-muh). | I work there, certainly. I have excellent knowledge of every bus route and of their schedules. |
| Niall: Maith an cailín thú! (mah un kah-LEEN hoo). An féidir leat a insint dom - cathain a imíonn an bus deireanach - go hÁth Luain inniú? (un FAY*-dir lat IN-shint duhm CAH-hin uh im-EE-uhn un bus DER-i-nuhk* goh haw* LOO-in in-YOO) | Good girl! Can you tell me when the last bus leaves for Athlone today? |
| Caitríona: Is é sin bus fiche a seacht (SHAY* shin bus FI-hye uh SHAHK*T). Imeofar ar deich nóméad tar éis a haon déag anocht (im-YOH-fuhr er de NOH-may*d tahr AY*SH uh HAY*N day*-uhg uh-NOHK*T). | That's bus number 27. Departure will be at 10 minutes past 11 tonight. |
| Niall: Cad mar gheall ar mo mhála taistil? (kahd mahr YOUL er muh VWAH*-luh TASH-til) | What about my suitcase? |
| Caitríona: Cuir sa raca bagáiste é - agus cuir do shicíní ar dhíon an bhus (kir suh RAH-kuh buh-GAW*SH-te ay* AH-guhs kir duh hi-KEEN-ee er YEE-uhn uh VWUS). | Put it in the baggage rack, and put your chickens on the roof of the bus. |
| Niall: Ná bí ag magadh fúm anois (naw* bee uh MAH-guh foom uh-NISH). Rud tábhachtach is ea é seo (rud TOU-uhk*-tuhk* sha ay* shuh). | Don't be making fun of me now. It's an important matter that this is. |
| Caitríona: Ó, gabh mo leithscéal (oh, gou muh LE-shkay*l). Ach is í an riail is tábhachtaí i leabhar na rialacha - an riail faoi shicíní (ahk* shee un REE-il is TOU-uhk*-tee i LOU-uhr nuh REEL-uhk*-uh un REE-il fwee hi-KEEN-ee). | Oh, excuse me. But the most important rule in the book of rules is the rule on chickens. |
| Niall: Cé mhéad sicíní a théann amach? (kay* vay*d shi-KEEN-ee HAY*-uhn uh-MAHK*) | How many chickens go out? |
| Caitríona: Tháinig slua mór díobh isteach anuraidh - ach ní dheachaigh mórán díobh amach (HAW*-nig SLOO-uh mohr DEE-uhv ish-TYAHK* uh-NOOR-ee, ahk* nee YAK*-hee muh-RAW*N DEE-uhv uh-MAHK*. Fiafraigh den bhúistéir cad a tharla dóibh (FEE-uh-ree den vwoosh-TAY*R kahd uh HAHR-luh DOH-iv). | A great many of them came in last year, but not many went out. Ask the butcher what happened to them. |
| Niall: Agus ar dhíon an bhus - a thagann siad - agus a théann siad, an ea? (AH-guhs er YEE-uhn uh VWUS uh HAHG-uhn SHEE-uhd AH-guhs a HAY*-uhn SHEE-uhd, un A). | And on the top of the bus they come and go, is it? |
| Caitríona: Ó, ní hea. Ar trucail - a thaistealaíonn an chuid is mó díobh (er TRU-kil uh hash-TAL-ee-uhn un K*WID is moh DEE-uhv). Níl luach ticéad bus acu (neel LOO-ahk* ti-KAY*D bus ah-KUH). | Oh, it's not. By truck most of them travel. They don't have the price of a bus ticket. |
Notes: "An-eolas", with stress on the "an", means excellent knowledge. "Ama" is the genitive form of "am", time, and a "clár ama" is a table or list of time, which is a schedule. "Thú" is the word "tú", you, with the first sound aspirated or changed to (h). This aspiration is common in some words; "dia dhuit" is an example. The sentence "Is í Síle an múinteoir" means "Sheila is the teacher". "Is í an riail is tábhachtaí an riail ," in the conversation above is a longer example of this type of sentence. "Riail" is feminine, requiring the "í". "Faoi" can mean either "under" or "about". |