1-E: Fourth set of very basic vocabulary Flashcards

Introducing more simple Gaelic terms, and a few basic phrases.

1
Q

à

prep.

A

from,
of (in the “from” sense)

Can also mean “out of” in some constructions like à fasan (“out of fashion”) though this is more fully a-mach à fasan, and a-mach à or a-mach às is more generally used for “out of”.
Rarely also indicates “off-“ in the same sort of way, e.g. à gleus (“off-key”); but far- is more usual than à for this sense.
À! = “Ah!”

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2
Q

from,
of (in the “from” sense)

A

à

Can also mean “out of” in some constructions like à fasan (“out of fashion”) though this is more fully a-mach à fasan, and a-mach à or a-mach às is more generally used for “out of”.
Rarely also indicates “off-“ in the same sort of way, e.g. à gleus (“off-key”); but far- is more usual than à for this sense.
À! = “Ah!”

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3
Q

sinn

Also sinne.

A

we

pron., 1st-person pl.

Usage: Tha sinn …; Chan eil sinn …

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4
Q

we

A

sinn

Also sinne (may be dialectal).

Usage: Tha sinn …; Chan eil sinn …

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5
Q

snog

Bonus: what is gu snog?

A

nice, pleasant

Doesn’t seem to quite imply “kind[ly]” like còir does.
Bonus: gu snog means “[doing] well/okay/ alright”, in a construction like A bheil thu gu snog? (“Are you alright/okay?”). The gu here is a multi-use preposition (“to”, “until”, “for”, “that”) we’ll learn later, but in this construction doesn’t really translate into English directly.

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6
Q

nice, pleasant

Bonus: what is “[doing] well/okay/alright”?

A

snog

Doesn’t seem to quite imply “kind[ly]” like còir does.
Bonus: gu snog means “[doing] well/okay/ alright”, in a construction like A bheil thu gu snog? (“Are you alright/okay?”). The gu here is a multi-use preposition (“to”, “until”, “for”, “that”) we’ll learn later, but in this construction doesn’t really translate into English directly.

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7
Q

sgoil

f.; gen. sgoile, pl. sgoiltean

A

school

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8
Q

school

A

sgoil

f.; gen. sgoile, pl. sgoiltean

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9
Q

ann an

A

in, into

The an in this is not quite the same as the an that means “the”. This one does mutate into am before b, p, or f, but does not mutate into a’, seemingly ever (nor into na).
In a handful of expressions, ann an takes the place of “on” or “at” in the rough-equivalent English phrase.
As we’ll learn later, this fuses with pronoun particles to form prepositional pronouns (anns an/san; annam, annad, ann, innte, annainn, annaibh, annta).

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10
Q

in, into

A

ann an

The an in this is not quite the same as the an that means “the”. This one does mutate into am before b, p, or f, but does not mutate into a’, seemingly ever (nor into na).
In a handful of expressions, ann an takes the place of “on” or “at” in the rough-equivalent English phrase.
As we’ll learn later, this fuses with pronoun particles to form prepositional pronouns (anns an/san; annam, annad, ann, innte, annainn, annaibh, annta).

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11
Q

faisg air

A

near [to];
close to

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12
Q

near [to];
close to

A

faisg air

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13
Q

Inbhir Nis

A

Inverness

“Capital of the Highlands.”

Pronunciation varies by dialect: /IN-vər NISH/, /IN-yər NEESH/, etc.

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14
Q

Inverness

A

Inbhir Nis

“Capital of the Highlands.”

Pronunciation varies by dialect: /IN-vər NISH/, /IN-yər NEESH/, etc.

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15
Q

peata

m.; pl. peatachan

A

pet (noun)

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16
Q

pet (noun)

A

peata

m.; pl. peatachan

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17
Q

aig (prep.)

A

at

Aig usually does mean “at”, e.g. aig sgoil = “at school.”

Can replace other pronouns like “on”, “in”, “of”, etc., when English uses a different idiom than Gaelic: aig deireadh (or aig a’ cheann thall), “in the end”, lit. “at the end”.

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18
Q

at

A

aig (prep.)

Usually does mean “at”, e.g. aig sgoil = “at school.”

Can replace other pronouns like “on”, “in”, “of”, etc., when English uses a different idiom than Gaelic: aig deireadh (or aig a’ cheann thall), “in the end”, lit. “at the end”.

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19
Q

aig (v.)

A

have/has
(possess)

Object may come first sometimes, e.g.: Tha cù aig Anna (“Anna has a dog”, lit. “Is dog has Anna”, perhaps more memorable as “It’s a dog Anna has”. Anyway, it’s rather Yoda-like syntax.)

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20
Q

have/has
(possess)

A

aig (v.)

Object may come first sometimes, e.g.: Tha cù aig Anna (“Anna has a dog”, lit. “Is dog has Anna”, perhaps more memorable as “It’s a dog Anna has”. Anyway, it’s rather Yoda-like syntax.)

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21
Q

agam

A

I have

Your first prepositional pronoun!

These combine a preposition and a pronoun particle into a single word. There are a bunch of them to memorize.

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22
Q

I have

prepositional pronoun

A

agam

Your first prepositional pronoun!

These combine a preposition and a pronoun particle into a single word. There are a bunch of them to memorize.

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23
Q

agad

A

you have

prepositional pronoun

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24
Q

you have

prepositional pronoun

A

agad

prepositional pronoun

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25
Q

feòil

f.; gen. feòla, pl. feòilean

A

meat, flesh

May mutate into -fheoil (no ò) in compounds.

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26
Q

meat, flesh

A

feòil

f.; gen. feòla, pl. feòilean

May mutate into -fheoil (no ò) in compounds.

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27
Q

muc

f.; gen. muice (or muic), pl. mucan

Bonus 1: what is muicfheoil or feòil-mhuice?
Bonus 2: what are cràin (f.; gen. cràine, pl. cràintean) and giusaidh (f.; pl. guisaidhan)?
Bonus 3: what is torc (m.; gen. & pl. tuirc)?

A

pig

Bonus 1: muicfheoil or feòil-mhuice = “pork” (feòil means “meat, flesh”).
See also hamma, beucoin.
Bonus 2: cràin and giusaidh = “sow”.
Bonus 3: torc = “hog”; clearly related to the word “pork”; it can also mean “wild boar”.

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28
Q

pig

Bonus 1: what is “pork”?
Bonus 2: what are words for “sow”?
Bonus 3: what is “hog”?

A

muc

f.; gen. muice (or muic), pl. mucan

Bonus 1: “pork” = muicfheoil or feòil-mhuice (feòil means “meat, flesh”).
See also hamma, beucoin.
Bonus 2: “sow” = cràin (f.; gen. cràine, pl. cràintean) or giusaidh (f.; pl. guisaidhan)
Bonus 3: “hog” = torc (m.; gen. & pl. tuirc); clearly related to the word “pork”; it can also mean “wild boar”.

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29
Q

each

A

horse

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30
Q

horse

A

each

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31
Q

geal

comp. gile; m., gen. gil; nom. gealadh

n. variant: gealag (f.; gen. gealaige, pl. gealagan)

A

white (adj.);
white/pale stuff/thing (n.);
to whiten, to bleach (v)

The noun can also mean “target”.
The vague noun usage can also instead be gealag, and most often refers to various white fish, birds, flowers, etc.

32
Q

white

A

geal

comp. gile; m., gen. gil; nom. gealadh

The noun can also mean “target”.
The vague noun usage can also instead be gealag (f.; gen. gealaige, pl. gealagan), and most often refers to various white fish, birds, flowers, etc.

33
Q

dubh

comp. duibhe; m., gen. duibh

A

black, dark (adj.);
darkness (n.)

Can be used metaphorically/poetically for “sad, morose”.
As a prefix, dubh-, it can uncommonly mean “hidden”.

34
Q

black, dark (adj.);
darkness (n.)

A

dubh

comp. duibhe; m., gen. duibh

Can be used metaphorically/poetically for “sad, morose”.
As a prefix, dubh-, it can uncommonly mean “hidden”.

35
Q

cearc

f.; gen. circe, pl. cearcan

Bonus 1: what is circfheoil (f.; gen. circfheola)?
Bonus 2: what is coileach (m.; gen. & pl. coilich)?

A

chicken (animal);
hen

The pl., cearcan, can also more generally mean “poultry”.
Bonus 1: circfheoil = “chicken (meat)”.
Bonus 2: coileach = “rooster/cock”. Can also mean “male bird (of any species)”, and in this sense is often prefixed or suffixed with a hyphen, followed by the type of bird.

36
Q

chicken (animal);
hen

Bonus 1: what is “chicken (meat)”?
Bonus 2: what is “rooster/cock”?

A

cearc

f.; gen. circe, pl. cearcan

The pl., cearcan, can also more generally mean “poultry”.
Bonus 1: “chicken (meat)” is circfheoil (f.; gen. circfheola).
Bonus 2: “rooster/cock” is coileach (m.; gen. & pl. coilich). Can also mean “male bird (of any species)”, and in this sense is often prefixed or suffixed with a hyphen, followed by the type of bird.

37
Q

isean

m.; gen. isein, pl. iseanan

A

chick (baby chicken);
young smaller animal
(cub, kit, etc.)

The generic sense is often used as a prefix (causes genitive shift); e.g. isean cait is another term for “kitten”.
For larger animals, it’s more often cuilean.

38
Q

chick (baby chicken);
young small animal
(cub, kit, etc.)

A

isean

m.

The generic sense is often used as a prefix (causes genitive shift); e.g. isean cait is another term for “kitten”.
For larger animals, it’s more often cuilean.

39
Q

tunnag

f.; gen. tunnaige, pl. tunnagan

Bonus 1: What is gèadh (m.; gen. & pl. irregular geòidh)?
Bonus 2: What is eala (f.; pl. ealachan)?

A

duck

Bonus 1: gèadh = “goose”.
Bonus 2: eala = “swan”.

40
Q

duck

Bonus 1: what is “goose”?
Bonus 2: what is “swan”?

A

tunnag

f.; gen. tunnaige, pl. tunnagan

Bonus 1: “goose” is gèadh (m.; gen. & pl. irregular geòidh).
Bonus 2: “swan” is eala (f.; pl. ealachan).

41
Q

f.; gen. & pl.

Bonus 1: what is tarbh (m.; gen. & pl. tairbh)?
Bonus 2: what is crodh (m.; gen. cruidh)?
Bonus 3: what is mart (f.; gen. & pl. mairt)?
Bonus 4: what is mairtfheoil (f.; gen. mairtfheola) or feòil mairt?

A

cow

Bonus 1: tarbh = “bull”.
Mnemonics: cognate with “bovine” and “taurus”, respectively.
Bonus 2: crodh = “cattle”. There are several other Gaelic words for this, but this seems to be the main one.
Bonus 3: mart = another word for “cow”, especially a meat not dairy cow.
Bonus 4: mairtfheoil and feòil mairt = “beef”.

42
Q

cow

Bonus 1: What is the word for “bull”?
Bonus 2: What is the (common) word for “cattle”?
Bonus 3: What is another “cow” word?
Bonus 4: What is “beef”?

A

f.; gen. & pl.

Bonus 1: “bull” = tarbh (m.; gen. & pl. tairbh).
Mnemonics: cognate with “bovine” and “taurus”, respectively.
Bonus 2: “cattle” = crodh (m.; gen. cruidh). There are several other Gaelic words for this, but this seems to be the main one.
Bonus 3: mart (f.; gen. & pl. mairt) = another word for “cow”, especially a meat not dairy cow.
Bonus 4: “beef” = mairtfheoil (f.; gen. mairtfheola) or feòil mairt.

43
Q

caora

f.; gen. caorach, pl. caoraich

A

sheep

In older material, may appear as caor or caoir (f.; pl. caoran or caoiran), but they have other meanings, most often “berry”.

44
Q

sheep

A

caora

f.; gen. caorach, pl. caoraich

In older material, may appear as caor or caoir (f.; pl. caoran or caoiran), but they have other meanings, most often “berry”.

45
Q

uan

m.; gen. & pl. uain

A

lamb

Easily confused with ean, “bird”, so practice them.

46
Q

lamb

A

uan

m.; gen. & pl. uain

Easily confused with ean, “bird”, so practice them.

47
Q

piseag

f.; gen. piseige, pl. piseagan

A

kitten

Mnemonic: cognate with English “puss[y]”, and similar words in many languages.
And, yes, it has the same slang meaning in Gaelic.
Not to be confused with accented version pìseag (f.; gen. pìseige, pl. pìseagan), “patch; rag”.
Alternative term is isean cait, lit. “cat cub”.

48
Q

kitten

A

piseag

f.; gen. piseige, pl. piseagan

Mnemonic: cognate with English “puss[y]”, and similar words in many languages.
And, yes, it has the same slang meaning in Gaelic.
Not to be confused with accented version pìseag (f.; gen. pìseige, pl. pìseagan), “patch; rag”.
Alternative term is isean cait, lit. “cat cub”.

49
Q

cuilean

m.; gen. cuilein, pl. cuileanan

A

puppy;
young larger animal
(cub, whelp, etc.)

Note the lack of the accented ù from .
The generic usage is often prefixed (causes genitive shift); e.g. cuilean mathain = “bear cub” (mathan = “bear”).
For smaller species, it’s more often isean.

50
Q

puppy;
young larger animal
(cub, whelp, etc.)

A

cuilean

m.; gen. cuilein, pl. cuileanan

Note the lack of the accented ù from .
The generic usage is often prefixed (causes genitive shift); e.g. cuilean mathain = “bear cub” (mathan = “bear”).
For smaller species, it’s more often isean.

51
Q

luch

f.; gen. lucha, pl. luchan

Diminutive: luchag (f.; gen. luchaige, pl. luchagan)

A

mouse

52
Q

mouse

Bonus: What’s the diminutive (“little/tiny mouse”) version?

A

luch

f.; gen. lucha, pl. luchan

Diminutive: luchag (f.; gen. luchaige, pl. luchagan), “little/tiny mouse”.

53
Q

coineanach

m.; gen. & pl. coineanaich

A

rabbit

Mnemonic: cognate with English “coney”. It’s unclear why this noun looks like an adj.
Can actually be an obscure adj., “pertaining to rabbits; rabbit-like”.

54
Q

rabbit

A

coineanach

m.; gen. & pl. coineanaich

Mnemonic: cognate with English “coney”. It’s unclear why this noun looks like an adj.
Can actually be an obscure adj., “pertaining to rabbits; rabbit-like”.

55
Q

pailt

comp. pailte

Nouns: pailteas (m.; gen. pailteis) or pailteachd (f.)

A

abundant, plentiful;
numerous; rife;
copious, profuse;
flush (with money)

False friend: Looks like it’s related to “paltry” but is opposite.
Nouns: either form means “plenty, abundance, profusion”.
Trivia: thought to be a Pictish word, and generally unknown in Irish Gaelic.

56
Q

abundant, plentiful;
numerous; rife;
copious, profuse;
flush (with money)

Bonus test: what are the noun forms?

A

pailt

comp. pailte

False friend: Looks like it’s related to “paltry” but is opposite.
Nouns: pailteas (m.; gen. pailteis) or pailteachd (f.) = “plenty, abundance, profusion”.
Trivia: thought to be a Pictish word, and generally unknown in Irish Gaelic.

57
Q

cho X ri Y

A

as X as [a] Y

comparative construction

E.g.: Tha e cho luath ri each. (“He’s as fast as a horse.”)

58
Q

as X as [a] Y

Hint: two different short words!

A

cho X ri Y

comparative construction

E.g.: Tha e cho luath ri each. (“He’s as fast as a horse.”)

59
Q

pàipear

f.; gen. pàipeir, pl. pàipearan

A

paper

Sometimes written without the diacritic: paipear (f.; gen. paipeir, pl. paipearan).

60
Q

paper

A

pàipear

f.; gen. pàipeir, pl. pàipearan

Sometimes written without the diacritic: paipear (f.; gen. paipeir, pl. paipearan).

61
Q

pàirc

f.; gen. pàirce, pl. pàircean

A

park (noun)

62
Q

park (noun)

A

pàirc

f.; gen. pàirce, pl. pàircean

63
Q

pàirt

f.; gen. pàirte, pl. pàirtean

A

part, portion, share

Rarely can have other meanings like “confederacy” or even “kindred, relation”.

64
Q

part, portion, share

A

pàirt

f.; gen. pàirte, pl. pàirtean

Rarely can have other meanings like “confederacy” or even “kindred, relation”.

65
Q

turcaire

m.; pl. turcairean

Bonus: alternative name pulaidh (f.; pl. pulaidhnean)

A

turkey (bird)

66
Q

turkey (bird)

Hint: there are two common names.

A

m.; pl. turcairean. Or pulaidh (f.; pl. pulaidhnean)

There are some other names (eun/cearc/coileach-Frangach and coileach-Turcach) but these should be avoided as misnomers – they incorrectly describe the birds as French or Turkish, when they are actually from the Americas.

67
Q

radan

m.; gen. radain, pl. radanan

Also: rodan (m.; gen. rodain, pl. rodanan).
Or gall-luch (m.; gen. gall-lucha, pl. gall-luchan)

A

rat

The rodan instead of radan version may be dialectal.

The gall-luch alternative literally means “foreign mouse”, and is probably disused today.

68
Q

rat

A

radan

m.; gen. radain, pl. radanan

Also: rodan (m.; gen. rodain, pl. rodanan); may be dialectal.
Alternative: gall-luch (m.; gen. gall-lucha, pl. gall-luchan). Literally means “foreign mouse”, and is probably disused today.

69
Q

sùgh

m.; gen. sùgha, pl. sùghan

A

juice, sap

Can also mean “stock” in combining form, e.g. sùgh circe, “chicken stock”.
Sùgh is unrelatedly also a verb with multiple meanings (“to drain, dry up, soak up, absorb” or “to sniff”), but it’s something to learn later.

70
Q

juice, sap

Can also mean “stock” in combining form, e.g. sùgh circe, “chicken stock”.
Sùgh is unrelatedly also a verb with multiple meanings (“to drain, dry up, soak up, absorb” or “to sniff”), but it’s something to learn later.

A

sùgh

m.; gen. sùgha, pl. sùghan

71
Q

glasrach

m.; gen. glasraich; comp. glasaiche

Bonus: what about lus, plannt, planntrais?

A

vegetable, plant

Glasrach can be confusing since it sometimes means “uncultivated land” and can also mean “woad”. Context matters!
Bonus: lus (m.; gen. lusa, pl. lusan) can also mean “plant, vegetable” but seems not so often used for food.
Plannt (m.; gen. plannta, pl. planntaichean = “plant” more generally.
Planntrais (f.; pl. planntraisean) also, but may more imply “vegetation”.

72
Q

vegetable, plant

Bonus: what are some alternative/related terms?

A

glasrach

m.; gen. glasraich; comp. glasaiche

Glasrach can be confusing since it sometimes means “uncultivated land” and can also mean “woad”. Context matters!
Bonus: lus (m.; gen. lusa, pl. lusan) can also mean “plant, vegetable” but seems not so often used for food.
Plannt (m.; gen. plannta, pl. planntaichean = “plant” more generally.
Planntrais (f.; pl. planntraisean) also, but may more imply “vegetation”.

73
Q

meas

m.; gen. measa, pl. measan

Bonus: what is sùbh (m. gen. sùibh, pl. sùbhan)?

A

fruit

Sùbh = “berry” more specifically.

74
Q

fruit

Bonus: what is “berry”?

A

meas

m.; gen. measa, pl. measan

Bonus: “berry” more specifically is sùbh (m. gen. sùibh, pl. sùbhan).

75
Q

cnò

f.; gen. cnòtha, pl. cnòthan

Also cnù (f.; gen. cnùtha, pl. cnùthan)

A

nut

In hardware sense (nut for bolt), it’s always cnò not dialectal cnò.

76
Q

nut

A

cnò

f.; gen. cnòtha, pl. cnòthan

Also cnù (f.; gen. cnùtha, pl. cnùthan). In the hardware sense, it is always cnò.