This is a really good video to watch for learning Gaelic. I am a polyglot Scotsman and having just started my 10th language (Estonian) I find too often people over complicate learning languages. Although his method is slightly different from how I would obtain a new language, I find it a really simple and an easy way to learn. More often than not, many language teachers, especially for the older tongues, use archaic teaching methods which often are more confusing than they need to be. Breaking down any language in a simple table this way can make the entire learning process much easier. Despite speaking several languages, I do have the misfortune of being dyslexic. For anyone who is, I would recommend using a table system like this but using different colours to help build each component to make it easier on the eyes.
Best Gaelic learning channel on UA-cam. I heard that numbers go by 20s, like saying fourscore means 80? Great stuff that you show the mechanics of it. It's the language rules that mess people up.
hello bho Arkansas. Been watching your videos and they have been helping me to learn tremendously. My gg grandfather was born in Manitoba Canada. His name was Solomon Wishart (later changed to Wishard upon entering the US). His father, Thomas Wishart was bho Alba. Scots Gaelic isnt just a language to me. Its an ancient heritage I look forward to reclaim.
Feasgar math dhut, a Jake! Ciamar a tha Arkansas? I'm happy to hear that my videos have been helping you connect more to your heritage. I will support you however I can! 🙂
Hi Very enjoyable. I've been doing some Gaelic with the College on Islay and with the new duolingo app, and thes videos are massively complimentary Many Thanks Briain
Nice one, I learn Scottish Gaelic cuz Julie Fowlis's song, and i find that language really unique, then i learn it but hard to spell it before i got u channel, so thanks 😄
Just stumbled at your channel! I follow outlander ( already read the books) and got fascinated by the use of gaelic phrases. Interesting language :). I'm Dutch so l have to pay attention to the english as well, just a question...you write dh' alba but say 'da alaba'? Listened several time but can't get it correct? Little confused.
Hi Rina. I agree - it is an interesting language. :) I plan on making some Outlander videos too. A dh'Alba sounds like 'ah ghah-la-ba'. The 'dh' is a 'ghhh' sound, at least when written in American English. :)
@@GaelicwithJason actually it sounds more like "ah ghah-la-Pa", with "p" sound. At least that`s how I hear it. Thanks for very interesting and educating videos. BTW, could you clear it out: is "Gaelic" exactly what people mean by "Scottish accent", or is the latter more about pronunciation?
As for the Scottish accent,@@svetlankam8223, I'd say it's more about how Scottish English is pronounced. It has influence from the Scots language as well as Gaelic. Does that help?
@@GaelicwithJason I think there is Scots (what I first thought to be thé Scottish language), and there is Gaelic, which is a world on it's own. One sounds like a fun accent, the other is a very interesting non comparable language.
I'm a bit confused as to the use of 'gu'. On a sign saying, "welcome to Scotland" the Gaelic said, "failte gu Alba". However, your video says that it should be, "failte a dh' Alba". Thank you for the great video. It was very helpful.
My pleasure, Emma. I'm glad it was. :) I have two thoughts on that: 1) To me, "Fàilte gu Alba" feels like a literal translation straight from English. It's not from the Gaelic mindset, which has other ways of expressing that. Thus, since it's really an English phrase with Gaelic clothing, so to speak, dropping 'gu' in there just happens. 2) 'Gu' means to, in the sense of going 'up to' something. Right to the edge. So, perhaps you are being welcomed to the edge of Scotland, ie: the border. That would make sense in a way. When *a* means 'to', it's usually with countries and placenames, ie: a Ghlaschu, a Mhaine, a Pharis, a Bhristol, etc. It has a feeling of motion too, such as "Tha mi a' dol a Bhoston. Tha mi a' dol a Ghlaschu." I can't say that I've seen it used in many other contexts. Does that help at all?
Tha mi sgith 's mi leam fhin I am tired and I am alone Buain a rainich, buain a rainich Cutting the bracken, cutting the bracken Tha mi sgith 's mi leam fhin I am tired and I am alone Buain a rainich daonnan
@@AprilClayton A lovely sounding song - if a bit sad too. 🙂 I can understand some dialects of Irish - especially in the north. I remember going through Dublin and finding it tricky to read any signs but understanding what they said when spoken. Especially on the bus. It was great fun! I'd love to become fluent in Irish one day.
Hi Harry. In a nutshell, 'dhan' means 'to the' while 'gu' is more of 'up to something'. 'A' is a straightforward 'to' like we use in English and I've seen it mainly used with places, ie: to Spain, to Canada, etc.
Great question. It's because two vowels usually have some sort of buffer between them. If it wasn't there when speaking, there would be a stutter in the sound: a Alba. With the dh' added in, it flows much better and is easier to say.
@@GaelicwithJason thank you so much. I’ve been studying on Duolingo, but they never allow questions or explain things, so if it weren’t for your videos and a couple of Facebook groups, I would’ve quit long ago.
The most common pattern in Scottish Gaelic that I've seen is 'Tha mi brònach' or 'Tha mi a' faireachdainn brònach'. In my experience, 'Tha bròn orm' would still appear, just perhaps in poetry rather than everyday conversation. The same goes with 'Tha mi sgìth', although 'Bha sgìths orm' still seems used in everyday Gaelic. A native speaker friend of mine in North Uist uses it. 🙂
Question. How does Gaelic deal with habitual present tense, if at all? For example you give the example "Tha mi a' dol a dh'Alba", which equates to the English "I am going to Scotland", but what's the equivalent in Gaelic of "I go to Scotland" - say for example if you were to answer someone's question "Where do you go for your summer holidays?", you wouldn't answer "I am going to Scotland", you'd answer "I go to Scotland [on my summer holidays]". Is there a Gaelic equivalent of that?
Madainn mhath. 🙂 I see your point. In Gaelic, we'd switch over to the future tense. Like this: Bidh mi a' dol a dh'Alba gach bliadhna. = I go to Scotland every year Bidh mi a' còcaireachd a h-uile oidhche. = I cook every night. Bidh mi a' leughadh anns a' chidsean. = I read in the kitchen. The idea behind this is that if we do something regularly or predictably, chances are we'll do it in the future. Thus, we use the future tense. I have a video all about this called 'Things You Do Often'. It's in this playlist if you're interested.
@@GaelicwithJason Gu math tapadh leat ! 😁 Quick question, please. Will you be making videos , later on of course, to teach us how to say things like...I'm getting dressed, brushing my teeth , etc.
A question out of ignorance - why is "I am from Scotland" Tha mi a Alba, rather than "Tha mi a dh' Alba" ?? - could one talk about going to Scotland as "Tha mi a' dol a Alba" as well?
Hi Louis. Thanks for the question. It's a slight difference. À (with the accent mark) means 'out of' or 'from'. It doesn't change any words that come after it. On the other hand, A (meaning 'to') lenites if possible: a Ghlaschu a Bhoston a dh'Alba Since we can't add an H to a vowel, we add that DH' before it. The overall point is to smooth out the sound. Does that help at all?
Yes, that's just it, Bryn. Starting a phrase with *Is* makes it a bit stronger: Is math an t-seòclaid. Is math a bhith beò. (It's good to be alive). Nice!
This is a really good video to watch for learning Gaelic. I am a polyglot Scotsman and having just started my 10th language (Estonian) I find too often people over complicate learning languages. Although his method is slightly different from how I would obtain a new language, I find it a really simple and an easy way to learn. More often than not, many language teachers, especially for the older tongues, use archaic teaching methods which often are more confusing than they need to be. Breaking down any language in a simple table this way can make the entire learning process much easier. Despite speaking several languages, I do have the misfortune of being dyslexic. For anyone who is, I would recommend using a table system like this but using different colours to help build each component to make it easier on the eyes.
Best Gaelic learning channel on UA-cam. I heard that numbers go by 20s, like saying fourscore means 80? Great stuff that you show the mechanics of it. It's the language rules that mess people up.
Cheers, Dan. That's right - the traditional counting system uses 20s, like a number of other languages. Thanks for your support!
I have a two o'clock scheduled with Vikings, so good to know....
hello bho Arkansas. Been watching your videos and they have been helping me to learn tremendously. My gg grandfather was born in Manitoba Canada. His name was Solomon Wishart (later changed to Wishard upon entering the US). His father, Thomas Wishart was bho Alba. Scots Gaelic isnt just a language to me. Its an ancient heritage I look forward to reclaim.
Feasgar math dhut, a Jake! Ciamar a tha Arkansas? I'm happy to hear that my videos have been helping you connect more to your heritage. I will support you however I can! 🙂
Hi
Very enjoyable. I've been doing some Gaelic with the College on Islay and with the new duolingo app, and thes videos are massively complimentary
Many Thanks
Briain
The pleasure is mine, Brian. Great to hear you're involved with the Calum Cille center over there!
Very clear!!!! Gle mhath!!! Tapadh leat.
Tbh learning Gaelic is the second reason I'm here. The first is just to listen to u teach lol. Smth abt its just so satisfying
Nice one, I learn Scottish Gaelic cuz Julie Fowlis's song, and i find that language really unique, then i learn it but hard to spell it before i got u channel, so thanks 😄
I agree, it's quite hard to spell Gaelic words at first. It takes time for it to feel normal. It will though! Thanks for visiting, Ranu. :)
Wonderful. Thank you so much, Jason👍👍🙏
Thank you I will try it
Great stuff Jason, very helpful.
I feel happy to hear that. Glad to have you with us, John. Enjoy the holidays.
Very helpful! Thank you
Wonderful to hear. You're welcome, Rayssa. Enjoy your day and see you on here again soon.
im just learning and thaks this helps a lot
Just stumbled at your channel! I follow outlander ( already read the books) and got fascinated by the use of gaelic phrases. Interesting language :). I'm Dutch so l have to pay attention to the english as well, just a question...you write dh' alba but say 'da alaba'? Listened several time but can't get it correct? Little confused.
Hi Rina. I agree - it is an interesting language. :) I plan on making some Outlander videos too. A dh'Alba sounds like 'ah ghah-la-ba'. The 'dh' is a 'ghhh' sound, at least when written in American English. :)
@@GaelicwithJason actually it sounds more like "ah ghah-la-Pa", with "p" sound. At least that`s how I hear it. Thanks for very interesting and educating videos.
BTW, could you clear it out: is "Gaelic" exactly what people mean by "Scottish accent", or is the latter more about pronunciation?
That's a good point,@@svetlankam8223. 'The b in Alba' sounds like a mix between a B and a P. It's hard to write out in phonetics. Well listened!
As for the Scottish accent,@@svetlankam8223, I'd say it's more about how Scottish English is pronounced. It has influence from the Scots language as well as Gaelic. Does that help?
@@GaelicwithJason I think there is Scots (what I first thought to be thé Scottish language), and there is Gaelic, which is a world on it's own. One sounds like a fun accent, the other is a very interesting non comparable language.
What does the 'dh' stand for in front of Alba?
Thank you, Jason!
My pleasure. Thanks for your support!
I'm a bit confused as to the use of 'gu'. On a sign saying, "welcome to Scotland" the Gaelic said, "failte gu Alba". However, your video says that it should be, "failte a dh' Alba".
Thank you for the great video. It was very helpful.
My pleasure, Emma. I'm glad it was. :)
I have two thoughts on that:
1) To me, "Fàilte gu Alba" feels like a literal translation straight from English. It's not from the Gaelic mindset, which has other ways of expressing that. Thus, since it's really an English phrase with Gaelic clothing, so to speak, dropping 'gu' in there just happens.
2) 'Gu' means to, in the sense of going 'up to' something. Right to the edge. So, perhaps you are being welcomed to the edge of Scotland, ie: the border. That would make sense in a way.
When *a* means 'to', it's usually with countries and placenames, ie: a Ghlaschu, a Mhaine, a Pharis, a Bhristol, etc. It has a feeling of motion too, such as "Tha mi a' dol a Bhoston. Tha mi a' dol a Ghlaschu." I can't say that I've seen it used in many other contexts.
Does that help at all?
@@GaelicwithJason thank you that was really helpful and it cleared things up for me
Well, gosh, Jason...thanks.
Thank *you*, Terry. :)
Hello Jason the vowels that you use are they linking verbs.
Hello John. I hope your day is going well. Which vowels do you mean? 🙂
Móran taing! This was very helpful!
'S e do bheatha, a charaid. Tha mi toilichte gun robh. :)
I seem to recognize Tha mi sgith from a song. Very cool. Can you understand some Irish Gaelic? I’m noticing some similar words. They sound different.
Tha mi sgith 's mi leam fhin I am tired and I am alone
Buain a rainich, buain a rainich Cutting the bracken, cutting the bracken
Tha mi sgith 's mi leam fhin I am tired and I am alone
Buain a rainich daonnan
@@AprilClayton A lovely sounding song - if a bit sad too. 🙂 I can understand some dialects of Irish - especially in the north. I remember going through Dublin and finding it tricky to read any signs but understanding what they said when spoken. Especially on the bus. It was great fun! I'd love to become fluent in Irish one day.
What's the difference between Dhan, Gu and A dh'...?
It seems they all mean 'To' after the verb 'to go'.
Thanks in advance Jason!
Hi Harry. In a nutshell, 'dhan' means 'to the' while 'gu' is more of 'up to something'. 'A' is a straightforward 'to' like we use in English and I've seen it mainly used with places, ie: to Spain, to Canada, etc.
@@GaelicwithJason Thanks so much Jason sorry for my replying now!
Thank you but no apology needed,@@harryirazu5269. See you again soon.
Why add the dh’ ?
Great question. It's because two vowels usually have some sort of buffer between them. If it wasn't there when speaking, there would be a stutter in the sound: a Alba. With the dh' added in, it flows much better and is easier to say.
@@GaelicwithJason thank you so much. I’ve been studying on Duolingo, but they never allow questions or explain things, so if it weren’t for your videos and a couple of Facebook groups, I would’ve quit long ago.
@@KatrinaMacGregor My pleasure, Katrina. Having that kind of support is very helpful. I'm glad you didn't quit!
It’s funny how the country is Alba in Gaelic but in English it’s literally Scot Land!!!
Can't argue with a name like that. There are no questions about it. :)
Is there a sentance structure similar to "Ta brón orm" in Irish; sadness is on me or I have sadness on me or sadness is upon me, in Scottish Gaelic?
The most common pattern in Scottish Gaelic that I've seen is 'Tha mi brònach' or 'Tha mi a' faireachdainn brònach'. In my experience, 'Tha bròn orm' would still appear, just perhaps in poetry rather than everyday conversation. The same goes with 'Tha mi sgìth', although 'Bha sgìths orm' still seems used in everyday Gaelic. A native speaker friend of mine in North Uist uses it. 🙂
Question. How does Gaelic deal with habitual present tense, if at all?
For example you give the example "Tha mi a' dol a dh'Alba", which equates to the English "I am going to Scotland", but what's the equivalent in Gaelic of "I go to Scotland" - say for example if you were to answer someone's question "Where do you go for your summer holidays?", you wouldn't answer "I am going to Scotland", you'd answer "I go to Scotland [on my summer holidays]". Is there a Gaelic equivalent of that?
Madainn mhath. 🙂 I see your point. In Gaelic, we'd switch over to the future tense. Like this:
Bidh mi a' dol a dh'Alba gach bliadhna. = I go to Scotland every year
Bidh mi a' còcaireachd a h-uile oidhche. = I cook every night.
Bidh mi a' leughadh anns a' chidsean. = I read in the kitchen.
The idea behind this is that if we do something regularly or predictably, chances are we'll do it in the future. Thus, we use the future tense. I have a video all about this called 'Things You Do Often'. It's in this playlist if you're interested.
How do you say" Are you tired?"
I'd go with "A bheil thu sgìth?"
Ciamar a tha sibh! 🖐😊
Gu math, tapadh leat! Ciamar a tha sibh-fhèin?
@@GaelicwithJason Gu math tapadh leat ! 😁 Quick question, please.
Will you be making videos , later on of course, to teach us how to say things like...I'm getting dressed, brushing my teeth , etc.
Can you say “ theid mi a dol a dh’ Alba?”
"I will go going to Scotland" Thèid already includes go so including it again with dol doesn't make sense.
Caturbrannos is right: the 'go' part of the sentence is already provided by Thèid. I would say 'Thèid mi a dh' Alba.'
A question out of ignorance - why is "I am from Scotland" Tha mi a Alba, rather than "Tha mi a dh' Alba" ?? - could one talk about going to Scotland as "Tha mi a' dol a Alba" as well?
Hi Louis. Thanks for the question. It's a slight difference.
À (with the accent mark) means 'out of' or 'from'. It doesn't change any words that come after it.
On the other hand, A (meaning 'to') lenites if possible:
a Ghlaschu
a Bhoston
a dh'Alba
Since we can't add an H to a vowel, we add that DH' before it. The overall point is to smooth out the sound. Does that help at all?
👍👍❤️
Tapadh leat!
The phrase "Is math sin" doesn't follow this word order. The subject is last. Is this just a case of special emphasis?
Yes, that's just it, Bryn. Starting a phrase with *Is* makes it a bit stronger: Is math an t-seòclaid. Is math a bhith beò. (It's good to be alive).
Nice!
Yeah, yeah..it’s all about you, isn’t it? lol
You know me... always needing the limelight...hah!