Gaelic Lesson 3 (Plural and Languages)
Duration: 30 mins
The 3rd lesson is about the plural in Gaelic and how to create it from the singular form. In addition, I will include a list of vocabulary about languages, nationalities, and countries. Finally, you will find some common everyday sentences. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Gaelic Classes.
Plural
Knowing how to create the plural from the singular word can double the vocabulary you already know. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some grammatical rules. For example how to change the word "book" to "books" or "woman" to "women".
Below is a list of singular words and their plural equivalent. I included examples about nature as well as about humans. The table contains 3 columns (English, Gaelic, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Singular vs. Plural in Gaelic
| English | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| Country | dùthaich |
| Countries | Dùthchannan |
| Lake | loch |
| Lakes | lochan |
| Language | cànan |
| Languages | Cànain |
| Woman | bean |
| Women | mnathan |
| Man | duine |
| Men | fir |
| Boy | gille |
| Boys | gillean |
| Girl | nighean |
| Girls | caileagan |
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Gaelic sentences. That way you will be able to see how both forms are used when embedded in a structure.
Singular vs. Plural in a Sentence
| English | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| We speak two languages | Tha dà chànan againn. |
| They speak four languages | Tha ceithir cànain aca. |
| I visited one country | Chuir mi turas do dùthaich. |
| She visited three countries | Chuir i turas do trì dùthchannan. |
| She has one sister | Tha piuthar aice. |
| He has two sisters | Tha dà phiuthar aige. |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Gaelic contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Languages, Nationalities, and Countries
Below is a list of 50 words related to languages, nationalities, and countries. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to have a good conversation about how many languages you speak or where you came from.
Languages Nationalities and Countries List in Gaelic
| English | Gaelic |
|---|---|
| Arabic (language) | Arabais |
| Moroccan (nationality) | Moroccan |
| Morocco (country) | Moroco |
| Brazilian (language) | Braisileach |
| Brazilian (nationality) | Braisileach |
| Brazil (country) | Braiseal |
| Chinese (language) | Sìneach |
| Chinese (nationality) | Sìneach |
| China (country) | an t-Sìn |
| English (language) | Gaelic |
| British (nationality) | Breatannach |
| Britain (country) | Breatann |
| American (nationality) | Aimeireaganach |
| America (country) | Aimeireaga |
| French (language) | Fraingis |
| French (nationality) | Frangach |
| France (country) | an Fhraing |
| German (language) | Gearmailtis |
| German (nationality) | Gearmailteach |
| Germany (country) | a' Ghearmailt |
| Greek (language) | Greugais |
| Greek (nationality) | Greugach |
| Greece (country) | a' Ghreug |
| Hindi (language) | Hindis |
| Indian (nationality) | Innseanach |
| India (country) | na h-Innseanan |
| Irish (language) | Gaeilge |
| Irish (nationality) | Èireannach |
| Ireland (country) | Èireann |
| Italian (language) | Eadailtis |
| Italian (nationality) | Eadailteach |
| Italy (country) | an Eadailt |
| Japanese (language) | Seapanach |
| Japanese (nationality) | Seapanach |
| Japan (country) | Seapan |
| Korean (language) | Coirèanais |
| Korean (nationality) | Còireanach |
| Korea (country) | Còirea |
| Persian (language) | Peirsis |
| Iranian (nationality) | Iorànach |
| Iran (country) | Ioràn |
| Portuguese (language) | Portagailis |
| Portuguese (nationality) | Portagaileach |
| Portugal (country) | Portagail |
| Russian (language) | Ruisis |
| Russian (nationality) | Ruiseach |
| Russia (country) | an Ruis |
| Spanish (language) | Spàinntis |
| Spanish (nationality) | Spàinnteach |
| Spain (country) | an Spàinnt |
Daily Conversation in Gaelic
Finally, a list of sentences about languages, nationalities, and countries plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Gaelic Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Gaelic
| English | Gaelic | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | ||
| I don't speak Korean | Chan eil Còireanais agam. | |
| I love the Japanese language | 'S toil leam Seapanais. | |
| I speak Italian | Tha Eadailtis agam. | |
| I want to learn Spanish | Tha mi ag iarraidh Spàinntis ionnsachadh. | |
| My mother tongue is German | 'S e Gearmailtis a th' ann an cànan mo mhàthar. | |
| Spanish is easy to learn | Tha Spàinntis furasta ri ionnsachadh. | |
| Origins | ||
| He has a Moroccan rug | Tha ruga Moroccanach aige. | |
| I have an American car | Tha càr Aimeireaganach agam. | |
| I love French cheese | 'S toil leam càise Frangach. | |
| I'm Italian | Tha mi às an Eadailt. | |
| My father is Greek | Tha m' athair às a' Ghreig. | |
| My wife is Korean | Tha a' bhean agam à Chòirea | |
| Countries | ||
| Have you ever been to India? | An robh thu riamh anns na h-Innseanan? | |
| I came from Spain | Tha mi às an Spàinnt. | |
| I live in America | Tha mi a' fuireachd ann an Aimeireaga. | |
| I want to go to Germany | Tha mi ag iarradh dol dhan Ghearmailt. | |
| I was born in Italy | Rugadh mi anns an Eadailt. | |
| Japan is a beautiful country | 'S e dùthaich àlainn a th' ann an Seapan. | |
| Phrases | ||
| Long time no see | 'S fhada bhon uairsin | |
| I missed you | Bha mi gad ionndrainn. | |
| What's new? | Dè tha ùr? | |
| Nothing new | Chan eil càil ùr. | |
| Make yourself at home! | Bi fridiombach. | |
| Have a good trip | Turas math agad. |
Fun Facts
Language Quote that by simply knowing how to form the plural, you can double the number of nouns in your vocabulary, without having to memorize all the plural form.
Congratulations! You finished your third lesson in Gaelic about singular, plural, languages, nationalities, and countries. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Gaelic Lesson 4. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Gaelic homepage.