Blasad Beag – Episode 12: Pleasantries
Halò, agus fàilte gu Blasad Beag, am pàirt dhan phrògram a tha gu sònraichte do luchd-tòisichidh na Gàidhlig. Hello, and welcome to Blasad Beag, the part of the programme which is especially for those of you who have just started learning Gaelic.
An t-seachdain sa, tha sinn a’ dol a bhruidhinn mu abairtean modhail a dh’fhaodas sibh a chleachdadh ann an còmhraidhean nàdarra. This week, we’re going to teach you some polite phrases that you can use in everyday conversations. You will have heard some of the phrases in previous sections of Blasad Beag, but hopefully you’ll learn something new!
First, how to say thank you in Gaelic. There’s a good chance you’ve heard this one before, tapadh leat. Tapadh leat. Thank you. Tapadh leat. However, if you’re speaking to someone older than yourself, or if you want to be polite, you would say tapadh leibh. Tapadh leibh. Tapadh leat agus tapadh leibh.
Another way of thanking someone would be to say Mòran taing. Mòran taing, many thanks. Mòran taing. You could also say taing mhòr. Taing mhòr.
And if someone thanks you, you might want to reply and say “You’re welcome”. Ach ciamar a chanas sibh sin ann an Gàidhlig? How do you say that in Gaelic? ’S e do bheatha. ’S e do bheatha. Or the polite form? ’S e ur beatha. You’re welcome. ’S e ur beatha. ’S e ur beatha. This literally translates as “It’s your life”. ’S e do bheatha agus ’S e ur beatha.
Nise, ciamar a chanas tu “please” ann an Gàidhlig? How do you say “please” in Gaelic? This is a bit of a tricky one! There isn’t one word in Gaelic that is a perfect translation of please. Technically, the Gaelic phrase you would use for please is Mas e do thoil e. Mas e do thoil e. Or, if you want to be polite, Mas e ur toil e. Mas e ur toil e. However, this is quite formal and isn’t that commonly used in Gaelic – so people won’t think you’re rude if you don’t use it!
Back to a slightly easier one now! How do you say sorry in Gaelic? Duilich. Duilich. And if you want to use it in a full sentence, you could say Tha mi duilich. Tha mi duilich. I’m sorry. Tha mi duilich.
And finally, if you want to say excuse me to someone, you would say Gabh mo leisgeul. Gabh mo leisgeul. Or as I would say as I come from Lewis, Gabh mo leisgeul. Gabh mo leisgeul. Excuse me. You can use this in a variety of different settings, for example, if you needed to pass someone in a busy room, or if you were joining a conversation to ask a question. Gabh mo leisgeul or Gabh mo leisgeul.
Anns a’ chòmhradh a leanas, cluinnidh sibh cuid dha na h-abairtean seo air an cleachdadh le Calum agus Eilidh. In this conversation, you will hear some of these phrases used by Calum and Eilidh. Seo Calum agus Eilidh:
Guth 1 (Calum): Gabh mo leisgeul, a bheil fhios agad càit’ a bheil am banca?
Guth 2 (Eilidh): Duilich, chan eil mi cinnteach, ach tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gu bheil e ri taobh talla a’ bhaile.
Guth 1 (Calum): Tapadh leat.
Guth 2 (Eilidh): ’S e do bheatha.
Calum said Gabh mo leisgeul, a bheil fhios agad càit’ a bheil am banca? Excuse me, do you know where the bank is? Gabh mo leisgeul. Excuse me.
Eilidh replied Duilich, chan eil mi cinnteach, ach tha mi a’ smaoineachadh gu bheil e ri taobh talla a’ bhaile. Sorry, I’m not sure, but I think it’s beside the town hall. Duilich. Sorry. Tha mi duilich. I’m sorry.
Calum then said Tapadh leat. Thank you. Tapadh leat. Eilidh once again replied by saying ’S e do bheatha. You’re welcome. ’S e do bheatha.
Uill, tha mise duilich a chàirdean, ach sin agaibh e airson seachdain eile! That’s it for another week! To learn some more simple Gaelic phrases, why not have a look at the website - just go to the Beginners section, or download the LearnGaelic Beginners App! Mar sin leibh!
