If you want to learn Irish and find out why it\u2019s one of our favourite languages, read the fascinating facts that we have compiled for you.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/span><\/h2>\n\nA Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Grammar<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Vocabulary<\/a><\/h2>\nFrequently Asked Questions About the Irish Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIs the Irish Language Still Spoken?<\/a><\/h3>\nAre Irish and Gaelic the Same?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhat Language Is Irish Most Similar to?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
![\"Diverse](\"https:\/\/www.languagetrainers.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/hands-waving-flags-ireland-min-700x483.jpg\")
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Grammar<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Vocabulary<\/a><\/h2>\nFrequently Asked Questions About the Irish Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIs the Irish Language Still Spoken?<\/a><\/h3>\nAre Irish and Gaelic the Same?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhat Language Is Irish Most Similar to?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/a><\/h2>\nIrish Vocabulary<\/a><\/h2>\nFrequently Asked Questions About the Irish Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIs the Irish Language Still Spoken?<\/a><\/h3>\nAre Irish and Gaelic the Same?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhat Language Is Irish Most Similar to?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Frequently Asked Questions About the Irish Language<\/a><\/h2>\nIs the Irish Language Still Spoken?<\/a><\/h3>\nAre Irish and Gaelic the Same?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhat Language Is Irish Most Similar to?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Are Irish and Gaelic the Same?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhat Language Is Irish Most Similar to?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How Do You Say \u201cHi\u201d in Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nIs Irish Difficult?<\/a><\/h3>\nWhen Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When Did the Irish Stop Speaking Irish?<\/a><\/h3>\nHow Old Is the Irish Language?<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>A Brief History of the Irish Gaelic Language<\/h2>\nUnderstanding the evolution of the Irish language is vital to understand its current status in the world. Irish, a\u00a0Celtic language\u00a0part of the Indo-European language family,\u00a0developed on the island of Ireland and was the first language of the majority of its inhabitants until the early 1700s, when medieval laws were enforced by the English state to discourage its use.<\/p>\n
At the time these Acts were passed,\u00a0English was not\u00a0widely spoken or understood by the vast majority of the population of either Wales or Ireland, which is what the new laws wanted to change.<\/p>\n
This situation lasted for almost 200 years, until in the late 1800s, there was a national revival of interest in the Irish language and culture known as the Gaelic revival. By this time, Irish Gaelic had declined as a spoken tongue, and remained the first language only in a few rural areas, while English had attained a dominant position\u00a0throughout the island.<\/p>\n
To aid in the revival of the language, a group of enthusiasts of the Irish language\u00a0created the Gaelic League\u00a0in 1893. They\u00a0aimed\u00a0to encourage the use of Gaelic for everyday purposes. By doing this, they hoped to put a stop to the ongoing anglicisation of Ireland.<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nBut what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n
Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\nNow that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n
\n- <\/i>Abair<\/i><\/em>– to say<\/li>\n
- <\/i>B\u00ed<\/i><\/em>– to be<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Faigh<\/i><\/em>– to get<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Feic<\/i><\/em>– to see<\/li>\n
- <\/i>T\u00e9igh<\/i><\/em>– to go<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Dean<\/i><\/em>– to do\/make<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Beir<\/i><\/em>– to catch<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Clois<\/i><\/em>– to hear<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tar<\/i><\/em>– to come<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Tabhair<\/i><\/em>– to give<\/li>\n
- <\/i>Ith<\/i><\/em>– to eat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\nHowever, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\nIn English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n
For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n
Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\nFor example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n
Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\nIf you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
People photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n But what is the current situation of the Irish language?<\/p>\n Today, Irish is spoken as a minority language throughout Ireland. According to the 201<\/u>6<\/u>\u00a0Census<\/u><\/a>, 73,803\u00a0people\u00a0(1.7% of the population) over the age of four defined themselves as Irish users. In Northern Ireland<\/u><\/a>, these numbers go up, as 3.7% of the population claims they can speak, read write and understand the language, and 11% say to have some knowledge of Irish. Not bad for a language that was banned for almost two centuries!<\/p>\n Now that you\u2019re familiar with the basics of the history of the Irish language, let\u2019s explore the linguistic side! While Irish looks nothing like English at first sight, its grammar is quite straightforward for English-speaking learners. In fact, it could be argued that it\u2019s even easier\u00a0than English grammar!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take irregular verbs, for example. While students learning English, Spanish or French \u00a0have to deal with endless lists, Irish only has 11 irregular verbs:<\/p>\n Also, there are no indefinite articles in Irish Gaelic. You can just say T\u00e1<\/i><\/em>\u00a0teach <\/i><\/em>agam<\/i><\/em>, (literally, \u201cI have house\u201d), and no one will give you a weird look. And while it\u2019s true that Irish makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns, they both use the definite article \u201can\u201d (the).<\/p>\n However, there is one <\/em>baffling aspect\u00a0of Irish Gaelic that you should be aware of.<\/p>\n In English, as in most languages, it\u2019s very common to change the end of words in certain grammatical contexts.<\/p>\n For example, we add an \u201cs\u201d to \u201chouse\u201d to make it plural, or an \u201ced\u201d to \u201cvisit\u201d to indicate that we are talking about a past action. Other times, the changes appear in the middle of words: woman\/men, goose\/geese.<\/p>\n Irish, on the other hand, changes the beginning <\/em>of words, a feature that is common in most Celtic languages.<\/p>\n For example, to talk to someone directly, Irish speakers add \u201ca\u201d\u00a0before the name, nickname, or title.<\/p>\n Go <\/i><\/em>deas<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>bualadh<\/i><\/em>\u00a0<\/i><\/em>leat<\/i><\/em>, <\/i><\/em>a<\/i><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Jennie.<\/i><\/em>\u00a0(Nice to meet you,\u00a0Jennie).<\/p>\n If you want to learn Irish, the modern Gaelic alphabet is a great place to start. Let\u2019s see all the letters in the Irish alphabet and some tips to help you pronounce them!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a>Irish Grammar<\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>Irish Gaelic Alphabet and Pronunciation<\/h2>\n