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You're all so talented!

Tha sibh uile cho ealanta!

Let's have a look at this discussion. By the end of this section, you will have learned some valuable phrases that you can use in lots of different conversations. 

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B' àbhaist dhomhsa bhith a' seinn, tha Iain a' seinn agus bidh Màiri a' seinn a-nis. Dè mu do dheidhinn-sa, Fhionnlaigh?

I used to sing, John sings and Màiri sings now. What about you, Finlay?

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Tha sibh uile cho ealanta! Cha tèid agam air seinn gu bràth, ach is fìor thoil leam a bhith ag èisteachd ri diofar seòrsaichean ciùil agus ri iomadh seòrsa òran.

You are all so talented! I will never be able to sing, but I really like to listen to different kinds of music and many kinds of songs.

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Cò na seinneadairean as fheàrr leat?

Who are your favourite singers?

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Tha mi measail air Màiri NicAonghais, Caitlin NicAonghais agus Julie Fowlis.

I'm fond of Màiri MacInnes, Kathleen MacInnes and Julie Fowlis.

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Uibhistich uile, ach cha tug thu iomradh air fear sam bith an sin!

All Uist people, but you didn't mention any men there!

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Chan eil mi deiseil fhathast! Is caomh leam Art MacCarmaig, Dòmhnall MacRath agus Calum Ceanadach. Bidh 'Mo Mhàthair' daonnan a' toirt na deòir dham shùilean mar a bhiodh e ga ghabhail.

I'm not finished yet! I love Arthur Cormack, Donald MacRae and Calum Kennedy. 'Mo Mhàthair' (My Mother) always brings tears to my eyes as he sings (sang) it.

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Tha Leòdhasach eile a cheart cho aithnichte, ach ann an sgrìobhadh òrain. 'S e sin Murchadh MacPhàrlain, Bàrd Mheal(a)boist, am fear a sgrìobh an t-òran Cànan nan Gàidheal agus sàr neach-iomairt airson na Gàidhlig.

There is another Lewis person just as renowned, but in songwriting. That is Murchadh MacPhàrlain (Murdo Macfarlane), Bàrd Mheal(a)boist (the Melbost Bard), the man who wrote the song 'Cànan nan Gàidheal' (Song of the Gael) and a great activist for the Gaelic language.

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Cumhachdach dha-rìribh! Agus a' bruidhinn air bàird, tha bana-bhàrd agam dhut—Màiri Mhòr nan Òran, a sgrìobh 'Nuair Bha mi Òg', 'Eilean a' Cheò' agus 'Tha Mi Sgìth de Luchd na Beurla' agus iomadh òran eile!

Really powerful! And speaking of poets, I have a poetess for you—Màiri Mhòr nan Òran, who wrote 'Nuair Bha mi Òg' (when I was young), 'Eilean a' Cheò' (the Misty Isle) and 'Tha Mi Sgìth de Luchd na Beurla' (I am tired of the English speakers) and many other songs!

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Ma bhios sinn a' bruidhinn air sgrìobhaichean òrain, dè mu dheidhinn Runrig? A bheil òran nas coileanta na Cearcall a' Chuain aig Runrig?

Speaking of songwriters, what about Runrig? Is there a more perfect song than Runrig's 'Cearcall a' Chuain' (The Circle of the Sea/Ocean)?

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Cha chreid mi gu bheil. Ged a chluinneas tu an t-òran sin fad is farsaing, aig mòdan is cèilidhean, chan fhaighear nas fheàrr na Donaidh Rothach ga ghabhail. Sàr òran agus sàr sheinneadair.

I don't believe there is. Although you will hear that song far and wide, at Mods and cèilidhs, you won't get better than Donnie Munro performing it. A great song and great singer.

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Mar sin, an do dhìochuimhnich sinn na seinneadairean bho na còmhlain, leithid Karen NicMhathain bho Chapercaillie is Raibeart MacDhonnchaidh bho Skipinnish is Tidelines?

And so, have we forgotten the singers from the bands, such as Karen Matheson from Capercaillie and Robert Robertson from Skipinnish and Tidelines?

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Cha do dhìochuimhnich! Cha b' e siud ach toiseach-tòiseachaidh. Nise, cò eile a th' againn?

We didn't (forget)! That was just for starters. Now, who else do we have?

Next

FAQs

What does “Level” mean (A1, A2, B1, B2)?

All courses and resources on SpeakGaelic are organised according to internationally recognised language levels. If you have learnt a language before you may be familiar with this terminology—the SpeakGaelic levels map onto those defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Within SpeakGaelic, levels are colour-coded to help you find your way about.

A1 is “Inntrigeadh” (Entry). Absolute beginners should start here!

A2 is “Bunaiteach” (Foundation). Widen your knowledge of sentences and frequently-used expressions. Communicate simple tasks and basic descriptions.

B1 is “Eadar-mheadhanach” (Intermediate). Start becoming an independent user of Gaelic.

B2 is “Adhartach” (Advanced). Complete your journey to becoming an independent user of Gaelic.

How do I type the Gaelic accents?

Tap or click on a letter to put it on your clipboard, you can then paste it anywhere:

Lowercase letters:

Uppercase letters:

Alternatively, these methods may work for you:

Windows

Some simple ways to type grave accents in MS Windows, depending on which version you use. The grave accent ` is next to the number 1 at top of keyboard.

à, è, ì, ò, ù Ctrl+`, release and type letter;

À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù Ctrl+Shift+`, release and type letter

OR

Alt key + character code on the numeric keypad on right of keyboard (laptops will vary). Ensure that the NUMLOCK is on.

à Alt+133 or 0224
è Alt+138 or 0232
ì Alt+141 or 0236
ò Alt+149 or 0242
ù Alt+151 or 0249

À Alt+0192
È Alt+0200
Ì Alt+0204
Ò Alt+0210
Ù Alt+0217

Mac

Push and hold a character to bring up a menu and choose.

E.g. hold the letter e to choose the letter è

What is the Gaelic Alphabet?

Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu

For more information visit LearnGaelic’s Scottish Gaelic Alphabet

How do I pronounce Gaelic sounds?

SpeakGaelic always gives you a sound file for the word you are learning. For more information on individual sounds, visit LearnGaelic’ Sounds section.

What are slendar and broad vowels?

The slender vowels are e and i.

All the others are broad.

SpeakGaelic says my email is taken and I can’t log in. Can you help?

This is usually because your account has not been properly activated – there should be an email from us with a link to activate your account (remember to check spam / junk folders too). If you can’t find the email, let us know.

If you have already activated your account, you may be on the wrong page. Please ensure you are on the login page and not the registration page.

The code in my activation email doesn’t work?

We can help—please forward the email to fios@speakgaelic.scot and ask us to activate your account.

How do I log in after activating my account?

Please make your way to the login page.

Can you help me move on after completing a test?

This commonly happens if you have not logged on. You also need to have passed with 60% correct answers, if you think you have been unfairly treated, let us know. We may have a mistake in that particular test and we will fix it.

My dashboard says I’ve completed X number of topics but I should have more. How do I complete all steps to finish my topics?

You should be able to scroll and expand each topic to see which one has a step missed out. Go into the incomplete section and follow the all the steps in the section to complete the topic.

How do I report an error?

Either use the contact form or send us an email at fios@speakgaelic.scot. Please send us the page title at the top of page (or URL) with a short description of error. If you can send a screengrab, that will help us identify the issue.

Why isn’t my sound working?

This is usually because something is muted somewhere on your device. Check volume controls, speaker settings and device settings. Please make sure you are pressing the speaker icon.

Why was I marked wrong on this quiz question?

We hate to break it to you, but you might be wrong! Check you have read the question correctly. Please ensure your apostrophes are facing the correct way and finally make sure you don’t have too many spaces.

If you think you have been unfairly treated, let us know. We may have a mistake in that particular test and we will fix it. Either use the contact form or send us an email at fios@speakgaelic.scot. Please send us the quiz title at the top of page (or URL) with a short description of error. If you can send a screengrab, that will help us identify the issue.

Can you translate something for me?

We are a tiny wee team and our main focus is on our resources. There are also professional translators who will talk you through your requirements and provide appropriate translations (some words may be context-dependent). We can send you a list of professional translators if you need them.

I think I’ve found a typo/mistake on the website. How do I report this?

Either use the contact form or send us an email at fios@speakgaelic.scot. Please send us the page title at the top of page (or URL) with a short description of error. If you can send a screengrab, that will help us identify the issue.

Why won't you provide your email address in a format I can open?

We will get ambushed by spam! If you email fios@speakgaelic.scot we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please don’t be mean, we are human beings and it will ruin our day!

Need more help or see something that is not working?

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you see anything wrong or if you want to leave us a message.