Tha mi na thidsear Beurla…..

I introduced the podcast by saying hello and welcome to Gaelic with Joseph…… (same as last time)

Pronouncing "còmhla ri" in Scottish Gaelic can be a bit challenging if you're not familiar with the language. Here's a breakdown to help you:

Còmhla: This word is pronounced roughly as "KOH-luh." The "cò" part sounds like the "co" in "cozy," with a stressed 'oh' sound. The "mh" in Gaelic often sounds like a 'v' but in this case, it is more of a soft, breathy 'h' sound. The "la" is like the "la" in "lava."

Ri: This is pronounced as "ree," like the English word "reef" without the 'f' sound.

In Scottish Gaelic, "I am here with Ptofi" would be translated as "Tha mi an seo còmhla ri Ptofi. (it sounds a bit like ha mi an show cola ree ptofi).

In Scottish Gaelic, "I am here with Ptofi and my family" would be translated as "Tha mi an seo còmhla ri Ptofi agus mo theaghlach." Here's the breakdown of the phrase:

Tha mi: "I am."
an seo: "here."
còmhla ri: "with."
Ptofi: This is a proper noun, so it remains the same.
agus: "and."
mo theaghlach: "my family" (with "mo" indicating possession, i.e., "my").
So, "Tha mi an seo còmhla ri Ptofi agus mo theaghlach" translates to "I am here with Ptofi and my family."

In Scottish Gaelic, "We live in Paisley" translates to "Tha sinn a' fuireach ann am Paisley." Here's the breakdown of the phrase:

Tha: "Is" or "are," used here as part of the verb structure.
sinn: "We."
a' fuireach: "living" (the present participle form of "live"). This is formed by "a'" (short for "ag a") + "fuireach" (the verbal noun for "to live").
ann am: "in" (used before masculine nouns starting with a consonant).
Paisley: This is a proper noun, so it remains the same.
So, "Tha sinn a' fuireach ann am Paisley" translates to "We live in Paisley."

In Scottish Gaelic, "I am an English teacher" translates to "Tha mi na thidsear Beurla." Here's a breakdown of the phrase:

Tha mi: "I am"
na: This is a contraction of "ann an," which means "in" but is used here to indicate a state of being.
thidsear: "teacher"
Beurla: "English" (referring to the language)
So, "Tha mi na thidsear Beurla" literally means "I am in a teacher of English." Gaelic often uses structures that are a bit different from English, especially when it comes to professions or roles.

Tha mi: This part translates directly to "I am." In Scottish Gaelic, "Tha" is the verb "to be" in its present tense form, and "mi" means "I."

na: This is where it gets interesting. In Scottish Gaelic, when expressing what someone's profession or role is, the structure is different from English. The phrase "na" is actually a contraction of "ann an," which literally means "in." It might seem odd to use "in" in this context, but in Gaelic, this is a common way to denote that someone holds a particular position, role, or profession. Essentially, it's like saying "in the capacity of" or "in the role of."

thidsear: This is the Gaelic word for "teacher."

Beurla: This is the Gaelic word for the English language.

So, when you put it all together, "Tha mi na thidsear Beurla" literally translates to "I am in a teacher of English." While this direct translation might sound awkward in English, it's a grammatically correct and standard way to express one's profession in Scottish Gaelic.
This structure is quite typical in Gaelic, where roles or states of being are expressed by literally placing the person "in" the role.

Tha mi: Pronounced as "ha mee." The "Th" in "Tha" is pronounced like the "h" in "hat," and "mi" is pronounced like the English word "me."

na: This is pronounced like "na" in "nanny."

thidsear: The "th" at the beginning is pronounced like an "h," so it sounds like "hee-jer." The "i" in "thidsear" is like the "i" in "bit," and "sear" rhymes with "hair," but with a rolled 'r' at the end.

Beurla: Pronounced as "BAYR-luh." The "eu" is pronounced like the "ay" in "bay," and "la" is like "la" in "lava."

Putting it all together, "Tha mi na thidsear Beurla" sounds approximately like "ha mee na hee-jer BAYR-luh.

In Scottish Gaelic, "This morning I was at the cafe" can be translated as "Bha mi sa chafaidh madainn an-diugh." Here's a breakdown of the translation:

Bha mi: "I was" (past tense of "to be").
sa: "in the" or "at the".
chafaidh: "cafe". The "ch" here is pronounced like the Scottish loch or the German Bach.
madainn: "morning".
an-diugh: "today" but often used to imply "this" in time expressions.
So, "Bha mi sa chafaidh madainn an-diugh" literally translates to "I was in the cafe this morning."

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