Treoir / Instructions A translation of the dialogue below is available further down the page. Even if your knowledge of Irish is very limited, try reading the dialogue initially without looking at the translation – you should be able to guess the meaning of some of the phrases from the context. Once you’re familiar with the dialogue, click the "Test yourself!" button to check your knowledge. This facility will be available shortly.Liam is twenty-nine years old and lives in the Donegal Gaeltacht. He’s from a mixed farming background but now works as a shop manager in Letterkenny.

Bairbre, who is twenty-eight, is originally from Cavan, but now lives in Dublin, where she works as a nurse. She met Liam while attending an Irish course in Donegal over five years ago. They dated for two-and-a-half years but split up when Liam discovered that had gone back to her former fiancée behind his back. Their separation was not amicable.

Liam has not seen Bairbre now since the end of January 2004. He recently bumped into an old friend of hers, Julie, on the street during a visit to Dublin. Julie rings Bairbre to tell her about meeting Liam and finds out that she’s not that happy in her relationship with her fiancé, Noel.

Dialogue 35

Julie: Braithim nach bhfuil tú féin agus Noel ag réiteach chomh maith sin le chéile.

Bairbre: Bhuel, tá deacrachtaí áirithe againn ...

Julie: Cad iad na deacrachtaí sin?

Bairbre: Bíonn muid ag troid go minic na laethanta seo, faoi na rudaí is amaidí. Ag an deireadh seachtaine, mar shampla, bhí sé ar mire liom cionn is nach raibh mé sásta a dhul go dtí an teach tábhairne leis oíche Shathairn. Bhí pus air an lá ar fad Dé Domhnaigh.

Julie: Ach is beag caidreamh nach mbíonn fadhbanna ag baint leis. Is rud nádúrtha é bheith ag troid.

Bairbre: Ach bíonn an bheirt againne ag troid an t-am ar fad. Is beag lá nach n-éiríonn eadrainn.

Julie: Ní maith an rud é sin.

Bairbre: B’fhéidir nach bhfuil go leor i gcoiteann againn. Sin an bharúil atá agam le tamall anuas.

Julie: Cad atá i gceist agat?

Bairbre: Tá suim againn i rudaí difriúla. Is maith leisean an spórt agus oícheanta a chaitheamh ar an ól. Níl suim dá laghad agamsa sa spórt; b’fhearr liom a dhul chuig scannán nó dráma nó fanacht sa bhaile agus leabhar maith a léamh.

Julie: Ach is minic a bhíonn suim ag beirt i rudaí difriúla ach éiríonn leo réiteach go maith le chéile.

Bairbre: Tá sin fíor, ach measaim go bhfuil luachanna difriúla againn fosta. Agus tá tréithe dá chuid nach maith liom. Thig leis a bheith iontach righin agus sotalach fosta.

Julie: An bhfuil tú ag brath fanacht leis?

Bairbre: Níl mé cinnte. Bhí sé ag caint ar phósadh roimh dheireadh na bliana seo chugainn ach caithfidh mé a rá go bhfuil mé idir dhá chomhairle.

Aistriúchán / Translation

Julie: I feel you and Noel are not getting on that well together.

Bairbre: Well, we have certain problems ...

Julie: What problems are they?

Bairbre: We fight a lot these days, about the most silly things. At the weekend, for example, he was angry with me because I wasn’t willing to go to the pub with him on Saturday night. He sulked all day Sunday.

Julie: But there are very few relationships without problems. It’s a natural thing to be fighting.

Bairbre: Ach bíonn an bheirt againne ag troid an t-am ar fad. Is beag lá nach n-éiríonn eadrainn.

Julie: Ní maith an rud é sin.

Bairbre: Maybe we don’t have enough in common. That’s what I’ve been thinking for the past while.

Julie: What do you mean?

Bairbre: We’re interested in different things. He likes sport and to spend nights drinking. I’ve haven’t the least interest in sport; I’d rather go to a play or film or to stay at home and read a good book.

Julie: But it often happens that two people have an interest in different things but they manage to get on well together.

Bairbre: That’s true, but I think we also have different values. And there are traits of his I don’t like. He can be very stubborn and arrogant as well.

Julie: Do you intend staying with him?

Bairbre: I’m not sure. He was talking about getting married before the end of next year but I have to say that I’m in two minds.

Gramadach / GrammarAs we saw the last time, the present habitual form of the verb bí (be) is used to refer to things that happen on a regular basis: Bíonn muid ag troid go minic na laethanta seo. (We fight a lot these days.)

In Ulster Irish, go dtí (to) is used to refer to going to a place and chuig to refer to going to an event or appointment:

Ní raibh mé sásta dul go dtí an teach tábhairne. (I wasn’t willing to go to the pub.)

B’fhearr liom a dhul chuig scannán. (I’d rather go to a film.)

There are two ways of saying Saturday night in Irish: oíche Shathairn or oíche Dé Sathairn.

The definite article an (the) is often used in Irish where it wouldn’t be in English:

an spórt (sport)Note that nouns which follow the simple preposition roimh (before) are lenited:

roimh dheireadh na bliana seo chugainn (before the end of next year)