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- Lesson 51
I think he's not …
I think he's not …
In this lesson you'll revise the words for coming, going off, staying, listening and working, and learn the word for looking.
You’ll also learn another way of saying to think or to suppose and put it all together in sentences.
Grammar Note
You’ll hear a’ coimhead pronounced differently according to dialect. This is Skye and North Uist dialect.
a' tighinn
coming
a' falbh
going off
a' fuireach
staying
ag èisteachd
listening
ag obair
working
a' coimhead
looking
Add some more words
Now you’ve revised some vocabulary and learnt some new words, it's nearly time to make some sentences.
But first you’ll need to know how to say he isn’t coming and I think he’s not coming.
Grammar Note
As you've seen, in conversational Gaelic the a’ is often (but not always!) dropped from verbal nouns such as a’ tighinn.
Grammar Note
Saoilidh mi … can also mean I’m of the opinion … / I suppose …
Saoilidh mi nach eil e a' tighinn.
I don't think he's coming.
Saoilidh mi nach eil e a' falbh.
I don't think he's going.
Saoilidh mi nach eil e a' fuireach.
I don't think he's staying.
Saoilidh mi nach eil e ag èisteachd.
I don't think he's listening.
Saoilidh mi nach eil e ag obair.
I don't think he's working.
Saoilidh mi nach eil e a' coimhead.
I don't think he's looking.
More verbs …
Now before you go on to test your knowledge, let’s learn a couple more verbs, then you’ll be able to put them all together.
You’re going to learn the words for I hear and I say.
Making sentences
Well done! Now you’ve revised and learnt more verbs, as well as being able to speculate on what someone isn’t doing!
Let’s see if you can understand these sentences.
Nach eil thu a' creidsinn gu bheil am poileasman a' tighinn?
Don't you believe that the policeman is coming?
Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil an duine sin a' tighinn.
I hear that that person's not coming.
Tha mi ag ràdh nach eil thu ag èisteachd.
I'm saying that you are not listening.
Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil d' athair ag obair idir.
I hear that your father isn't working at all.
Saoilidh mi nach eil am post air falbh fhathast.
I don't think that the postman has gone yet.
Tha mi a' creidsinn nach eil duine eile a' feitheamh.
I believe that no one else is waiting.
Nach eil thu a' creidsinn gu bheil am poileasman a' tighinn?
Don't you believe that the policeman is coming?
Time to talk
Great! You’ve revised the words for coming, going off, staying, listening and working, and learnt the word for looking.
Now let’s see if you can understand this conversation between Donald and Morag.
Dòmhnall: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
Mòrag: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
Mòrag: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
Dòmhnall: An robh e cho dona sin?
Mòrag: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
Extra Vocabulary
o chionn fhada
since / for a long time
cnatan
a cold
sna làithean seo
these days
's dòcha
perhaps
gu bheil e ceart
that he's right
'S e àite math a th' ann.
It is a good place.
Gaelic transcript
DÒMHNALL: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
MÒRAG: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
MÒRAG: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
DÒMHNALL: An robh e cho dona sin?
MÒRAG: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
English transcript
DONALD: I haven't seen Peter for a long time.
MORAG: He had a cold a week ago and he was in bed.
DONALD: I hear he's not working these days.
MORAG: The cold isn't gone yet, perhaps.
DONALD: Was it as bad as that?
MORAG: It wasn't, but he likes being in bed.
DONALD: I think he's right. It's a good place.
Time to talk
Now you'll try Donald's role.
The text you should speak will be highlighted in pink.
Dòmhnall: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
Mòrag: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
Mòrag: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
Dòmhnall: An robh e cho dona sin?
Mòrag: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
What’s this?
You may find the gap left in the audio for ”your” line is not long enough. Use this control to increase the delay by a set number of seconds. For example, leaving it at zero (the default) will result in the gap being the same length as the audio was in the original dialog. Setting it to ‘2’ will make the gap two seconds longer, and so on.
Extra Vocabulary
o chionn fhada
since / for a long time
cnatan
a cold
sna làithean seo
these days
's dòcha
perhaps
gu bheil e ceart
that he's right
'S e àite math a th' ann.
It is a good place.
Gaelic transcript
DÒMHNALL: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
MÒRAG: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
MÒRAG: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
DÒMHNALL: An robh e cho dona sin?
MÒRAG: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
English transcript
DONALD: I haven't seen Peter for a long time.
MORAG: He had a cold a week ago and he was in bed.
DONALD: I hear he's not working these days.
MORAG: The cold isn't gone yet, perhaps.
DONALD: Was it as bad as that?
MORAG: It wasn't, but he likes being in bed.
DONALD: I think he's right. It's a good place.
Dòmhnall: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
Mòrag: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
Mòrag: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
Dòmhnall: An robh e cho dona sin?
Mòrag: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
Dòmhnall: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
What’s this?
You may find the gap left in the audio for ”your” line is not long enough. Use this control to increase the delay by a set number of seconds. For example, leaving it at zero (the default) will result in the gap being the same length as the audio was in the original dialog. Setting it to ‘2’ will make the gap two seconds longer, and so on.
Extra Vocabulary
o chionn fhada
since / for a long time
cnatan
a cold
sna làithean seo
these days
's dòcha
perhaps
gu bheil e ceart
that he's right
'S e àite math a th' ann.
It is a good place.
Gaelic transcript
DÒMHNALL: Chan fhaca mi Peadar o chionn fhada.
MÒRAG: Bha cnatan air o chionn seachdain agus bha e san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Tha mi a' cluinntinn nach eil e ag obair sna làithean seo.
MÒRAG: Chan eil an cnatan air falbh fhathast, 's dòcha.
DÒMHNALL: An robh e cho dona sin?
MÒRAG: Cha robh, ach 's toigh leis a bhith san leabaidh.
DÒMHNALL: Saoilidh mi gu bheil e ceart. 'S e àite math a th' ann.
English transcript
DONALD: I haven't seen Peter for a long time.
MORAG: He had a cold a week ago and he was in bed.
DONALD: I hear he's not working these days.
MORAG: The cold isn't gone yet, perhaps.
DONALD: Was it as bad as that?
MORAG: It wasn't, but he likes being in bed.
DONALD: I think he's right. It's a good place.
