Book I
| ant -im, etc. | un thim (theem) etc | The butter, please | |
| cuir chugam an t-arn | hur huggam (hoom) un thrawn | Pass me the bread | |
| ...an siucra | un shookra | ..the sugar | |
| 1 | Bíodh arán agat 1 | bee-uch (a)rawn og'-gugh (og-guth') | Have some bread |
| Bíodh im agat 1 | bee-uch im (eem) og'-guth (og-guth') | Have some butter | |
| Bíodh cupán tae eile agat 1 | bee-uch kupawn tae elleh og'-guth (og-guth') | Have another cup of tea. | |
| 2 | Beidh 2 ~ má's é do thoil é, or | bae (beg) ~ maw-shae dhu hull'-ea 3 | Yes ~ please |
| ní bheidh ~ go raibh maith agat ~ tá mo dhóithin agam. | nee vae (veg) ~ guh ruh moh og'-guth (og-guth') ~ thaw muh gho/-hin og'-gum (og-gum') | No ~ thank you ~ I have enough. | |
| 1 | (An) mbeidh a thuilleadh tae agat? 2 | mae (meg) a hillah tae og'-guth (og-guth') | Will you have some more tea? |
| 2 | Beidh, or Ní bheidh | bae (beg), nee vae (veg) | Yes or No |
| 1 | An maith leat 1 caife? | un moh lath koffeh | Do you like coffee? |
| 2 | Is maith liom, or Ní maith liom | iss moh l-yum, nee moh l-yum | I do (Yes) I do not (No) |
| 1 | Ar mhaith leat 1 caife anois? | err woh lath koffeh a-nish' | Would you like coffee now? |
| 2 | Ba mhaith liom, or Níor mhaith liom |
buh woh l-yum neer woh l-yum |
I would (Yes) I would not (No) |
| 1 | Cé aca is fearr leat 1 ~ caife nó tae? | k-yucka iss faar lath ~ koffeh noo tae | Which do you prefer ~ coffee or tea? |
| 2 | Is fearr liom tae. Ní fearr liom caife. |
iss faar l-yum tae nee farr l-yum koffeh |
I prefer tea. I do not prefer coffee |
| 1 | Cé aca b-fhearr leat 1 ~ caife nó tae. | k-yucka a baar lath ~ koffeh noo tae | Which would you prefer ~ coffee or tea? |
| 2 | B'fhearr liom caife | baar l-yum koffeh | I would prefer coffee. |
| 1 | An fearr leis ~ deoch bainne ná deoch uisge. | un faar lesh ~ djuch (d-yuch) bon-yeh naw djuch (d-yuch) ishka. | Does he prefer ~ a drink of milk to a drink of water? |
| 2 | Is fearr leis ~ deoch bainne | iss faar lesh ~ djuch (d-yuch) bon-yeh. | He prefers ~ a drink of milk. |
| 1 | Ar bhfearr leat 1 ~ fíon ~ dá mbeadh sé agat? | err vaar lath ~ fee-un ~ dhaw mehuch she og'-guth (og-guth) | Would you prefer ~ wine ~ if you had it.? |
1. See page 10 for plural form
2. There is no one work for "yes" or "no" in Irish, but instead the verb in theq uestion is repeated in the answer.
3. Liquid "ll" as in "brilliant"
note that
phonetic
symbols
are
not
necessarily
pronounced
as in English
i r i s h a t h o m e - b o o k o n e - m á i r e n í c h e a l l a c h á m