Stock phrases for learners

When learning any language, and when trying to converse in that languages, stock phrases and words come in very handy. I certainly found this in Italian. For instance, if I hear an unfamiliar word/phrase in conversation, I can ask the speaker "Cosa vuol dire ----?" - what does ---- mean? I don't want to have to construct that question from scratch, as by the time I've done so the opportunity to use it may have passed on. Similarly, phrases like "it's not important" (non è importante) and "it doesn't matter" (non importa) are good ways of escaping from a conversation spiralling into misunderstanding. Even in our native language we use stock phrases daily, without thinking, to pad out conversation, buy time, make conversation - think of all the conversations we have about weather on autopilot.

So the table below lists some of what I think are useful stock phrases in Gaelic, to which I'll add as I come across more. They're not in any particular order. Apologies for any messy formatting - Blogger doesn't always render HTML as I'd like.

Phrase/word	Meaning
math dha-rìribh	excellent, very good
's e do bheatha	you're welcome, don't mention it (similar to de nada, di niente)
chan eil e gu diofar	it doesn't matter
chan eil fios agam	I don't know
chan eil cuimhne agam	I don't remember
can sin a-rithist	say that again
cha do thuig mi	I didn't understand
chan eil mi a' tuigsinn	I don't understand
ciamar a tha thu ag ràdh ---- [ann am Beurla]?	how do you say ---- [in English]?
dè tha sin a' ciallachadh?	what does that mean?
gabh mo leisgeul	excuse me
tha mi duilich	I'm sorry (more usually just "duilich", as in English "sorry")
chan eil mi cinnteach	I'm not sure
fuirich mionaid	wait a minute
dà mhionaid	just a minute, just a sec (lit: two minutes)
tha e deagh/droch shìde, nach eil?	It's good/bad weather, isn't it?
dè thuirt thu?	what did you say?
b'aill leat/leibh?	pardon? (thu, sibh)
coma leat	never mind

Last updated: 5/2/06