Irish Gender

Welcome to the fifth Irish lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Irish to help you practice your daily phrases.

man fear

woman bean

husband fear chéile

wife bean chéile

boy buachaill

girl cailín

father athair

mother máthair

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Irish
my son is a student [masculine + noun] ismac léinn é mo mhac
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] is mac léinn í a hiníon
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] tá deartháir ard aige
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] tá deirfiúr ard aici
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] tá a chuid deartháireacha óg
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] tá a chuid deirfiúracha óg

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son mac

daughter iníon

brother deartháir

sister deirfiúr

grandfather seanathair

grandmother seanmháthair

child leanbh

children leanaí

Expressions in Irish

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Irish, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Irish
What do you mean? cad a chiallaíonn tú?
I don't understand ní thuigim!
I don't know níl a fhios agam!
What is that called in Irish? cad é an ghaeilge atá ar sin?
What is this? céard é seo?
What does that word mean in English? céard a chiallaíonn an focal sin i mbéarla?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) tá brón orm!

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