Coffee Break Gaelic

26/07/2024

Summer is an exciting season in Scotland for many reasons but arguably, one of the best is that dearcan (berries) are back in season! 😊

Scottish sùbhan-làir (strawberries) are world renowned for their flavour 🍓

A Scottish summer’s temperate climate and long daylight hours allow the fruit to ripen perfectly and produce optimal sweetness ☀️ Raspberries and blueberries are the same – it’s a great season for chefs and fruit lovers alike! 💐

What Scottish dessert is made with berries? 🤔 Here’s a clue: it starts with the letter ‘c’ 🍰

22/07/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 👋

The Olympics are almost upon us and today we’re going to play guess the famous Scottish athlete! 🏅

Here are your clues…

💙 They were born in the City of Glasgow
🥇Have been world no.1 in their respective sport
⭐️Won gold at the 2012 London games
🎖Have a knighthood
🏃Were coached by their mother at the start of their career

Do you know who it is? 🤔

Leig fios dhuinn, let us know in the comments! 🎾

19/07/2024

Halò 👋 Cò tha deiseil airson dùbhlan? Who’s ready for a language challenge? 😎

Can you a make a sentence for each of these words?

🐭 beag
💙 gorm
🧥 còta

Type your answers in the comments, we look forward to reading them! 📝

⭐️ Bonus points for a sentence that includes all three words! ⭐️

15/07/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 👋

Who can guess this famous Scot from the following clues? 🤔

💙 Born in Edinburgh
⚓️ Was in the Royal Navy for some time
🎖 Has a knighthood
🎬 They starred in an iconic action franchise

A bheil e agad? Have you got it? Leave your answer in the comments! ⭐️

12/07/2024

Halò! 👋 Here’s a language challenge for you! 😎

Can you work out these jumbled words? When you get them, post the correct answers in the comments! ⭐️

angeadhis - ?
òbragn - ?
iènle - ?
gioarisb - ?

Here’s a clue, the theme is aodach! 👕

08/07/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 😊

💙 Firstly, we’d like to thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm across our CBGa socials! 💙

We have loved producing content for you, but now it’s time for you to give us your input! ⭐️

What kind of content do you like to see on our page? Language challenges, culture posts, new vocab…? 🤔

Leig fios dhuinn, please do let us know, we’d love to hear from you! 📝

05/07/2024

Halò Gaelic learners! 👋

You might’ve heard of the word sporran before, but did you know that it’s a Gaelic word? ⭐️

The word itself means purse or wallet, but it is commonly used to refer to the pouches worn with a kilt 🧵

What other Gaelic words do you know that are often used in English? Leig fios dhuinn! 😁

01/07/2024

Who’s heard of the Herring girls? 🐟

This is the term given to women who between June and September each year, travelled across the UK from port to port gutting and preparing herrings for export ⚓️ The UK sgadan (herring) industry was booming throughout the early 20th century, with a record number of 2.5 million barrels of fish being exported in 1907! ⭐️

It was a tough job – the women worked long hours, were paid on how many barrels they managed to fill, and understandably, it was messy 🐟

The social element of the work was a positive though! The women worked in teams of 3-5 and often with close friends and family – there was a real sense of community 💙

Known for their disciplined work ethic, women from the islands established a strong reputation for their workmanship 😊

Have you heard of the herring girls before? Have you tried herring? Let us know! 💙

28/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 👋 Here’s a wee language challenge 💪

Can you complete this days of the week table? 🤔
D_lu_ _n
Di_à_r_
D_c_a_ain
D_a_da_in
D_h_o_ne
Dis_t_a_r_e
Di_ òmhn_ _ _h

Do you know another name for Sunday? Type your answers in the comments and leig fios dhuinn! 😁

26/06/2024

If you would like to review key vocabulary from episodes 1-30 through a Gaelic dialogue, tune in to this episode of Coffee Break Gaelic and do just that! 🗣️
Click the link below to listen👇🎧

We've reached Lesson 30 of our Coffee Break Gaelic course for beginners! This means that it's time to put our learning into practice with a Gaelic dialogue. Join Susanna and Mark in this lesson and revise key vocabulary from the last 29 lessons.

24/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean! ⭐️

It’s officially summer in Scotland and that means a lot of important events and festivals are now underway! 💐 One of the most famous is the Royal Highland Show, Scotland’s largest agricultural show which took place this past week 🐮

People gather in Edinburgh to indulge in some of Scotland’s best produce, watch show jumping and sheep shearing competitions and see Highland cows galore! 🍓

If you missed it, fear not! Many agricultural shows take place throughout the summer’s duration, from the islands to the borders – it’s certainly something worth seeing! 🐑

Have you heard of the RHS? Is it something you’d like to attend? Leig fios dhuinn! 💙

21/06/2024

The most famous beach in the world? 🏖

Tràigh Losgaintir (or Luskentyre beach) on the Isle of Harris is without a doubt one of the most famous beaches in Scotland, if not the world! ✨ Known for its vast white sands and breath-taking teal water, it can often be found ranked in lists of the world’s ‘top ten beaches’ 🌊

Have you heard of this beach before and have you been fortunate enough to visit? 😊

Leig fios dhuinn, let us know! 💙

19/06/2024

We've reached lesson 30 of Coffee Break Gaelic 😲 Join Mark and Susanna as they review key vocabulary from the last 29 episodes through a Gaelic dialogue 🗣️
Click the link below to listen👇🎧

We've reached Lesson 30 of our Coffee Break Gaelic course for beginners! This means that it's time to put our learning into practice with a Gaelic dialogue. Join Susanna and Mark in this lesson and revise key vocabulary from the last 29 lessons.

17/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 👋 Who likes hill walking? 🥾

Beinn is a word you’ll encounter often when hillwalking in Scotland, but what does it mean? 🏔

Beinn is the Gaelic word for mountain, hence why it’s a part of many hill names. It’s often anglicised to simply ‘Ben’ 🏞

So, for example, Ben Lomond or Beinn Laomainn is ‘Lomond mountain’ or mountain on the shore of Loch Lomond 😊

What other hill names can you think of? Have you climbed any? Let us know! 💙

14/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean 👋

Gaelic tongue twisters can be tricky!

But let’s see if you can piece this one together with the help of some clues 🤔

Balach beag bìodach a’ bocadaich! ⭐️

Beag bìodach is a way of saying that something is tiny (oftentimes in a cute way) and a’ bocadaich means jumping 🐸

Did you manage to work it out? Type your answer in the comments! 📝

12/06/2024

Take your conversation skills to the next level in this episode of Coffee Break Gaelic as we learn how to talk about future events!
Click the link below to learn more👇🔗

Last time we spoke about the past tense of the verb "to be", and in this lesson we're looking at the future tense so you can talk about future events. Take your conversation skills to the next level with this lesson of Coffee Break Gaelic!

10/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 👋

Who’s heard of clootie dumpling? 🤔

It’s a rich fruitcake similar to Christmas pudding 🎂 Clootie refers to the ‘cloot’, the cloth the dumpling is placed in to be steamed 🍽

In Gaelic we call it ‘duf’ and it’s usually eaten as a pudding with custard, but it is also eaten fried with breakfast in the Hebrides🍴

Have you tried duf? Leig fios dhuinn! 💙

07/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean!

When visiting any Scottish home, it’s important that you know how to ‘order’ your tea/coffee! ☕️

You might be asked: A bheil thu ag iarraidh cupa tì/cofaidh? 🤔

To which you’d reply either:
tha mi ag iarraidh cupa tì, I would like a cup of tea 👍
or
chan eil mi ag iarraidh cupa tì, I would not like a cup of tea 👎

A bheil thu ag iarraidh cupa tì no cofaidh? Let us know how you’d order your drink in the comments! 📝

⭐️ Top tip: if you’re feeling a bit stuck, CBGa episode 1.19 on offering drinks should help you! 😁

03/06/2024

Halò a chàirdean! 💐

Machair is the name of a popular Gaelic drama, but it's also the word for an incredibly unique grassland habitat, exclusive to the shores of northwest Scotland and Ireland. Its fertile nature means it’s home to diverse flora and birdlife – it’s the only habitat of its kind in the world! 🌍

It plays an important role in wildlife conservation in Scotland and is itself heavily protected 🌱

It’s often used for common grazing 🐑

In the summer machair land is blanketed in wildflowers, it’s truly a sight to behold! 🌸

Have you heard of machair before? What kind of animals call it home? Let us know! ⭐️

31/05/2024

Who's ready for a language challenge? 😁

’S toil leam is a phrase we use to express that we like something 👍

Can you complete the table? ⭐️

’s toil leat - … like

’s toil l _ i _ - he likes

’s toil leatha - … likes

’s toil l _ i _ n - we like

Fill in the gaps in the comments! 📝

⭐️ Top tip: if you’re feeling a bit stuck, CBGa episode 1.21 should help you! 😁

29/05/2024

Join teacher Susanna and learner Mark in this episode of Coffee Break Gaelic as they go through the past tense of the verb “to be”. By the end of this episode you'll be able to talk about past events in Gaelic 🗣️
Click here to listen👇🎧

Welcome to another episode of Coffee Break Gaelic! Join teacher Susanna and learner Mark as they go through the past tense of the verb "to be". In this lesson, you'll also learn how to talk about events in the past in Gaelic.

27/05/2024

Halò a chàirdean! ⭐️

Who likes Harris Tweed? 🧵

Clò Hearach or clò-mòr is an iconic cloth originating from the Isle of Harris 🏝

The tweed is a true labour of love, with many hands working together to bring it to life – from weaving to gathering natural dyes ❤️

Do you know much about the cloth? Maybe you’ve heard about waulking songs? Leig fios dhuinn! 😁

24/05/2024

Halò 👋

Taigh-beag is an important word to know in Gaelic 😁

You’d be correct in thinking this means little house 👍 However, did you know that this is what we call a toilet? 🚽

Have you learned any new Gaelic words recently?

Leig fios dhuinn, let us know! 📝

22/05/2024

Welcome to the newest episode of Coffee Break Gaelic! Today teacher Susanna and learner Mark go through the past tense of the verb “to be”. By the end of this episode you'll be able to talk about past events in Gaelic 🗣️
Click here to listen👇🎧

Welcome to another episode of Coffee Break Gaelic! Join teacher Susanna and learner Mark as they go through the past tense of the verb "to be". In this lesson, you'll also learn how to talk about events in the past in Gaelic.

20/05/2024

Who has heard of òrain-luaidh? 🎶

Waulking songs are linked to Harris Tweed 🧵

Following being woven, the tweed would be soaked and bashed, shrinking and softening the wool. It was very much a social occasion for the women in their communities as they would gather and spend the time catching-up and singing! The songs sung matched the rhythm of the cloth being thumped and varied in content from gossip to nonsensical syllables 🎵

It was a very important practice, socially and practically! 😁

Have you heard an òrain-luaidh before? 🎤

17/05/2024

Dè tha ceàrr ort? What’s wrong? 🩺

Hopefully you’re feeling well 😊 but here's a phrase to use when you’re a bit under the weather 🤒

🌡 tha mo cheann goirt – my head is sore

How would you say, “my stomach is sore”?

Let us know in the comments! 📝

15/05/2024

Learning how to ask the question “why?” in this episode of Coffee Break Gaelic. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to tell us exactly why you’re learning Gaelic 💪
Click here to listen👇🎧🔗

In this lesson, Susanna and Mark are exploring how to ask the question "why?" in Gaelic. By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to discuss the reasons why you're learning Gaelic.

13/05/2024

Do you know Scotland’s national dish? 🍽

Here are some clues:

- its Gaelic name starts with the letter T
- it’s typically eaten with potatoes and turnips 🥔

Have you figured it out?
Leig fios dhuinn and see if you can find the Gaelic names for potato and turnip! 😁

10/05/2024

Halò! 😀

The seasons are changing and it’s starting to get a bit warmer in Scotland! ☀️

Here’s some useful summer clothes vocab:

👒 ad – hat
👚 lèine – shirt
👖 briogais-ghoirid – shorts
👟 bròg(an) – shoe(s)
😎 speuclairean-grèine - sunglasses

Dè tha ort an-diugh? What are you wearing today?