Irish/Unit 1

Fáilte (Welcome) to Unit 1 of Wikibooks Irish!

Unit 1 provides an introduction to the Irish language for students who have little or no experience with Irish.

Unit 1 focuses on the aspects of Irish that are hardest for English speakers to learn, and most damaging to start with bad habits: spelling and pronunciation. You'll also learn the basic building blocks of the Irish sentence and how the parts of the speech fit together. Unit 1 will introduce some key Irish vocabulary, but the focus will stay on the fundamentals of pronunciation, grammar, and syntax. Remember that each language concept introduced in Unit 1 will be repeated and expanded upon in Unit 2, allowing you, the learner, to concentrate here on the sound and feel of the Irish language and perfecting your pronunciation.

One of the most important ways to learn to read and pronounce Irish is to hear it spoken and to speak it yourself. The lessons will include links to pronunciation resources outside of Wikibooks, featuring speakers from all of the major Irish dialects. Please follow these links, listen, and try repeating each word aloud.

At the end of Unit 1, we hope you will have a solid foundation in Irish spelling and pronunciation, a small but useful vocabulary of common Irish words, and an understanding of the differences between Irish and English grammar.

Tosaímis! (Let's begin!)