FAQS
How do I type the Gaelic accents?
You can just copy and paste these
Lowercase letters
Uppercase letters
Keyboard shortcuts
Windows
Some simple ways to type grave accents in MS Windows, depending on which version you use. The grave accent ` is next to the number 1 at top of keyboard
à, è, ì, ò, ù Ctrl+`, release and type letter;
À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù Ctrl+Shift+`, release and type letter
OR
Alt key + character code on the numeric keypad on right of keyboard (laptops will vary). Ensure that the NUMLOCK is on.
à Alt+133 or 0224
è Alt+138 or 0232
ì Alt+141 or 0236
ò Alt+149 or 0242
ù Alt+151 or 0249
À Alt+0192
È Alt+0200
Ì Alt+0204
Ò Alt+0210
Ù Alt+0217
Mac
Push and hold a character to bring up a menu and choose.
E.g. hold the letter e to choose the letter è
What is the Gaelic Alphabet?
> Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu
For more information visit LearnGaelic’s Scottish Gaelic Alphabet https://learngaelic.scot/scottish-gaelic-alphabet.jsp
How do I pronounce Gaelic sounds?
SpeakGaelic always gives you a sound file for the word you are learning. For more information on individual sounds, visit LearnGaelic’ Sounds section https://learngaelic.scot/sounds/index.jsp
What are slender and broad vowels?
The slender vowels are e and i.
All the others are broad.
SpeakGaelic says my email is taken and I can’t log in. Can you help?
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Go into the incomplete section and follow the all the steps in the section to complete the topic.
How can I see how many steps I have missed out?
You can tell how many steps are in each section by the score on the counter at the top of the page.
How can I see what steps I have missed out?
You can see these by going to the left-hand side of screen of any section and selecting See Lesson Content. Mobile users have an extra fist step, you can see this extra step below.
This will pull out all an index of all the pages and you can see your progress – a completed section will have a big green tick, an incomplete section will be empty. To resolve, navigate to the incomplete pages. If a quiz has not been completed it will be blue. if it is complete, the quiz icon is green.
Extra step for small screens
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Why was I marked wrong on this quiz question?
We hate to break it to you, but you might be wrong. Check you have read the question correctly. Please ensure your apostrophes are facing the correct way and finally make sure you don’t have too many spaces.
If you think you have been unfairly treated, let us know. We may have a mistake in that particular test and we will fix it. Either use the contact form or send us an email at fios@speakgaelic.scot. Please send us the quiz title at the top of page (or URL) with a short description of error. If you can send a screengrab, that will help us identify the issue.
Can you translate something for me?
We are a tiny wee team and our main focus is on our resources. There are also professional translators who will talk you through your requirements and provide appropriate translations (some words may be context-dependent). We can send you a list of professional translators if you need them.
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A' bruidhinn air mion obair
Talking about detail
When we are giving a tuairisgeul (description) of a work of art, we must talk about the mion‑obair (detail) in the picture/painting. We can talk about the colours in it, or the depth of the picture or the subject of the pictures. There are many things that we can talk about. But, ultimately, it’s the things we like and don’t like which are most important to us when we talk about art.
Dathan an deilbh mhòir
Colours of the big picture
We saw the rules of the tuiseal ginideach (genitive or possessive case) in B1 Cuspair 4. We learned that the adjective changes when it follows a noun in the genitive case.
| MASCULINE NOUNS | FEMININE NOUNS |
| fear mòr an fhuilt dhuibh | fear mòr na feusaige duibhe |
| aodann a’ bhoireannaich bhrèagha | aodann na caileige bige |
| coltas an aodainn shnoig | coltas na h‑aghaidhe bhrèagha |
| dathan an deilbh mhòir | air beulaibh na tè mòire |
Look again at the rules of the cases in Cuspair 4 if you need to.
aodann a’ bhoireannaich bhàin (m)
the face of the fair woman
meud an fhèidh ruaidh (m)
the size of the red deer
doimhneachd an deilbh bhige (m)
the depth of the small painting
làmh an dorais ghil (m)
the handle of the white door
mullach na beinne guirme (f)
the top of the blue mountain
dath na h-eaglaise àirde (f)
the colour of the tall church
dèideag na nighinne/na h-ìghne òige (f)
the toy of the young girl
pòcaid na seacaide duibhe (f)
the pocket of the black jacket
Dè tha ceàrr air aodann a’ bhoireannaich bhàin?
What is wrong with the face of the fair woman?
Am faca tu meud an fhèidh ruaidh?
Did you see the the size of the red deer?
Dè do bheachd air doimhneachd an deilbh bhige?
What do you think of the depth of the small painting?
Cò bhris làmh an dorais ghil?
Who broke the handle of the white door?
An do ràinig iad mullach na beinne guirme?
Did they reach the top of the blue mountain?
A bheil dath na h-eaglaise àirde dubh no donn?
Is the colour of the tall church black or brown?
Càit an do cheannaich i dèideag na nighinne/na h-ìghne òige?
Where did she buy the toy of the young girl?
An do chàirich e pòcaid na seacaide duibhe?
Did he mend the pocket of the black jacket?
Remember that we can use the adjectives which we learned in Pàirt 1 of this lesson to talk about pictures. Here are three more adjectives which we can also use.
domhain (adj)
deep, profound
tana (adj)
shallow
toinnte (adj)
intricate