Alrightly Then

In English we say "I am," "you are," "it is," etc. In Gaelic, we say "tha" for "am," "are," and "is." It doesn't change.

  *  I -- Mi
-Pronunciation: mi

  *  I am -- Tha mi
-Pronunciation: ha mi

  *  Well -- Gu math
-Pronunciation: gu MAHH

"Math" means "good" when you are describing something. But if you add the word "gu" in front of it to make "gu math," it means "in a good way" or "well." It's a bit like the ending "-ly" in English, as in "the quick fox" and "the fox ran quickly."

  *  Alright -- Dòigheil
-Pronunciation: DOA-yil

Although there is actually no such word as "alrightly" in English, when you say "I'm alright" in Gaelic, what you are literally saying is something like "I'm alrightly"!

  *  I'm alright -- The mi gu dòigheil
-Pronunciation: ha mi gu DOA-yil

  *  Bad -- Dona
-Pronunciation: DO-na

  *  I'm doing badly (I am badly) -- Tha mi gu dona
-Pronunciation: ha mi gu DO-na

  *  Middling -- Meadhanach
-Pronunciation: MEYuh-nokh

  *  I'm middling -- Tha mi meadhanach
-Pronunciation: ha mi MEYuh-nokh

  *  I'm reasonably well (I am middling good) -- Tha mi meadhanach math
-Pronunciation: ha mi MEYuh-nokh mahh

*Formal
  *  How are you? -- Ciamar a tha sibh?
-Pronunciation: KI-mar ah-ha shehv

*Formal
  *  You -- Sibh
-Pronunciation: shehv

Gaelic had two different words to say "you." When you want to be polite, or if you are talking to someone you don't know or an older person, you should call them "sibh."

  *  You are -- Tha sibh
-Pronunciation: ha shehv

  *  How? -- Ciamar?
-Pronunciation: KI-mar