Language/Scottish-gaelic/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Scottish Gaelic → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Numbers, Time, and Dates → Telling Time

Introduction

In this lesson, you will learn how to tell time in Scottish Gaelic. You will learn the vocabulary for hours, minutes, and common time-related phrases. Telling time is an essential skill not only for everyday conversation but also for travel and work. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to confidently read the clock in Scottish Gaelic.

Numbers 1-59

Before we dive into telling time, let's review the numbers from 1 to 59 in Scottish Gaelic. Knowing the numbers is essential to be able to read the clock correctly. Here are the Scottish Gaelic numbers from 1 to 59:

Scottish Gaelic	Pronunciation	English
aon	[ɛ:n]	one
dà	[d̪ˠa:]	two
trì	[t̪ɾʲi:]	three
ceithir	[ˈkʲʰeȝɪɾʲ]	four
còig	[kʰɔːkʲ]	five
sia	[ʃiə]	six
seachd	[ʃaxk]	seven
ochd	[ɔxk]	eight
naoi	[n̪ˠɯ.i]	nine
deich	[dʲɛxk]	ten
fichead	[ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ]	twenty
fichead 's a h-aon	[ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ s̪ˠ a ˈhɛ:n]	twenty-one
dà fhichead	[d̪ˠaː ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ]	forty
daoradh	[ˈd̪ˠɯəɾəɣ]	fifty
còig bliadhna deug	[kʰɔkʲ ˈpljau.n̪ˠə tʲo:k]	fifteen

Note that twenty is spelled as "fichead" in Scottish Gaelic, and it is pronounced as [ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ]. When combined with the numbers from one to nine, you put them together with " 's a" in between. For example, twenty-one is "fichead 's a h-aon" which is pronounced as [ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ s̪ˠ a ˈhɛ:n].

In Scottish Gaelic, thirty, forty, and fifty are formed using the prefix "deich" which means ten. For example, forty is "dà fhichead" which is pronounced as [d̪ˠaː ˈfʲiʰkʲɛt̪ˠ], fifty is "daoradh" which is pronounced as [ˈd̪ˠɯəɾəɣ].

Telling Time

Now that you know the numbers, let's learn how to tell time in Scottish Gaelic. When telling time in Scottish Gaelic, we use a 12-hour clock, just like in English. The most important word when telling time is "uair" which means hour or o'clock.

Here are some examples of how to tell time in Scottish Gaelic using "uair":

• "Tha e a dhà uair" - it's two o'clock (literally, "it is two hours").
• "Tha e ceithir uairean" - it's four o'clock (literally, "it is four hours").
• "Tha e fichead mionaidean air dà uair" - it's twenty minutes past two (literally, "it is twenty minutes on two hours").

To say "quarter" in Scottish Gaelic, we use the word "caogadh". It is followed by "uair" to indicate o'clock. For example:

• "Tha e caogadh uair" - it's a quarter past (literally, "it is quarter hour").
• "Tha e leth-uair às a trì" - it's half past three (literally, "it is half hour from three").

To indicate minutes, we use the word "mionaidean" which means minutes. Here are some examples:

• "Tha e dhà uair is fichead mionaidean" - it's two twenty (literally, "it is two hours and twenty minutes").
• "Tha e ceithir mionaidean às leth-uair" - it's four fifteen (literally, "it is four minutes from half hour").

Lastly, we can use "sa mhadainn" to refer to the morning, "feasgar" to refer to the afternoon, and "san oidhche" to refer to the evening. Here are some examples:

• "Tha e leth-uair sa mhadainn" - it's half past morning (i.e. 9:30 am).
• "Tha e còig uairean feasgar" - it's five o'clock in the afternoon (i.e. 5 pm).
• "Tha e ochd uairean sa' n oidhche" - it's eight o'clock in the evening (i.e. 8 pm).

Practice

Questions

Now it's time to practice telling time in Scottish Gaelic. Write the time in Scottish Gaelic. We have provided the first answer as an example.

• 12:00 - "Tha e dà uair uair"
• 2:45 - ?
• 9:30 - ?
• 7:15 - ?
• 3:20 - ?

Answers

• 2:45 - "Tha e ceithir uairean is caogadh mionaidean air trì"
• 9:30 - "Tha e leth-uair sa mhadainn"
• 7:15 - "Tha e caogadh uair às a seachd"
• 3:20 - "Tha e fichead mionaidean air trì"

Conclusion

In this lesson, we learned how to tell time in Scottish Gaelic. We reviewed the numbers from 1 to 59 as well as important time-related vocabulary such as "uair", "mionaidean", "caogadh", and "leth-uair". We also practiced reading the clock in Scottish Gaelic. Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep practicing and soon you will be able to read the clock with ease!

Table of Contents - Scottish Gaelic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Noun Gender and Plurals

  ---

Everyday Objects and Common Verbs

• Common Household Items
• Basic Verbs

  ---

Pronouns and Verb Conjugation

• Personal Pronouns
• Conjugating Regular Verbs

  ---

Numbers, Time, and Dates

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time
• Days, Months, and Seasons

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Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negating Sentences

  ---

Food and Drink

• Fruits and Vegetables
• Meals and Beverages

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing with Adjectives
• Using Adverbs

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Using Prepositions
• Linking with Conjunctions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel-Related Phrases

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Scottish Gaelic Culture and Traditions

• History of Scottish Gaelic
• Traditional Music and Dance
• Festivals and Celebrations
• Literature and Poetry

Other Lessons

• Numbers 1 20
• Post Office
• Fruits
• Family
• Sports
• Feelings and Emotions
• Time
• Animals
• Introducing Yourself

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