(le Róislín)

Before we continue our series on seasonal beverages (and I do have my eye on some May Day punches), I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at the word for beer itself.  The word has three main forms, ‘beoir,’ ‘beorach,’ and ‘beoracha.’

Before launching into the forms themselves, just a brief note on pronunciation.  Note that the “r” changes from the buzzy sound of the slender “r” (beoir) to the “flapped r” (very briefly trilled) of “beorach” and “beoracha.”  The slender “r” sound isn’t typical in English at all, but we do see it in tons of Irish words, like “fir,” “tirim,” “breá,” and “Máire.”  If it helps, the sound of the “r” in the popular Czech name Jiří (IPA [ˈjɪr̝iː]) is essentially the same.  The broad (or “flapped”) “r” of “beorach,” on the other hand, is like the “r” in the Irish words “Nóra,” “boscaí móra,” and “arán.”

So here are our three main forms:

beoir, beer

beorach, of beer

beoracha, beers, and this one also means “of beers”

Of course, we can add lenition (séimhiú) and eclipsis (urú) according to the particular phrase or sentence that we’re using:

an bheoir, the beer

ar an mbeoir, on the beer, or in the northern dialect, ar an bheoir (maybe not a real typical phrase from an English-language perspective, but remember, in Irish, a taste, good or bad, will be “on the beer” — Tá blas maith ar an mbeoir sin.)

braichlis bheorach, beer wort.  Why “bheorach” and not “beorach“? — because braichlis is grammatically feminine and “beer” is describing it further, so we’re using “beorach” as an adjective.  So, same rule as the more basic “bean mhaith” or “scian phóca.”

ar bheoracha Meiriceánacha, on American beers.  Remember, in Irish, we could use an expression like this to describe the taste, or in the case of some American beers, IMHO, the lack of taste (beoracha micreaghrúdaithe excepted, of course).  Why?  Because a “blas” (taste) is typically described as being “on” a food or drink in Irish.

i mbeoracha, in beers.  Well, I can’t think of too many ways to apply this particular phrase, showing “urú,” but in theory it could exist, perhaps in a discussion of “leasaithigh” (preservatives) in beers (i mbeoracha).

na mbeoracha, of the beers

So, those are the parameters of what we have to deal with for our cleachtadh.  Note that for these sentences, some forms may be repeated.  Freagraí thíos.

1)) An maith leat  _____  Ghearmánach?

2)) An maith leat _____  Gearmánacha?

3)) An fearr leat beoir a ól as gloine  _____  nó as “stein” ornáideach nó go díreach as an mbuidéal?

4)) Cé acu is mó, buidéal  _____ nó ceaig  _____?

5)) Cé acu is mó, ceaig  _____ nó  oigiséad  _____?

6)) Cé acu is mó, gnáthchanna  _____  nó caraf fíona?

7)) Cén blas atá ar na _____  neamh-mheisciúla?

8)) An maith leat an  _____  sin?

9)) An bhfuil blas torthaíoch ar an  _____  sin?

10)) An maith leat  _____  a bhfuil blas seacláide uirthi?

11)) Tá praghasanna na  _____  iompórtáilte níos airde ná praghasanna na  _____  áitiúla.

12)) An mbíonn leasaithigh i _____  orgánacha?

13)) Cén praghas a bheadh ar _____ Marsacha i mbeár ar an ngealach?  (a very hypothetical question, of course)

14)) Tá gloiní  _____ ar fáil sa siopa sin.

15)) Tá praghasanna ____ níos airde ná praghasanna ______. (Use the prefixes “scoth-” for “premium” and “gnáth-” for “ordinary”)

16)) Tá cúr deas tiubh ar ____ mo chara.

Ar mhaith leatsa abairt a scríobh faoin mbeoir is fearr leat?  SGF — Róislín

Freagraí:

1)) An maith leat  _beoir_  Ghearmánach?

2)) An maith leat _beoracha_  Gearmánacha?

3)) An fearr leat beoir a ól as gloine  _bheorach_  nó as “stein” ornáideach nó go díreach as an mbuidéal?

4)) Cé acu is mó, buidéal  _beorach_ nó ceaig  _beorach_?

5)) Cé acu is mó, ceaig  _beorach_ nó  oigiséad  _beorach_?

6)) Cé acu is mó, gnáthchanna  _beorach_  nó caraf fíona?

7)) Cén blas atá ar na _beoracha_  neamh-mheisciúla?

8)) An maith leat an  _bheoir_  sin?

9)) An bhfuil blas torthaíoch ar an  _mbeoir_  sin?

10)) An maith leat  _beoir_  a bhfuil blas seacláide uirthi?

11)) Tá praghasanna na  _mbeoracha_  iompórtáilte níos airde ná praghasanna na  _mbeoracha_  áitiúla.

12)) An mbíonn leasaithigh i _mbeoracha_  orgánacha?

13)) Cén praghas a bheadh ar _bheoracha_ Marsacha i mbeár ar an ngealach?

14)) Tá gloiní  _beorach_ ar fáil sa siopa sin.

15)) Tá praghasanna _scothbheoracha_ níos airde ná praghasanna _gnáthbheoracha_.

16)) Tá cúr deas tiubh ar _bheoir_ mo chara.