(le Róislín)

As mentioned in “Comhrá le Cat” (nasc thíos), today’s post will include a translation of the cat conversation, plus some notes and a gluais (glossary).

Remember that even though this conversation is ostensibly between a person and a cat, it could be between two cats (dhá chat), or with some slight adaptations, between two people (beirt) with some typical small talk questions.  If you do use it for a conversation between two people, just remember the slight adaptations you would need — no owners (úinéirí) and I don’t know any person who is named “Fluffy” or who likes catnip (i.e. cat mint)!

Mise:  Dia dhuit (Hello)

Cat: Dia ‘s Muirrre dhuit (Hello, this is the typical response to “Dia dhuit,” here it is said with a purring sound, although normally this isn’t the case for people!).

Mise: Cén t-ainm atá ort? (What’s your name?)

Cat: Mise Fluffy. (I’m Fluffy).

Mise: Agus cén t-ainm atá ar d’úinéir? (And what’s your owner’s name?)

Cat: Ise?  ‘S é Máirrrín an t-ainm atá uirthi.  Tá sí ina seasamh thall ansin.  Agus cén t-ainm atá ortsa?  (Herself?  Her name is Máirrrín.  She’s standing over there.  And what’s your name?)  NB: Máirín is Maureen, here said purringly.  For newcomers to Irish, remember: silent “t” in “uirthi” and “thall”

Mise: Bhuel, iontas na n-iontas!  Mise Máirín freisin.  (Well, how about that!  I’m Máirín also.)

Cat: Tusa Máirrrín eile?  (You’re another Máirín?)

Mise: Is mé.  Cén fáth a deir tú, “Máirrrín” le tri “r”? (Yes.  Why do you say “Máirrrín with three “r’s”?)

Cat: Mar tá mé ag crónán agus ag caint ag an am céanna. (Because I’m purring and talking at the same time)

Mise: Ó, tuigim.  Tá áthas orm go bhfuil tú ag crónán.  Taispeánann sé sin go bhfuil tú sona sásta. (Oh, I understand.  I’m happy that you are purring.  That shows that you are happy and satisfied.)  Pronunciation for newcomers: silent “t” in “áthas” and the “bhf” of “bhfuil” is a “w” sound, so “bhfuil” is like “wil.”

Cat: Tá áthas “orrr-um.”  (I am happy).  NB: Silent “t” in “áthas.”  The “r” of “orm” (that’s the normal spelling” is naturally flapped, so here we’re just exaggerating it a bit more, to sound more like purring.

Mise: Tá tú ag crónán fós.  Go deas.  Ar aon chaoi, ar ais go dtí ár spruschaint.  Cá as thú?  (You’re still purring.  Nice.  Anyway, back to our small talk.  Where are you from?) Pronunciation: the “ch” of “chaoi” and “spruschaint” is like the “ch” of German “Buch” or Welsh “iechyd” and the “t” of “thú” is silent.

Cat: Is as Iúr Cinn Trá mé.  (I’m from Iúr Cinn Trá).

Mise: Iúr Cinn Trá?  Cad é sin i mBéarla?  (Iúr Cinn Trá?  What’s that in English?)  Pronunciation: the “B” of “i mBéarla” is silent.

Cat: Mewry! (Mewry!)

Mise: “Mewry,” an ea?  Siúráilte níl tú i ndáiríre!  (“Mewry,” is it?  Surely you’re not serious!)  Pronunciation: the “d” of “i ndáiríre” is silent.

Cat: Níl.  Níl mé ach ag magadh chugat. “Newry” an t-ainm ceart atá ar an áit i mBéarla.  (No.  I’m just pulling your leg.  “Newry” is the correct name for the place in English.)

Mise: Ó, “Newry,” tuigim, anois.  Tugtar “An Iúir” air freisin, nach dtugtar?  (Oh, “Newry,” I understand now.  The place is called “An Iúir” also, isn’t it?)  Pronunciation: the first “t” of “dtugtar” is silent after the “d”.

Cat: Tugtar.  (Yes)

Mise: Ar ábhar eile, cén pór cait thú?  (On another subject, what breed of cat are you?)

Cat: Is cat Siamach mé.  Is dócha go bhfuil sé sin réasúnta soiléir.  (I’m a Siamese.  I suppose that’s reasonably clear.)  Pronunciation: Siamach: this “s” is like English “sh” as in “shy” or “she”

Mise: Tá, ar ndóigh.  Cad é an bia is fearr leat?  (Yes, it is, of course.  What is your favorite food?)

Cat: Bradán.  Is maith liom go mór é.  (Salmon.  I like it a lot).

Mise: An maith leat miontas cait?  (Do you like catnip?)

Cat: An ndéanann béir a mún sna coillte?  (Do bears pee in the woods?)

Mise: Cén sórt freagra é sin?  (What sort of answer is that?)

Cat: Freagra frithbhearta do cheist amaideach.  (A retaliatory answer to a foolish question.)

Mise: Ó, tá brón orm.  Ní raibh a fhios agam gur ceist amaideach a bhí ann.  Leis an fhírinne a dhéanamh, bhí mé ag iarraidh mo chuid Gaeilge a chleachtadh, leis an struchtúr sin “is + maith + le ..”  (Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t know it was a foolish question.  To tell the truth, I was trying to practice my Irish with the structure “is” + “good” + “with” …)

Cat: Ó, bhuel, más ag iarraidh a bheith ag cleachtadh Gaeilge atá tú, leanfaidh muid ar aghaidh.  Dúirt tusa, “An maith leat miontas cait?” sa modh ceisteach, le ‘an’ + ‘maith’ + ‘le’ + an forainm ‘tú,’ .i. leat.”  Seo m’fhreagra: Is maith liom go mór miontas cait.  Agus ar ndóigh, múnann béir sna coillte.  (Oh, well, since you are trying to practice Irish, we’ll continue.  You said, “Do you like catnip?” in the interrogative mood, with ‘is’ + ‘good’ + ‘with’ + the pronoun ‘you,’ that is, ‘with you.’  This is my answer.  I like catnip a lot.  And, of course, bears pee in the woods.)

Mise: Maidir leis na béir, múnann.  Agus go raibh maith agat as an gcleachtadh Gaeilge.  Tá mála de mhiontas cait i mo charr.  Gheobhaidh mé duit é tar éis ár gcomhrá. (Regarding the bears, they do.  And thank you for the Irish practice.  There is a bag of catnip in the car.  I will get it after our conversation.)  Pronunciation: the first “c” of “gcleachtadh” is silent.

Cat:  Ó, nach tú an bhean lách fhlaithiúil?  Tá mé ag tnúth leis sin!  (Oh, aren’t you the pleasant, generous woman?) Pronunciation: the “f” and the “t” of “fhlaithiúil” are silent.

Mise: Cinnte, beidh sé agat, ach ba mhaith liom ceist amháin eile a chur ort roimh ré, mura mhiste leat.  (Of course, you will have it, but I would like to ask you one more question before hand, if you don’t mind.)

Cat: Fadhb ar bith, is cat stuama staidéarach mé.  (No problem, I’m a reasonable level-headed  cat.)

Mise:  Seo mo cheist deiridh.  An bhfuil seanfhocal ar bith ina luaitear cait?  I nGaeilge, ar ndóigh.  Tá cúpla ceann ar eolas agam i mBéarla cheana féin (mar shampla, “A cat may look at a king, you know,” nó an ceann mailíseach faoi ligean an chait amach as an mála — cén fáth a raibh an cat sa mála ar aon chuma?) (This is my final question.  Is there any proverb in which cats are mentioned?  In Irish, of course.  I know a few in English already (for example, …” or the malicious one about letting the cat out of the bag — why was the cat in the bag anyway?)

Cat: Tá seanfhocail faoi chait ann.  Seo ceann: “Briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait.” (There are proverbs about cats, certainly.  Here’s one: “Briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait.”)

Mise: Cad is ciall leis sin?  (What does that mean?, lit. What is the meaning of that?, lit. lit. “What is the meaning with that”)

Cat: Ciallaíonn sé gur treise dúchas ná oiliúint.  (NB: the translation appears in the original text a few lines later, but here it is for now: “It means that heritage is stronger than training.”)

Mise: Agus cad a chiallaíonn sin?  (And what does that mean?)

Cat: Seo leagan traidisiúnta Béarla: What’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh. (Here’s a traditional English version: …)

Mise: Agus cad a chiallaíonn an Ghaeilge focal ar fhocal?  (And what does the Irish mean word for word?)

Cat: An chéad leagan, “Heritage shows (lit. breaks) through the eyes of the cat.”  (The first version …)

Mise: Agus an dara leagan?  (And the second version?)

Cat: “Heritage is stronger than training.”  Ach, ar ndóigh, ní luaitear cait sa dara leagan.  (… But, of course, cats aren’t mentioned in the second version.)

Mise: Ní luaitear, agus tá an bhunchiall chéanna ann.  Bhuel, bhí sé go han-deas a bheith ag caint leat.  (They’re not, but the basic meaning is the same.  Well, it was very nice to be talking to you.)  Pronunciation: the “bh” of “bhunchiall” can be pronounced “w” or “v,” according to dialect, but the “bh” of “bheith” is always a “v” sound.

Cat: Bhain mé féin sult as ár gcomhrá freisin. (I enjoyed our conversation also, lit. I myself struck enjoyment out of our conversation also.)

Mise: Gheobhaidh mé an miontas cait anois.  Slán agat go dtí go dtagaim ar ais!  (I will get the catnip now.  Goodbye till I come back!)  Pronunciation: the “gh” of “gheobhaidh” is like a “y” sound and the “dh” is completely silent.

Cat: Slán leat ach tar ar ais go luath!  (Goodbye but come back soon!)

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Sin deireadh leis an gcomhrá leagtha amach leis an aistriúchán.  Tá súil agam gur bhain tú sult as!  — RRRóislín

Gluais: ag magadh chugat, pulling your leg (lit. at mocking “to you,”; bunchiall, basic sense; crónán, purring; frithbhearta, retaliatory; gheobhaidh, will get; go bhfuil tú, that you are; iontas na n-iontas, lit. wonder of wonders; leagan, version; leagtha amach, laid out (as in a design, etc.); pór, a breed; spruschaint, small talk; thall ansin, over there

Nasc don bhlagmhír “Comhrá le Cat”: Comhrá le Cat Posted by róislín on Jun 21, 2017 in Irish Language

Nasc don bhlagmhír faoi phiscíní gleoite: An bhfuil peata agat?  Talking about Pets in Irish: Piscíní (Kittens) Posted by róislín on Jun 16, 2017 in Irish Language

For a follow-up to this topic, please see: Aghaidheanna Cat (Faces of Cats) — Their Main Features in Irish Posted by róislín on Jun 25, 2017 in Irish Language