Wonderful to hear! Come back anytime, Skyler. Enjoy your day.

Wonderful to hear, Tex. I'm happy that I can help you connect with your ancestral language. You're welcome here any time. :) Buaidh no Bas indeed!

I enjoy Donnie's voice too. The Gaelic songs they did were amazing and what drew me to Gàidhlig in the first place. I didn't know the language existed before then. 🙂 Glad to hear you're enjoying the videos! I agree - books are nice but the lack of human interaction/energy is noticeable. Come back any time! I will support you however you can as you connect more with your ancestors. Take care, stay safe, and talk to you soon!

Tapadh leibh, Dan! Thank you for your kind words.

@@GaelicwithJason oops sorry, my spelling tha dona

@@danpictish5457 It happens. My spelling in English can be rough around the edges at times. :)

@@GaelicwithJason That's a very gracious reply Jason. You're very kind.

@@danpictish5457 Thank you. Realistic too. Mistakes happen to everyone, even native speakers. :)

Glad to hear they're handy! Possessives can be like that. I made a video about them recently. It'll be up on here soon.

So true!!

My pleasure, Courtney. You made my day. :) It sounds like you're growing a meaningful connection to your ancestry during this lockdown. Time very well spent, I'd say! Wishing you luck as you keep learning. You're welcome here any time.

Good morning! I'm a bit confused; do you mean the letter names and individual sounds in Gaelic? Or perhaps dipthongs, the combinations of letters?

@@GaelicwithJason Both please! :)

@@kelef666, I've been making some videos about the more bizzare sounds to foreign ears. They're in a dedicated playlist on here. :)

Great to hear, Walter! Thanks for watching. I'm glad you're here! 🙂 Take care and stay safe.

Great to hear, Toby! I'm glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Take care and I hope your week goes well.

Thank you very much, Char. :) The pleasure is mine. Come back any time!

Congratulations on your move! What a gift to be able to visit Cape Breton. :) The Maritimes have a special place in my heart. It would be a pleasure to see you on one of my courses! If you have any questions, just drop me a message through my website. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week!

"almost like magic" - excellent! That's what I'm going for. I'm glad you enjoyed it and it would be great to have private lessons sometime. Just drop me a message when the time is right. I have a contact form on my website: gaelicwithjason.thinkific.com

My pleasure, Susan, and thank you for your kind words. There are plenty of videos here to boost your Gaelic and surprise the locals when you head back into the hills! 🙂 Take care and enjoy your day.

You're very welcome, Priscila. It's my pleasure to offer them. 🙂 Thanks for watching and take care.

Wonderful to hear, Amber! You're very welcome. I'm glad you're here with us. :) Take care and stay safe.

Wonderful to hear, Jack! That's quite an accomplishment. Glè mhath! 🙂 It would be great to see you on the Foundations course. It'll definitely get you reading more and thinking more in Gaelic. Take care and stay safe!

I'm glad that you are, Patrick! Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy the rest of your week. :)

Excellent to hear, Margaret! 🙂

Mòran taing, a Ghaeill! 🙂 Ciamar a tha Standish an-diugh?

I am glad that you're feeling capable and motivated, Neve! It's a pleasure to see your comments on here. 🙂

Tapadh leat, Philip! I was going to get it wrong again on purpose as a joke but then thought again. Maybe it'll be a running joke in future videos...

We're all there, a charaid! In my eyes, there's nothing wrong with talking to oneself - in any language. I'm happy that you enjoyed the videos. Come back any time!

'S e do bheatha. 🙂 Another Mainer, cool! Cò às a tha thu ann am Maine, Aimee?

Excellent to hear, Roger! Glad to hear your Gaelic is growing already. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your day and thanks for watching.

Glè mhath! A bheil Oxford inntinneach?

Tha! Tha Oxford inntinneach agus breagha.

@@charliefoxtrotindigo6793 Glè mhath. :) Tha oilthigh brèagha ann an Oxford cuideachd. I was looking at their Old Norse courses way back when. Maybe one day...

Italia - you lucky duck! Whereabouts in Italy? Thank you very much. As a non-Gael, it's rare to hear compliments about my speech patterns. This means a lot to me. You made my week!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Heather! 🙂 Thanks for watching!

Agreed, April. The songs mean far more when you learn the meaning behind some of the words. What Gaelic songs do you like?

Mo Run Geal Dileas is one of my favorites. I discovered the Ranking Family watching CBC in Michigan, and I was hooked. I sing the songs by imitating the sounds, having no clue what they mean, but something in my Scottish DNA has a passion for the music and language.

@@AprilClayton Wonderful. There is something about the blood recognizing language and music, I think. I enjoy the Rankins vr🙂 Enjoy your day!

Wonderful to hear, a charaid! Come back any time. :)

Great idea, Sia. Honestly, there's not much for beginners or even intermediate learners. Some folk recommend Rèidio nan Gàidheal and I personally don't. They speak very quickly and if you don't understand *what* they're saying, it's of limited use as a learning activity. You might tune your ear a bit. Perhaps you could put on some of the videos on learngaelic.scot on in the background and listen that way? They're slower and aimed at learners.

@@GaelicwithJason Thank you very much, I will head to the latter and give it a crack 😊 Thanks again!

@@elysiataylorhearn My pleasure, Sia. Enjoy!

'S e do bheatha, Alasdair! Is toil leam Leòdhas gu mòr! That's right, there is a whole world of sheepdog commands in Gaelic. I think there are televised trials on BBC Alba still? How wonderful that you heard that fellow using them himself. Beannachd leat, a charaid!

Noted. Thanks for the suggestion, Ian. I hope your day is going well.

My pleasure, Sybille. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words. Yes, you spotted it exactly: AN (sometimes condensed down to A') is "the" for 1-2 of things, aka singular forms, and NA is for 3+ of anything, aka plurals. Nicely done!

Hehe, geography isn't my strong suit! 😁

Hi Fellow Metallica and Runrig fan. :) Lovely to hear from you and that you've been on Islay a few times. It's a special part of the world. I don't know much about their Gaelic course - is there a website with more info? For a beginner, I'd recommend getting some basics under your belt first. My videos on here will do that for sure, especially these Gaelic Foundations ones. With some Gàidhlig already in your mind, you'd get more out of any formal class.

@@GaelicwithJason Thanks for your reply Jason. I know Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the Columba Centre Islay) used to do short courses in Gàidhlig but I can't find any information for the centre now. However, I'm really enjoying your videos and I'd like to do your beginners course too. I've just bought your 'Ròna agus MacCodruim' book in readiness for when I get more proficient :-) Latha math dhut!

Sgoinneil, @@shirleycurtis-summers3750! Great to have you on the Foundations course with us. :) Hoping your weekend has been a pleasant one. Tìoraidh!

Tapadh leat, a Karri! I know the feeling - it's one that most Gaelic learners feel at one point or another. I certainly did. I almost gave up in the beginning. Gaelic instincts take some time to build - more time than other languages I've encountered. We all start from the very beginning. When you watch my videos and understand what I'm saying and writing (even if saying it yourself feels tricky right now), you're growing more Gaelic in your mind. I promise that your skills are developing, even if it doesn't feel like it. 🙂 Please don't stress out too much. If things feel frustrating, taking a break can be a very wise decision. 🙂 A fresh mind learns best, in my experience at least.

@@GaelicwithJason Tapadh leat, a Jason. I am really liking your pictures, hand gestures and flash cards, they are really helping me remember.

@@karri8998 Glè mhath! I'm happy to hear that! You can do this; just take it bit-by-bit. 🙂

Ceòl glè mhath! 🙂There's a slight difference between them: à = from, às = from *the*.

Thanks Gordon! Hmmm, that's a tricky one to write out. Try this link: s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/lg-dic/9852.mp3 All you'd need to do is put a 'na' in front of it. Take care, stay safe, and happy new year!

Thanks very much, Miriam! I am happy that you're enjoying them so much. In the video, I say "ann am Maine". It's ann *am* because Maine starts with an M. Does that help?

Thank you very much! 🙂 This work is my pleasure and I aim to keep doing it for years to come. Your appreciation of my accent means a lot to me as well. In the first few years of studying Gàidhlig, my pronunciation was on the rougher side. I always made myself understood though. Over the years, I did some work on consciously changing how I say certain sounds and letter combinations, which helped a lot. It took some time to get there because my ear didn't always hear the smaller, more subtle sounds within some Gaelic words. Also, I needed to get over a fear of making mistakes while speaking. One day, I said to myself "Screw it, I'm just going to speak Gàidhlig, even if it's a bit wonky." Heck, sometimes I say things in English, my native language, that are a bit wonky!

Gaelic with Jason Hi Jason, thanks for explaining. You give me hope for my own pronunciation. I really want to speak Gàidhlig, I’m not sure why that feeling has come over me so strongly. For a long time I told myself I could never learn, the sounds are too non-englishy for me to say. And then all a sudden I was like, I don’t care I’m just going to learn Gàidhlig! What made you want to learn Gàidhlig vs. any other language?

@@erraticToaster92 That's the turning point: heck with it, I'm going to just do it! Well done, Toaster. That takes courage. The short version of that story is that I heard a few Gaelic songs while browsing UKposts back in 2005. I found it quite interesting but I was more interested in history and culture. After many twists and turns, my road ended up in Nova Scotia where I did a Celtic Studies degree. From Day 1 of Gaelic 100, I was absolutely hooked. It wasn't an easy process. Tradtional grammar instruction really didn't work for me back then and I almost gave up - to learn Icelandic instead! It's funny - I never considered myself much of a language person. I'm fluent in German (long story short - I acquired tons while living in Berlin) and I wanted to learn some Old Norse to read bits of the Sagas in the original language but Gaelic just got me. I feel that it's in my blood, even though I'm not a Gael. My life is far richer with Gaelic being in it, anyway. 🙂

That’s awesome, I’m glad you stuck with it. It is cool to know Gaelic attracts even those who are not Gaelic. I also love learning about the history and culture. I have ancestors from at least 2 Gaelic clans. Although that was never enough to make me want to learn before. I heard some Gàidhlig songs on you tube a while back and got intrigued by it and started listening to them now and then, even before I thought of learning. By the way, I’m so glad you mentioned Runrig, I looked them up and I have fallen in love with them.

Ah, glad you like them. Runrig is classic. It's funny how the thought of language as language may not appeal to folk but it's the music or the songs that draw them in. Worked on me for sure!

Many thanks for your kind words, Georgette. I have yet to make it to Bute but it's on my list. One day! As for the pronunciation, perhaps this online dictionary entry will help: learngaelic.scot/dictionary/index.jsp?abairt=bute&slang=both&wholeword=false Take care and have a lovely weekend.

Tapadh leat, a charaid. Tha mi toilichte gun toil leat iad. 🙂 It's true, BH and MH do usually have that V sound - when they're at the beginning or end of a word. If they're in the middle of a word, though, they can sound like a W or be silent. It depends on the dialect. I have a video about that here: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/kHyTbZ17g7B90Wg.html I hope it clarifies this quirk a bit. Take care, stay safe, and enjoy your weekend!

Wonderful to hear, a charaid. Your Gaelic is always growing, even if it doesn't look like much is happening on the surface.

Thank you very much! Sure, ask me anything. :)

Thank you so much for this opportunity! Okay here we go. How easy is Gaelic to learn compared to other languages? Do you think that being part European will help we the understand of it? Because my father is from Europe. How long does it usually take to become decent at Gaelic? Thank you so much!! Also, my family and I have a music ministry, and we recently released a Celtic influenced song, and now I instantly think of you. I think you will like it! Here you go ukposts.info/have/v-deo/qWdpraOKhG-Kq58.html

@Stoption Thanks for the link. :) Here are my thoughts on your questions: How easy is Gaelic to learn? - It's very different from other languages, which means that we start at the very beginning. The writing system takes some time to get used to (such as BH or MH sounding like V), although once you do, it's quite consistent. The sounds can take some time to get used to as well - especially for us North Americans. Will being part European help? - Maybe. A number of Europeans have commented that certain sounds in Gaelic are easy for them because they have that sound in their native language. That could be helpful. I am also of the opinion that ancestral memory can help one learn Gaelic more smoothly. I doubt there are scientific studies on that but I wouldn't discount it. How long does it take to become decent in Gaelic? - That depends what you mean by "decent." If you'd like to discuss deep philosophical truths, that could take some time. To engage in some small talk at a bus stop or passing someone on the street is a different matter. I think most people could become conversational at that level in 6-12 months. Getting Gaelic into your long-term memory takes time and a HUGE amount of exposure to it. What really affects your ability to communicate is *how* you learn. What you focus on is what you get. If you focus on learning grammar rules and patterns right from the beginning, then you'll be conjugating verbs in your head (if you can remember them). That's not practicing communication and chances are that your conversation skills will be weak. That's why I focus so much on communication in my lessons. Studying grammar can be useful for tweaking your accuracy; I did that myself once I was able to be an equal part of a conversation and not just say "Tha" all the time. It's more useful later on. First, become comfortable with speaking. Like I said, that could happen in 6-12 months if you practice every day. Did I answer your questions in a useful way? 🙂

@@GaelicwithJason yes, very useful! Thanks a bunch man.

@@stoption8186 You're very welcome. Thank you for supporting my work. 🙂

Happy to, Ian. What would you like explained?

You are looking closely at the words, Traveller! Nice. 🙂The difference is the last vowel. In craobh, the last vowel is an 'a'. Thus, we use 'an'. Traigh has that 'i', so we use 'ean'. I and E like to go together. Does that help?

Welcome, Marie! I'm glad you here with us and admire your courage in learning Gaelic. :) To my ear, the B in Alba is between a B sound and P sound. One of my teachers suggested that, when in doubt, lean into the P sound. Take care, stay safe, and happy new year!

Welcome, Stephanie. I'm glad you're here with us. 🙂 I hope things are going ok in Virgina and that you're healthy and safe these days.

Gaelic with Jason, doing well so far 😊 just waiting for autumn to get some relief from the heat and humidity. I hope you’re safe and healthy as well.

@@alexishopkins526 Glè mhath! 🙂 We are so far, thank you, and looking forward to the break in the weather too. I think some of our plants are as well - especially the kale.

"Clear and easy to grasp" - just what I'm aiming to do. Excellent! Well done on your first week. How does it feel? There's a slight different between 'an' and 'na'. NA is for 3+ of something. It's also part of the phrase 'of the' but I wouldn't worry about that just now. AN, on the other hand, is for 1-2 of things and will appear before anything starting with T,D,L,N,R: an taigh an doras (the door) an leann (the beer) an neas (the weasel) an rìoghachd (the kingdom) I think I'll make a video that explains these forms of THE a bit more deeply. Would that be useful to you, Levi?

@@GaelicwithJason Thanks for the response. this helps to clear it up. After a couple of weeks I can catch a handful of words in some Gaelic videos. Words like agus, ach, uisge, cu. It's also getting easier to tell where one word starts and the next one begins. I had never fully realized how often a native speaker of any language will run a whole sentence's worth of words into one steady stream of syllables. A video focusing on THE would be great. I'd really appreciate it.

That's a good point: a sentence can feel like one long word. How cool that you're starting to see the gaps between words and such. Excellent! Keep going!

Hi Wayne - great idea! I will keep that in mind for future videos. Thanks very much for that.

Loads! What are some of your favorite kinds of food? I'm partial to the bagels from Mr Bagel. According to their website, a fellow came here from NY to make NY style bagels. While I can't say that they're identical, they're still fantastic. But then again, I'm a bagel guy.

Hi Kyle. Thanks very much. Yes, it does mean that. Perhaps this would help: any little word like in, on, from, etc needs to match the thing its describing. So if we're talking about The United States, 'from' needs to reflect that it's THE US. So it becomes 'às'. Does that clarify it a bit?

Hi Nitish. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying them. Great question. Cò às is really asking "WHO are you from", as in 'who are your people/family/ancestors?' Family ties and kinship are important in Gaelic culture. Way back when, people didn't move around so much and saying "I'm a MacDonald" would give a strong clue about where you were from. Does that make sense?

@@GaelicwithJason Makes perfect sense. Thank you!

My pleasure,@@nitishramparsad1412!

Heya Edward. I'm very happy to hear that you're feeling more capable and solid in your language learning. You made my day. Your question is a great one. You're thinking about the inner workings of Gaelic. Nice! A bheil is indeed "Is/are/am?" and it's paired with *Càite*: Càit a bheil...? All the other question words use tha: Dè tha brèagha? Carson a tha e brèagha? Does that help at all?

Gaelic with Jason Yes yes totally makes sense, just like certain forms of words would only have a fixed pairing in English as well like “Am” with “I”. Awesome work again

@@edward3583 Just like that. Glè mhath, a charaid, agus tapadh leat. 🙂

@@GaelicwithJason Understood Gle mhath and "agus but not the other ones but thanks for all the work that you do anyway :D

@@edward3583 Ah, sorry about that. Let's sort those out: ..., a charaid. = ..., my friend tapadh leat = thank you 🙂

Bonjour! Welcome, Amélie! I am happy that you're here. :) The difference is that AN is just for one thing, ie: the car, the cat, the dog, and NA is for many things, ie: the cars, the cats, the dogs. Does that help?

@@GaelicwithJason YES ! thanks a lot... Have a good day. 😀

You're welcome,@@ameliehoudou8852. You as well - enjoy it!

Hi Mary Lou. Yes, there are many times lenition comes into play - too many to list in this comment. Is there an example or two that I can clarify for you just now?

Thanks very much, Ajsa. I'm glad you're here with us. :) Come back any time!

Heya! Feasgar math dhut. 🙂 That's a good question. It really depends on where and when. My experience of working in a Scottish high school for 5 years was that exam marks were far more important than competency in the language. Based on that experience, I feel I'm more useful doing things on my own. But you never know...

Thanks for asking. That's a whole video in itself. I aim to film it at some point this year. 🙂

Hi Sham. 🙂 That P sound is actually the B - it's halfway between a B and a P. I tend to emphasize it a bit while teaching because many learners don't hear the full sound. When they see a B they say B instead of B with a hint of P - like Coke with a twist of lime. Does that help at all?

Hello Kimberly and thanks for the question. Sorry for the delay - I did a big move last month and electricity is limited out here. *An robh* is a question word and works great for asking "An robh na craobhan brèagha?" Bha, on the other hand, is a statement. It's saying the trees were beautiful: Bha na craobhan brèagha. Does that clarify things?

Go raibh maith agat, a chara! Tha iad diofaraichte agus coltach aig an aon àm. Tha e glè inntinneach. :)

@@GaelicwithJason Tha oiber math é seo a chara , is difríocht í gan dabht ach chan eil difríochtaí mhór , in an bharúil agam . Go raibh míle math a'd don oiber seo .

@@wickedone6476 Tapadh leat, a charaid.

Sé do bheatha leaid . Tha múinteoirí níos mó uainn mar thú féin.

'S dòcha gum bi. Bu toil leam a bhith a' trèanadh tidsearan na Gàidhlig aon latha.

Sure thing, Barkley. The one I recommend to learners is the one on learngaelic.scot. It has sound files for every entry, which is truly invaluable while you're tuning your ears to the song of Gaelic. 🙂 Nice to see you today.

@@GaelicwithJason got it sent email when ya get time...thanks

Hi Emily. Well spotted. Here's the difference: an t-iasg = the fish ag iarraidh an iasg = wanting (of) the fish Literally, the cat is "wanting of the fish". The grammar of that kind of phrase is a bit different from just talking about the fish, so the T- gets dropped. Does that help?

Hi Sara. I can understand that. Things are tight for many of us. At the moment, I just have the two big online courses. I do plan on making several shorter ones at a lower cost as well as many new story videos for this channel. Once I move into my new place, I look forward to filming more. :)

Oh, also, perhaps it's worth mentioning that my big online courses have payment plans over 5/10 months. I'm not trying to pressure you or seal any deal, just pointing it out in case that's useful to you. :)

Hey Barkley! That's spelled like this: "beagan" (a little bit). 🙂

@@GaelicwithJason got it will add to my lesson note..thanks pressing on

@@barkleyburker7849 Happy to help. Someone pointed out to me the other day that it's possible to slow these videos down. Would that be useful to you if there's a part of the lesson that doesn't click right away?

@@GaelicwithJason found it that will help the stop go back and play again...thanks

@@barkleyburker7849 'S e do bheatha.

Hmm, it depends on the word. Can you give me an example of a word like that?

Nice work here, a charaid! If these suggestions are useful to you, I'd suggest: *iomadh craobh (iomadh is followed by single things. It's like saying 'many a tree' or 'many a lake'.) *ann am Michigan (an -> am before Ms. This makes it easier to say.) *Bu toil leam Maine fhaicinn. (I would like to see Maine) Chòrd seo rium! I enjoyed this. :) Take care and enjoy the day. I hope it's a pleasant one over there in Michigan.

That doesn't look right.

Tha mi gu math, tapadh leat. Tha mi toilichte an-diugh. :)

I would say: "Ciamar a tha sibh, a thidseir?" You were very close. Nice job!

@@GaelicwithJason Tapadh leat, a thidseir.

@@19blueyes69 'S e do bheatha! You're welcome.

Sin ceart! Glè mhath, a charaid!

Yes, you got it. Beinn = a mountain, beanntan = mountains. It's the plural.

@@GaelicwithJason flippin eck! this is really tough!

What's tough about it, @@MiiMaker?

Excellent question. Here's the difference: à = from às = from the Maine is just 'Maine' with no 'the' in it. When we're talking about the USA, though, à becomes às to reflect that it's THE United States. Does that help, a charaid?

It can indeed. Depending on context, A bheil can mean Is? Am? Are? (It's always a question.)

Brèagha, gu dearbh! That's a great way to remember. 'S math sin, Dragon Lord.

Glè mhath! Cò às a tha thu ann an Sasainn? (Lovely fox picture by the way)

Glè mhath! Cò às a tha thu ann an Sasainn? (Lovely fox picture by the way)

@@GaelicwithJason Tha mi às an Iar-Dheas (Thank you! It's not mine though, unfortunately)

@@francesatty7022 A, a bheil thu à Devon no às a' Chorn (Cornwall)?

Well spotted, a Sheumais. :)

It's true, they're strange beasts at first. Over time, they'll become much more natural. You won't even notice them. For now, though, yes, they're funky.