LESSON 12.

The Numerals. Cardinal (as in counting).


1 unnane or 'nane.
2 jees.
3 tree.
4 kiare.
5 queig.
6 shey.
7 shiaght.
8 hoght.
9 nuy.
10 jeih.
11 'nane-jeig.
12 daa-yeig, ghaa-yeig.
13 tree-jeig.
14 kiare-jeig.
15 queig-jeig.
16 shey-jeig.
17 shiaght-jeig.
18 hoght-jeig.
19 nuy-jeig.
20 feed.
20-29 'nane-as-feed, etc.
30 jeih-as-feed.
31-39 'nane-jeig-as-feed, etc.
40 daeed.
50 jeih-as-daeed.
60 three feed.
70 three feed as jeih.
80 kiare feed
90 kiare feed as jeih.
100 keead, un cheead.
200 daa cheead.
300 tree cheead.
400 kiare cheead.
500 queig cheead.
600 shey cheead.
700 shiaght cheead.
800 hoght cheead.
900 nuy cheead.
1000 thousane, jeih cheead.

1,000,000 jeih cheead thousane.

The forms three-yeig, kiare-jeig, etc., are also found. Troor—a set of three, dussan—dozen. The form meeiley—"a thousand"—is now only used with the meaning of "a mile." Its plural is millaghyn.

When the cardinal numerals are used in connection with nouns, the forms un, daa and daa-yeig are used instead of unnane, jees and ghaa-yeig. The noun remains singular after the numerals daa, feed, daeed, and the other multiples of feed, and also after keead and thousane: un laue—one hand; daa laue—two hands; three lauyn—three hands; feed laue—twenty hands, etc.

Nouns of measure (laa, punt, etc.) usually remain singular after any numeral.

After un the noun mutates as it would after the article: un dooinney, un ven.

After daa the noun mutates as it would after the possessive pronoun "my": Daa ghooinney, daa ven. The other numerals do not usually cause mutation; but there are occasional exceptions.

Keayrt (a time, a turn). Un cheayrt—once; daa cheayrt—twice; three keayrtyn—three times, etc.

The noun usually comes after the first portion of a compound numeral, and before the connecting particle as (and) Daa ghooinney yeig—twelve men, jeih deiney as feed—thirty men; kiare cheead deiney as jeih as feed—430 men. It may, however, be placed otherwise: "Kiare-feed as nuy persoonyn jeig"—"Ninety-nine persons" (Luke xv., 7).

The Ordinal Numbers.

1st yn chied.
2nd yn nah.
3rd yn trass.
4th yn chiarroo.
5th yn wheiggoo.
6th yn cheyoo.
7th yn chiaghtoo.
8th yn hoghtoo.
9th yn nuyoo.
10th yn jeihoo.
20th yn 'eedoo.
100th yn cheeadoo.
1000th yn jeih-cheeadoo.

The syllable oo is added to all the ordinals except the first, second and third. Chied causes mutation like those found after the article. All the other cardinals cause mutations like those found after the pronoun "my."
Vocabulary.

anmagh late.
arragh spring (gen. arree).
aspick bishop.
Avril April.
blein (pl. bleeantyn, gen. bleeaney) a year.
Boaldyn May.
cabbal chapel.
clag bell (or clock).
c'woad how much, how many?
dy-gerrid shortly, soon.
eash age.
er y laa cheddin on the same day.
fouyr autumn (or harvest).
geurey winter.
giare short.
grig second.
imbagh, (gen. imbee) season.
Jedoonee chaie last Sunday.
keeill church.
kegeesh a fortnight.
kerroo a quarter.
laa chaie the other day.
laa Nollick Christmas Day.
laa-Boaldyn May-day.
laa-feailley holiday.
laa-ruggyr birthday.
laccal wanting.
lieh-oor half-hour.
lurg after.
Mart March.
Mee houney November.
Mee ny Boaldyn May.
Mee s'jerree yn ouyr October.
Mee s'jerree yn touree July.
Mee vart March.
Mee veanagh y gheuree December.
Mee veanagh y touree June.
Mee veanagh yn ouyr September.
mee, (pl. meeaghyn) month.
minnid minute.
moghey early.
oie houney Hollantide night.
oor hour.
oor-dy-lieh an hour and a half.
quoid how much, how many?
raaie quarter of a year.
saggyrt priest, clergyman.
shiaghtin, (pl. shiaghtinyn) a week.
shirveish service.
sourey summer.
tullagh second.
Yn chied vee jeh'n ouyr August.
Yn chied vee jeh'n vlein January.
Yn nah vee jeh'n vlein February.



1. Cur Baarle orroo shoh.


  1. Cre'n eash ta shiu? Bee'm jeih as daeed dy-gerrid.
  2. T'eh feed blein dy eash.
  3. Cre'n traa te? T'eh shiaght er y chlag.
  4. Vel eh nuy er y chlag foast? T'eh lieh-oor lurg nuy.
  5. T'eh kerroo dys jeih. T'eh giare kerroo jeh jeih.
  6. T'eh kerroo lurg 'nane.
  7. Cha nel eh jees er y chlag foast, cha nel eh as (agh) queig minnidyn as feed lurg 'nane.
  8. Vel y clag er woailley? T'eh er woailley kiare.
  9. Ta'n clag bwoalley son shirveish-chillagh.
  10. Ta ben y taggyrt feer dooie.
  11. Ta mee er vakin daa haggyrt goll gys y cheeill jiu.
  12. Quoid laa t'ayns yn vlein-lheim (leap year)? Three cheead shey as three feed.
  13. Tree shiaghtin son Jelhein shoh cheet.
  14. Shiaghtin Jedoonee shoh s'jerree (a week last Sunday).
  15. Ayns shiaghtin dy hraa. Bee'm ayns shen.
  16. Veryms dhyt jeih punt 'sy vlein.




2.—Cur Gaelg orroo shoh.


  1. How old is he? He will be twenty to-morrow.
  2. What time of day was it? It was six o'clock.
  3. Is it eight o'clock now? It is half-past eight.
  4. It is a quarter to nine. It is half-past two o'clock.
  5. It was a quarter past six.
  6. It will soon be eight.
  7. I see in the field three men and four women, six horses and seventeen cows.
  8. He will be here shortly: he is always early.
  9. I am often late.
  10. Sunday is the first day of the week, and Saturday is the last.
  11. There are twenty-four hours in one day, and sixty minutes in one hour.
  12. How many days are there in a year? Three hundred and sixty-five.
  13. There are thirty days in April and thirty-one in May.
  14. Come next Sunday to service with me.
A Phrase a Day.


  1. Aigh vie y chree! Moghrey mie dhyt, bee'm moghey ec y thie gys kirbyl, as foddym cur lhiam carrey. (Good luck, dear! Good-morning, I'll be home to lunch early, and I may bring a friend.)

  2. Ta mee guee ort, ny cur lhiat carrey dys shoh jiu, bee'm ro harroogh dy yeeaghyn pyagh erbee. (I beseech you, don't bring a friend here to-day. I'll be too busy to see anyone.)

  3. Feer vie, yio'm kirbyl 'sy valley, agh n'oddym cur lhiam eh gys jinnair? (Very well, I'll have lunch in town, but may I bring him to dinner?)

  4. Chiart myr saillt, er-lhiam dy bee palchey dy vee dooin ooilley ayn. (Just as you please, I think there'll be plenty of food for us all.)

  5. S'mie shen, ta mee er n'ghialdyn da rish foddey dy hraa dy chur lhiam eh thie marym. (That's good. I've promised for a long time to bring him home with me.)

  6. As cre'n oyr nagh dug oo lhiat eh? (And why didn't you bring him?).