thie (ty) - house
thieyn (TY-un) - houses

Don't bother with the 'h' in 'thie': don't say 'thigh' - say 'tie'.
To say 'houses' we add '-yn' to 'thie' to get 'thieyn'.

To say somebody has something in Manx, we say it is 'at' them:
Ta thie ec Juan (ta-TY-eck-JOO-an) - There is a house at Juan.
In normal English, 'Juan has a house'.

The word 'ec' means 'at'. In Manx, we have single words for 'at me', 'at you' and
so on. Other useful words are:

echey (EGG-a) - at him aym (imm) - at me
eck (eck) - at her ayd (edd) -at you

These words are used in the following way:

Ta thie eck ta -TY-eck) - She has a house.
Vel thie echey? (vell-TY-egg-a) - Has he got a house?
 

Work out what the conversation below means with the help of these words:
 
 
 

mooar (MOO-ar) - big
creck (creck) - selling
eh (ay/a) - he, it
quoid? (kwud) - how much?
laccal (lall) - wanting
son (sonn) - for
leagh (LEE-akh) - price
gyn ourys (ginn-OW-russ) - without doubt
kionnaghey (K'YONN-akh-a) - buying
argid (ERG-id) - money

Juan: Vel thie ec Peddyr, vel fys ayd?
Finlo: Ta, ta thie echey mie dy liooar. Thie mooar. Agh t'eh creck eh.
Juan: Quoid t'eh laccal son y thie?
Finlo: Cha nel fys aym. Leagh mooar, gyn ourys. By vie lhiam kionnaghey eh.
Juan: Vel argid dy liooar ayd?
Finlo: Cha nel noadyr!

Fockleyr:

kionnaghey buying
laccal wanting
leagh price
mooar big
noadyr at all
quoid? how much?
son for
thieyn houses

1. A big house
2. A large price.
3. But he is selling it.
4. Do you have enough money?
5. Do you know?
6. Does Finlo have enough money?
7. Does Peter have a house?
8. Does she know?
9. Finlo does not have houses.
10. Finlo is not selling it.
11. Finlo is selling it.
12. Has he got a house?
13. Has she got a house?
14. How much does he want for the house?
15. How much does she want?
16. I don't know.
17. I would like to buy it.
18. I would like to sell it.
19. Juan doesn't know.
20. Juan has a big house.
21. Juan has a good house.
22. Juan is not buying a house.
23. Not at all!
24. She doesn't have a house.
25. She has a house.
26. Without doubt.
27. You do not have money.

Cur Baarle orroo shoh:

1. Vel thie echey?
2. Vel fys ayd?
3. Ta thie mie ec Juan.
4. Cha nel fys aym.
5. Cha nel Finlo creck eh.
6. Vel thie ec Peddyr.
7. Cha nel argid ayd.
8. By vie lhiam kionnaghey eh.
9. Agh t'eh creck eh.
10. Cha nel thie eck.
11. Quoid t'ee laccal?
12. Quoid t'eh laccal son y thie?
13. Ta thie mooar ec Juan.

 

 
 
 


 
 

14. Vel argid dy liooar ayd?
15. Gyn ourys.
16. Ta Finlo creck eh.
17. Thie mooar.
18. Cha nel thieyn ec Finlo.
19. Leagh mooar.
20. Ta thie eck
21. Vel fys eck?
22. Cha nel fys ec Juan.
23. Cha nel Juan kionnaghey thie.
24. By vie lhiam creck eh.
25. Vel argid dy liooar ec Finlo?
26. Cha nel noadyr!
27. Vel thie eck?

1. The word 'thie'is pronounced like which English word?
2. To say 'houses' what do we add to 'thie'?
3. To say somebody has something in Manx, we say, It is -
4. Ta thie ec Juan 'Juan has a house' literally means -
5. What does the word 'ec' mean?
6. In Manx, we have single words for 'at me', 'at you' what are they?

+ ? _

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel

would like By vie By vie Cha by vie

sorch (surch) - sort
Cre'n sorch? (krinn-SURCH) - What sort?

Notice that when we say 'What sort of a house?', the word for 'of' here ('dy') changes the 'th' in 'thie' to 'h':

Cre'n sorch dy hie? (krinn-SURCH-the-HY)

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Cre'n sorch dy hie ta'n thie noa eu?
Ean: Ta kiare shamyryn-lhiabbagh ayn. T'eh mooar dy liooar.
Peddyr: As c'raad t'eh?
Ean: Ayns Doolish, ayns Raad Devonshire.
Peddyr: Cha bee shiu goll dys steat Dandara eisht.
Ean: Cha bee. Share lhien ny thieyn ymmydit.

noa (no) - new
eu (aa-oo) - at you

Literally, 'Yn thie noa eu' (in-ty-NO-ow) means 'The new house at you' - in other words, 'Your new house'. 'Your' here refers to more than one person.

shamyr (SHAAM-er) - a room
shamyr-lhiabbagh (SHAAM-er-L'YAVV-akh) - bedroom
shamyryn-lhiabbagh (SHAMM-er-un-L'YAVV-akh) - bedrooms
ayn (awn) - in it, in
cha bee shiu goll (ha-bee-shoo-GULL) - you will not be going
dys (duss) - to
steat (stayt) - estate
eisht (esh) - then

The answer Ean gives to 'Cha bee shiu goll?' is 'Cha bee'. Word for word in English, this is: 'You will not be going?' and 'Will not be' ('No')

If something is 'better/best with us', we prefer it.

ymmydit (IMM-ud-it) - used
 
 

+ ? _

will be Bee Bee Cha bee
 

prefer & Share Nhare Cha nhare

lhien = with us

lhiam = with me

lhiat = with you

lesh = with him

lhee = with her
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. How many bedrooms are there?
2. Where is the house?
3. Is the house big?
4. What sort of house does Ean prefer?

 

---

 
 
 
 
 

Cooishyn Thieoil

Domestic Affairs

cooish (koosh) - affair
cooishyn (KOOSH-un) - affairs
thieoil (ty-OLE) - domestic

Note that 'cooish' can have other meanings apart from 'affair'.
For instance, people often like 'Tey as cooish' ('Tea and a chat').

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Bee shiu kionnaghey tobbyr-oonlee noa?
Ean: Beemayd.
Peddyr: As bee shiu slaa cheu-sthie?
Ean: Cha beemayd.
Peddyr: Hooar shiu thie mie.
Ean: Hooar.

bee shiu? (bee-shoo) - will you be?
kionnaghey (K'YONN-akh-a) - buying
tobbyr-oonlee (TOBB-er-OON-lee) - a bath
noa (naw) - new
beemayd (B'YIMM-udj) - we will be

Remember that Manx, like Gaelic in general, does not have direct words for 'yes' and 'no'. The sequence of question and answer above goes as:

Bee shiu kionnaghey? - Will you be buying?
Beemayd - We will be = ('Yes').

slaa (slaa) - painting
cheu-sthie (CHAA-oo-STY) - inside
cha beemayd (ha-B'YIMM-udj) - we will not be

Answer in Manx.
 

1. What will Ean be buying?
2. What did Peter think of the house?
3. Will they be painting inside?

   ---

Bee shiu slaa cheu-sthie? - Will you be painting inside?
Cha beemayd -We will not be ('No').

hooar (hoor) - got; found
hooar shiu (hoor-shoo) - you got; you found
thie mie (ty-my) - a good house
 

+ ? _

*will be Bee Bee Cha bee
 

+ ? _

got Hooar Dooar Cha dooar

1. affair
2. affairs
3. and
4. bath
5. be
6. be?
7. buying
8. chat

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

9. domestic
10. inside
11. new
12. not
13. painting
14. tea
15. we will
16. you

1. as
2. noa
3. slaa
4. Peddyr
5. cooishyn
6. cheu-sthie
7. kionnaghey
8. Ean
9. tobbyr-oonlee
10. thieoil

 

 
 
 




 
 
 

11. Bee
12. shiu
13. mie
14. Hooar
15. thie
16. Cha beemayd
17. tey
18. Cha bee
19. cooish
20. Beemayd.

    ---

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Vel y thie ayns stayd mie?
Ean: Mie dy liooar. Shegin dooin slaa eh cheu-mooie, agh cha nel shen ro olk.
Peddyr: Ta daa phremmee ayn, nagh vel?
Ean: Ta. Ta premmee heese as premmee elley heose.
Peddyr: Shen ymmydoil.
Ean: Cha nel yn chamyr-oonlee ro vie.

stayd (stayd) - state
stayd mie (stayd-MY) - a good state
shegin dooin (SHY-in-dun) - we must
slaa (slaa) - painting

'Shegin' (SHY-in) means 'There is compulsion'. 'Shegin dooin' means 'There is compulsion to us' - 'We must'.

Shegin dooin slaa (SHY-in-dun SLAA) - We must paint.

eh (a) - it
cheu-mooie (CHAA-oo-MOO-ee) - outside
ro olk (raw-ULK) - too bad
premmee (PREMM-ee) - toilet
daa phremmee (daa-FREMM-ee) - two toilets
Nagh vel? (nakh-VELL) - Aren't there?
heese (heess) - down below (downstairs)
heose (hooss) - up above (upstairs)
elley (ELL-ya) - other
premmee elley (PREMM-ee-ELL-ya) - another toilet

Notice the word order with 'elley':
thie - house
thie elley - another house

'sh' at the start of some Manx words changes to 'ch' after 'yn' ('the'):
shamyr - room
yn chamyr - the room

+ ? _

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel
Nagh vel
 
 

+ ? _

must Shegin dooin* Negin dooin* Cha negin dooin*

dooin* to us

dou to me
dhyt to you
 
 
 
 
 

premmee
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. What state was the house in?
2. What work had to be done?
3. Where are the toilets?
4. Which room was not too good?

Co-loayrtys (ko-LAWRT-uss) - Conversation

Peddyr: Cre'n fa nagh vel yn chamyr-oonlee ro vie?
Ean: Ta'n tobbyr-oonlee ayns drogh stayd. As ta shenn vrat-laare ayn neesht.
Neemayd ceau shen magh as cur lainoil sheese.

'Nagh vel eh?' (nakh-VELL-a) means 'Isn't he?'
So, 'Cre'n fa nagh vel eh?' means 'Why isn't he?'
Extending this:

Cre'n fa nagh vel yn chamyr-oonlee ro vie? (krinn-faa-nakh-VELL-in-CHAAM-er-
OON-lee-raw-VY) - Why isn't the bathroom too good?

tobbyr-oonlee (TOBB-er-OON-lee) - bath
drogh (drawkh) - bad
stayd (stayd) - state

Nearly all adjectives (descriptive words like 'bad', 'little', etc.) in Manx come after the nouns they describe. For instance:

Moghrey mie (MORR-a-MY) - Good morning ('morning good')
Moddey doo (MAWTH-a-DOO) - Black dog ('dog black')

But two common adjectives (drogh - bad, shenn - old) come before the noun, as in English:

drogh stayd (drawkh-stayd) - a bad state.

'Drogh' and 'shenn' cause letter changes:

brat-laare (bratt-LAIR) - carpet
shenn vrat-laare (shann-vratt-LAIR) - old carpet

neesht (nyiss) - also

+ ? _

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel
 
 

will Nee Jean Cha jean
 
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. Why isn’t the bathroom very good?
2. What is wrong with the carpet?
3. What will they do with the carpet?
4. What will they put down instead of carpet?

shamyr (SHAAM-er) - a room
shamyryn (SHAAM-er-un) - rooms

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Ta spoar dy liooar eu heose sy thie noa. Cre mysh ny shamyryn heese?
Ean: Daa hamyr-soie, shamyr-aarlee as premmee. As ta'n halley mooar
dy liooar.
Peddyr: C'raad vees shiu cur ooilley ny lioaryn?
Ean: Shegin dooin cur seose skellooyn-lioar ayns ny shamyryn-soie.
As cha negin dooin jarrood y co-earrooder!

spoar (spawr) - space
Cre mysh...? (kra-MUSH) - What about ...?
shamyr-soie (SHAAM-er-SY) - sitting-room
shamyr-aarlee (SHAAM-er-ERL-ee) - kitchen

In Manx, we don't use the plural after 'daa' ('two'). We say, for instance, 'daa hamyr-soie' (DAA-haam-er-SY) - 'two sitting-room'.
Note also that the 'sh' changes to 'h' after 'daa'.

halley (HAL-a) - hall
cur (kurr) - putting, giving
ooilley (ULL-ya) - all
ny lioaryn (na-L'YAWR-un) - the books

Remember that we use a special word for 'will be' after question words like 'Where?' This is 'vees':

C'raad vees shiu cur ooilley ny lioaryn? (kraad-viss-shoo-KURR-ull-ya-na-L'YAWR-un) - Where will you be putting all the books?

cur seose (kurr-sooss) - putting up
skelloo (SKELL-oo) - a shelf
skellooyn-lioar (SKELL-oo-un-L'YAWR) - bookshelves
cha negin dou (ha-NY-in-dow) - I must not

jarrood (jarr-OOD) - forgetting
co-earrooder (koh-IRR-ood-er) - computer

Note the difference between 'We must' and 'We must not':

Shegin dooin cur seose skellooyn-lioar - We must put up bookshelves.
Cha negin dooin jarrood - We must not forget.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

+ ? _

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel
Nagh vel
 

will be* Bee Bee Cha bee
 

must & Shegin Negin Cha negin

& = dou - to me dhyt - to you dooin - to us
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. How many rooms are downstairs?
2. Is there much space upstairs?
3. What is the hall like?
4. Where will the shelves be put?
5. What mustn’t Ean forget?

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Nee garey mooar t'ayd sy thie noa, ghooinney?
Ean: She, she garey mooar t'ayn mie dy liooar.
Peddyr: Aigh vie ort! Cha mie lhiam y gareydys noadyr.
Ean: Bee'm mie dy liooar. S'mie lhiam y gareydys.
Peddyr: Vel monney ry-yannoo sy gharey?
Ean: Cha nel, dy firrinagh.

nee? (n'yay) - is it?
garey mooar (GAA-ra-MOO-ar) - a big garden
ghooinney! (WUN-ya) - man!
she (shay) - it is
ayn (awn) - in, in it
garey (GAA-ra) - garden

'Nee garey mooar t'ayd?' (n'yay-GAA-ra-MOO-ar-TEDD) in word-for-word English is 'Is it a big garden which is at you?' ('Is it a big garden
you have?')

The answer Ean gives is 'She' - 'It is' ('Yes').

She garey mooar t'ayn (shay-GAA-ra-MOO-ar-TAWN) - It is a big garden which is in (It is a big garden).

The correct answers to a question containing 'Nee?' are either
'She' ('It is' - 'Yes') or 'Cha nee' ('It is not' - 'No').

aigh vie! (aykh-VY) - good luck! ort (ort) - on you
gareydys (GAA-rad-iss) - gardening noadyr (naw-der) - at all

Manx uses the word 'the' more than English does. Peddyr says

'Cha mie lhiam y gareydys' - 'I don't like (the) gardening'. 

'monney' is used in questions and in negative statements:

Vel monney ry-yannoo? - Is there much to be done?
Cha nel monney ry-yannoo. - There isn’t much to be done.

firrinagh (FIRR-in-yakh) - true
dy firrinagh (the-FIRR-in-yakh) - truly
 
 
 
 

+ ? _

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel

am, are, is She Nee Cha nee
 

will be* Bee Bee Cha bee
 

like & S’mie Mie Cha mie
 

& =
lhiam - with me lhiat - with you lesh - with him lhee - with her
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. What sort of house does Ean have?
2. What kind of garden is it?
3. Does Peter like gardening?
4. Is there much to be done in the garden?

Co-loayrtys

Peddyr: Cre'n obbyr ta ry-yannoo sy gharey?
Ean: Reurey as giarrey yn faiyr.
Peddyr: Vel biljyn sy gharey?
Ean: Ta. Tree biljyn mooarey as un villey beg.
Peddyr: Bee shiu boirit ec ny duillagyn.
Ean: Cha bee. S'mie lhien ny biljyn.

cre'n obbyr? (krinn-OBB-er) - what work?
ry-yannoo (ra-YINN-oo) - to be done
obbyr (OBB-er) - work
sy gharey (sa-GHAA-ra) - in the garden

Use 'ry' with verbal nouns (words ending in '-ing') in this way:

jannoo - doing ry-yannoo - to be done
clashtyn - hearing ry-chlashtyn - to be heard
fakin - seeing ry-akin - to be seen

Note that 'ry' causes letter changes.

reurey (RAA-oo-ra) - digging
giarrey (G'YARR-a) - cutting
faiyr (fayr) - grass
billey (BILL-ya) - tree
biljyn (BILL-jin) - trees
biljyn mooarey (BILL-jin-MOOR-a) - big trees

When we are talking about more than one thing, some adjectives (words like 'big', 'small' and 'poor') have special forms (plurals):

'mooar' becomes 'mooarey'
'beg' becomes 'beggey'
'boght' becomes 'boghtey', etc.

Vel fys ayd?
 

1. What changes does ry- make?
2. What is the plural of billey - a tree?
3. What is the plural of beg - little?
4. What is the plural of mooar - big

am, are, is Ta Vel Cha nel

will be* Bee Bee Cha bee
 

like & S’mie Mie Cha mie

& =
lhien - with us
 
 

Answer in Manx.
 

1. What work is to be done?
2. What sort of trees are in the garden?
3. What might be a worry?
4. What does Ean like?
5. How many trees are in the garden?