The easiest way to learn Irish is to read and listen to short, easy Irish about things you already like, checking the translation when you need it. Irish you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input, and it keeps showing you the most common words and sound changes, so you can leave grammar tables and long word lists for later. Below are the first steps in order, and some easy Irish to start with.
Is Irish Easy to Learn?
Irish is easy to start, and it takes a long time to learn well. You can start reading on day one, while the words and the changing first sounds take much longer. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute does not list Irish, so it has no FSI group, and our guide to the fastest way shows how long it takes using hours from the TEG exams for adult learners.
Three things make the start easier than it looks.
- Letters You Already KnowIrish writes its own words with just 18 letters, and English uses all of them too.
- Words You Already KnowSome Irish words come from English, such as caife (coffee) and teilifís (television).
- Free Irish TVTG4 is a TV channel in Irish, and most of its programmes play for free around the world on the TG4 Player.
What Is the Easiest Way to Start?
The easiest way to start is with greetings and other short Irish you enjoy, one small step at a time.
- Start With GreetingsBegin with lines you can use right away, like Dia duit (hello) and go raibh maith agat (thank you).
- Read About What You LoveRead short dialogues about food, music, or anything else you already enjoy.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Hide the TranslationKeep the English hidden, and check it only when a line stops you.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, along with the line you found each one in.
- Say a Line Out LoudRead a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like Is maith liom tae (I like tea) when you make a cup of tea.
Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening to Irish at your level, with lessons that Poppy, its AI tutor, writes about the things you like. Words you save come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, so reviewing them means reading more Irish.
What Makes Irish Feel Hard, and How Can You Make It Easier?
Four parts of Irish feel hard at first, and each one gets easier when you meet it again and again in easy Irish.
| What feels hard | The easy fix |
|---|---|
| First sounds that change | Easy lines repeat the most common changes many times, as in an bhean (the woman), where bean (woman) gets a new first sound. They feel familiar before you see a table, so open a grammar note only when one confuses you. |
| Letters that sound different from English | The accent called the fada makes a vowel long, and it can change a word: sean means old, and Seán is the name John. Play the audio as you read, and copy it. |
| No words for yes or no | You answer with the verb from the question, so An bhfuil tú tuirseach? (Are you tired?) gets Tá (I am) or Níl (I'm not). Easy dialogues show you this many times. |
| Three main dialects | Connacht, Munster and Ulster Irish sound different, and some words differ too. Start with the one you will hear most, and use Teanglann.ie to hear a word in all three. |
What Is Easy Irish to Start With?
Easy Irish to start with is short and slow, with pictures, English or a written text to help you follow it.
| What | Why it's easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Gaeilge Weekly | Each week's episode has a beginner version in Irish and English. | podcasts.apple.com |
| Cúla4 | Short, simple shows have pictures that help, and many have Irish subtitles. | cula4.com |
| Nuacht Mhall | The week's news is read slowly, and each episode's notes have the full text. | podcasts.apple.com |
| Short Stories in Irish for Beginners | Eight stories have a glossary in each chapter and an audiobook, once you know some words. | hachette.com.au |
If a new word shows up in almost every line, switch to something easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which dialect of Irish should I learn first?
Learn the dialect you will hear most, such as the one your family or tutor speaks. Glossika, for example, teaches the Connemara dialect of Connacht Irish. Once you can follow more, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta lets you hear all three, because it broadcasts from Irish-speaking areas in Galway, Kerry and Donegal.
Can I learn Irish just by watching TG4?
Not at the start, because most of a TG4 drama goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Shows help more once you can follow a simple conversation, especially with Irish subtitles on, which the TG4 Player offers for Ros na Rún. Before that, short Cúla4 shows are an easier place to begin.
Which Irish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Irish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. For courses, tutors and speaking practice, see our comparison of Irish apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Wikipedia: Irish orthography (18 traditional letters, the fada for long vowels, sean and Seán)
- Foras na Gaeilge: New English-Irish Dictionary (caife, coffee; teilifís, television)
- TG4: Frequently asked questions about the TG4 Player
- Wikipedia: Irish initial mutations (an bhean, the woman)
- Wikipedia: Yes and no (Irish has no designated words for yes and no)
- Teanglann.ie: Irish Pronunciation Database (Connacht, Ulster and Munster recordings)
- Hachette: Short Stories in Irish for Beginners by Olly Richards (eight stories, glossary in each chapter, audiobook)
- RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
