How to Learn Irish With Comprehensible Input

In Irish, the first sound of a word can change depending on the word before it, so one noun can turn up in three or four shapes. A grammar chart lists these changes in one place. Hearing them without stopping to think takes many sentences you already follow. That kind of Irish is comprehensible input: language you mostly understand, where the sentence tells you what a changed word is doing.

What Comprehensible Input Looks Like

Each row in the picture is a sentence in Irish, with one bar per word. The gray bars are known words, and the single purple bar is new.

About one unfamiliar word per sentence, while you still follow the meaning.

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Since the rest of the sentence is familiar, it shows you what the new word means, even when its first letter has changed. Start with short lines about things you can see on screen. Later, a full news story gives you enough context to work out a word alone. When most lines lose you, return to slower material for a while.

Your Roadmap by Level

Each of Bubblegum's six levels is a sentence a reader might say about themselves. Find the nearest, and treat the shows and podcasts as a loose fit, since they have no levels.

1. Level 1

   I'm just starting out or know only a few words

   Watch a short show on Cúla4, TG4's free channel for children, where pictures carry the meaning and many shows have Irish subtitles. Then try the sentences further down this page.

   All About Irish on Cúla4 →
2. Level 2

   I can read simple sentences.

   Foras na Gaeilge shares An Gúm stories read aloud for free. Listen to one while you picture what happens.

   An Gúm stories →
3. Level 3

   I can read short stories and messages.

   Gaeilge Weekly comes out in three versions, including a slower, simpler one. Listen to the simpler version first, then try natural speed.

   Gaeilge Weekly →
4. Level 4

   I can read longer texts about everyday life.

   Read Short Stories in Irish for Beginners, eight stories for high beginners and low intermediate learners, with a glossary in each chapter.

   Short Stories in Irish for Beginners →
5. Level 5

   I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.

   Nuacht Mhall reads the week's main news slowly, and each episode's notes have the full text. Listen first, then read the notes for the parts you missed.

   Nuacht Mhall →
6. Level 6

   I can follow detailed arguments and different writing styles.

   Read news on Tuairisc.ie, written for people who speak Irish, and try its learner activities on the same articles.

   Tuairisc.ie for learners →

Move to the next row once the current one feels light. Go back a row if most sentences need the dictionary.

Try It on a Sentence

Try these three short phrases from Wikipedia's article on Irish mutations. A bád means "her boat", a bhád means "his boat", and a mbád means "their boat". The word a looks the same each time, and the change to bád tells you whose boat it is.

Bubblegum is a language app where your AI tutor, Poppy, writes Irish lessons for your level on topics you choose. Each one has AI audio, word lookups, and her grammar help, and Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in later lessons.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comprehensible Input