Level 1: Complete Beginners

This course is for those with little or no knowledge of the Gaelic language or culture. The course will introduce Gaelic sounds and pronunciation. Foundational language structures and patterns are taught with ample opportunity to use and review those new structures. Students may want to ask questions about the history and culture of Gaelic as they arise in a particular context, for example about the bardic tradition.

You will be able to give simple greetings, basic personal information and elicit same from others, ask names and introduce others, talk about places and where you come from, among other topics.

Level 2: Post-beginners

This course is aimed at those who have been learning Gaelic for at least a year in evening classes, at home, or an equivalent period on Duolingo.

They would be looking to:

      1) Consolidate their knowledge so far,
      2) Build confidence in speaking by exposure to an immersive conversational ambience,
      3) Learn new more complex language structures and common idioms.

Again the emphasis is on speaking skills, correct pronunciation and intonation and idiomatic phrases. You will be able to talk about work and jobs, likes and dislikes, holidays, food numbers, days of the week among other topics.

Level 3: Lower-intermediate

This course is aimed at those who have studied Gaelic for several years, either online or in face-to-face classes and who have a reasonable understanding of the language and who can express themselves and be understood, but who feel the need to develop their speaking skills and acquire a deeper grasp of more complex language structures. Both consolidating previous knowledge and building on that to break through to a good level of fluency.

The main emphasis will be on developing conversational skills, on everyday matters such as family and friends, work and leisure, topics beyond the home and work. Some language structures that will be looked at include simple past tense, dates, future tense, prepositional pronouns, spelling patterns, you may be looking at some Gaelic poetry and prose.

Level 4: Upper-intermediate

This course is aimed at those who have been learning Gaelic for some years and have a considerable knowledge of the language. You may have done online courses over several years but are still not getting enough opportunities to hear and respond to natural conversational Gaelic, in particular with native or very fluent speakers. You have the knowledge but are looking for an encouraging, relaxed but stimulating Gaelic environment to use the Gaelic you have learned and thus build confidence in using the language in normal every day conversations.

There will be some advanced language structures, such as irregular verbs, and the yes/no response to questions in all their forms, but the main thrust will be on idiomatic speech as used by fluent and native speakers in their day-to-day lives. This will be reinforced with some reading and writing.

Level 5: Adhartach (Advanced)

      “Bha e uabhasach feumail san dòigh ’s nach robh “ cuireacalaim” teann, àraid ann, is gun robh a cho sùbailte, a freagradh air na bha na h-oileanaich         ag iarraidh a dhèanamh a thaobh cuspairean – bruidhinn agus beagan gràmair an-dràsda is a-rithist. Dh’ obraich e gu dòigheil mar sin, tha mi a’                 smaoineachadh”

Sin bhon oide Pàdruig Moireach. Ma thuigeas sibh sin tha sibh aig ìre adhartach! Tha an cuideam air còmhraidhean, ann an dòigh nadarrach, socair, le bhith bruidhinn ri chèile ann an dithisean no buidheanan beaga.

Bidh sibh a’ togail fhaclan ùra, abairtean is sean-fhaclan feumail, tro chòmhradh.