Go mbeannaí Dia daoibh, welcome back boyfriends and girlfriends to the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
Needless to say, the Bluffer has the Irish News app on his phone and it got him wondering what apps your average Gaeilgeoirí would have on his or her guthán póca - mobile phone.
Aip, er, is the Irish for an app (it’s app, app and app in French, Spanish and Italian, so stop your giggling!)
Aipeanna is the plural so you would ask someone cad é na haipeanna atá ar do ghuthán póca? What apps have you on your mobile phone?
Do your apps tell you something about you? Of course, they do.
If you have Places I’ve Pooped or Pimple Popper, then maybe you should get out a bit more.
For the rest of us, we probably use the same few apps all the time.
Rather than asking someone fanciable for their telephone number, you can ask an bhfuil tú ar facebook? Are you on facebook? and that way you can see from their postálacha - posts if they are grá geal mo chroí - the love of my life or a total tromluí - nightmare/melter.
And it’s so easy to keep in touch with people nowadays.
Coinnigh i dteagmháil - keep in touch and whereas we used to use phone boxes or smoke signals or carrier pigeons, now we can see and chat to our friends on facetime, facebook phone, skype, whatsapp and lots of other apps even if they are ar an taobh eile den domhan - on the other side of the world – although try getting a signal in Aughnacloy!
And these means of communication have made us all more honest. Ní thig leat bréaga a inse níos mó - you can’t tell lies anymore because you can’t claim to be working late when your spouse can see the bar and the racing on TV!
We can message people via messaging services or by ríomhphost - e-mail.
Téacsáil - texting has changed the way we communicate.
Chuir mé téacs chugat means I sent you a text which is ab fab for apportioning blame so that if you are being accused of not turning up or being late, you can always say that you had texted and proof is to hand on your phone. Result!
But then, as well as being practical, apps can give us lots of entertainment.
Tá Netflix ar mo ghuthán - I have Netflix on my phone so you can watch Suits and The Crown and
Glow on your phone wherever you are.
Apps can also be great companions. The Bluffer walks a lot so he listens to podchraolta - podcasts especially on the RTÉ player; learns languages on Duolingo while half-way up a mountain; bops along to the latest releases or French hits from the 1940s on Spotify and he keeps in touch with his feminine side by listening to Woman’s Hour on the BBC Radio iPlayer.
Stepz and Runkeeper keep in abreast of how much exercise he is getting; the kindle app lets him read at the back of the bus; Instagram let’s him think he’s a great photographer when his iphone does all the work.
There are also some really useful apps for Irish learners for the iphone and Android and we will have a look at those some other time.
In the meantime, it’s time to order a battered sausage supper and then a taxi to take him into town to see a movie - all these actions achieved via the relevant app!
CÚPLA FOCAL
guthán póca(goohaan pawka) - mobile phone
aip - (app) an app
cad é na haipeanna atá ar do ghuthán póca?(cadge ay na hapana ataa er daw goohaan pawka) - What apps have you on your mobile phone?
an bhfuil tú ar facebook?(un wil too er facebook) - Are you on facebook?
postálacha(postalaha) - posts
grá geal mo chroí (graa gyaal maw khree) - the love of my life or
tromluí(trumlee) - nightmare/melter
coinnigh i dteagmháil(kunyee i jaagwaal) - keep in touch ar an taobh eile den domhan -(er un teev eile den dowam) on the other side of the world
Ní thig leat bréaga a inse níos mó(nee hig lat brayga a inshe nees noe) - you can’t tell lies anymore ríomhphost(reeoofust) - e-mail.
téacsáil(chayksil) - texting
chuir mé téacs chugat (kher may chayks hugat) - I sent you a text
Tá Netflix ar mo ghuthán - (taa netflix er maw goohaan) I have Netflix on my phone
podchraolta(podcraylta) - podcasts