Lets take a bite-sized look at how to say ‘I like to play’ in Irish!
In English the verb ‘to play‘ is used to refer to all manner of types of play, and is also used when speaking of playing music. In Irish things are a little different. We use certain verbs when referring to (1) unstructured or ‘free’ play, others when referring to (2) games with a name, structure or rules, and others still (3) when talking of playing music or a musical instrument.
(1) Unstructured play.
If children were simply running around having fun in the playground we’d say that they are ag súgradh /eg soo-grah/ or ag spraoi /eg spree/.
To say that you like to play in this manner you begin with Is maith liom a bheith /Iss mah lyum a veh (‘I like to be’) and then add the activity.
So, Is maith liom a bheith ag spraoi /Iss mah lyum a veh eg spree/
..or Is maith liom a bheith ag súgradh /Iss mah lyum a veh eg soo-grah/
This structure can be used to say that you like to play with other people, or that you like to play with a particular thing or toy. You simply add the preposition le /leh/ (‘with’) and the noun in question.
For instance, ‘I like to play with my children’: Is maith liom a bheith ag spraoi le mo pháistí /Iss mah lyum a veh eg spree leh muh faw-ish-tee/
..or ‘I like to play with my friends’: Is maith liom a bheith ag súgradh le mo chairde /Iss mah lym a veh eg soo-grah leh muh kaw-ir-deh/
or ‘I like to play with Lego’: Is maith liom a bheith ag súgradh le Lego /Iss mah lym a veh eg soo-grah leh Lego/
or even ‘I like to play with colours’: Is maith liom a bheith ag spraoi le dathanna /Iss mah lyum a veh eg spree leh da-hun-ah/
Playing games that have names or structure.
In the case of games such as these we are going to use the verbal noun of the the verb imir /im-irr/ (‘to play’):
ag imirt /eg im-irt/ (‘playing’)
This is how to say ‘I like to play basketball’: Is maith liom a bheith ag imirt cispeile /Iss mah lyum a veh eg im-irt kish-fel-eh/
When using this sentence structure the noun (‘cispheil’) is in its genitive form (‘cispheile‘ because it follow the verbal noun (‘ag imirt’).
Is maith liom a bheith ag imirt cártaí /Iss mah lyum a veh eg im-irt kawr-thee/
..and I like playing hurling’: Is maith liom a bheith ag imirt iománaíochta /Iss mah lyum a veh eg im-irt um-awn-ee-uk-thuh/
Again, this structure can be used to say that you like to play with other people simply add the preposition le /leh/ (‘with’) and the noun in question.
For instance, ‘I like playing basketball with my son’: Is maith liom a bheith ag imirt cispeile le mo mhac /Iss mah lyum a veh eg im-irt kish-fel-eh leh muh vok/
Playing music or a musical instrument.
Here we will use the ag seinm /eg shen-im/, the verbal noun of the verb ‘to play’ that is use in reference to music: seinn /shyne/
To simply say ‘I like to play music’ we say: Is maith liom a bheith ag seinm ceoil /Iss mah lyum a veh eg shen-im kyo-il/
Here’s one way to say ‘I like to play the harp’: Is maith liom a bheith ag seinm na cruite /Iss mah lyum a veh eg shen-im nuh krit-eh/
Here’s how to say ‘I like to play on the whistle’: Is maith liom a bheith ag seinm ar an bhfeadóg /Iss mah lyum a veh eg shen-im air un vad-owg/
The Irish for whistle is feadóg /fad-owg/. There is a little bit of grammar at play here as when the noun is preceded by the simple preposition ar /air/ (‘on’) and the definite article an/un/ (‘the’) it causes urú /ur-oo/ on the noun (feadóg becomes bhfeadóg).
Seanfhocal (proverb)
Let’s finish with a seanfhocal /shan-uk-al/, or proverb. This one is simply a list of some of the things that make for a pleasant and salubrious existence:
Bia don chorp, deoch don bheol, comhrá, damhsa agus ceol /Bee-ah dun khorp, dy-ukh dun vyowl, koh-raw, dow-suh a-guss kyohl/
Food for the body, drink for the lips, conversation, dancing and music.
Never a truer word was said!