An Irish Phone Call

Vitaee · **Joined:** Wed 16 Nov 2016 11:12 pm **Posts:** 190

Bríd Mhór wrote:

I made a mistake in the calculation Vitaee. And made you two years older than you are. That was the joke. Maths was never my strong point. :LOL:

I'm old enough as it is. Please don't give me any more years!! :razz:

Vitaee · **Joined:** Wed 16 Nov 2016 11:12 pm **Posts:** 190

Labhrás wrote:

Vitaee wrote:

Bríd Mhór wrote:

53

you can say like in English.
Tá mé caoga trí (bliana d’aois).

Or like the older people, and traditional way to say it.
Tá mé chúig bliana déag is dhá fhicid (d’aois).

No idea how to parse that last one. Any hints? My attempt to brute force that one came out as "I am towards ten and two of twenty years (of age).

chúig bliana déag is dhá fhichid = 55 years

c(h)úig bliana déag = 15 years
is dhá fhichid = and two twenties

15+2x20 = 15+40 = 55

???? First, why the seimhiu on chúig.
Second, how typical is it to say "15 years and two twenties" like this, and would anybody ever say something like "3 years and and 5 tens"?

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 8:29 pm **Posts:** 2933

Vitaee wrote:

???? First, why the seimhiu on chúig.

It's a Conamara thing. We put Hs where nobody else puts them.

Vitaee wrote:

Second, how typical is it to say "15 years and two twenties" like this, and would anybody ever say something like "3 years and and 5 tens"?

No, it has to be multiples of 20s. I don't know why.

Everybody used that system of counting long ago. Probably only the old people use it now. I doubt many young people use it, but I'm not sure really.

Labhrás · **Joined:** Sat 03 May 2014 4:01 pm **Posts:** 1414

Vitaee wrote:

???? First, why the seimhiu on chúig.

Same h as in dhá (two) and cheithre (four)

Vitaee wrote:

Second, how typical is it to say "15 years and two twenties" like this,

Very typical.
It has been the normal way for centuries - before Irish children started learning Irish (and maths) in school.

Normal also in other languages:
Berrogeita hamabost (Basque) = 2x20 + 15 = 55
Quatre-vingts-dix-neuf (French) = 4x20 + 19 = 99

Vitaee wrote:

and would anybody ever say something like "3 years and and 5 tens"?

Fifty three = "fif" (5) x "ty" (tens) + three (3)
Irish caoga doesn't mean anything else than "five tens" (deich is only a bit more disguised)

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