Why 'Ann An' changes to 'Ann Am'

Ever wonder why you keep seeing 'ann am' in sentences? Click play to to hear why it appears. This tiny tweak will make your Gaelic look and sound more skillful.
I mentioned it in the video and it's worth repeating: You don't have to have a degree in linguistics to learn Gaelic. Just focus on meaning and communicating first. Then, when you feel comfortable with lots of Gaelic, look into a bit of grammar to sharpen your accuracy.
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Thanks for stopping by!
-Jason

[@Sabhail_ar_Alba]

"Big Fat Member of Parliament " is how I was taught to remember.

[@mariannekulenkampff7140]

Hello Jason. I use the Big Fairies Make Pancakes to remember. There are no exceptions???? Love your classes!!! One day I’ll do the conversation w you !!!! Tapadh leibh !!! MA

[@louiserule1358]

I would liken it to using “an” instead of “a” in English when the noun begins with a vowel, as in, for example, “ an apple” as opposed to “a apple”

[@GaelicwithJason]

That makes great sense. Thanks for pointing that out, Louise. :)

[@SacredTaiChi]

Big Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

[@GaelicwithJason]

Blasda! Yum!

[@anniehallmark411]

Oh gosh. I can't even. This is perfect! So easy to remember!! Love it. The big fluffy mashed potatoes. DYING!

[@Dawn_Hannah]

I’ve also heard Big Fat Members of Parliament. 😜

[@SacredTaiChi]

@@Dawn_Hannah That is hilarious, and very contemporary.

[@GaelicwithJason]

Agreed. Plus, it makes the pattern very memorable. :)

[@kerstinvoigt5143]

Great! 4 minutes and everything is clear. Thanks a lot

[@GaelicwithJason]

My pleasure, Kerstin! Thanks for watching and happy new year!

[@afasdfsdasfasdfdsf7931]

hardly any channels teach gaelic, but why isn't there more?

[@GaelicwithJason]

Agreed. In my experience, it's because Gaelic is taught traditionally with textbooks and through grammatical explanations. We need a focus on communication!

[@AlastairSiosal]

Great job Jason! The way I think of "An" vs. "Am" is really an extension of what you are saying about the flow of the words. To me "Am" precedes any word that starts with your lips closed or in contact with teeth. M,F,B and P all do this exclusively. No "V" in the Gaelic alphabet but if an English word starting with "V" was borrowed into a Gaelic sentence I'd bet it would be treated with "Am" ... Ann am Virginia perhaps?

[@GaelicwithJason]

Hmmm, inntinneach. "ann an Virginia" makes sense to me. If it was Gaelicized, it would be Bhirginia and that checks out, in my eyes. Cool! 🙂

[@darachurquhart4290]

This guys got great style! Many thanks for the memory hooks. First class!

[@johnmcgarvey4758]

I always wondered about that.

[@hagnar08]

Very easy explanation! Tapadh leat!

[@GaelicwithJason]

'S e ur beatha, Mike!

[@PrivatePilot66]

Finally, I get it... thanks

[@GaelicwithJason]

Excellent. Well done, Larry! 🙂 Thanks for watching and enjoy your weekend.

[@lesliehall2210]

This is so helpful! Not to mention the Big Fluffy Mashed Potatoes and Big Fat Members of Parliament. Tapadh leibh!

[@GaelicwithJason]

Excellent! I like that Big Fat Members of Parliment too - wish I had it years ago when I started out. :)

[@happytraveller8953]

Yep--M, B, and P are all bilabial consonents (two lips involved) and so the progression from 'm' to another word starting with m,b, and p is a natural one because your lips are already together. Not sure how the 'f' figures in this because technically it isn't a bilabial sound...

[@GaelicwithJason]

Just a quirk of Gaelic. 🙂

[@carolthomson9099]

Hi, I am just starting to learn Gaelic so could you please tell me where in your lessons I should start and go through in order as I think I started incorrectly. The first video of yours I watched is Learning Gaelic 1, but it was.all words and sentences being placed together, I think I need to learn the basics first ha. Loving the way you teach by the way.

[@GaelicwithJason]

Hi Carol. Welcome! I'm glad you're here. 🙂 I would start with the Get Started with Scottish Gaelic Playlist to start building up your foundation. It'll go step-by-step, growing your Gaelic tremendously over a short period of time. Let me know how it goes!

[@SugaarAciid]

Hi there! I am from a place called the Isle of Harris in Scotland, for some reason there is a village here called Tarbert and in Gàidhlig it's "air an Tairbeart" - would you happen to know why/how this rule occurs? Tapadh leibh, a charaid!

[@GaelicwithJason]

Hi Shannon. I hope things on Harris are going well these days. 🙂 From what I remember, Tairbeart means a portage, as in a place to bring boats across land. In my mind, it would make sense to be "on" a piece of land where boats are dragged, rather than being "in" it, if that makes sense. Also, Gaelic tends to say "on" the land, ie: in the Highlands is literally translated as "on the Highlands" (*air* a' Ghàidhealtachd). Does that help at all?

[@SugaarAciid]

@@GaelicwithJason that is true, it's Norse for 'narrow neck of land' so a portage would be correct! Saying "on X" rather than "in X" does make more sense when you look at it that way, thank you.

[@GaelicwithJason]

@@SugaarAciid 'S e do bheatha. Gaelic is often quite literal - despite the fact that we're 'in' islands instead of on them! Thanks for your question. 🙂

[@nevem5010]

👍👍❤️

[@GaelicwithJason]

Tapadh leat!