LCA Gaeilge Chumarsáideach key terms

The listening section of the exam, in which candidates hear recordings such as conversations, announcements or interviews and answer questions on what they heard. Answers usually require catching specific details rather than translating every word.

Understanding spoken Irish by ear. It covers recognising words in connected speech, following the thread of a dialogue and picking out the information a question asks for, even when some vocabulary is unfamiliar.

The main point or gist of a spoken or written text. Identifying it means deciding what the speaker or writer most wants to communicate, as distinct from minor details or examples used in passing.

Specific details such as names, numbers, times, places and prices. Exam questions often test whether you can locate these precisely in a text or recording rather than relying on general understanding.

Numbers in Irish, including cardinal numbers for counting and ordinal numbers for ordering. They appear in prices, dates, ages and times, and the spoken forms can differ from what learners expect, so they need dedicated practice.

The way time is expressed in Irish, including clock times, parts of the day and time prepositions. Listening and reading tasks frequently ask when something happens, so accurate recognition of time phrases is essential.

Dates and the conventions for saying days, months and years in Irish. Questions may ask when an event takes place or when a form is due, so both the written and spoken forms should be familiar.

Sentence stress, meaning which words a speaker emphasises. In Irish, stress usually falls on the first syllable of a word, but contrastive emphasis within a sentence can change meaning and signal what the speaker considers important.

Pronunciation, including individual sounds, consonant clusters and the effects of initial mutations on spoken forms. Recognising how written Irish is actually pronounced is central to understanding recordings and to being understood when speaking.

The reading section of the exam, where candidates read texts such as notices, articles, letters or forms and answer questions. Skimming for gist and scanning for detail are the two core techniques tested.

Scanning, a reading technique where you move quickly through a text looking only for a particular item such as a name, figure or date. It is faster than close reading and is used when the question tells you what to find.

Context, the surrounding words and situation that help you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase. Using context is an expected strategy in reading tasks where glossaries are not provided.

Vocabulary, the range of words and phrases a learner knows and can use. Exam tasks reward a broad active vocabulary, and reading and listening passages assume familiarity with everyday and topical lexis.

A traditional Irish proverb or saying, often metaphorical and sometimes archaic in vocabulary. Recognising common seanfhocail helps with reading comprehension and can add natural flavour to written and spoken answers.

The title or heading of a text. Titles often signal the topic and text type, so reading them first gives a useful frame before you tackle the body of a passage.

A subheading within a text. Subheadings break a passage into sections and can help you locate the part that answers a particular question without reading everything in detail.

The speaking section of the exam, covering both prepared or semi-prepared production and interaction with an examiner or partner. Fluency, pronunciation, range of vocabulary and ability to keep a conversation going are all assessed.

A conversation or dialogue. In the oral exam it refers to the interactive part where you respond to questions, ask for clarification and keep the exchange going naturally rather than giving one-word answers.

Questions, both the forms used to ask them and the ability to answer them fully. Knowing question words and how they combine with verbs helps you respond promptly and ask for repetition when needed.

A schedule or prepared outline, such as the topics and phrases you plan to cover in the oral. A light structure keeps you talking fluently without sounding rehearsed or running out of things to say.

A verb. Irish verbs carry tense, person and mood endings, and the two main present-tense patterns behave differently. Controlling verb forms is essential for accurate spoken and written production.

Tense, the grammatical marking of time on a verb, for example past, present and future. It also means weather in everyday Irish, so context decides which sense is intended.

Mood in grammar, such as the indicative, conditional or subjunctive. The conditional is particularly common in polite requests and hypothetical statements, and the subjunctive appears in fixed wishes and blessings.

Lenition, the softening of an initial consonant, shown in writing by a following h. It is triggered by gender, case, possession and certain particles, and it changes pronunciation as well as spelling.

Eclipsis, where a consonant at the start of a word is replaced in writing by another letter and in speech by a related sound. It is triggered by plural possession, certain prepositions and other grammatical contexts.

A preposition. Irish prepositions combine with pronouns to form prepositional pronouns, and choosing the right one affects meaning and case, so they are a frequent source of error in production tasks.

A pronoun, used in place of a noun. Irish distinguishes emphatic and non-emphatic forms and has prepositional pronouns, so pronoun choice carries grammatical and stylistic information.

The written production section, where candidates write texts such as letters, emails, notices, short articles or opinion pieces. Accuracy, appropriate register and relevance to the task are all assessed.

A short informal note or filler item, often used for brief messages. In writing tasks it tests whether you can be concise and appropriate in tone for a very short, informal piece of communication.

An email. Writing tasks often ask for a formal or semi-formal email with a greeting, purpose, details and closing, so fixed opening and closing formulae should be learned.

A table of contents, or more loosely the structure and organisation of a written piece. In production tasks it reminds you to plan paragraphs so the reader can follow your argument or narrative.

An article, a common text type in written production. A good article has a clear introduction, developed points and a conclusion, and adopts a register suited to its intended readers.

Grammar, the system of rules governing word forms and sentence structure. Written production is marked for grammatical accuracy, so control of agreement, tense and sentence patterns matters as much as vocabulary.

Punctuation, including the use of the hyphen in Irish compound words and the correct marking of direct speech. Consistent punctuation improves clarity and is part of the assessment of written work.

A communicative task, an activity where language is used to achieve a real purpose such as arranging something, giving instructions or persuading. Tasks are judged on whether the message succeeds, not only on accuracy.

A portfolio, the collected record of a candidate's work over the course. It typically includes drafts, completed tasks and reflections, and demonstrates progress and range beyond a single timed exam.

Self-assessment, the process of judging your own work against criteria. It supports portfolio work by helping you identify strengths, notice recurring errors and set specific goals for improvement.

Feedback, comments from a teacher, peer or examiner on your work. Acting on feedback, rather than simply receiving it, is what turns a corrected draft into improved performance in later tasks.

Accuracy, the extent to which language is grammatically and lexically correct. It is balanced against fluency and communication in assessment, so learners should aim for control without becoming afraid to speak.