OIDE – Teanglann Ar Líne
Online Language Lab
OIDE – Teanglann Ar Líne (Online Language Lab) sets out to aid students acquire spoken Gaeilge through real conversations, real voices, and bite-size lessons that show how the language really works.
OIDE is an independent learning, audio-based platform with thousands of native speaker audio files. It is being developed on an ongoing and voluntary basis by Col. Lurgan.
Central to the platform is an analysing feature that provides feedback on students’ recordings.
Gaeilge Isn’t Difficult — It’s Different
The main challenges are less about difficulty and more about difference. Here are the key patterns to notice.
One characteristic of Gaeilge is Initial Consonant Mutation, which means sound changes may occur at the beginning of nouns and verbs.
These sound changes (mutations) are important in understanding the relationship between words and can change the role they play in a sentence. These are not optional.
The two types of mutations are:
- Lenition (Séimhiú)
- Eclipsis (Urú)
Verb endings differ according to tense. Recognising the pattern of verb endings is essential.
Gaeilge does not have words for yes and no.
Instead, the verb is echoed in the answer to express the affirmative or negative.
Example:
Ar chaith tú é? (Did you throw it?) Chaith (Yes) / Níor chaith (No)
English does not have distinct prepositional pronouns such as:
- agam (at me)
- orm (on me)
- dom (for / to me)
- liom (with me)
The use of prepositional pronouns is a fundamental difference between Gaeilge and English. This results in things being expressed differently and makes word-for-word translation impossible.
There is a pattern/system to using prepositional pronouns that becomes evident with practice. There are 15 in total.
There are two forms of the verb to be that are completely different and non-interchangeable.
These are the most frequently used verbs, so this issue needs to be clarified from the beginning.
- Tá
- Describing: Tá sé fuar
- Actions: Tá sé ag obair
- Location: Tá sé ar an mbord
- Is
- Used to define what something is, usually followed by a noun
- Is fear é
- Never: Tá sé fear
All languages have their own particular set of phonemes (sounds) that give them their own characteristic.
Gaeilge has a number of sounds that are not in English, just as English has sounds that are not in Gaeilge.
The OIDE Approach
- Concentrate on everyday exchanges that can be put to immediate use
- Working with authentic conversational materials leads to real progress
- You don’t need to know everything right away
- The most common 1,000 words account for 80% of spoken communication
Learn by heart the basic Q&A constructions of everyday chit-chat.
Imitating native speakers is the best way to program pronunciation.
Improving pronunciation:
- Changes how you listen
- Helps you learn faster
- Tunes your ear to the sounds and rhythms of Gaeilge
“We’re able to pronounce anything — we’re just not used to doing it yet.”
Native speakers cut, mix, and drop sounds when speaking informally.
OIDE focuses on prevalent examples as spoken in Conamara:
- Ce’ chaoi…? — How…?
- Cá ’il…? — Where…?
- Céar’ ’tá…? — What…?
- ’Bhfuil tú…? — Are you…?
Mimicking these gives maximum return for minimal effort.
Gaeilge has several phonemes absent from English.
Example:
- “ch” sound as in chuaigh / chonaic / amach
English speakers instinctively pronounce this as a “k”, while German speakers already have this sound (e.g. Bach, ich).
Emphasise communication over perfection.
- Fear of mistakes is the biggest barrier
- You will never acquire Gaeilge without speaking
- Making mistakes builds confidence
- Making lots of mistakes means you’re actually using the language
Key to Highlighting of Text
Dialogue in OIDE is highlighted to emphasise pronunciation.
How to Independently Undertake the Essential Vocab Module
A simple loop that works:
Download and print the Q&A lesson text.
Watch the sample class for the lesson.
Listen → Repeat → Record → Compare → Analyse
- Each lesson has 12–16 Q&A recordings
- Record your own voice
- Practice out loud before recording
- Focus on quality repetition
Repetition is central to learning:
- High-frequency phrases
- Pronunciation
- Grammar structures
Compare your recording with the original and try again. Each attempt improves.
The goal is to notice correct pronunciation yourself and not settle for poor habits.
Task-based language learning helps learners notice form-function relationships.
- Self-correcting interactive tasks
- Mostly audio-based
- Use the same target audios
- Immediate feedback
Repeat each audio aloud as often as possible.
Revisiting lessons after:
- 1 week
- 1 month
- 3 months
- 1 year
Greatly increases long-term retention.
- Learners record responses to prompts
- Requires thinking before responding
- Mimics real conversation
- Immediate confirmation on playback
These exercises use anticipation to replicate real-life spoken interaction where recall must be fast and natural.
Say the answer out loud before you click anything.
Record early, then repeat—your ear improves fast.