Why don't I know simple words in Irish?

I was on the Newstalk Breakfast radio show this week talking about learning Irish. Presenter Ciara Kelly said in despair, 'I don't even know the word for 'strawberry' in Irish.'

I can understand Ciara's frustration...

you would think that after 13 years of learning a language simple everyday vocabulary would not be a challenge.

However...

there's a simple answer to this!

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

If you don't hear a word in the target language (Irish in this case) often enough, you simply won't remember it. That's it.

There is no mystery.

So, why hadn't Ciara heard the Irish word for 'strawberry' often enough?

Sméara Dubha not Sú Talún!

There's a very simple answer: schools return in September, and every single year, for generations children in primary school learn the phrase 'ag piocadh sméara dubha' (picking blackberries) in their Irish textbooks.

Strawberry season is in late June - school is out, and so there's no talk of sú talúna in primary textbooks!

(And of course, strawberries were a rare treat until recently!)

So, until you hear a word or phrase a tonne of times you simply won't remember it.

Don't beat yourself up!