Help! I need somebody...

...to explain Gaelic 'infinitives' to me.

- Is it the verbal noun that is used in all cases?

- Is it preceded by 'a', and does this 'a' lenite?

- Do direct object nouns and pronouns come before or after the infinitive?

I know that indirect object nouns and pronouns follow the preposition but I'm mightily confused by direct objects.
I've examined this topic in several sources including the excellent Taic but I still find all the various rules confusing.

Generally I've found that, while some parts of Gaelic are easy to grasp and memorise, the use of infinitives and the definite article are almost overwhelmingly complicated and daunting. So any help in this regard is much appreciated, tapadh leibh.

However, despite this obsession with grammar, I am taking steps to actually speak the language to people. I went to a conversation group last week and I plan on going semi-regularly to try out the stuff I've learned. Last week I realised that I need more vocab (cue horrific memories of learning lists of words - bain of my life for the last 10 years!)

Here's a clip of the Latin class in Dead Poets Society. If only learning vocab had been that fun, alas!

Gumption

When learning a language, you can't be shy. You have to have no fear in cocking up, making mistakes (even embarrassing ones!) and in insisting that native speakers let you practise a bit. You need to put your ego on the line more than you would otherwise.

I remember when I was in Germany and one of my fellow flatmates (called Britta) was overly keen in correcting every. single. mistake. even when I was halfway through a sentence. While it was massively offputting, I ploughed on and now I think I can speak German fluently without too many mistakes.

It's also nice to look back sometimes on old texts you've written in the language and to notice the mistakes you made then. It shows that you've made progress. If you didn't make the mistakes and instead waited for some mythical time when you will suddenly break forth into perfect Gaelic, German, Arabic, or what have you, you'll be dead before you could ever speak it.

That said, whenever a learner of your language speaks to you, there are better and worse ways of correcting them. The best way is to somehow work into your response the correct way of saying what he was trying to say, without explicitly correcting him. This is often how parents correct children too as it doesn't strike a blow to their esteem.

The less good way is to point out the mistake explicitly. This is best done AFTER the attempt at the sentence has been made rather than the moment the mistake is made. Often a learner will realise the mistake before the end of the sentence and will correct himself. Self-correction is more effective than other correction as again it doesn't damage that fragile ego as much.

My ego was in tatters every time I spoke to Britta. My friends and fellow German learners often commiserated with me. But I developed a thick skin and I confidently make up any old sentence and send it to Tormod to decipher. I'm not sure how well it works out for him, but generally he seems to respond to what I say. So I'd say my skin is now thick enough to expose all my Gaelic mistakes online and advertise them on Twitter. So mòran taing, a Bhritta!