Since English is also spoken in the Gaelic-speaking areas, communication in Gaelic is not so much a matter of necessity as of choice and interest. This book, therefore, covers more than just the phrases needed by an outsider in a foreign land - it also dips into the chatty, the personal and domestic aspects of the language. It ranges from simple words and phrases to the more complex and idiomatic.

Hopefully it will serve the non-speaker of Gaelic who wishes to utter the odd phrase and get an idea of the language, the person whose parents spoke Gaelic and who understands it but is unwilling to 'try his hand' and also the keen learner, who might like to gain a greater scope of everyday phrases than those contained in grammar books of the language. Obviously the whole of the Gaelic language cannot be contained in one book. Therefore a selection has been made of those words and phrases most likely to be useful in everyday situations, for example meeting and greeting, aspects of travelling, the weather and eating and drinking. If this selection has been successful, the reader will find the book not only informative but also interesting.