"Triaileann sí an bia nua."
Translation:She tries the new food.
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Wouldn't "Baineann sí triail as an bia nua" be more natural, that would have been what we were taught to say back in school.
The verb bain can have a range of different meanings, but the "phrasal verb" bain triail as means to "try out", and baineann sí triail as an bia nua means "she tries out the new food".
my answer was; She tests the new food.: i understood "Triaileann " to mean test/try. Marked wrong anyway!
For food, in the restricted sense of checking for safety, nutrition, etc., triail could be translated as “test” (or “experiment on”). Otherwise, for food, it’s best thought of as “try” or “test out” (in the sense of “sample”).
So in this example, she tries the new food, as in it's something she hasn't eaten before, so she is trying it, and not per se, testing it to see if it's gone off, or has some sort of toxicity?
Since this sentence has no context, either meaning is possible, but the “sample” meaning (“Hmmm, I wonder how this jalapeño-prawn pudding tastes?”) would probably be used more frequently.
What dialect is "nua" pronounced as "nu"? I haven't come across this one before.
The pronunciation examples on teanglann.ie are interesting. The Connacht and Munster speakers both say "noo" for nua and bliain nua, but nua for an Nua-Shéalainn and ceol nua-aoise. To confuse matters further, listen to the pronunciations of nó.
Luckily, they aren't likely to be confused in context - you can usually tell when nua is meant, even if you hear "noo", and you should be safe enough sticking with nua in your own pronunciation, even if you are favouring Connacht Irish.
Perhaps could it be even a little intraregional thing? At least the pronounciations are not completely different and both can be recognised as the same word. Thank you for your help.
It’s a slender tr combination followed by a short vowel, so its slender r component can be subtle.