Oisean a' Ghr脿mair: Sreath 2: 1
CHO (‘so’, ‘as’, ‘how’)
(i) cho: ‘so’
‘so good’ – cho math. Bha siud cho math!
‘so cold’ – cho fuar. Tha i cho fuar an-diugh.
‘so slow’ – cho slaodach. Carson a tha iad cho slaodach?
‘so friendly’ – cho laghach. Bha iad uile cho laghach!
(ii) cho...ri: ‘as...as’
e.g. ‘as big as a house’, ‘as fast as the wind’, ‘as happy as larry’:
cho mòr ri beinn ‘as big as a mountain’
cho luath ris a’ ghaoith ‘as fast as the wind’
cho sona ri bròig ‘as happy as a shoe’
cho toilichte ri luch ann an lofa ‘as happy as a mouse in a loaf’
cho tinn / bochd ris a’ chù ‘as sick / poorly as the dog’
cho salach ris a’ chù ‘as filthy as the dog’
cho sgìth ris a’ chù ‘as tired as the dog’
cho leisg ri seann chù ‘as lazy as an old dog’
cho laghach ris an òir ‘as kind as gold’
cho gòrach ris na faoileagan ‘as silly as the gulls’
cho coltach (ri chèile) ri dà sgadan ‘as alike (each other) as two herring’
cho mòr rium ‘as big as me’
cho àrd riut ‘as tall as you’
cho òg ris ‘as young as him’
cho èibhinn rithe ‘as funny as her’
(iii) cho...is a ghabhas: ‘as...as possible’
cho mòr ’s a ghabhas ‘as big as can be, as big as possible’
cho àrd ’s a ghabhas ‘as tall as can be, as tall as possible’
cho luath ’s a ghabhas ‘as soon as can be, as soon as possible’
cho luath ’s a : ‘as soon as’
cho luath ’s a ghabhas
‘as soon as possible’
Cho luath ’s a chunnaic iad mi, theich iad.
‘As soon as they saw me, they ran.’
Cho luath ’s a chluinneas mi, fonaidh mi.
‘As soon as I hear, I’ll phone.’
(iv) cho...is a : ‘how...!’
Seall cho luath ’s a tha iad!
‘Look how quick they are!’
Cha do thuig mi cho mòr is a bha iad.
‘I didn’t realise how big they were.’
Nach eil e iongantach cho àrd is a tha na craobhan seo!
‘Isn’t it amazing how high these trees are!’
cho luath ’s a tha iad ‘how quick they are’
cho mòr is a bha iad ‘how big they were’
cho àrd is a tha na craobhan ‘how high the trees are’
Dè cho...is a?: ‘How...?
Dè cho luath ’s a tha iad? ‘How quick are they?’
Dè cho mòr is a bhitheas iad? ‘How big will they be?’
Dè cho àrd is a leum i? ‘How high did she jump?’
