91Èȱ¬

Criomagan: Guthan Binn nam Bonn (Anna Nic na Ceardaich)
Naidheachdan: Taghadh nan Comhairlean (‘The Council Elections’)

1. CHA MHÒR ‘Almost’ / ‘Hardly’

Anna Nic na Ceardaich:
“Bhon a bha mi caran coltach ri poodle mòr, gheàrr mi mo ghruag seachdain no dhà ron a’ Mhòd ’s cha mhòr gu robh gruag air fhàgail orm idir.”
“Since I looked a bit like a big poodle, I cut my hair a week or two before the Mod, and there was hardly any hair left on me at all.”

CHA MHÒR GUN.... ‘HARDLY’
Cha mhòr gun robh gruag air fhàgail orm.
‘There was hardly any hair left on me’
Cha mhòr gu bheil duine an seo.
‘There’s hardly anybody here.’
Cha mhòr gu bheil mi ga do chluinntinn.
‘I’m hardly hearing / can hardly hear you.’
Cha mhòr gun do chaidil mi a-raoir.
‘I hardly slept last night.’
Cha mhòr gun d’fhuair sinn cothrom.
‘We hardly got a chance.’

CHA MHÒR NACH.... ‘NEARLY, ALMOST’
Cha mhòr nach eil sinn deiseil.
‘We’re almost ready.’
Cha mhòr nach robh an talla làn.
‘The hall was nearly full.’
Cha mhòr nach do chaidil mi.
‘I almost slept.’
Cha mhòr nach d’fhuair mi duais.
‘I almost got a prize.’

CHA MHÒR ‘nearly’
Cha mhòr dà fhichead bliadhna ais ais
‘Nearly 40 years ago’
Tha sinn cha mhòr deiseil.
‘We’re nearly ready.’

2. B’ FHEUDAR DO X ‘X HAD TO’

Anna Nic na Ceardaich:
“Mar sin, b’ fheudar dhomhsa dhol air ais dhan taigh-òsta agus òran eile ullachadh aig a’ mhionaid mu dheireadh.”
“So I had to go back to the hotel and prepare another song at the last minute.”

Feumaidh mi - ‘I must, I need to, I have to’.
Feumaidh mi dhol air ais. ‘I must / need to / have to go back.’

‘I had to, needed to’: B’ FHEUDAR DHOMH (‘It was necessary for me’).

B’ fheudar dhomh dhol air ais
‘I had to go back.’
B’ fheudar dhut dhol air ais.
‘You had to go back’
B’ fheudar dha dhol air ais.
‘He had to go back.’
B’ fheudar dhi dhol air ais.
‘She had to go back.’

B’ fheudar dhuinn dhol air ais.
‘We had to go back.’
B’ fheudar dhuibh dhol air ais.
‘You all had to go back.’
B’ fheudar dhaibh dhol air ais.
‘They had to go back.’

B’ fheudar dhan teaghlach air fad dhol air ais.
‘The whole family had to go back.’

B’ fheudar dhomh coltach ri B’ urrainn dhomh ‘I could’ (‘It was possible for me’)
B’ urrainn dhomh dhol air ais ‘I could go back’
B’ urrainn dhut dhol air ais ‘You could go back’
B’ urrainn dha dhol air ais ‘He could go back’
B’ urrainn dhi dhol air ais ‘She could go back’

3. -INN ‘I would, I used to’

Fearchar MacIllFhinnein:
“Dh’iarrainn-sa a bhith cho ionadail ’s a ghabhas.”
“I’d want to be as local as possible.”

Dh’iarradh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad ach DH’IARRAINN ‘I would want’

Dhèanadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad
ach Dhèanainn rud sam bith dhut. ‘I’d do anything for you.’

Chluicheadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad
ach Chluichinn ball-coise gach Disathairne. ‘I’d play football every Saturday.’

Chanadh tu / e / i / sinn / sibh / iad
Ach Chanainn gu robh sibh gu math fortanach. ‘I’d say you were quite lucky.’

4. CHO ... ’S A ... agus CHO ... RI: ‘As ... as ...’

Fearchar MacIllFhinnein:
“Dh’iarrainn-sa a bhith cho ionadail ’s a ghabhas.”
“I’d want to be as local as possible.”

Cho luath ’s a ghabhas.
‘as fast /as soon as takes’ = ‘as fast / as soon as possible’
Cho luath ’s as urrainn dhomh
‘as fast /as soon as I can’
Cho luath ’s a thig iad
‘As soon as they come’
Leig fios dhomh cho luath ’s a nochdas iad.
‘Let me know as soon as they appear.’

Ach: ‘as fast as’ + NOUN (ainmear) : CHO luath RI
cho luath ris a’ ghaoith
‘as fast as the wind’
cho luath ris an dealanaich
‘as fast as (the) lightning’
cho fada ri mo ghàirdean
‘as long as my arm’
cho laghach ris an òr
‘as nice as gold, as good as gold’
cho trang ri ban-aba ’s i paidireachd
‘as busy as an abbess saying the rosary’
cho beag ri cuileag
‘as small as a fly’