91Èȱ¬

1. BHA MI AIR . . . : ‘I had (got / heard / etc.)’

Mairead NicLeòid (Àm na Beannachd):
“Uill, bha mi air am bonn airgead fhaighinn ann an 1970, anns an Òban.”
“Well, I had got the silver medal in 1970, in Oban.”

“Nise, aig an àm sin, bha mise dìreach air cluinntinn mu dheidhinn bàrd Mhealaboist bho phiuthar mo mhàthair, m’ antaidh Anna.”
“Now, at that time I had only heard about the Mealbost bard from my mother’s sister, my aunty Anna.”

Murchadh Peutan (‘Balaich Ostail Phort Rìgh’):
“Ach tha cuimhn’ agam a bhith na mo sheasamh muigh ann a shin air a’ fire escape ’s dìreach a’ coimhead air ais air na bliadhnachan a bha mi air a chur seachad anns a’ hostel.”
“But I remember being stood out there on the fire escape and just looking back on the years that I’d spent in the hostel.”

Chuala mi
‘I heard’
Bha mi a’ cluintinn.
‘I was hearing.’
ACH
Bha mi air cluinntinn.
I had heard.

Sgrìobh mi thuca.
‘I wrote to them.’
Bha mi a’ sgrìobhadh thuca.
‘I was writing to them.’
ACH
Bha mi air sgrìobhadh thuca trì tursan.
‘I had written to them three times.’

Chuir mi seachad oidhche a-muigh.
‘I spent [put past] a night outside.’
Bha mi a’ cur seachad oidhche a-muigh.
‘I was spending a night outside.’
ach Bha mi air oidhche a chur seachad a-muigh.
‘I had spent a night outside.’

Chuir Murchadh seachad bliadhnachan...
‘Murdo spent years ... ’
Bha Murchadh a’ cur seachad bliadhnachan...
‘Murdo was spending years...’
ach Bha Murchadh air bliadhnachan a chur seachad anns a’ hostail.
‘Murdo had spent years in the hostel.’

Have (written), had (written), will have (written):
Tha mi air sgrìobhadh thuca.
‘I have written to them.’
Bha mi air sgrìobhadh thuca.
‘I had written to them.’
Bidh mi air sgrìobhadh thuca.
‘I will have written to them.’

2. CHA MHÒR NACH... / CHA MHÒR GUN... : Nearly / Hardly

Murchadh Peutan (‘Balaich Ostail Phort Rìgh’):
“...agus cha mhòr nach robh na deòir anns na sùilean agam.”
“The tears were almost in my eyes (I almost had tears in my eyes).”

Cha mhòr NACH...: almost, nearly

Cha mhòr nach eil am biadh deiseil.
‘The food’s nearly ready.’
Cha mhòr nach do dh’fhuirich mi.
‘I almost stayed.’
Cha mhòr nach do cheannaich mi càr.
‘I almost bought a car.’
Cha mhòr nach do thuit mi.
‘I nearly fell.’
Cha mhòr nach do dhìochuimhnich mi.
‘I almost forgot.’

Cha mhòr GUN...: hardly, scarcely

Cha mhòr gu bheil an trafaig a’ gluasad.
‘The traffic’s hardly moving.’
Cha mhòr gum fairich thu dad.
‘You’ll hardly feel a thing.’
Cha mhòr gun d’fhuair iad sgillinn air ais.
‘They hardly got a penny back.’
Cha mhòr gun do bhruidhinn mi idir.
‘I hardly spoke at all.’