91Èȱ¬

ATHARRACHADH FUAIMREIG SAN IOLRA (Vowel change in the plural)

Mar as trice le ainmearan aona-lideach (one-syllable).

Mar eisimpleir:

bòrd → bùird na bùird ‘the tables’
òrd → ùird na h-ùird ‘the hammers’

An càraich thu na trì bùird sin?
‘Will you mend those three tables?’
Ann am piàna, buailidh na h-ùird air na teudan.
‘In a piano, the hammers hit the strings’.

port → puirt na puirt ‘the tunes’
cnoc → cnuic na cnuic ‘the hills’

Chan aithne dhomh gin dhe na puirt sin.
‘I don’t know any of those tunes.’
Chì mi na cnuic bhom uinneag.
‘I can see the hills from my window.’

toll → tuill na tuill ‘the holes’
tonn → tuinn na tuinn ‘the waves’
fonn → fuinn na fuinn ‘the tunes, melodies’
bonn → buinn na buinn ‘the coins/medals’; ‘the heels’

Thoir an aire dha na tuill air an rathad seo!
Watch out for the potholes on this road!’
Bha na tuinn a’ sluaisreadh air a’ chladach.
‘The waves were washing up / lapping up on the shore.’
Chòrd na fuinn rium air fad, ged nach robh mi a’ tuigsinn facal.
‘I enjoyed all the melodies, even though I couldn’t understand a word.’
Dè na buinn a th’ agad an sin?
‘What coins (/medals) have you got there?’
Thug mi na buinn asam.
‘I took to my heels, I scampered’ (literally: ‘I took the heels out of me’).

eun → eòin na h-eòin ‘the birds’
gèadh → eòin na geòidh ‘the geese’
beul → beòil am beòil ‘their mouths’
neul → neòil na neòil ‘the clouds’

Bha na h-eòin a’ seinn sna craobhan.
‘The birds were singing in the trees.’
geòidh ghlasa Thirìodh ‘Tiree’s greylag geese’
Cuir biadh nam beòil. ‘Put food in their mouths.’
caistealan anns na neòil ‘castles in the clouds’ (i.e. ‘castles in the air’)

mac → mic na mic ‘the sons’
each → eich na h-eich ‘the horses’
Sin Màiri san dealbh, còmhla ri a mic.
‘That’s Màiri in the photo, with her sons.’
Chunnaic sinn trì eich air fàire.
‘We saw three horses on the horizon.’

cù → coin na coin ‘the dogs’
Nuair a dh’fhosgail mi an doras, thug na coin na buinn asta.
‘When I opened the door, the dogs scampered.’ (literally: ‘took the heels out of them’)

bò → bà na bà ‘the cows’
Tha fichead caora, còig mucan agus seachd bà aca.
‘They have twenty sheep, five pigs and seven cows.’

fiadh → fèidh na fèidh ‘the deer’ (plural)
Am faca tu na fèidh shìos aig an loch?
‘Did you see the deer down by the loch?’

bean → mnathan na mnathan ‘the ladies, the wives’
Bidh mnathan-glùine a’ faighinn trèanadh trì bliadhna.
‘Midwives get three years’ training.’

piuthar → peathraichean na peathraichean ‘the sisters’.
Seo dealbh eile de Mhàiri, còmhla ri a peathraichean.
‘Here’s another photo of Màiri, with her sisters.’

duine → daoine na daoine ‘the people, the persons’
Bruidhnidh mo dhaoine-sa ri ur daoine-se.
‘My people will speak to your people.’