91Èȱ¬

1. Sùil air ais:

An t-Urr. Ruairidh MacLeòid:

“Tha e iongantach mar a tha sinn a’ crochadh air an uair airson ar n-obair.”
“It’s astonishing how we depend on the time [‘we’re hanging on the time’] for our work.”

ar n-athair ‘our father’
ar n-eachdraidh ‘our history’
ar n-each ‘our horse’
ar n-òrain ‘our songs’
ar n-uaireadairean ‘our wristwatches’

(Faic BEAG AIR BHEAG 3, Prògram 3; agus BEAG AIR BHEAG Sreath 1, Prògram 2.)

“Tha cuimhne a’m turas, bha mi fhèin is dithis eile a’ fuireach còmhla ann an Dùn Èideann nuair a bha mi nam oileanach.”
“I remember once, me and two others were staying together in Edinburgh when I was a student.”

nuair a bha mi nam oileanach ‘when I was a student’ [‘in my student’]
nuair a bha sinne nar n-oileanaich ‘when we were students’ [‘in our students’]

(Faic BEAG AIR BHEAG 3, Prògram 3.)

“Chaidh mise sìos làthaichean na bu tràithe.”
“I went down days earlier.”
“Bha iad mòran na bu ghlice na tha sinne an-diugh.”
“They were much wiser than we are today.”

(Faic BEAG AIR BHEAG 3, Prògraman 4 & 5.)

2. CHO [doirbh] IS A . . . / ‘How [difficult]…’, ‘As [difficult] as…’, etc

(Faic cuideachd BEAG AIR BHEAG Sreath 2, Prògram 1.)

An t-Urr. Ruairidh MacLeòid:

“Tha e a’ sealltainn cho doirbh ’s a tha e mura h-eil uaireadair againn.”
“It shows how difficult it is if we don’t have watches.”

cho doirbh is a tha e
‘how difficult it is’
cho feumach is a tha sinn
‘how dependent we are’
Chuir e iongnadh orm cho luath is a thàinig iad.
‘It surprised me how quickly they came.’
A bheil fhios agad cho bochd is a tha mi?
‘Do you realise how poor I am?’
A bheil fhios agad cho gann is a tha an sporan agam?
‘Do you realise how empty my wallet is?’
Tha e a rèir cho tric is a dh’fheuchas tu.
‘It depends on how often you try.’
Tha fhios agam cho mòr is a tha thu ag iarraidh fòn-làimh ùr.
‘I know how much* / how greatly you want a new phone.’

Ceistean: DÈ CHO…?

Dè cho gann is a tha an sporan agad?
‘How empty is your wallet?
Dè cho bochd is a bha thu?
‘How poor were you?’
Dè cho luath is a thig iad?
‘How quickly / How soon will they come?’
Dè cho doirbh is a bhios an obair agad?
‘How difficult will your job be?’
Dè cho feumach is a tha thusa air an uair nad obair?
‘How dependent are you on the time/clock in your work?
Dè cho faisg is a tha sinn air deireadh an oisein-ghràmair seo?
‘How close are we to the end of this Grammar-Spot?’
Dè cho mòr is a tha thu ag iarraidh an fòn ùr sin?
‘How much*/How greatly do you want this new phone?’

* Ach ‘How much (£££)?’:
Dè phrìs a th’ air a’ chuilean sin san uinneig? NO Dè na tha an cuilean sin san uinneig?
‘How much is that doggy in the window?’

‘as *** as’ + VERB (gnìomhair):

Thàinig mi a-nuas cho luath ’s a chuala mi.
‘I came down as soon as I heard.’
cho luath ’s a ghabhas
‘as quickly as possible / as soon as possible’
Chan eil an sporan aige a leth cho gann is a tha e a’ coimhead!
‘His wallet isn’t half as thin as it looks!’
A bheil am baile cho beothail is a chanas iad?
‘Is the town as jumping as they say?’
Beothail? Tha e cho marbh is a chunnaic mi riamh e!
‘Jumping? It’s as dead as I’ve ever seen it.’
Fhuair mi cho faisg air leòmhann is a gheibh mi gu bràth.
“I got as close to a lion as I’ll ever get.’

ACH... ‘as *** as a/the’ + NOUN : cho . . . ri

cho luath ris a’ ghaoith ‘as fast as the wind’
cho sona ri bròig ‘as happy as larry’
cho laghach ris an òr ‘as nice as pie’ [‘as gold’]
cho laghach riutsa ‘as nice as you’