Colin Mark. The Gaelic-English Dictionary/Гэльско-английский словарь

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were now redundant

□

dh’fheumadh iad

rùsgadh dheth ge be dè bha iomarcach

they had to strip away whatever was

superﬂuous

iomarra a plural

iomasgladh, -aidh nm miscellany

iomchaidh, -e a apposite, appropriate,

expedient, ﬁt, ﬁtting, meet, pertinent,

proper, seemly, serviceable, suitable

□

far

a bheil sin iomchaidh where that is ﬁtting

□

bha iad air na diathan a shuaimh-

neachadh le iobairtean iomchaidh they

had placated the gods with ﬁtting sacri-

ﬁces

□

aig aois iomchaidh at a suitable age

□

bhitheadh e iomchaidh facal no [a] dhà

a ràdh mu an deidhinn aig an ìre seo it

would be appropriate to say a word or two

about them at this stage

iomchar, -air nm & vn of iomchair carry-

ing etc., transport

□

’s e daimh a tha iad a’

cleachdadh airson iomchair they use oxen

for transport (lit. it is oxen that they use for

transport)

iomchair, iomchar v 1. carry, convey,

dispose, transport 2. blame, accuse

□

bha

mi gam iomchar fhèin I was blaming

myself

iomgain

□

see iomagain

iomgaineach

□

see iomagaineach

ìomhaigh, -e, -ean nf efﬁgy, icon, idol,

image, likeness, statue

□

mar ìomhaigh

statuesque

□

bha ìomhaigh an sin air

a snaigheadh às a’ chloich there was

a statue there carved from the rock

□

ìomhaighean faicsinneach visual images

ìomhaigheach a imaginary

ìomhaigheachd nf imagery

iomlaid, iomlaid v change, exchange

(money etc.)

□

iomlaid teas heat exchange

□

am faod mi seic iomlaid? may I cash

a cheque?

□

bha coltas an togalaich air

[a] iomlaid ann an deàrrsadh na grèine

air feasgar samhraidh the appearance of

the building was changed in the summer

evening sunshine

□

iomlaid (à 10sg)

change (from 10p)

□

ag iomlaid exchanging

(maths.)

iomlaid nf & vn of iomlaid changing etc.,

change, exchange

□

dèan iomlaid

exchange

□

an iomlaid in exchange

□

feu-

maidh sinn airgead a thoirt seachad an

iomlaid na tha sinn a’ ceannach we must

give money in exchange for what we buy

□

chan eil iomlaid agam I don’t have any

change

□

a bheil iomlaid chòig notaichean

agaibh? do you have change of ﬁve

pounds?

iomlan a absolute, complete, entire,

exhaustive, intact, plenary, replete,

total, thorough, whole

□

creideas

iomlan implicit faith

□

dèan iomlan

complete v

gu h-iomlan adv absolutely, all, alto-

gether, completely, quite, wholly

□

thàinig iad gu h-iomlan they all came

□

thig iad gu h-iomlan they will all

come

□

tha a’ choire gu h-iomlan ri

chur air the blame is wholly to be put

on him

□

bha e ceàrr gu h-iomlan he

was completely wrong

iomlan, -ain nm – always def – an

t-iomlan the aggregate, the whole

amount, all, quantum, total, whole

□

tha an t-iomlan aige it’s all his

□

smaoinich mi gun toirinn an t-iomlan

bhuaithe I thought I would get the

whole amount from him

iomarra 362

iomlanachd nf entirety, fulness, complete-

ness, perfection

□

iomlanachd prothaid

gross proﬁt

□

thug iad e gu iomlanachd

they brought it to perfection

□

tha e ri

fhaotainn an seo na iomlanachd it is to be

found here in its entirety

iomnaidh, -e nf anxiety, solicitude

□

bha

ise ga choimhead le truas is iomnaidh she

was looking at him with pity and solici-

tude

□

bha iomnaidh orra mu an teachd-

an-tir they were anxious about their

livelihood (lit. there was anxiety on

them etc.)

iompachadh, -aidh nm & vn of iompaich

converting etc., conversion (relig.)

iompachan, -ain, -ain nm convert

iompaich, -achadh v convert

□

bha e air a

iompachadh he had been converted

□

thèid an iompachadh nan àireamhan they

will be converted into numbers (lit. in their

numbers)

□

dh’iompaich seo e bho amha-

ras gu earbsa this converted him from

suspicion to trust

iompaidheach, -ich, -ich nm proselyte

ìompaire, -ean nm emperor

ìompaireachd, -an nf empire

iomradair, -ean nm commentator

iomradh, -aidh, -aidhean nm account,

allusion, hearsay, narration, reference,

report

□

iomradh (air) allusion (to), men-

tion (of)

□

thoir iomradh (air) refer to,

report (on) give an account of

□

chuala mi

iomradh air do ghliocas I heard an

account of your wisdom

□

thug na

Ròmanaich dhuinn an ciad iomradh air ar

dùthaich fhèin the Romans gave us the

ﬁrst account of our own country

□

dèan

iomradh air make an allusion to / allude to

□

rinn e iomradh air an spreadhadh he

alluded to the explosion

□

rinn e iomradh

air an aimsir he made an allusion to / gave

an account of the weather

□

anns an iom-

radh air an t-sìde in the weather report (lit.

report on the weather)

□

cha tug thu iom-

radh air dè bheireadh a-màireach thugad

you took no account of what the morrow

would bring [to you]

iomradh-bàis nm obituary

iomraiteach, -iche a famous, renowned,

well-known

□

neach iomraiteach celebrity

□

àite iomraiteach a famous place

iomrall, -aill, -an nm blunder, error, mis-

take

□

used mainly in the following

idioms: 1. chaidh mòran iomrall air aig an

oilthaigh he missed much at the university

□

chaidh e iomrall orm I missed it 2. air

iomrall astray adv

□

shaoil mi gun robh e

air a dhol air iomrall gu tur I thought

that he had gone completely astray

□

chan eil mòran air iomrall uiread ’s gu

bheil iad a’smaoineachadh… few are so

misguided as to think …

□

cuir air iomrall

bewilder

iomrallach, -aiche a eccentric, erratic,

erroneous

iomrallachd, -an nf eccentricity

iomramhaiche, -ean nm rower, oarsman

□

cha d’fhuair droch iomramhaiche ràmh

math riamh a bad oarsman never got a

good oar i.e. a bad workman always

blames his tools

□

also see buanaiche for

a similar proverb

iomsgair, iomsgaradh v diverge, separate

iomsgaradh, -aidh nm & vn of iomsgair

diverging etc., contrast

□

mar iomsgaradh

air an duine euchdach seo … as a contrast

to this valorous man

□

dèan iomsgaradh

eadar contrast v

iomsgaireach, -iche a divergent

iomsheòl, -adh v circumnavigate

ionad, -aid, -an nm lieu, place, quarter

(place etc.), scene, sphere (of work

etc.), spot, stead

□

ionad deicheach

decimal place

□

(an) ionad substitute

□

cuir an ionad substitute v

□

… a bha a’

riaghladh na ionad…who was ruling

in his place (àite is more common in

this sense)

□

rach na ionad register v

intrans

ionad-àraich nursery (plants) i.-

beachd viewpoint i.-bhùthan (cov-

ered) shopping centre i.-bòbhlaidh

bowling alley i.-coinneachaidh ren-

dezvous i.-còmhnaidh residence i.-

copaidh waste-tip, tip i.-dìon nàdair

nature reserve i.-ﬁosrachaidh infor-

mation centre i.-foillseachaidh stand

i.-gàirnealaireachd garden centre i.-

losgaidh launch-pad i.-pàrcaidh park-

ing place i.-ràdair radar station

i.-sgudail rubbish tip i.-slàinte health

centre i.-stiùiridh control point i.-

stòraidh container base i.-tasgaidh

receptacle, repertory, repository, reser-

voir i.-thaighean housing estate I.-

Chur-seachadan Activity Centre

i.-cleasachd gymnasium i.-còmhnaidh

habitation i.-dìomhair retreat

i.-faoin-chleasan amusement arcade

i.-ghoireasan service centre i.-

gnìomhachais industrial estate i.-

leigheas-inntinn asylum i.-òtrachais

sewage works i.-seallaidh viewpoint

i.-siubhail travel centre / agency

i.-taic resource centre i.-tèarmainn

363 iomsheòl

ion a ﬁt, proper

□

usually now used as

a pref (see below) or in the following

idiom: is ion ⫹ gen ⫹ do it is as good

as something for someone

□

is ion

fortain do dhuine a bhith… it is good

as a fortune for a man to be …

ion- pref denoting ‘ﬁt for’, ‘worthy of’

ion-chòcaireachd a culinary (of plants)

i.-choireachadh a reprehensible

i.-chomharraichte pp notable

i.-chònspoideach, -iche a debatable

i.-dhèanta pp feasible, practicable

i.-dhèantachd nf practicality i.-

fheuma a practical i.-ithe a edible i.-

mheasail a estimable i.-mhiannaichte

pp desirable, sought after

□

buadhan

ion-mhiannaichte desirable qualities

i.-mholta a (see ionmholta) i.-

mholtachd nf praiseworthiness i.-

pheinnsean a pensionable

□

tha e

a’ teannadh air aois ion-pheinnsean

he is approaching pensionable age i.-

roghnaichte a preferable i.-sgoilte

a ﬁssile i.-taghta a eligible

ionadach, -aiche a vicarious

ionadail a local

□

a’ chùirt-lagha

ionadail the local court

ionaltair, ionaltradh v pasture, graze, feed

ionaltair, -ean nm grazer

□

reicteadh iad

gu h-ionaltairean às a’ Ghalltachd they

would be sold to grazers from the

Lowlands

ionaltradh, -aidh nm & vn of ionaltair

pasturing etc., grazing, pasturage,

pasture

□

bi ag ionaltradh graze

ionann a

□

same as ionnan

ionfhàs a ingrowing

ionga, ingne, ingnean nf nail (ﬁnger etc.),

talon, hoof

iongantas, -ais, -an nm amazement,

phenomenon, prodigy, surprise, wonder

□

bidh iongantas ort litir fhaighinn

bhuamsa you will be surprised to get

a letter from me (lit. surprise will be

on you etc.) bha iongantas air a’ghille iad

a bhith ga chuireadh fhèin, agus gun

aithne aig aon duine dhiubh air the lad

was surprised at their inviting him, as

not one of them knew him

□

is e madainn

nan iongantas a bha anns a’ chiad

Sàbaid Chàisge the ﬁrst Easter Sunday

was a morning of wonders (lit. it was

a morning of [the] wonders which was in

the ﬁrst Easter Sunday)

□

gabh iongantas

wonder v

iongar, -air nm pus, matter

iongarach, -aiche a purulent, ulcerous

iongarachadh

□

same as iongrachadh

iongaraich

□

same as iongraich

ionghnadh

□

see iongnadh

iongna nf a form of ionga claw, hoof etc.

iongnach a hoofed

ionadach 364

refuge

□

dh’fheuch sinn ri ionad tèar-

mainn fhaotainn dhaibh we tried to

ﬁnd a (place of ) refuge for them

i.-trasnaidh point of intersection

iongantach, -aiche a amazing, extraor-

dinary, fabulous, terriﬁc, marvellous,

strange, surprising, wonderful

□

tha e

iongantach a’ bhuaidh a tha aca air

daoine it’s amazing the effect [that]

they have on people

□

dh’aidich iad

uile nach cualas a-riamh sgialachd

cho iongantach they all confessed that

never had such an amazing story been

heard

□

bha neart cuirp aige a bha

iongantach he had a strength of body

which was amazing

□

tha iad cho ion-

gantach coltach ri chèile they are so

remarkably alike

□

tha e iongantach

gun do rinn e uiread de obair ion-

mholta anns an ùine sin it is amazing

that he performed so much laudable

work in that time

□

tha e iongantach

mar a tha cùisean ag atharrachadh

anns na tìdeachan seo it’s fantastic

how things are changing in these times

□

b’iongantach mar a fhuair e a-staigh

gun fhios dhomh it was surprising how

he got in without my knowing / unper-

ceived by me

□

gu h-iongantach bha

a ghruag air fàs na bu duirche! amaz-

ingly, his hair had grown darker!

iongantach may be used with the

assertive verb and le and its prep prons

as follows: is iongantach leam mura

tèid iad dhachaigh a-rithist I will ﬁnd

it surprising / it will surprise me if they

do not go home again

As a development of this, iongantach

may be used to convey the idea of

probability

□

is iongantach mur eil

nàimhdean againn uile we probably all

have enemies (lit. it is surprising if

there are not enemies at us all)

□

’s ion-

gantach mura robh e marbh mus do

bhuail e an làr he was probably dead

before he hit the ﬂoor

□

is iongantach

mura reic mi e I shall probably sell it

□

notice that a positive idea is being

expressed with a negative conjunction

i.e. mur ⫽ if not

To express a negative idea i.e. ‘probably

not’, the positive form is used

□

… ach

is iongantach gun cuala tu mu an dei-

dhinn … but you probably haven’t

heard about them (lit. but it is surpris-

ing that you have heard about them)

□

is iongantach gun can e dad ach …

he probably won’t say anything but …

□

… ‘s iongantach gun do dh’fhàg

uiread an t-eilean a-riamh ann an ùine

cho goirid probably so many never left

the island in so short a time

□

is ion-

gantach gur e an òraid ris an robh dùil

aca it probably wasn’t the speech they

expected

iongnadh, -aidh, -aidhean nm amaze-

ment, astonishment (sometimes mòr

iongnadh), marvel, surprise, wonder

□

seo aon de iongnaidhean na Roinn-

Eòrpa this is one of the wonders of

Europe

iongnadh is used in a variety of idioms

□

fo iongnadh amazed

□

bha iad

fo iongnadh they were amazed

□

cuir

iongnadh air surprise

□

cuir (mòr)

iongnadh air amaze, astonish, astound

□

… a chuir mòr iongnadh air na h-

uile le a phiseach… which astounded

everyone with its success

□

cuireadh e iongnadh sam bith ort ma

chì thu… don’t be at all surprised if

you see…

□

cuir f ìor iongnadh air

stagger (⫽ amaze greatly)

□

gabh

iongnadh marvel

□

ghabh e iongnadh

cho math ’s a chòrd e ris a bhith an sin

a’bruidhinn rithe it surprised him how

much (lit. well) it pleased him to be

there talking to her

□

cha ghabhainn

iongnadh I wouldn’t be surprised

iongnadh is commonly used with the

assertive verb

□

b’e an t-iongnadh

nach do chaill e a bheatha it’s a won-

der that he didn’t lose his life (lit. it

was the wonder etc.)

□

b’e an t-

iongnadh nach fhaca tu e it’s a wonder

[that] you didn’t see him

□

b’e

iongnadh nan iongnaidhean leam a

bhith ga fhaicinn I thought it a wonder

of wonders to see him (lit. to be at his

seeing)

□

chan iongnadh ged bhiodh

cuimhne againn orra! it’s no wonder if

we should remember them!

beag and mòr are frequently used in

these constructions: ’s beag an t-

iongnadh moladh a bhith aig daoine

air an àite seo it’s little wonder people

have praise for this place (lit. it’s little

the wonder praise to be at people on

this place)

□

is beag an t-iongnadh gun

robh an fhearg air it’s little wonder

that he was angry

□

but note also: chan

eil e na mhòr iongnadh ged thug

daoine cluas fhurachail dha it’s no

great wonder that (lit. though) people

gave him an attentive ear

stomach ulcers

□

iongrachadh nam

fabhran blepheritis

iongraich, -achadh v suppurate, ulcerate

ionmhainn, annsa a beloved, dear, win-

ning

□

is ionmhainn leam a’chlarsach ach

is annsa leam an fhidheall I am fond of the

harp but I prefer the ﬁddle

ionmhas, -ais, -an nm 1. treasure 2. fund(s)

□

mar mheadhan air ionmhas a thrusadh

as a means of raising funds

□

ciste an

ionmhais treasury

ionmhasach, -aiche a 1. full of treasure

2. rich, wealthy

ionmhasail a ﬁnancial, ﬁscal

□

dhùin a’bhli-

adhna ionmhasail aig deireadh a’ Mhàirt

the ﬁnancial year ended at the end of March

ionmhasair, -ean nm treasurer

ionmholta a admirable, laudable, praise-

worthy

□

rinn iad obair ionmholta they

performed admirable work

□

thuirt iad

gun do rinn e uiread de obair ionmholta

anns an ùine sin they said that he had done

so much laudable work in that time

365 ionmholta

iongrachadh, -aidh nm & vn of

iongraich suppurating etc., suppuration,

ulceration

□

iongrachadh stamaig

ionnan a equal, equivalent, identical,

the same, self-same, tantamount

ionnan is often used with the assertive

verb

□

cha b’ionnan e nuair nach robh

ise ann it wasn’t the same when she

wasn’t there

□

chan ionnan dòigh an

fhir-ealain agus dòigh a’ chamara the

way of the artist and the way of the

camera aren’t identical

□

… ach cha

b’ionnan na bha [a] dhìth orra …but

they didn’t lack the same [things]

□

…

chan ionnan don fhear mu dheireadh…

not so for the last man / one

□

chan ionnan an t-eilean an-diugh

seach mar a bha e the island is not the

same nowadays compared to what it

used to be / not the same now as it used

to be

ionnan agus like adv (used with the neg

only)

□

cha b’ionnan sin is Glaschu

that wasn’t the same as Glasgow

□

…

ach chan ionnan sin agus an duine

cumanta … but it’s not the same for the

common man

ionnan agus may also be used with a vn

□

chan ionnan sin agus a bhith an

làthair that isn’t the same as being

present

ionnanach, -aiche a identical, monotonous

□

bidh iad a’ cur an gnìomh an aon ghlu-

asaid ionnanaich they perform the same

monotonous movement

ionnanachd nf identity, monotony, parallel

□

dearbhadh ionnanachd identiﬁcation

□

tha ùidh aca ann an ceistean ionnanachd

nàiseanta they are interested in questions

of national identity

□

bha an dùthaich a’

strì airson a h-ionnanachd the country

was struggling for its identity

ionnas adv almost

□

…ionnas gun fhiosta …

almost subconsciously (lit. almost without

knowledge to him – see ﬁos)

□

… ionnas a

bhith dìreach… almost upright / vertical

(see also ionns)

ionnas gu prep so that, to such an extent

that, so much so that

□

ionnas nach so

that … not etc.

□

bha an doras fosgailte

ionnas gum b’urrainn do dhuine faicinn

a-steach don taigh the door was open so

that (to such an extent that) one could see

into the house

ionndrainn, ionndrainn v miss (⫽ feel the

lack of), long for

□

bidh sinn gan ion-

ndrainn (gu mòr) we shall miss them

(greatly)

□

bha e ag ionndrainn beanntan

mòra an Eilein Sgiathanaich he missed the

great mountains of Skye

□

bha i ag iarraidh

caora dhubh a dh’ionndrainn i às an treud

she was looking for a black sheep that she

had missed from the ﬂock

□

chan ion-

ndrainneadh iad seo they wouldn’t miss this

ionndrainn nm & vn of ionndrainn miss-

ing, act of missing, thing missed

□

bidh

ionndrainn mhòr orra they will be greatly

missed

ionnlaid, ionnlaid v cleanse, wash

ionnlaid nm & vn of ionnlaid cleansing

etc. dèan ionnlaid cleanse dèan m’

ionnlaid fòs ’s an sin bidh mi nas ghile

dhut na ‘n sneachd cleanse me and I shall

be whiter than snow

ionnlaideachd nf cleansing

□

fhuair mi an

ionnlaideachd I was cleansed

ionns adv almost

□

bha iad ionns sròn ri

sròn they were almost nose to nose

□

bha

e air a’ cheist ionns a dhìochuimh-

neachadh he had almost forgotten the

question

□

bha na craobhan ionns a’

falach an taighe the trees were almost hid-

ing the house

□

also ionnas

ionnsachadh, -aidh nm & vn of ionnsaich

learning etc., breeding, instruction,

knowledge, learning, training, tuition

□

t-ionnsachadh òg, an t-ionnsachadh bòid-

heach learn young, learn well

ionnsachaidh a instructional, teaching,

training

□

teipichean ionnsachaidh

learning tapes

ionnsaich, -achadh v coach, instruct, learn,

study, teach, train

□

ionnsaich gu dian

swot

□

duine on do dh’ionnsaich mi mòran

a man from whom I learned a lot

□

chan

eil sin ri ràdh nach eil càil ann a dh’ionn-

saicheas sinn bhuapa that isn’t to say that

there’s nothing that we can learn from

them

□

but note also: ainmeannan nan

daoine aig an do dh’ionnsaich e na

h-òrain the names of the men from whom

he had learned the songs

□

ionnsaichidh

sin dhut do theanga a chumail agad fhèin

that will teach you to hold your tongue

□

… a dh’fhaodadh iad ionnsachadh don

teaghlach … which they might teach to

their family

□

cha robhas ga ionnsachadh

anns na sgoiltean it wasn’t being taught in

the schools

□

dh’ionnsaich Pòl a bhith

na fhear dèanamh phàilleanan Paul

learned to be a tent-maker

□

bhiodh e ag

ionnsachadh nan daoine òga air an obair

he used to train the young people in the

work

□

dh’ionnsaich am màthair dhaibh

mar a leughadh is mar a sgrìobhadh iad

their mother taught them how to read and

write (lit. how they might read and write)

ionnsaichear, -eir, -an nm trainee

ionnsaichte pp learned, sophisticated

□

duine ionnsaichte a learned man

ionnanach 366

ionnsaigh, -e, -ean nm/f advance,

aggression, assault, attack, campaign,

charge, effort, endeavour, enterprise,

incursion, inroad, onset, onslaught,

project, sally, shock, tackle (in sport)

Some examples: bha iad a’ feitheamh

ris an ath ionnsaigh they were waiting

for the next charge

□

sheas iad gu

treun ris na h-ionnsaighean they

withstood the attacks bravely

thoir ionnsaigh air assail, assault,

attack, charge, make advance to, mount /

wage a campaign against, storm,

venture upon

□

thug e ionnsaigh oirre

he made an advance to her

□

tha am

poileas a’ toirt ionnsaigh air an

fheadhainn a tha a’ dol thairis air a’

chrìoch-astair the police are mounting

a campaign against those who exceed

the speed limit

□

cha toirinn ionnsaigh

sam bith air obair cho gòrach I wouldn’t

venture upon such a foolish task

□

fear

ionnsaigheach, -iche a enterprising

□

’s e

ceannaiche ionnsaigheach a bh’ann he

was an enterprising merchant

ionnsramaid, -ean nf instrument (also

ionnstramaid etc.)

ionospeur, -a nf ionosphere

ionracan, -ain, -ain nm just, upright, hon-

est person

□

thig an t-ionracan gu a chuid

the honest man will get his own

ionracas, -ais nm honesty, innocence,

integrity

ionraic, -e a honest, righteous, upright

□

e duine ionraic a bh’ann he was a right-

eous man

□

deònaich gun caith sinn

beatha dhiadhaidh ionraic mheasarra

grant that we lead godly, upright and tem-

perate lives (for use of sing see notes

under beatha and làmh)

ions adv

□

see ionnas / ionns

ionsuilion nf insulin

ìoronas, -ais nm irony

ìoronta a ironical

Iorcalach a Herculean

iorghail nf tumult (also iarghall / iorghall)

iorghaileach, -iche a boisterous (of a

person), ﬁerce, tumultuous

□

dìorras

iorghaileach a ﬁerce zeal

ìosabar, -air, -air nm isobar

Iosanach, -aich, -aich nm Jesuit

□

bha mòran

de na h-Iosanaich den aon bheachd many of

the Jesuits were of the same opinion

ìosal, ìsle a 1. low, not high

□

ann an guth

ìosal in a low voice

□

chrom e far am

b’ìsle a’ bhruach he descended where the

bank was lowest

□

bha na solais ìosal the

lights were low

□

a dh’aindeoin ’s cho

ìosal ’s a bhruidhinn e … in spite of how

low he spoke…

□

note also: gheibhear

geàrr-iomradh air na molaidhean gu h-

ìosal a summary of the recommendations

will be found below 2. humble, lowly

□

tha urram co-cheangailte ris an obair as

ìsle there is dignity connected with the

lowliest job 3. os ìosal privately, softly,

secretly

□

thuirt e rium os ìosal gun robh

e … he told me privately that he was …

ìoslaich, -achadh v

□

see islich

iosgaid, -e, -ean nf hough

□

dh’fhàs m’

iosgaidean gliogach leis an eagal

□

houghs became inactive with fear

Ioslamach, -aich, -aich nm Islamite

Ioslamach a Islamic

□

Sìtheach Ioslamach

Islamic Shiite

iosop, -oip nm hyssop

Iosralach, -aich, -aich nm Israeli

Iosralach a Israeli

ìota nm thirst

ìotach, -aiche a thirsty

ìotmhor, -oire a dry (thirsty)

367 ìotmhor

a thug ionnsaigh an assailant

□

am fear

a thug ionnsaigh orra their assailant

a dh’ionnsaigh prep to, towards, unto

□

choisich e a dh’ionnsaigh a’ bhaile he

walked towards the town

□

chaidh mi

a dh’ionnsaigh na h-uinneig feuch am

faicinn e I went to the window to see if

I could see him

a dh’ionnsaigh is used with prons as

follows: dom ionnsaigh to me (often

shortened to am ionnsaigh) dod ionn-

saigh to you da ionnsaigh to him da

h-ionnsaigh to her dar n-ionnsaigh to

us do bhur n-ionnsaigh to you pl &

polite dan ionnsaigh to them

□

most

of these are quite rarely used in prac-

tice

□

thigibh am ionnsaigh-sa come

unto me

□

chunnaic mi duine a’

coiseachd am ionnsaigh I saw a man

walking towards me

□

tha E gar gairm

do a ionnsaigh He is calling us to Him

ìre, ìrean / ìreachan nf 1. grade, level,

phase, stage (of development etc.),

standard, station (school maths tables)

□

Ìre Choitcheann Standard Grade (O-

grade)

□

ìre bhunaiteach de sheirbheis

a basic level of service

□

tha agad ris

an toimhseachan fhuasgladh airson

faighinn air adhart chun na h-ath ìre

you have to solve the puzzle [in order]

to proceed to the next level / stage

□

cha robh a’ chlann ach gann aig ìre

coiseachd the children were barely at

the walking stage

□

aig caochladh

ìrean at various levels

□

bhitheadh e

iomchaidh facal no [a] dhà a ràdh mu

an deidhinn aig an ìre seo it would be

appropriate to say a word or two about

them at this stage

□

is math an ìre seo

a ruighinn it’s good to reach this stage

□

… ach chan eil seo ach aig ìre

thràth … but this is only at an early

stage

□

bu mhath leam aig an ìre seo

taing a thoirt dhaibh I would like at

this stage / point to thank them

□

… a

thaitneadh ri leughadairean aig gach

ìre … which would please readers at

every level

□

an toiseach ìre

rannsachaidh agus an sin ìre

buileachaidh at ﬁrst a research phase

and then an implementation phase

□

aig ìre roinne agus ìre nàiseanta at

regional level and national level

□

aig

ìre an t-sluaigh at grass-roots level

□

aig an ìre cheart at the right level

□

bidh ìre dràma Ghàidhlig a’ dol suas

gach bliadhna the level / standard of

Gaelic drama goes (lit. will be going)

up each year

□

aig na h-ìreachan seo

tha a’ Ghàidhlig air meas ùr a chos-

nadh at these levels Gaelic has earned

a new respect

□

an ìre choimeasach

comparative degree

□

an ìre fheab-

hasach superlative adjective

□

ìre

ghoireasan amenity index

chun na h-ìre seo up to now / to date /

so far / up to this stage etc.

□

an t-

adhartas a chaidh a dhèanamh chun

na h-ìre seo the progress that has been

made to date

□

tha na tha sinn air

fhaicinn chun na h-ìre seo glè mhis-

neachail what we have seen up to now

/ to date is most encouraging

2. degree, extent

□

ìre fuachd / teas

degree of coldness / heat

gu ìre / gu h-ìre to an extent / to some

extent / to any extent

□

cha tàinig na

Ròmanaich nan lùib gu ìre sam bith

the Romans did not come in contact

with them to any extent

□

tha sin a’

deachdadh gu ìre dè dh’fheumas sinn

a dhèanamh that dictates to an extent

what we must do

□

tha seo f ìor gu ìre

this is true to a degree

□

gu ìre

bhig almost (lit. to a small extent),

slightly

□

chaill e a ghuth gu ìre bhig

he almost lost his voice

□

tha gach

sgoil gu ìre bhig eadardhealaichte

each school is slightly different

□

ìre mhaith to a good extent

□

gu ìre

mhòir to a large extent, by and large

□

gu ìre nas lugha to a lesser degree /

extent

□

gu ìre nach beag to no little

extent present tense

□

gu ìre nach bu

bheag to no little extent past tense

□

ìre air choreigin to some degree or

other

□

gu ìre bheag no mhòr to a

small or large extent / degree

□

also

gu ìre bheag / mhòr / mhath

an ìre mhath adv (lit. in a good degree)

1. moderately, pretty, pretty well, quite

□

bha e an ìre mhath beartach he was

quite rich

□

bha an latha an ìre mhath

blàth the day was quite warm

□

tha na

taighean an ìre mhath sgapte the

houses are pretty scattered 2. quite

good, quite well

□

bha an rathad an ìre

mhath the road was quite good – but

could also mean the road was in good

condition (see below)

□

“Ciamar a tha

cùisean a’ dol?” dh’fhaighnich e. “An

ìre mhath,” ars ise. “How are things

going?” he asked. “Quite well,” she

said.

□

note also: tha mi an ìre mhath

leis I am well on with it 3. condition,

state

□

bha mi an deagh ìre I was in

grand condition 4. maturity

□

thig gu

ìre come to a successful conclusion,

come about, come to maturity

□

dòighean anns a bheil seo a’ tighinn

gu ìre the ways in which this comes

about

□

nuair a thàinig e gu ìre chaidh

e chun an iasgaich when he matured /

grew up he went to the ﬁshing

□

cuir /

thoir gu ìre develop trans

□

cur / toirt

gu ìre development

□

air tighinn gu ìre

mature 5. cuir an ìre cause to believe,

pretend

□

bha feadhainn ann a bha a’

cur an ìre nach robh Beurla aca there

were some who pretended that they

didn’t speak English

ìotmhor 368

ìreachd nf maturity, completion

ireapais nf nervous excitement

□

bha an

naidheachd ga lionadh le ireapais the

news was ﬁlling him with excitement

iriosal, iriosaile / irisle a same as ìosal

humble, lowly, reverent

irioslachadh, -aidh nm & vn of irioslaich

humbling etc., humiliation

irioslachd nf humility, lowliness

irioslaich, -achadh v humble etc. – same as

ìslich

□

… a dh’irioslaich e fhèin cho mòr

air ar son-ne … who humbled himself so

greatly for our sake

iris, -e, -ean nf magazine, periodical

is conj and

□

generally regarded as an

abbreviated form of agus, though it

may not be – often shortened to ’s – see

agus for examples of usage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

is irreg & def v

□

usually referrred to as

the assertive verb / copula, and used

instead of the substantive verb tha in

situations where the verb ‘to be’

requires a degree of emphasis. Indeed,

there are certain situations in which

the use of this verb in preference to

tha is obligatory.

There are only two tenses, the

present tense and the past tense, which

latter also acts as the imperf / cond

tense.

Present tense, afﬁrmative:

is mi it is I is sinn it is we

is tu it is you is sibh it is you

sing pl & polite

is e it is he / is iad it is they

it masc

is i it is she /

it fem

Note that the above are generally abbre-

viated to ’s mi, ’s tu, ’s e etc., and that

these, and all the parts shown below,

are frequently accompanied by the

emph parts -se, -sa, -san etc.

□

’Smise

Calum (or simply Mise Calum) I’m

Malcolm

Present tense, negative:

cha mhi it is cha sinn it is

not I not we

cha tu it is not cha sibh it is not

you sing you pl &

polite

chan e it is not chan iad it is

he / it not they

masc

chan i it is not

she / it fem

Note: a) is is completely assimilated b)

mi is the only pers pron which is

lenited c) chan is used before vowels

d) the use of the unlenited form of the

2nd pers sing pers pron tu

Past tense and imperfect /

conditional tense, afﬁrmative

bu mhi it was I bu sinn it was we

bu tu it was bu sibh it was you

you sing pl & polite

b’e it was he/ b’iad it was

it masc they

b’i it was she /

it fem

Note: a) mi is again the only pronoun

lenited b) bu is invariably abbreviated

to b’ before vowels c) the use of the

unlenited form of the 2nd pers sing

pers pron tu

Past tense and imperfect /

conditional tense, negative

cha bu mhi it was not I cha bu sinn it was

not we

cha bu tu it was not cha bu sibh it was not

you sing you pl &

polite

cha b’e it was not cha b’iad it was not

he / it masc they

cha b’i it was not

she / it fem

Note that bu, sinn and sibh are never

lenited.

The construction used with the ass v

depends on whether a phrase or a part

of speech, and, in the latter case, which

particular part of speech, is being

emphasised.

1. When a pers pron, which is also the

subject of the sentence, is being

emphasised, it is placed immediately

after the ass v, while the remainder of

the sentence follows in a rel clause.

The pers pron may be further empha-

sised by the use of the emph parts -se,

-ne etc.

□

ach, gu dearbh, is sinne a

bha deiseil air a shon but, indeed, we

were ready for him

□

nach e a bhitheas

feargach! won’t he be angry!

□

cha bu

mhise a rinn sin! it wasn’t I who did

that!

□

bu sinne a chrean gu h-àraidh

air it was we who suffered especially

for it

□

is iad a ghuir an innleachd

eatorra it is they who hatched the plot

between them

□

is ise as coireach it is

she who is blameworthy / she is to

blame

□

chan eil mi idir ag ràdh nach

robh i làidir – is i a bha! I’m not say-

ing (at all) that she wasn’t strong – she

was!

□

note that the rel pron a is fre-

quently omitted before bu

□

b’esan bu

bheothaile den dithis he was the live-

lier of the two (men)

□

note also that,

in some of the above examples, the

present tense is frequently used with

the subject rather than the past tense

one would expect

369 iris

2. The same construction is often

used when an adv is being emphasised

□

is minig a bha mi air a’mhuir ri droch

thìde I have often been on the sea in bad

weather / often have I been etc.

□

treun a ghleac i an aghaidh nan tonnan

she (the ship) bravely struggled against

the waves / bravely she struggled etc.

□

b’ aotrom a thog i am pàiste lightly she

lifted the child

□

faodaidh chan e

a-mhain daoine foghlaimte ach eadhon

daoine neo-fhoghlaimte a thuigsinn not

only educated people but uneducated

people may understand it

□

it should be

noted that this construction is more

common in literature than in everyday

speech, and that the sign of the adverb

i.e. gu is dropped

□

note also that the

present tense is frequently used where

we would expect a past tense. This is

quite common with the ass v

□

note

also: bu cho math dha (a) fhàgail aig na

daoine a tha eòlach air na cùisean seo

he would be as well to leave it to the

people who are familiar with these mat-

ters (see also gann and tric)

3. The use of the ass v is obligatory

when the subject of the sentence is said

to be a member of a class or species or

to belong to a certain occupation.

The construction in which the class

immediately follows the ass v and

immediately precedes the member of

the class e.g. is eun coltraiche a razor-

bill is a bird, is now considered rather

pedantic. It may, however, still be seen

in proverbs:

□

is bean-taighe an luchag

na taigh fhèin the little mouse is mis-

tress in her own house

□

is bior gach

sràbh san oidhche every straw is a thorn

at night – and may also be used in

descriptions: is bàrd e a bu chòir gach

Gaidheal uaill a dhèanamh às he is a

poet from whom every Gael should take

pride

□

b’e duine e a dh’fhuilingeadh

mòran gun ghearan he was a man who

would put up with a lot without complaint

Constructions of the following type

are commonly used: is e eun a th’ ann

an coltraiche a razorbill is a bird

□

an e

iasg a th’ ann an geadas? ’s e is a pike

a ﬁsh? yes

□

nach e iasg a th’ ann am

faochach? chan e, is e eun mara a th’

ann isn’t a pufﬁn a ﬁsh? no, it’s

a seabird. More examples of this con-

struction are to be found in Sect. 12.

4. Basically the same construction is

used to emphasise an adj qualifying a

pers pron

□

is brònach mi I am sad / sad

am I

□

bu mhìn banail i she was delicate

and feminine

□

but, if a noun is being

qualiﬁed, it is always deﬁnite, and fol-

lowed by a pers pron having the same

number and gender as the noun

□

gasta an duine e he’s a ﬁne man

□

mhòr a’ chlach i the stone was big

5. But, if the qualiﬁed noun is fol-

lowed by a subordinate clause, the pers

pron is not used

□

bu chruaidh an

t-àrach a fhuair iad the upbringing they

got was hard

□

is beag an t-iongnadh a-

rèist gu bheil e … it’s little wonder then

that he’s …

□

bu mhòr am beud gun do

mhill e an cothrom a fhuair e it was a

great pity that he spoiled the chance

[that] he got (see also airidh, dìobhail,

math, mòr, olc and trom)

6. Adjs are often accompanied, not by

a noun, but by a sub clause or by a vn

construction

□

is cinnteach gu bheil

iomadh ceist mhòr againn ri an rèiteach

it’s certain that we have many great

problems to settle (lit. to their settling)

□

bu ghlan, a dhuine, a bhith ag èis-

teachd ris it was grand, man, to be lis-

tening to it

□

cha bu mhath gun rachadh

na h-euchdan sin air dìochuimhne it

would not be good if those achieve-

ments / great deeds were to be forgotten

(lit. that these great deeds should go on

forgetfulness)

□

is truagh nach do

rugadh dall mi! it’s a pity I wasn’t born

blind!

□

bu chiatach dha sin a

dhèanamh it would be decent for him to

do that

□

cha b’fhada gus an do rinn iad

rèite air an latha it wasn’t long until

they agreed upon the day

□

but note that

the ass v and the adj may themselves be

in a subordinate clause

□

bha iad ann

an cunnart nach bu bheag they were in

no little danger

7. The following idiom is worthy of

special notice

□

… ach is iongantach

gun cuala tu mu an deidhinn … but you

probably haven’t heard about them

□

iongantach mur reic mi e I shall proba-

bly sell it

□

it should be noted that where

the Gaelic version is positive, the

English version is negative, and vice

versa (see iongantach)

8. The ass v must be used when both

subject and predicate are deﬁnite

iris 370

expressions. A deﬁnite expression may

be (a) a pers pron (b) a noun preceded

by the deﬁnite article, although the

deﬁnite article may not always be

expressed in Gaelic (c) a proper noun

(d) a dem pron (e) a noun preceded by

a poss adj

□

in each of these situations

the verb is immediately followed by

a pers pron which is either the subject

of the sentence, or is an untranslatable

pers pron agreeing in number and

gender with the subject (but see notes

following).

The following examples are arranged to

match the above descriptions:

(a) is esan am Ball-Parlamaid airson

nan Eileanan an Iar he is the Member of

Parliament for the Western Isles (b)

□

iad a’ ghrian agus a’ ghealach a tha ag

adhbharachadh nan seòl-mara it is the

sun and the moon which cause the tides

(lit. it is they the sun and etc.)

□

but

note that in the following two examples

the def art is not expressed because of

the following noun in the genitive case:

b’i comhairle Chaluim gun cuireadh

iad callaid it was Calum’s advice

that they should plant a hedge (where

‘the advice’ is understood)

□

is e am

bradan roghainn an ròin ghlais the

salmon is the grey seal’s choice (where

‘the choice’ is understood) (c) is mise

Dùghall I am Dougal

□

is i Gàidhlig

cànain mo ghaoil Gaelic is the language

of my love (d) b’e mo roghainn fhèin am

fear seo my own choice would be this

one

□

is e sin mullach mo thaighe that is

the roof of my house (but see following

section)

□

is e sin sealladh gu math aog-

naidh air beatha an duine that is quite an

ugly view of man’s life

□

is iad seo na

h-innealan a nì an obair these are the

machines that will do the job

□

note that

the ass v used with a dem pron may occa-

sionally be translated by the use of the

English phrase ‘what a …!’

□

b’e sin an

dùthaich iongantach what a wonderful

country that was! (e) an ise do mhàthair?

chan i. is ise piuthar mo mhàthar. is she

your mother? no. she is my mother’s sis-

ter (i.e. my maternal aunt)

9. When a dem pron is used, the ass v

is usually suppressed

□

[is e] seo linn an

telebhisein this is the age of television

□

sin gille-Brìghde that’s an oyster-

catcher

□

siud an taigh agamsa that’s

my house

□

sin an dùthaich bu bhochda

a chunnaic mi riamh that was the poor-

est country I ever saw

10. The interr prons cò? “who?” and

dè? “what?” may be used directly with

the ass v

□

cò e? is esan Calum

Dòmhnallach who is he? he is Malcolm

McDonald

□

dè sin? [is e] sin cailleach-

oidhche what is that? that is an owl

□

dè

seo? [is e] seo minidh what’s this? this

is an awl

□

note that, though the sub-

stantive verb may appear to be used in

a question such as: dè tha seo? what’s

this?, the question is really a shortened

form of ciod is e a tha seo? what is it

that this is? i.e. the ass v is really being

used to ask the question, and the answer

must be in the same verb if the

dem pron

is repeated in the answer i.e. is e seo

minidh this is an awl. The standard

answer, however, would be: tha minidh

meaning simply ‘it is an awl’.

11. One of the simplest constructions

for beginners to understand is:

is ⫹ e ⫹ noun (def / indef ) ⫹ rel clause

□

is e Calum Dubh a theirteadh ris (lit.

it is Calum Dubh that was said to him)

he was called Calum Dubh (dark-haired

Malcolm)

□

’s e buidheann mhèirleach a

rinn seo it’s a gang of thieves who did

this

□

’s e leabhar gu math inntinneach

a tha seo this is a very interesting book

□

’s e a’ chiad rud a thàinig a-staigh

oirre, “Ciamar a …?” her ﬁrst thought

was, “How …?”

□

but note also: agus is

e a thug air sin a dhèanamh gun

d’fhuair e … and what made him do that

was that he found…(lit. and it is that

made him do that that he found …)

□

’s

e bha ceàrr air an leabhar seo ach nach

robh e sa Ghàidhlig what was wrong

with this book was that it wasn’t in

Gaelic

12. A construction employing the

prep ann or its prep prons may be used

to describe a person or thing, or to state

a person’s occupation

□

is e duine

tapaidh a th’ann he’s a clever man

(lit. it is a clever man that is in him)

□

is e caileag bhòidheach a bh’innte

she was a beautiful girl

□

’s e iasgair a

th’ann an Seòras George is a ﬁsherman

□

b’e banaltram a bh’ann am Mairead

Margaret was a nurse

□

b’e duine àrd

tana a bh’ann he was a tall, thin man

□

is e manaidsear banca a th’annam I’m

371 iris