Gaelic guide for learners

Suidheachaidhean

The following idioms are used to describe physical situations, writes Coinneach Macfhraing.

If a baby is down on allfours, you could say Tha an leanabh air mhàgaran ‘the baby is crawling’. If someone is crouching, you might say Tha Beathag na crùban air an làr ‘Beathag is crouching on the floor’. The phrase air a chorra-cnàmh is explained in the dictionary as ‘hunkering’: Chaidh Teàrlach sìos air a chorra-cnàmh ‘Charles hunkered down’. Corra also appears in air corra-biod which means ‘on tiptoes’: Coisich air do chorra-biod ‘walk on your tiptoes’. Sleuchdadh means ‘kneeling’.

Many phrases describing situations use the phrases nam/ nad ‘in my/in your’ etc: Bha mi nam shìneadh ‘I was lying down (stratched out)’. If Iain is standing up, you would say Tha e na sheasamh. If Cairistìona is sitting down, you would say Tha i na suidhe or, lying down, Tha i na laighe. We recently covered Tha e na chadal ‘... asleep’ and Tha i na dùisg ‘... awake’. A favourite of mine is na chlostar, which means ‘sprawled in a heap’. Finally, ‘upside-down’ is expressed by bun-os-cionn: Bha am buideal bun-os-cionn ‘the bottle was upside-down’. lsabhal Mòr Ostaig offers Gaelic learning opportunities www.smo.uhi.ac.uk