Unit 7 - The weather – a good ice breaker
An Aimsir "The Weather"
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Because Scotland’s weather is so changeable, it is good to be able to say it is getting "warmer" or "colder" or "wetter". For this, you need to be able to create the comparative forms of Gaelic adjectives. With the exception of a few irregular adjectives this is very straightforward – it involves slenderising the final vowel (see Unit 5) and adding a terminal e. Occasionally there is lenition of the initial consonant. Here are some examples, with the adjective and its comparative form e.g. blàth, nas blàithe. You can hear how the pronunciation changes. The last three are irregular.
- blàth, nas blàithe
- warm, warmer
- grianach, nas grianaiche
- sunny, sunnier
- fliuch, nas fliuiche
- wet, wetter
- fuar, nas fhuaire
- cold, colder
- fiadhaich, nas fhiadhaiche
- wild, wilder
- sgòthach, nas sgòthaiche
- cloudy, cloudier
- teth, nas teotha
- hot, hotter
- math, nas fheàrr
- good, better
- dona, nas miosa
- bad, worse
Listen to a simple conversation about the weather.
Now listen to this more complicated conversation where Peter and Anne use some comparative adjectives.
Pick up phrases which will help you tell the time in Gaelic in Unit 8, Dè ’n uair a tha e?
