Teach yourself Gaelic

Published on Saturday 3 May 2008 19:43

Feum – need/use

Pronounced like the English word fame, this can mean a variety of things depending on context.

Tha feum agam air tairsgeir – hah fame ack-um ur tar-rash-kyur – I need a peat-cutting spade – literally there is need upon me for a peat-cutter.

Cuir feum air car – koor fame ur car – would mean to require a car – literally put need on a car.

In other contexts it means use – A bheil feum anns an uidheam sin? – Uh vull fame ans in oo-yam shin? Is that tool useful? Tha an t-iasg bho fheum – hah in t-ee-yask foh aym – would mean the fish is rotten – literally the fish is away from use.