Wan hunder common Shetland wirds
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These Shetland words, phrases, and grammatical features can be enlarged, printed, and placed
in windows or other locations round the school. Learners can work in threes to find and record as
many as possible.
Learners can use the Shetland Dictionary (http://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk), complete with
definitions and sound files, or the following vocabulary sheets to find definitions. (Words generally
need to be heard or said at least seven times before they will enter the learners’ vocabulary.)
Verbs (action words) in Shetlandic
bide
bigg
birl
brak
coop
dae
ding
dook
doot
faa
fin
fled
gadder
gaff
geng
gluff
greet
gyaan
haad
haal
hae
hing
hiv
hock
hoid
kaen
mak
mind
pleep
tak
yarn
Verbs (action words) in English
stay, live
build
spin around
break
turn over, upside down
do
strike, knock
dip (in water)
believe
fall
find
flew
gather
laugh
go
frighten, startle
weep, cry
going
hold
haul
have
hang
have
delve
hide
know
make
remember
whine or
complain
look
relax after
eating
take
chat
Prepositions in Shetlandic
a, o, i
aff
Prepositions in English
of
off
scoit
swadge
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afore
ahint
atween
bi
efter
fae
ithoot
oot
ower
tae, ta, til
wi
before
behind
between
by
after
from
without
out
over
to
with
Adjectives (describing words) in
Shetlandic
blyde
boannie
caald, cowld
crabbit
daft
faert
filsket
Adjectives (describing words) in English
vexed
wabbit
happy
pretty
cold
bad tempered
foolish, stupid
afraid
frisky, highspirited
hot
angry
big
old
small
sour
sly
dusty
strange,
unfamiliar
sad
exhausted
Nouns (naming words) in Shetlandic
ba
bairn
brae
broo
bruck
byre
claes
cloot
craitur
da day
da moarn
elt
gluff
gutter
lass
Nouns (naming words) in English
ball
child
slope
(top of) slope
rubbish
cowshed
clothes
cloth
creature/person
today
tomorrow
mess
fright
mud
girl
haet
mad, tirn
muckle
owld, aald
peerie
shilpit
sleekit
stoorie
unkan
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mirknen
Mirrie Dancers
strae
watter
dusk, twilight
the Northern
Lights
dung (sticking
to something)
straw
water
Pronouns (short words that replace
nouns) in Shetlandic
da
dan or den
dat
dee or du
dis
dy or dine
me
mony
wha
whaar
whin
whit
wir
Pronouns (short words that replace
nouns) in English
the
then
that
you
this
your or yours
my
many
who
where
when
what
our or were or we are
Adverbs in Shetlandic
doon
noo
peerie-wyes
Adverbs in English
down
now
carefully,
cautiously
sharn
Some features of Shetlandic grammar and speech
Negative forms of verbs are created by adding ‘na’ at end – ‘canna’, ‘mustna’ etc.
Present participles end in ‘an’ or ‘in’ - never ‘ing’ : ‘scramblan’, ‘pretendan’, ‘surfan the
internet’.
Shetlandic/Scots uses older, short vowel sounds in words like ‘hoose’, ‘moose’ and ‘ku’
(like Norwegian) instead of ‘house’, ‘mouse’ and ‘cow’ (like English).
In Shetlandic, the plural of ‘year’ is ‘year’, not ‘years’. E.g. ‘seeven year ago’.
Whit’s happened?
In Shetlandic it is good practice to use the verb ‘to be’, not ‘to have’ when talking about things
that (in English) have happened
e.g. A’m been on holiday. We’re (or wir) been on holiday.
Is du read da last Harry Potter? Ir dey read him?
Example: Whaar ir dey gone? Creepie craalies http://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk/creepie-
craalies
Example: Is du seen him? No, A’m no seen him. Lost
http://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk/lost
One step farther back in time – things that had happened, works like this:
She wis hed tree whalps. Sam’s pal http://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk/sams-pal
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