A hunner key Dundonian words
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These Dundonian 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 online Dictionary of the Scots Language http://www.dsl.ac.uk/ 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 Dundonian
belt or batter
bide
birl
brak
chap
cannae
clap
spile
tak
Verbs (action words) in English
beat or thump
stay, live
spin around
break
knock on a door
can’t
to pet (a dog or
cat)
turn over,
upside down
do
doubt
frighten, startle
fiddle (about)
going
weep, cry
hold
have
know
make
remember
disobeying instructions, being a pest, see
pussie
spoil
take
Prepositions in Dundonian
afore
ahent
atween
eftir
fae
oot
ower
tae/till/ti
Prepositions in English
before
behind
between
after
from
out
over
to
cowp
dae
doot
fleg
footer (aboot)
goin
greet
hud
hiv
ken
mak
mind
pussin aboot
Transforming lives through learning
Adjectives (describing words) in
Dundonian
affy
auld
bealin
faird
fest
glaikit
goin your
dinger
mental
muckle
pair sowel (he’s a)
peelie-wally
reid
sair
stoorie
thon
wee
Adjectives (describing words) in English
Nouns (naming words) in Dundonian
ba
bairn
byre
circle
clootie/cloot
claes
coos
cosie
craitur
cundie
the day
dowp
eejit
erm
feardie (cat)
fleg
freend
fut
gloamin
guff
gutter
haid
hoose
heid
kribbie/cribbie
lass(ie),
the morn
Nouns (naming words) in English
ball
child
cowshed
roundabout
cloth
clothes
cattle
hug
creature/person
covered drain
today
bottom, backside
idiot
arm
timid person
fright
friend
foot
dusk
smell
mud
head
house
head
kerb (side of road)
girl
tomorrow
Transforming lives through learning
very
old
very angry
afraid
fast
foolish, stupid
angry
crazy
big
feeble
sickly, not well
red
sore
dusty
that
small
oxter
peh
plettie
pussie
tatties
neeps
shidder
sooth, Doon Sooth
stra
toon
watter
wife, wifie
armpit
pie
landing, place at the top of a stair
pest
potatoes
turnips
shoulder
southern Scotland or England and Wales
straw
town; farmstead; the Toon – Aberdeen
water
woman, married or not
Pronouns (short words that replace
nouns) in Dundonian
meh
wha
whit or whut
wir
ye
Pronouns (short words that replace
nouns) in English
my
who
what, which
our
you
Numbers in Dundonian
ane/ae
twa
seeven
hunner
Numbers in English
one
two
seven
hundred
Adverbs in Dundonian
doon
gey
noo
canny-like
Adverbs in English
down
very, somewhat, rather
now
carefully, cautiously
Exclamations/ Greetings
Jings! Help ma boab!
How ir ye? (or howz yersel?) No bad!
exclamation of surprise
How are you? Not bad at all!
Some features of Dundonian grammar and speech
Negative forms of verbs are created by adding ‘nae’ at end –
‘cannae’, ‘mustnae’ etc.
Present participles end in ‘in’ – never ‘ing’ : ‘scramblin’,
‘pretendin’, ‘surfin the internet’.
Dundonian/Scots uses older, short vowel sounds in words like
‘hoose’, ‘moose’ and ‘coo’ (like Norwegian) instead of ‘house’,
‘mouse’ and ‘cow’ (like English).
Transforming lives through learning