fhèin

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• fèin, fhìn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /heːɲ/

Dialectal first-person pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /hĩːn/ (first-person, often written fhìn)
• (Harris, North Uist) IPA^(key): /hɛːɲ/ (first-person)
• (Benbecula, South Uist, Barra, Skye, Ross-shire) IPA^(key): /hiːɲ/ (first-person, often written fhìn)
• (Sutherland) IPA^(key): /hian/ (first-person, often written fhian)
• (north Argyll) IPA^(key): /hiː/ (first-person, often written fhì)
• (south Argyll, Perthshire) IPA^(key): /heː/ (first-person, often written fhè)

• (chiefly Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /pʰeːɲ/ (second-person plural, e.g. following sibh, sometimes written pèin)

Usage notes

• Despite fh usually being silent in Scottish Gaelic it is always pronounced /h/ in fhèin, as well as in fhuair and fhathast.

Pronoun

fhèin

1. self

Usage notes

• Used after personal pronouns as an emphasizer.

  Bidh agad ri a dhèanamh thu fhèin. ― You'll have to do it yourself.

• The unlenited form fèin is seldom used except in compounds.
• Instead of fhèin, these suffixes may also be used for emphasis: -sa, -san, -se, -e.

Derived terms

• mòr às fhèin

Related terms

• fèin-
• fèineil

Adverb

fhèin

1. Used as an intensifier; indeed, really

   math fhèin ― really good; excellent