Scottish Phrases and Common Expressions
This page contains a table including the following: Scottish phrases, expressions and words in Scottish, conversation and idioms, Scottish greetings, and survival phrases. It also helps if you simply want to know what to say when chatting in Scottish!
Most of the sentences below are used for everyday life conversations, so they might come handy if you memorize them.
| English Phrases | Scottish Phrases |
|---|---|
| English Greetings | Scottish Greetings: |
| Hi! | Awrite! |
| Good morning! | Guid mornin! |
| Good evening! | Guid eenin! |
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | Welcome! |
| How are you? | Hou ar ye? Hou's aw wi ye? Hou's it gaun? |
| I'm fine, thanks! | A'm fine, slainte! |
| And you? | An ye? |
| Good/ So-So. | Guid / so-so. |
| Thank you (very much)! | Thenk ye (uncoly)! |
| You're welcome! (for "thank you") | Ye're welcome! |
| Hey! Friend! | Hey! Mukker! |
| I missed you so much! | A misst ye sae muckle! |
| What's new? | Whit's new? |
| Nothing much | Naething muckle! |
| Good night! | Guid nicht! |
| See you later! | See ye efter! |
| Good bye! | Guid cheerio the nou! |
| Asking for Help and Directions | |
| I'm lost | A'm tint. |
| Can I help you? | Can A gie ye a haund? |
| Can you help me? | Can ye gie's a haund? |
| Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? | Whaur's the (bathroom / pharmacy)? |
| Go straight! then turn left/ right! | Gae straecht! Than turn left / reit! |
| I'm looking for john. | A'm leukin / swatchin for John. |
| One moment please! | Ae moment please! |
| Hold on please! (phone) | Haud on please! |
| How much is this? | Hau much is this? |
| Excuse me ...! (to ask for something) | Ho ye! |
| Excuse me! ( to pass by) | Ho ye! |
| Come with me! | Come wi's! |
| How to Introduce Yourself | |
|---|---|
| Do you speak (English/ Scottish )? | D'ye spaek (English / Scots)? |
| Just a little. | Jist a littul. |
| What's your name? | Whit's yer name? |
| My name is ... | Ma name is ... |
| Mr.../ Mrs.…/ Miss… | Mr.../ Mrs.…/ Miss… |
| Nice to meet you! | Nice tae meit ye! |
| You're very kind! | Ye ar verra kin! |
| Where are you from? | Whaur ar ye frae? |
| I'm from (the U.S/ Scottish) | A'm frae (the U.S / Scotland) |
| I'm (American) | A'm (American / Scottish) |
| Where do you live? | Whaur d'ye bide? |
| I live in (the U.S/ Scottish) | A bide in (the U.S / Scotland) |
| Did you like it here? | Did ye like it haur? |
| Scottish 2 is a wonderful country | Scotland is a wonderful place. |
| What do you do for a living? | Whit d'ye dae for a livin? |
| I work as a (translator/ businessman) | A wirk as a (translatur / businessman) |
| I like Scottish | A like Scots |
| I've been learning Scottish for 1 month | A've been lairnin Scots ae month. |
| Oh! That's good! | Och! That's guid! |
| How old are you? | Hou auld ar ye? |
| I'm (twenty, thirty...) years old. | A'm (twintie, thrittie ...) year auld. |
| I have to go | A hae tae gang |
| I will be right back! | A'll be reit back! |
| Wish Someone Something | |
| Good luck! | Guid Luck! |
| Happy birthday! | Canty Birthday! |
| Happy new year! | Happy Hogmanay! |
| Merry Christmas! | Merry Christmas! / Merry Yuil! |
| Congratulations! | Congratulations! |
| Enjoy! (for meals...) | Enjoy! |
| I'd like to visit Scottish 2 one day | A'd like tae veesit Scotland ae day. |
| Say hi to John for me | Say "Guid day" tae John for me |
| Bless you (when sneezing) | Bless ye! |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | Guid night an sweit dreams! |
| Solving a Misunderstanding | |
| I'm Sorry! (if you don't hear something) | A'm sairy! |
| Sorry (for a mistake) | Sairy! |
| No Problem! | Nae problem! |
| Can You Say It Again? | Can ye say it again? |
| Can You Speak Slowly? | Can ye spaek slowly? |
| Write It Down Please! | Screive it doun please! |
| I Don't Understand! | A dinna kin! |
| I Don't Know! | A dinna ken! |
| I Have No Idea. | A hae nae thochtie. |
| What's That Called In Scottish ? | Whit's 'at caad in Scots? |
| What Does "gato" Mean In English? | Whit dis "..." pure decht in English? |
| How Do You Say "Please" In Scottish ? | Hou d'ye say "Please" in Scots? |
| What Is This? | Whit's this? |
| My Scottish is bad. | Ma Scots is bad. |
| I need to practice my Scottish | A need tae practice ma Scots. |
| Don't worry! | Dinna fash yersel! |
| Scottish Expressions and Words | |
| Good/ Bad/ So-So. | Guid / bad / so-so |
| Big/ Small | Muckle / wee |
| Today/ Now | The day / nou |
| Tomorrow/ Yesterday | The morn / the streen |
| Yes/ No | Ay / Nae |
| Here you go! (when giving something) | Haur ye gae! |
| Do you like it? | D'ye like it? |
| I really like it! | A pure like it! |
| I'm hungry/ thirsty. | A'm guttin / thirsty. |
| In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. | In the mornin / in the forenicht / at nicht. |
| This/ That. Here/There | This / that. Haur / thaur. |
| Me/ You. Him/ Her. | Me / ye. Him / her. |
| Really! | Pure! |
| Look! | Leuk! / Swatch! |
| Hurry up! | Coorie up! |
| What? Where? | Whit? Whaur? |
| What time is it? | Whit's the time? |
| It's 10 o'clock. 07:30pm. | It's ten oors. It's 07:30 at the forenicht. |
| Give me this! | Gie's this! |
| I love you! | A loue ye! |
| I feel sick. | A feel no weel. |
| I need a doctor | A need a doctor. |
| One, Two, Three | ane, twa, three |
| Four, Five, Six | fower, five, sax |
| Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten | sieven, aicht, nine, ten |
I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you learned some Scottish phrases, expressions and words. Make sure to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily conversation.