Wee
| Finn: | Welcome to The English We Speak, I'm Finn. |
| Wang Fei: | And I'm Wang Fei. So, what English word do we have today? |
| Finn: | Well, Wang Fei, today's English word is actually a Scottish one! |
| Wang Fei: | A Scottish phrase on The English We Speak? |
| Finn: | That’s right. |
| Wang Fei: | Finn, I know you're from Scotland, but this is The English We Speak, not the Scottish! |
| Finn: | Not the Scottish I know, but actually, Wang Fei, this is a word that is very widely used. |
| Wang Fei: | Ok, what's the word, then? |
| Finn: | Today's word is wee. |
| Wang Fei: | Wii—oh, I know! Isn't that a kind of Japanese game console? Surely that's The Japanese We Speak?! |
| Finn: | No, not that Wii! That Wii is spelt W-I-I, and the word I mean is spelt W-E-E. And it means ... small or little. |
| Wang Fei: | Ok—so that's very nice and easy to remember! |
| Finn: | It is. Quite often, you'll hear it together with the word 'bit'. A wee bit. Listen to these examples. |
| Example | |
| I might be a wee bit late, please just wait for me. | |
| You're looking a wee bit tired, are you ok? | |
| I'm a wee bit hungry, fancy getting a sandwich? | |
| Wang Fei: | So a wee bit is just like a little bit. How else can we use this word, Finn? |
| Finn: | Well a wee bit is probably what you'll hear most often. What do you think it means in this sentence? |
| Example | |
| When I was wee, I used to love climbing trees! | |
| Wang Fei: | When I was wee ... is that when I was young? |
| Finn: | That's right—when I was young, when I was wee—though you'll more likely hear Scottish people say this! And there is another phrase using wee which I'm going to tell you in a moment, but first—tell me, what is the most famous Scottish drink, Wang Fei? |
| Wang Fei: | That’s easy—whisky! |
| Finn: | Whisky—yes it is! Do you like whisky? |
| Wang Fei: | Oh, yes, but it’s a bit strong, isn’t it! Maybe I would just have a small glass. |
| Finn: | Well, we have a word for a glass of whisky, which is a dram. |
| Wang Fei: | A dram. |
| Finn: | That’s right, D-R-A-M, a dram. |
| Wang Fei: | Mm, a dram. |
| Finn: | So if you want a small dram, what do you say? |
| Wang Fei: | Can I have a wee dram? |
| Finn: | Can I have a wee dram—that’s it! Really? Would you like a wee dram, Wang Fei? |
| Wang Fei: | OK, great, yeah! |
| Finn: | We're in the studio! |
| Wang Fei: | Yes, maybe later! |
| Finn: | Maybe later! |
| Wang Fei: | Well, that's the word for today, wee, W-E-E. |
| Finn: | If you have time, why not have a wee look at our website! |
| Wang Fei: | Mm—and it's bbclearningenglish.com! |
| Finn: | That’s right, bye for now! |
| Wang Fei: | Bye. |