·y

\" s ><

The Colloquial Series

Series adviser: Gary King
The following languages are available in the Colloquial series:

*Atkrikaans *Japanese
*Albanian
*Amharic
*Korean
*Latvian
Colloquial
Arabic (Levantinc) *Lithuanian
*Arabic of Egypt
Arabic of the Gulf
and Saudi Arabia
Bas4ue
Mal ay
*Mongolian
*Norwegian
Panjabi
Welsh
*Breton *Persian
Bulgarian *Polish
*Cambodian
*Cantonese
*Portuguese
*Portuguese of Brazil A Complete Language
*Chinese *Romanian
*Croatian and Serbian
*Czech
*Russian Course
*Scottish Gaelic
*Danish *Slovak
*Dutch *Slovenc
*Estonian Somali
*Finni~h *Spanish
*French *Spanish of Latin America Gareth King
*German *Swahili
*Greek
Gujarati
*Hebrew
*Hindi
*Hungarian
*Swedish
*Tamil
*Thai
*Turkish
*Ukranian
l
*Icelandic Urdu
*Indonesian *Vietnemese
Italian *Welsh

Accompanying cassette(s) (*and CDs) are available for all the above
titles. They can be ordered through your bookseller, or send payment
with order to Routledge Ltd, ITPS, Cheriton House, North Way,
Andover, Hants SPl 0 5BE, or to Routlcdge Inc, 29 West 35th Street,
New York NY 10001, USA.
~~ ~~o~:!;n~,~~up
LONDON AND NEW YORK

COLLOQUIAL CD-ROMs
Multimedia Language Courses

Available in: Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish

~
 T

First published 1995

by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OXI4 4R.t~·

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

Contents
by Rout]edge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Reprinted 1998,2000,2002,2004 (n.vice)

Rout/edge is an imprint of the Taylor & Fmncis Group

Acknowledgements vii
© 1995 Gareth King
Map viii
Tllusuations by Eve Smith and Kristoffer Blegvad Alphabet 1
Typeset in Times by Florencetype lld, Stoodlcigh, Devon
1 Cwrdd a phobol
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddks Ltd, Meeting people 6
King's Lynn, Norfolk 2 Dod i nabod pobol
All rights reserved. 1\'o part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced Getting to know people 17
or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, 3 Mynd allan
now known or hereafter invented, including photowpying and recording, Going out 30
or in any infOrmation storage or retrieval system, without pennission in
writing from the publishers_ 4 Ellwch chi ddangos i mi ... ?
Can you show me ... ? 44
British Library Catalot,>u.ing in Publication Data 5 Holi'r ffordd
A catalogue record for-this book is available from the British Library
Asking the way 60
Library of Congress Cawloging in Publication Data 6 Siopa
King, Gareth. 1945- Shopping 75
Colloquial Welsh: a complete language course I Gareth King.
p. cm. 7 V tywydd
includes index. The weather 90
I. Welsh language-Textbooks for foreign speakers-- -English. 8 Gwneud trefniadau
2. Welsh language-Spoken Welsh. 3. Wdsh language-Grammar.
1. Title.
Making arrangements 106
PB2123.K555 1994 9 Be' ddigwyddodd?
491.6 ·682421----dc20 94--16232 What happened? 122
ISBN 0--415-1 0783-0 (book)
10 Awgrymu pethau
ISBN 0-415-10784--9 (cassettes) Making suggestions 136
ISBN 0-415-28688---3 (CDs) 11 Beth wyt ti'n feddwl?
ISBN 0--415-10785-7 (book, cassettes and CDs course) What do you think 152
12 Clywed y newyddion
Hearing the news 167

vi
13 Dyma'r penawdau diweddara
Here are the latest headlines
14 Tasai'ch brawd fan'ma
If your brother were here ...
15 Cefn gwlad
The countryside
16 Cymraeg ysgrifenedig a'r cyfryngau
Written Welsh and the media
Key to exercises
Ready-reference grammar
Welsh-English glossary
Index
'
183 Acknowledgements
197
Writing this course-book of modern colloquial Welsh has put me Ycry much
211 in mind of those people who were my own teachers. particularly those who
put in long hours of preparation and teaching on the NLU's ulpan course at
228 Lampeter to give me and many like me a firm footing in the language that
was invaluable in enabling us to progress afterwards. I am glad to be able to
take this opportunity to thank them all.
238 I owe a special debt to the many Welsh-speaking friends and acquain-
tances from all over Wales who have helped me in one way or another during
258 the writing of this course-book. I particularly thank Linda James for always
265 being on hand to verify phraseology and correct my errors; and I thank Dai
283 and Glenda Davies. Peter and Debbie Bonnet, Anne Worthington and
Elspeth Jamcs also for putting up with my questions about their native
language. My students in Aberystwyth, Llanafan and Llanilar have as usual
proved effective if at times unwitting guinea-pigs for much of the material in
this book, and deserve praise and sympathy in equal measure.
A special mention must go to my friend Dewi Rhys-Jones, who, on top of
his tireless and determined work promoting informed co·e)(isknce between
the Welsh- and English-speaking communities in his corner of South-West
Wales and beyond. has been the best publicity agent anyone could wish for.
Special thanks are due to Eve Smith ofTrawsgoed for designing and pro-
ducing the maps of Wales and the sleepy little town of Cwmcysglyd, am! to
Kristofkr Blegvad for his w1tty and effective illustrations to the text.
Simon Bell at Routledge ha~ been not only an efficient editor, but- even
more important- a supportive and loyal one as well, and I thank him for his
part in bringing this project to fruitica; hattO. onu sevmiyenler bile cesaretini
inkJ.r edemiyorlar. I thank also Louis<~ Semlyen, Martin Barr and Claire
Trocme at Routledge for all their hard work and friendly assistance.
I am grateful to the following for permission to use material: John Davies
and Penguin for permission to use and annotate two extracts from Hanes
Cymru ('The History of Wales'), Penguin's first Welsh-language title (now
also available in English translation); Cyngor Cefngwlad Cymru for various
extracts from their magazine Adain y Ddraig; the Western Mail newspaper
for various extracts and publicity materials; Coleg Ceredigion; the Fore~try
Commission: Penglais Sports Centre, Aberystwyth; Canolfan Hamdden
Plascrug, Aberystwyth- all for various publi!.:ity materials; Richard Withers
of Corris for the Christmas card.
As always, I owe the greatest debt to my wife Jonquil and our sons Adam
and Liam for putting up with me and for making a long and at times complex
job a little easier in all kinds of ways. I naturally dedicate the book to them.
Gareth King
Llanafan
Mis Medi 1994
,I
j
 '

Alphabet

~-

The Welsh alphabet uses the following letters:

ab cch d dd e fffg ng h ij Ill m no p ph rrhs t th u w y
-
L
YOJYS
fiWU.f_~ -~ Digraphs (double letters and combinations of letters) above count
- -,/- as separate letters in the dictionary; for example, all words begin-
ning with 1- will come before any words beginning with 11-; so /ori
!': will precede l/awn. You should particularly w<:~tch out for the
digraph ng, which is placed after g in alphabetical order - so
A'_-=- ynghylch will come before ymadael in the dictionary.

k, q and x do not figure in the Welsh alphabet; and j is found only in

loan words.

Pronunciation
.f'l~)l.l

-..._ ~~--------
~~ It is difficult to give anything more than a rough approximation of

~
-·
\-
P.......,i-"
__ y- ...~~~
!=lW*
A5tt771\rJC
~ ·-- ~......
""""-
~
•
sounds in writing. If you have the cassette that accompanies this
book, you will be able to imitate native speakers, which is by far the
best way of acquiring the pronunciation anyway. Word lists and
dialogues on the cassette are marked m throughout.

'•
~ Vowels tn
~.
~

~
;,_./
... There are seven vowels in the Welsh alphabet:
a e i o are like 'man' 'bet' 'pin' and 'cot';
u sounds like i in the South, but like French u or German u (but
with unrounded lips) in the North:
w is the 'oo' sound of 'book';
 .-

2 3

y sounds like u above when in a final (or only) syllable of a word; Diphthong c:l
otherwise it is like the indistinct 'uh' sound of 'butter' (British
English pronunciation) or 'sofa'. ae, ai, and an all sound very like the English word 'eye' or 'sigh'. But
afal amser Uan siarad achos rhannu arall it is important to remember that, in Colloquial Welsh, unstressed
Elen erbyn denu hefyd diwcdd heno pell -ai and -an at the end of a word are pronounced -a in the North
dewin esgid ill silff pibell selsig cyllid and -e in the South. The same is broadly true of -ae- in an
hongian torri Chwefror doniol os pout unstressed final syllable. But stressed -ae- often sounds like -3- in
crwn pwll dwli dwsin bwn hwnnw cwm many Southern dialects. If you have the cassette, listen to these
words as pronounced first by a speaker from the North, and then by
All vowels can be lengthened by adding a circumflex ' 11 ', but in
one from the South:
single-syllable words the vowel is sometimes long even though there
is no accent. So the rule is: all circumflexed vowels are long, but nol cae nai dau dylai llyfrau llaeth gwahaniaeth
all long vowels are circumflexed. ei and en within words sound rather like 'uh' + 'ee' run together
L9ng vowels: very quickly. :"Jote that the common words ei his/her and en their
are idiosyncratically pronounced 'ee' (Lesson 4) .
. da cig nos dyn cui hyd
man bOn cli~r s*n tim tj tei teiar neidio meini creu creulon neu dweud
Notice the difference between the following pairs: ew is simply a combination of e + w, and so sounds like 'eh-oo'. It
does not rhyme with English ·new'.
tan t:in
man man tew llew mewn olew drcwi newydd dewr ewch
Ifon ffOn
iw does sound quite similar to the diphthong in English 'new', but
gem gem
with a longer first element.
Where an e occurs in a fmal unstressed syllable, Northern speakers
ffiiw criw Niwbwrch rhiw lliw lliwgar
generally pronounce it a. If you have the cassette, listen to the fol~
!owing words as pronounced first by a speaker from the North, and oe sounds like 'oi' as in 'noise':
then by someone from the South:
croeso oerach poeni troed croes croen
rhedeg bore bwyell dynes poced carreg
wy generally sounds something like 'oo--ee':
The following words have the 'ee' or'i' soundfory: dyn, cryn, sych, cyn,
twyllo mwyn ffrwyth trwyn ~yn dn''Y llwy
hyn, h:fn, mynd, 11~'"• llym, syth, nyth, gw:5'r, hyd, llyfr, cylch, cyrff, t)'.
but gwy- generally sounds like 'gwi-' as in the personal name Gwyn:
The following words have the 'uh' sound for y: dynion, crynu, sychu,
hynod, mynedfa. llynnocdd, syndod, nythod, hydre, llyfrau, gwyntog Gwynedd gwyllt gwyrth gwylio
cylchynu, tynnu.
yw (and occasional words with uw) sounds similar to iw, but with
Listen to the two different sounds for y in the following: ynys, the y- pronounced further hack in the throat in the North.
ymyrryd, dysgwyr, mymryn, cyhyd. sychydd, synnwyr, tywydd,
rhyw clyw byw menyw llyw duw duwian
tywyll, ysgwydd, llythyr, trydydd.
In the combination -ywy-, the first -y- is in the previous syllable and
Pick out the two sounds in other words: Aberystwyth, crynu,
sounds like 'uh', while the diphthong is the -wy-, sounding like 'wi':
ewyllys, gwlychu, and the ones that do not obey the 'last or only
syllable' rule: y, yr, yn, dy, (fy). bywyd tywyll
 'I
4 --------------------------------5
Consonants m Only two letters can be doubled, n and r: nn and rr- this does not
affect their pronunciation. Remember that dd. ff and 11 are not
b dIm n p and tall sound similar to their English equivalents. double letters but different letters from d, f and I.

c is always hard, as in English 'cat'. even when followed in Welsh cath acen chwech alarch drws diod ddolen gardd fantais tyfu fTOn
byiore. rhaff golau gem maneg gwenu angen ng#r halen jwg lori canol
Uan llenni tywyll mam noddi talcen pant tiip phan radio telynor
eh is like the last sound in (Scottish pronounciation of) 'loch', or in torri rhosyn gwisgo dynes siop creision sinema taro atsain twt yst-
German ach, noch. wyth thawel
dd is the voiced 'th' sound in English 'these', 'then'; notice that the
unvoiced equivalent is spelt differently (th) in Welsh.
f is as 'v'; at the end of words in Colloquial Welsh it is often
Stress m
dropped. There is nearly always a strong stress-accent on the last-but-one
ff corresponds to ·r. syllable in Welsh:

I g is always hard, as in English 'game', even when followed in g3ir geiriau gciri3dur geiriadUron
Welsh by e or i.
Changes to the first letter of a word (Mutations) arc an integral fea-
ng almost always has the sound of 'singer'; but in Welsh this sound ture of Welsh, and this aspect of the language is dealt with in
can come at the beginning of a word. Lessons 3 and 4. In this book. a speciul sign ' is used to indicate the
I h is always sounded, except in some Southern dialects. presence of the most common mutation, the Soft Mutation, and its
use is explained in Lesson 3.
11 is an aspirated 'I' - get your tongue and lips in position to
pronounce an '1', and then blow gently instead of using your
voice. Easy when you know how, and actually not nearly as
tricky as eh.
I ph corresponds to 'f' as in English, but occurs only as the result of
! mutation of p (see Lessons 3 and 4).
r is always sounded, even at the end of a word, and is pronounced
as a 'ftap' of the tongue (i.e. not like American and Southern
English type).
rh is an aspirated 'r' -in practice it generally sounds as if it were
written hr.
s always sounds as 's' (never as 'z' except in loanwords in some
Southern dialects), unless followed by i +vowel, in which case it
sounds as 'sh'.
th is the unvoiced 'th' sound of English 'think', 'thirty".

'
I

I
_.,_,__j·
 •I

• --------------------------------5
Consonants m Only two letters can be doubled, n and r: nn and rr- this does not
affect their pronunciation. Remember that dd. ff and 11 are not
b dIm n p and tall sound similar to their English equivalents. double letters but different letters from d, f and I.

c is always hard, as in English 'cat', even when followed in Welsh cath acen chwech alarch drws diod ddolen gardd fantais t)fU ffOn
byiore. rhaff golau gem mancg gwenu angen n~r halen jwg lori canol
llan llenni tywyll mam noddi talcen pant tiip phan radio telynor
eh is like the last sound in (Scottish pronounciation of) 'loch', or in torri rhosyn gwisgo dynes siop creision sinema taro atsain twt yst-
German ach, noch. wyth thawel
dd is the voiced 'th' sound in English 'these', 'then'; notice that the
unvoiced equivalent is spelt differently (th) in Welsh.
f is as 'v'; at the end of words in Colloquial Welsh it is often
Stress m
dropped. There is nearly always a strong stress-accent on the last-but-one
ff corresponds to 'f'. syllable in Welsh:

g is always hard, as in English 'game', even when followed in g3ir gCiriau geiri3dur geiriadUron
Welsh bye or i.
Changes to the first letter of a word (Mutations) are an integral fea-
ng almost always has the sound of 'singer'; but in Welsh this sound ture of Welsh, and this aspect of the language is dealt with in
can come at the beginning of a word. Lessons 3 and 4. In this book. a special sign 'is used to indicate the
h is always sounded, except in some Southern dialects. presence of the most common mutation, the Soft Mutation, and its
use is explained in Lesson 3.
11 is an a.1pirated '\' - get your tongue and lips in position to
pronounce an 'I', and then blow gently instead of using your
voice. Easy when you know how, and actually not nearly as
tricky as eh.
ph corresponds to 'f' as in English, but occurs only as the result of
mutation of p (see Lessons 3 and 4).
r is always sounded, even at the end of a word, and is pronounced
as a 'flap' of the tongue (i.e. not like American and Southern
English type).
rh is an aspirated ·r' -in practice it generally sounds as if it were
written hr.
s always sounds as 's' (never as 'z' except in loanwords in some
Southern dialects), unless followed by i +vowel, in which case it
sounds as 'sh'.
th is the unvoiced 'th' sound of English 'think', 'thirty'.
 ),

----------------7
~ A: Hello. I'm A tun.
1 Cwrdd a phobol E:
A:
,Vice to meet you, Alun. I'm Elinor.
And this is my girlfriend Si tin.
Meeting people E: Hello. Siiin.
S: I'm pleased to meet you, Elinor.

Sgwrs c:J
Gwilym rakes his brother Elfed next door to meet Mrs Williams

In this lesson you will learn how to: GwJLYM: Bore da, Mrs Williams.
MRS W: Bore da- Shwd ych chi bore 'ma?
• greet people Gw: Go Jew, diolch. Ych chi wedi cwrdd a mrawd i o'r blaen?
• ask how people are, and say how things are with you MRsW: Nadw, dw i ddim yn meddwl.
1

1I • introduce people Gw: Elfed, dyma Mrs Williams sy'n byw drws nesa. Mrs
.! • ask who other people are Williams. dyma mrawd Elfed.
'i • talk about occupations ELFED: Mae'n dda gen i gwrdd a chi. Mrs Williams.
.I i
'i Gw: Good morning, Mrs Williams.
I
MRs W: Good morning- How are you this morning?
Sgwrs (conversation) c:J Gw: Alright, thanks. Have you met my brother before?
MRs W: No, I don'tthink (so).
A: Noswaith dda.
Gw: Elfed, this is Mrs Williams who lives next door. Mrs
B: Noswaith dda. Neis gweld chi. Williams, this is my brother Elfed.
A: Sut mae'r tculu erbyn hyn? E·. I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs Williams.
B: Pawb yn iawn, diolch.
!i

A: Good evening.
B: Good evening. Nice to see you.
Greetings c:J
A: How's the family these days?
Like other languages, Welsh has a variety of set formulae for greet-
B: Everyone's fine, thanks.
ing people at different times of the day. Many of these involve da
good: Bore da Good morning, P(ry)n(h)awn da Good ajlernoon,
Sgwrs c:J Noswaith dda Good evening. These are used exactly as their English
equivalents, with the expression repeated for the reply. Helo is very
Alun, Elinor and Sidn introduce themselves to each other common as well. Note that Nos da Good night is, as in English.
restricted to leave-taking. There is no commonly used equivalent of
ALUN: S'mae? Alun dw i. Good day.
ELINOR: Neis cwrdd a chi, Alun. Elinor dw i. OthL'r common formulae involve asking how the other person is.
A: A dyma nghariad Siiin. This requires Sut .. . ? How ... ?. which in these expressions partic-
E: Helo, Shin. ularly is often heard asS' in the North and as Shw(d) in the South.
S!AN: Mae'n dda gen i ogwrdd a chi, Elinor. So How's things? can be S'mae? or Shwmae? depending on the
 8----------------------------- ------------------------------------9
area. Similarly, How are you? is S'dach chi? or Shwd ych chi?. Introducing yourself and other people I:D
There is a wide choice of answers:
·!' For yourself, give your name first, and then ... dw i I am .... So
lawn Fine
Very good Dafydd Jones dw i, I'm D.J. To ask someone else's name, use
Da iawn
Fine Be(th) ydy'ch enw chi'! (N) or Beth yw'ch enw chi? (S), What's your
Go lew or Yn ·u Jew
Fair/OK name? All you need for introducing one person to another is
Gweddol
i Dim yn ddrwg Not bad Dyma ..• This is . .. , or rather more formally Ga i gyftwyno .•• ?
ji May 1 introduce . .. ?
To any of the above can be added the expressions •.. , wyddoch chi
(North) or •••, chimod (South) .... y'know. The following are of use in identifying or introducing family and
I friends. Some of the words are awkward for beginners to pronounce
Finally, Beth amdanoch chi? What ahow you? or A chithau? And ~if you have the cassette, listen to them and try to imitate the native
you? returns the question. speakers:
To say Goodbye, use any of the following: nhad my father mrawd my brother
Hwyl! fy mam my mother 'n chwaer my sister
ng'lh my husband fy mab my son
,;[ Hwyl fawr!
ngwraig my wife fy merch my daughter
I Hwyl nawr!
Wela i chi! (!"If he seeing you) nghariad my boy/girlfriend ngh}faill my friend
Da buch chi! (more formal) weddill y teulu tht; rest of the family
I nghymydog my neighbour nghymar my partner
(person I live with)
Exercise 1
So, for example, Dyma ngwraig Jeni or Dyma Jeni, ngwraig, This is
Fill in the gaps in thi~ conversation: my wife Jeni ~or, more formally, Ga i gyflwyno ngwraig Jeni? etc.
I A: Bore . s· '! Notice that Dyma •.• mcam This i.1· ... or Here is ... , while Dyna
8: lcw, .A •J
.•• means That is or There is . . . In rapid speech they are
A: Dim _ _ _ _ __ frequently shortened to 'Ma .•. and 'Na ••. respectively: 'Ma
' nghariad Sioned This is my girlfriend Sioned: 'Na Ronnie yn y
'' i'' Exercise 2 gorncl That's Ronnie in the corner.
'
Rearrange the order of the Welsh phrases to match their English Exercise3 [!]
equivalents:
I! A: Good morning lawn, diolch How would you:
8: Good morning . Wela i chi introduce your mother
... how are you? Bore da 2 introduce your brother Ronnie
j'
A: OK, thanks. Dim yn ddrwg, chimod 3 point out your brother
. what about you? Hwyl nawr 4 introduce Mrs Wi\liams (formally)
B: .Not bad, y'know A chithau? 5 point out your sister
A: Be seeing you Bore da 6 point out the rest of the family behind her
B: Goodbye Shwd JCh chi? 7 introduce you friend who lives next door
8 introduce your husband (formally)?
 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11

Sgwrs m Pwy ydy hwnnw?

Pwy ydy honno?
Who is that (referring to a man)?
Who is that (referring to a woman)?
Delyth and Mari are at a party. Mari doesn't know anyone, so Delyth
is pointing our who's who Exercise 4

MARI: Pwy yw honno, 'te? How would you ask:

DEL YTIJ: Anthea yw honno- Anthca Edwards sy'n byw gyferbyn.
M: A'r dyn ifanc tu 61 iddi-pwy ywe? 1 who that woman is over there
D: Ei g~r hi, gobeithio. 0, a dyna Ronnie a Fifi! 2 what this thing is
M: A beth amy ddau yn y gornel- pwy yw'r rheiny? 3 what that thing is
D: Dw i ddim yn nabod nhw. 4 who this man is
M: Awn ni i gyflwyno'n hunain, 'te. 5 who this woman is
0: Pam lai? 6 who that man is over there?

M' Who is that (woman), then?

o, 1hat (woman) is Anthea- Anthea Edwards who fives opposite. Talking about occupations
M' And the young man behind her- who is he?
o, Her husband, 1 hope. Oh, and there's Ronnie and Fiji.' The identification patterns used for introducing yourself or identify-
M' And what about the two in the corner- who are those (people)? ing others can also be u~ed to refer to occupations. For example. in
o, I don't know them. answer to the question Bcth ydy'ch gwaith chi? What is your
M' Let's go and introduce ourselves, then. johlwork?, you can answer: (occupation) dw i, I'm a(. . .).
o, Why not?
Beth ydy'ch gwaith chi?
adeiladwr bUllder
Identifying people and things- Beth ... 7 diiToddwr tan fireman
!I I
Pwy ... 7
II; athro teacher (m)
' athrawcs teacher (f)
We have already seen that ••• dw i 1 am ... is used for identifying
nyrs nurse
. I; yourself. To refer to things, we need ydy (N) or yw (S) ... is ... ; so
meddyg doc!Or
·I·, Beth ydy/yw., .? means What is. ?·
!I' Beth ydy hwn? What is this?
ffcrmwr
gyHwr lori .•. dwi I'm a .
farmer
lorry·driver
' Beth yw hwnnw? What is that? garddwr gardener
mccanydd mechanic
A useful way of acquiring vocabulary is to point to the object and
myfyriwr student (m)
' ask Beth ydy hwn (/hwnnw) yn Gymraeg? What is this (/that) in
myfyrwraig student (f)
Welsh? Alternatively, for things not to hand, you can substitute the
heddwas policeman
English word for hwnihwnnw: Bcth ydy 'window' yn Gymraeg?
cyfreithiwr lawyer
What is 'window' in Welsh?
C)·fieithydd translator
Hwn and hwnnw are fine for this and that with objects, but when
pointing out people, and using Pwy ydy/yw .•• ? Who is .. .?, it Similarly, to identify someone else's occupation:
makes a difference whether they are male or female: hwn (m) or
Cyfieithydd ydy/yw hi She's a translator
hon (f) this (person), and hwnnw (m) or honno (f) that (person). For
Heddwas ydy/)W e He's a policeman
example:
 ...-· I

12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13

Myfyriwr ydy/yw hwnnw That [man] is a student 'These (ones}' and 'Those (ones}'
't Athrawes ydy/yw honno That [woman] is a teacher
The plural forms of hwn/hon and hwnnw/honno are y rhain these
i' (ones) and y rheiny those (ones). They are used of people and
I; Definite article - words for 'the'
li' objects alike, masculine or feminine. Notice that they incorporate
I!,, the definite article (seep. 12), and so they element will appear as 'r
thre~
.:;;I The word for the appears in
come before or after it:
forms, depending on what sounds after a vowel: amy rhain about these, but i'r rhain to these.
I
I
y is used before consonants: y bws, y tacsi, y llong (ship) Exercise 6
.I
yr is used before vowels: yr amgueddfa (museum), Jr afal (apple)
'r is used after vowels: i'r bws (to the bus) Using the vocabulary (geirfa) below, translate the following into
i'r Hong (to the ship) Welsh:
i'r amgueddfa (to the museum) 1 Who are those people?
You will see from these examples that a preceding vowel overrides 2 How much is this?
any other considerations: in this case, all nouns have the 'r article 3 What is this in Welsh?
regardless of whether they begin with a consonant or vowel. 4 I'll take these, please
Although Welsh nouns arc masculine or feminine (see Lesson 3), 5 How much arc those?
this has no bearing on the form of the definite article. Nor does it
matter whether the noun is singular or plural. Notice. however, that Geirfa
there is no word for a/an in Welsh. Where it appears in English, it is
simply left out in Welsh: tacsi taxi or a taxi: llong ship or a ship. faint? how much? gymera i ... I'll take
yn Gymraeg in Welsh os gwelwch yn dda please
Exercise 5

Fill in the gap~ with the correct word for the: ji

Commenting on the weather m
_ _ _ siop .)1
5 gyda bara As in English, this is simply a convenient way of showing friendli-
2 i siop 6 allwedd ness by initiating a conversation. You will need Mae hi'n •.. It's.
3 1 siopau 7 gyda allwedd (usually Mae'n ••• in rapid speech), followed by one of:
4 bara 8 cyllyll a ffyrc
braf fino
Geirfa dditlas miserable
boeth hot
siop shop allwedd key (S) dwym hot
bara bread a and cold
gyda with q·llyll knives
""
These arc the only comments needed for the purposes of exchang-
ffyrc forks ing pleasantries. More detailed discussion of the weather and
weather forecasts is dealt with in Lesson 7. Finally a 'tag' question
should be added at the end to elicit a response: •••, on'd ydy? (or
. , ., 'tydy?) (N), ... , on'd yw hi?($) ... , isn't it? So, for example:
 ..-
14 15

Mae'n braf bore 'ma, 'tydy? It's fine this morning, isn't it?
Mae'n oer heddiw, on'd yw hi'! It's cold today, isn't it? Ti and Chi - 'you'

The answer will almost certainly be Ydy (Yes) it is, or Ydy, wir As in other European languages, Welsh has two words for 'you'
(Yes) it certain(v is. - ti for addressing a friend. member of the family. child or animal.
and chi for all other cases. Chi is also the plural in all cases. Which
Exercise 7 to use with acquaintances is very much a matter of subjective
judgt:ment. If in doubt and especially with people of the older
M3.ke brief comments about the weather according to the symbols. generation, you should stick to chi. With younger people and
and whether you are in the North or South: your peers, wait and see what they use to you, and do the same.

1
,,( ',
(N)
Exercise 8

~· Decide whether you would use ti or chi in addressing the following:

~' .I
__\::7
..__.
\, 01 your brother
~) _, '"',(
'

("-._/ (/ ·- 02 a shop assistant

'"-- 03 your three nieces FilL Katy and Lisa
2 (S) 04 Arnold Schwarzenegger
05 Arno!d Schwarzenegger's cat 'Terminator'
06 the bank manager
07 your twin sisters (aged 22)
08 your twin sisters (aged 312)
09 the bank manager's 5-year-old nephew
-4°C 10 Pontardawe Male Voice Choir (close personal friends)

3 (S)
4 (N)
Darllen-a-Deall (Reading comprehension) l:rJ
Read and try to understand as much of the following dialogue as
possible. There is a short vocabulary at the end to help you, but
otherwise try and guess unfamiliar words from the context.
Euros has just moved in next door to Phyl and Sandra.
EuRos: Bore da. Euros dw i. Beth yw'ch enw chi?

'·~'l''?
P11YL: Bore da. Phyl dw i. Dw i'n byw drws nesa.
''
E: (shakes hands) Mae'n dda gen i gwrdd a chi. Mae'n braf
··-. heddiw. on'd yw hi?
40°C P: Ydy, wir.
(Sandra comes out)
0, dyma ngwra1g Sandra. Sandra. dyma'n cymydog
newydd Euros.
16

Croeso i'r ardal, Euros. Eich car chi ydy hwnnw, 'te?
2 Dod i nabod
SANDRA:

E: Ie. Beth amdano fe?

S: Mae'n blocio'n mynedfa.
E:
P:
0 ... symuda i fe i chi nawr.
Diolch. pobol
Geirfa Getting to know people
'n our beth amdano fe'! what about it?
newydd new symuda i I'll move
ardal area
In this lesson you will learn how to:
Exercise 9
• talk about your family
• say where you come from, and where you live
Now see if you can find the Welsh equivalents for the following:
• answer yes or no to various questions
entrance
welcome
now
thanb
Sgwrs Ill
next door
neighbour
Si(m is sitting next to Susan, an American, on the train to
Aberystwyth. He notices she has an airline tag on her bag, bur a
Welsh new~paper in her hand, and introduces himself
SJ6N: Shwmae- Si6n dw i.
SUSAN: Mae'n dda gen i gwrdd a chi. Susan dw i.
SrON: Cymraes dych chi, Susan?
ScSA!'i: Nage- Americanes dw i.
Sr6N: Wir? Ac o le dych chi'n dod yn America?
!I SUSAN: Dw i'n dodo Efrog Newydd.
' SI6N: Dych chi'n siarad Cymraeg yn dda.
SuSAN: Diolch. Ond dw i eisiau gwcl\a!

S!6N: Hello- I'm Si6n

SusA"': Pleased to meet you. I'm Susan.
Si6N: Are you Welsh, Susan?
SUSAN: No -I'm American.
S!6N: Really? And where do you come from in America?
SusAN: I come from New York.
SJ6N: You speak Welsh well.
SUSAN: Thanks. But I want to improve!
18 19

Sgwrs m Americanes American (f) Gwyddele~ Irishwoman

Sais Englishman
lane is also on her way to Aberystwyth, but hitching. A car with a Saesnes Englishwoman
CYM plate stops to pick her up
Dych chi'n mynd i Aberystwyth?
]ANE:

ELERJ: Ydw. Ych chi eisiau lifft?

'I am, you are' etc.
1: Diolch yn fawr. Jane ydy·r enw. gyda llaw- Jane Williams.
The verb bod ('to be') is especially important in Welsh because, in
E: Eleri Roberls dw i. Rhowch eich bagiau yn y cefn.
addition to its normal use as in English, it is used to form nearly all
(they drive on)
of the tenses of the verb. For this reason it is vital to master it if flu-
E: Felly, Jane- Cymraes ych chi?
ency is to be achieved. The forms for the present tense are as fol-
J: Nage- Saesnes dw i.
lows, with certain regional differences pointed out:
E: Ond ych chi'n siarad Cymracg yn dda.
J: Cymro yw nhaid. Felly dw i'n deall Cymraeg, ac yn siarad smg. 1 dw i; wi (S) I 'm
ychydig hefyd. 2 (wyt)ti you are
E: Gwela i. 3m mae e (S); mae o (N) he is
f mae hi she is
J: Are you going to Aberystwyth? pi. 1 dan ni (N); (d)yn ni (S) we are
E: Yes. Do you want a lift? )I 2 dach chi (N): (d)ych chi (S) you are
J: Thanks u lot. The name's lane, by the way- lane Williams 1! 3 maen nhw they are
E: I'm Eleri Rob errs. Put your bags in the back. ii Notice that the ·he' and 'she' form (mae) is different from the
E: So, lane- are you Welsh?
ydylyw used for identification purposes in Lesson 1 and in Exercise
J: No- I'm English. 1 of this lesson.
E: But you speak Welsh well.
J: My grandfather is a Welshman. So I understand Welsh, and Exercise 2
(f) speak a bit as well.
E: I see. Using the vocabulary below, translate the following into Welsh:
Exercise 1 1 Mari is outside. 5 We are away tomorrow.
2 They are over there. 6 I am here.
Decide between yw and dw for each of the gaps: 3 She is upstairs. 7 You are in time.
4 It's under the table. 8 Dafydd is at home today.
1 Cymraes i. ond Saesnes Anne Smith.
2 Ffrancwr hwn, a Ffrances honno. Geirfa
3 Americanes Susan, ond Saesnes i.
4 Almaenwr Franz, a Ffrances Anne-Marie. tu allan outside draw fan'na over there
5 Cymraes fy mam, and Gwyddel 1.
lan y grisiau upstairs o dan undtr
bwrdd tabk i ffwrdd away
Geirfa fan hyn here yfury tomorrow
mewn pryd in timr: gartre at home
Ffrancwr Frenchman Almaenwr German (m)
Ffrances Frenchwoman Almaenes German (£)
Americanwr American (m) Gwyddel Irishman
 20 ------------------------------------21
Verbs in Welsh The 2nd sing. 4uestion form is heard either as W}'t ti? or simply
ti?: Wyt ti gartre heno? or Ti gartre heno? Are }'Oil at home tonight?
The verb in Welsh. and other Celtic languages, has two unusual
characteristics: first, and most important, in ordinary sentences it Exercise 3
comes before its subject- so i. chi, e (note: o inN), hi, ni and nhw jl
explained above correspond to I. you, he, she, we, they, with the .~1 Rearrange columns 2 and 3 so that the correct translation reads
appropriate form of the verb 'to be' preceding. Similarly, for exam- across from column 1:
ple, Delyth went is aeth Delyth (litera!ly ·went Delyth'): and Delyth I 2 3
saw Sioned is welodd Delyth Sioned ('saw Delyth Sioned'). This is.\·he? ydyn nhw
takes a bit of getting used to, but you will soon get the hang of it we are ydw H
with practice. are rhey? ydych hi
Second, unless the word nhw they is specifically mentioned, Jam wyt nl
plural subjects take a singular verb. In other words (using the forms 11l am I? ydy
of bod described above), we say Maen nhw fan hyn They are here, you are dan
'i. but if we identify who 'they' arc and so remove the need for nhw are you? dw chi
they. then the 3rd pers. sing. mae is used: Mae Morgan ac Eddie fan
hyn, M organ and Eddie are here. Exercise 4
As regards the pronouns, remember the distinction between ti
and chi mentioned in Lesson 1~ and notice also that, as in French, Tag-questions send a statement back to the originator for confirma-

l,,'l'
there is no word in Welsh corresponding to it. tion. Example:
(statement) (tag)
Mae Gwcnllian i ffwrdd heddiw. Ydy hi'!
Question-forms (INT- interrogative) of Gwenflian is away today. Is she?
bad, present tense Find the Welsh tags for the following statements:

:I1'1. While English swaps round the subject and verb ('I am' becomes 1 Maen nhw fan hyn rywle. ?
·am 1?'), the verb-subject word order does not change in Welsh; 2 Dan ni gartre heno. ?
i !.
:;1: instead, the verb-form itself is altered: 3 Dw i eisiau gwella Nghymraeg.
,,'
1·1'·
~ :::
'
' sing. 1
2
ydw i?
(wyt) ti?
am I?
are you?
il 4 Mae \tlorgan ac Eddie tu allan.
5 Mae hi'n bwrw glaw.
6 Dych chi (sing.) gyda ni.
''I
]··' 3m ydy e'! (S). ydy o (N) is he?
f ydy hi? is she?
pi. l ydan ni? (N),
(yd)yn ni? (S) are we? ~· Sgwrs rn
2 (y)dach chi'! (N). A led meets Glyn in the pub, but he is reall_v looking for Rhys and
;' (yd)ych chi? (S) are you? Delyth
'"I
3 ydyn nhw? ' are they?
ALcu: Shw mae pethau, Glyn?
Notice how the 3rd pers. sing. mae e/hi he/she is is changed com- !I GLYN: 0, go Jew, timod.
pletely to ydy e/hi? is he/she?, and a similar process happens with il A: Gwnmda, ydy De\yth a Rhys fan'ma heno'?
maen nhw they are, ydyn nhw? are they? G: Mae Rhys fan hyn, ond dyw Delyth ddim.
22 -------------------------------------- 23

A: Lie mae hi, 'te. Gartre'! Geirfa

G: Dyw hi ddim gartre chwairh. Mae hi i ffwrdd dros y Sui, dw
i'n meddwl. trwy'r wythnos all week ar hyn o bry·d at the moment
rhp~le somewhere dw i'n meddwl I think
A: How are things, Glyn? yn y gegin m the kitchen efallai perhap~
G: Oh, alright, y 'know.
A: Listen, are Delyth and Rhys here tonight'!
G: Rhys is here, but Delyth isn't. Present tense of other verbs
A: Where ts she, then? At home?
G: She's not at home either. She's away for the weekend, I You are now equipped to use any verb in the present tense, because
think. this is done by taking the basic or dictionary-form of a verb, known
in Welsh as the bcrfenw or verb-noun (VN). and joining it to the
present tense of bod by mean:. of the linking particle JD (written
Negative (NEGJ forms of bad, present and pronounced 'n after vowels). So, for example, in the previous
exercise we saw dw i'n meddwl, where meddwl is think and dw i is I
tense 'I'm not, you're not' etc.
am; linked by Jn, these make I am thinking or I think - there is no
These require changes to some of the verb-forms themselves, and distinction in Welsh between the two English present tenses.
Similarly. if dysgu is learn, then I learn (or I am learning) will be:
the addition of ddim not after the pronoun:
Dwi 'n dysgu
smg. 1 dw i ddim 1 am not
I am p;nk] learn
2 (dwyt) ti ddim you are not
3m dydy e ddim, dyw e ddim (S) he is not Further examples:
f dydy hi ddim, dyw hi ddim (S) she is not
Mae Ron yn deall Cymraeg
pi. 1 (dy)dan ni ddim, (d)yn ni ddim we arc not
Ron understands Welsh
2 dach chi ddim, (d)ych chi ddim you are not
Mae'r plant yn mynychu ysgol gynradd Gymraeg
3 (dy)dyn nhw ddim they are not
The children go to [lit. frequent] a Wdsh primary school
Dyn ni'n mynd i Lundain dros y Sui
Exercise 5
We're going to London for the weekend
Ti'n gyrru'n rhy gyOJm
Translate into English:
You're driving too fast
Dw i ddim gartre yfory. Maen nhw'n adnewyddu'r tf
2 Dych chi i ffwrdd trwy'r wythnos? They· re doing up the house
3 Dyw Sian ddim fan hyn ar hyn o bryd.
4 Ydw i mcwn pryd? Exercise 6
5 Ydy Dewi a Silfan fan hyn?
6 Maen nhw draw fan'na rhywle, dw i'n mcddwl. Two words have swapped places in each of the following sentences
7 Dyn nhw ddim lan y grisiau. -identify them and rewrite the sentences accordingly:
S Ydyn nhw yn y gegin, efallai?
Example: Mae Dafydd trwy gweithio fan hyn yn 'r wythnos
- Mae Dafydd yn gwcithio fan hyn trwy'r WJthnos
1 Chi dach 'n siarad Cymraeg yn dda.
 24 25

2 Mae Eddie 'n Paula a mynd i ffwrdd yfory. Negative present tense follows the same principle:
3 Dan gartrc'n siarad Cymraeg trwy'r amser ni.
Dydy/Dyw hi ddim yn mynd
4 Darllen mrawd yn mae yr Independent.
She is not [link] go
5 Maen yfory'n hedfan i lwerddon nhw.
6 Mae'r plant tcledu gwylio'r yn. to mean either 'She isn't going' or 'She doesn't go' as required.
' i~
Further examples:
.,,·I
' . Geirfa
'. ?il Dyw Eleri fach ddim yn siarad Saesneg eto
trwy'r am.~er all the time dar!len read Little Eleri doesn't speak English yet
I hedfan fly lwerddon Ireland Ydy'ch g~r yn dod'da ni hcno?
plant children gwylio watch Is your husband coming with us tonight?
:i,'
,,i:· teiedu television Dyn ni ddim yn prynu anrhegion eleni
We're not buying presents this year
,, Sut dych chi'n sillafu 'ny?
Exercise 7
jl 11 How do you spell that?
Using the VNs and other vocabulary below, tramlate the following Ydw i'n ysgrifennu fe fel hyn?
''I Do I write it like this?
'I•' into Welsh:
'I Lie dach chi'n gweithio erbyn hyn?
,I I Sioned doesn't work here. 6 Is he coming tomorrow? Where are you working these days?
'i' 2 I don't speak French. 7 Do they know? Dach chi ddim yn edrych yn rhy iach
, I, 3 We are leaving next week. X Do your parents know? You don't look too healthy
4 I buy too many books. 9 Arc you reading this? Dach chi ddim yn deud hynny'n iawn
5 Alun is selling the car. 10 Does your mother speak Welsh? You're not saying that right
Y dy hi'n bwrw glaw'!
-''-! Geirfa Is it raining?
gweithio work
Dyw hi ddim yn bwrw glaw ar hyn o bryd
dod come
It isn't raining at the moment
gadaelleave prynu buy
gwerthu sell gwybod know (a (act) Other tenses of the verb- imperfect, one of the futures, and condi-
Ffrangeg French (language) wythnos nesa next week tional- are formed on the same (bod) + yn +(verb) pattern, using
gormod o lyfrau too many books 'eh rhieni chi your parents the appropriate tense of bod. See Lessons 7 and 14.
'eh mam chi your mother
Exercise 8
Present tense questions and negatives of verbs are done in the
same way, using TNT and NEG forms of bod with linking yn and Unscramble the following sentences:
dictionary-form of the main verb. So, for example. Dues he speak
1 bryd Sioned gwcithio yn hyn mae oar
(siarad) Welsh~ will require Ydy e •.. ·~·.
2 o gormod i prynu 'n dw lyfrau
Ydy e 'n siarad Cymraeg? 3 ddim Ffrangeg mrawd siarad yn dydy
Is he [link] speak Welsh? 4 hyn byw chi erbyn dach \le 'n
5 allan oer mae'n tu
Again, this example could also mean 'Is he speaking Welsh?' -
6 gwraig hyn 'eh fan gweithio ydy yn
Welsh does not distinguish between the two types of present tense
in English.
 26 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- r 1

----------------------------------27
'Yes' and 'No' Exercise 9

Although Welsh does have words corresponding to these (le and Answer ·yes' to the following questions:
Nage- see Dialogues), they are much more restricted in use than in
! 1 Ydy Gwilym yn dod gyda ni heno?
English. More usually, the affirmative answer to. say, 'Are you
going to town?' will be not 'Yes' but '1 am· -the verb is turned ii' 2 Wyt ti'n byw yn Abertawe?
round and sent back to the questioner. Similarly: 3 Ydych chi'n dod fan hyn yn ami?
i :· 4 Ydy Gwilym a Mair yn barod?
' 'Is your brother here?' 'He is' 5 Ydyn ni'n hwyr?
I,I 'Am I late?' 'You are' 6 Ydw i'n sillafu fe fel hyn?
'Are they ready now?' 'They are'
I 'Do you speak Welsh?" 'I do'
' ,'
Geirfa
"
li
1 We must look, therefore. at the start of the question (where the
I verb is) to work out what the answer 'yes· will be: gyda (or 'da) with byw live
I,
Abertawe Swansea yn ami often
I!. Ydy'ch brawd fan hyn?
Ydw i'n hwyr?
Ydy !I fel hyn like this
;i '
Y dyn nhw'n barod nawr?
Ydych
Ydyn ll,! le and Nage
Ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg? Ydw
II Obviously. the 3rd person verb-forms (he, she, they etc.) will simply l le and Nage are used where the question begins with a word that
,..I be repeated, as in the first and third examples above. while the 1st
and 2nd persons(!. we and you) will alternate ('Are you coming?' 'I
!ji is not a verb. There arc several examples in the Dialogues at the
beginning of this lesson, and they involve identifying people, in
am'; 'Am I late?' 'You are'). particular asking their nationality or profession. We have
For present tense questions, then, the response will be as follows. already encountered the pattern Cymro dw i, I'm a Welshman,
'No' answers simply prefix Nag (some areas Nac). and the same order is used in asking someone else: Cyrnro dach
Question
1 Ydwi ••• ?
2 Wyt ti. •• ?
y"
Wyt/Ydych
Ydw
No
Nag wyt/Nag JdJch
Nagydw
li chi'? Cymro. at the start of the question, is clearly not the verb, so
'yes' will be le and 'no' Nage.

3 Ydy ... ? Ydy ~ag ydy/Nag yw ' Exercise 10 [!]

1 Ydyn ni ... ? Ydych Nag ydych
(or Ydyn Nag ydyn) Put the 'yes' answers alongside the questions they belong to:
2 (Y)dych chi ... ? Ydw!Ydyn Nag ydw/Nag ydyn
3 Yd:yn nhw ... ? Ydyn Nag ydyn 1 Dych chi'n darllen y Daily Telegraph? le
2 Cymraes yw'ch mam, 'te? Ydw
But when the 3rd sing. Yd:y ... ? refers to more than one person or 3 Ydy Morgan ac Eddie yn ymweld ani eleni? Ydych
thing, the answer will be Ydyn. They are. 4 Sioned wyt ti? Ydy
This aspect of Welsh causes beginners some difficulty and a ten- 5 Ydw i ar y ffordd iawn i Abertawe? Ydyn
dency to panic at the thought of picking the right answer out of so 6 Ydy Aled eisiau gwy\io'r teledu? le
many possibilities. The trick is to get into the habit of listening for 7 Ydyn nhw'n mynd gyda'i gilydd? Ydw
the first word of the question- therein lies the key. It might as well 8 Gwyddel ydy Diarmuid 0 Se? Ydyn
be mentioned, also, that while it is important to get 'yes' right, Na is 9 Almaenwyr yw'r rheiny? le
generally acceptable in speech for most ·no' answers. 10 Wyt ti wedi blino? le
 '*"'

28 29

Which sentence has the correct answer already? parents

member
Geirfa date
other names
ymweld a visit y ffordd iawn the right road
ito gyda'i gilydd together
Almacnwyr (pL) German~ wedi blino tired

DARLLEN-A-DEALL

CYFENW:
ENWAU ERAILL: ~~
CYFEIRIAD:
RHIF FF6N (CARTREF):
RHIF FF6N (GWAITH): 11
·~I
Ydych chi'n briod? YDW/NACYDW
Ydych chi'n gyrru car? YDW/NAC VOW )I
Ydy'ch gwaith yn llawn-amser?
Ydy'r Gymraeg yn fam-iaith i chi?
YDY/NAC YDY
YDY/NAC YDY l
Ydych chi'n rhugl yn y Gymraeg? YOW/NACYDW l
Ydy'ch rhieni'n siarad Cymraeg? YDYN/NAC YDYN
Ydych chi'n aelod o glwb chwaraeon? YDW/NAC VOW
Ji
!I,,
LLOFNOD
DYDDIAD
I
i
Exercise 11

Look at the official form above, and try to identify the Welsh equiv- ll
alents of the following: !I
sports dub
l
'~I
phone number (home)
fluent
signature
address
married
phone number (work)
mother-tongue
surname
 "·' ----------------------------------31
1 expect so. What about something ro ear?
3 Mynd allan
S!ON:
SusA'i: Nothing for me, thanks.
SJ6N: Are you sure?
Going out SLSAN: Yes I am, thanks.

·I·
-· :,. Possession - 'to have'
Welsh ha~ no verb to express possession. Instead, it uses a construc-
,,, tion with gyda (usually 'da in speech) with, whereby John has a car
:.;
is phrased as
In this lesson you will learn how to: There is a car with John
',i :\'lae
• order food and drink 'da John
• offer and accept things
'"'
To turn this into a question ('Has John got a car?), we change Mae
• say that you possess thmgs, and ask others
,'li" There is/are into Oes? Is/Are there? The rest of the sentence is
• take mutations in your stride -~: unchanged:
,'
. 1:, Is there a car with John?
.
.I ' o., 'da John?
' Sgwrs m '"'
'(' 1t Negatives ('John hasn't got a car') are dont: with Does dim There
is/are not:
The train has brought Susan and Sibn lO gorsaf Aberystwyth - J,
' 1'1,
Aberystwyth station. lt has been a long journey, and Si6n offers to There is not a car with John
,,~I,, buy Susan a drink in the pub over the road Does dim 'da John
-~! '"'
,ll·
-~
.:~
SH':ls: Hoffech chi ddiod, Susan? Oes amser 'da chi'!
(Looks at her watch)
The important thing to remember about this construction is that the
relative positions of the possessor and the thing possessed are
m SUSAN: Mmm' .. saith o'r ogloch. lawn, pam lai? reversed in Welsh from the normal English phrasing, with the pos-
S16N: Awn ni i'r odafarn draw fan'na, 'te. sessor always coming last:
(They find a table)
Eleri has three childre11
S16N: Be' hoffech chi, 'te?
Mae tri o blant 'da Eleri
SusA!'<: Oes gwin each 'da nhw, tybed?
SH)N: Siwr iawn. Beth am rywbeth i fwyta? In place of names, of course. pronoum can be used in the same way:
SusAN: Dim byd i mi, diolch.
fi I have
S16N: Dych chi'n siwr?
,; you have
SusAN: Ydw, diolch.
le he has
Mae 'da h; she has a car
SJ6N: Would you like a drink, Susan? Have you got time? '"' n; we have
SUSA'i: Mmm ... seven o'clock. OK, why not?
chi you have
SJ6N: Let's go to the pub over there, then.
nhw they have
Si6N: What would you like, then?
SusM>: Have they got red wine, I wonder? In North Wales a different construction is more common, with gano
 32 -----------------------------------33

with instead of (gy)da. This will be dealt with in Lesson 6. For now, S: How much do I owe you?
you should master the principles of (gy )da. Gw: Two pounds and ten pence, please.
True to the yes/no principle explained in Lesson 2, questions
beginning Oes ... ? will be answered ·yes' by Oes, and ·no' by
Nag oes. Sgwrs m
Sibn returns with the drinks
Sgwrs m SusAN: Diolch, Si6n. Iechyd da.
S16N: Iechyd da.
SiOn goes to the bar to order from the gweinyddes (barmaid) (takes off his coat)
S16r-:: Gwin coch a banner o chwerw, os gwclwch yn dda. Mae'n oboeth fan hyn, on·d ydy hi?
(the barmaid gets the drinks) Sl.JSAN: Ydy, braidd. Ond 0 oleia mae'n odawel.

Gw: Unrhywbeth arall? SJ6N: Oes ffrindiau 'da chi fan hyn, Susan?
S16N: Oes creision 'da chi? SusAN: Oes ... mae ffrind da 'da fi sy'n byw yn y "dre. Dw i'n mynd
"''I Gw: Oes. Pa flas hoffech chi'? i aros gyda hi.
Sr6N: 0 ... halen a finegr. S16N: Americanes arall yw'ch ffrind?
.I"
Gw: Does dim halen a finegr 'da ni . Sus.->..N: Nage - Cymraes ydy hi. Fel wedes i. dw i eisiau gwcl\a
.I Nghymraeg!
(SiOn is disappointed)
S16N: Cyw iiir, 'te (Sibn looks at his watch and puts his coat back on)
i Gw: 'Sdim creision cyw iar ar 61, yn anffodus. S16N: Well i mi fynd, Susan. Ond mae Aberystwyth yn ofach -
I:,. (Si6n is beginning to get peeved) gobcithio eich gweld chi o ··gwmpas. Hwyl!
S16N: We! be' sy 'da chi, 'te? SusAr< Hwyl nawr!
Gw: 'Mood caws a nionyn.
SusA!'<: Thanks, Sibn. Cheers.
I'J
, :I;
~
(SiiJn just manages to keep his temper)
SJ6r,;: Cn pecyn o ogrcision caws a nionyn, 'te. S16N: Cheers.
(she gets the cnsps) It's warm (in) here, isn't it?
.i1:·
Gw: 'Na chi, 'te. Scs.->..:-.~: Yes, (it is) rather. But at least it's quiet.

I S16N: Faint sy arna i i chi? S16N: Have you got friends here, Susan?
11!
Gw: Dwy obunt a deg cciniog, os gwelwch yn dda. SusA~: Yes. I've got a good friend living in town. I'm f?Oing to
'·' stay with her.
S: A red wine and a half of bitrer, please. S16N: Is your friend another American?
Gw: Anything else? SusA": No- she's Welsh. Like I said, I want to improve my Welsh.!
S: Have you gut crisps? St6N: I'd better go, Susan. But Aberystwyth is small-/ hope to see
Gw: Yes. What flavour would you like? you about. Goodhye.l
S: Oh . .. salt and vinegar. SusAN: CoodbJ·e:'
Gw: We haven't got any salt and vinegar.
S: Chicken, then.
Gw:
S:
There's no chicken crisps left, unfortunately.
Well what have you got?
Mutations m
Gw: Just cheese and onion. Welsh words change not only at the end (e.g. siop shop, siopau
s, One packet of cheese and onion crisps, then. shops), but also at the beginning. This phenomenon, which is
Gw: There you are, then. common to all the Celtic languages, is known as initial consonant
 34------------------------------------
mutation. or simply Mutation. For example, a c- at the front of a
word can change (under clearly defined circumstances) to g-, eh- or
ngh-; so that cariad (boy/girlfriend) can appear as gariad. chariad
or nghariad- this last variant occurred in Lesson 1 with the mean-
ing my boylf?irlfriend. In this example, three different mutations
have operated on the c-: they are termed Soft Mutation (turns c-
into g-), Aspirate Mutation (turns c- into eh-) and Nasal Mutation
(turns c- into ngh-). C- is not the only initial consonant susceptible
to these mutations. The following table gives all the possible
changes in initial consonants. with the original (or radical) form in
the left-hand column. The Soft (SM), Aspirate (AM) and Nasal
(NM) variants can then be read off to the right, starting with c-
,, turning to g-, eh- and ngh- as we have just seen. ' - ' indicates the
original consonant is unaffected; so, for example, there is no
:!;
Aspirate Mutation of b-. You will see, therefore. that three conso-
·:I
i! nants (c, p and t) are susceptible to all three Mutations, while three
more (g, b and d) are affected by SM and NM, but not AM. The
remaining three (11, m and rh) are affected by SM only. Certain
.I dialect variations not generally written are omitted from this table.
original consonant SM AM NM
c g eh ngh
'1: p b ph mh
''1!'"''1!·1,,' t d th nh
g (disappears) ng
b f - m
d dd - n
11 I a probkm. b~cause there are three possibilities:
m f
•h ' SM of gl-
By far the most widespread and commonly occurring mutation in
Colloquial Welsh is the Soft Mutation, and it is important to master
this first of all. Probably ninety per cent of the cases of mutation you
will encounter in ordinary speech are SM. The AM and NM will be
pointed out as they occur- they are of far lower frequency, and, in
the spoken language at least, less consistently applied.
While the mutations undoubtedly make life more complicated for
beginners in the language, they should not be allowed to intimidate.
The root of the problem is that, while you arc still at the stage of
acquiring unfamiliar vocabulary. they disguise the true identity
35
of certain types of word. At first sight. for example. it is impossible
to decide whether bara is the radical bara or an SM variant of a
word para. Similarly, is awyr a radical, or is it the SM variant of
gawyr with the g- removed? In this book, a special sign '" ' is used
to help overcome this problem. It is employed in two ways:
In the vocabularies in the lessons and at the end of the book, 0
after a word (e.g. am') means that this word causes Soft Mutation
of the consonant immediately following. So if you know that punt
is pound (money). and you see the raised circle after am in the
vocabularies. you will know that for a pound is am bunt.
2 In the dialogues for the first ten lessons, "before a word indicates
that the word as it appears is not the original word but the soft-
mutated variant. But this device is used sparingly. Words begin-
ning with such as dd- and f-are by definition already mutated (to
put it another way, radical words never begin with dd- and f-).
For this reason they do not need pointing out. But g-, b-and d-
are ambiguous; therefore, when they are the re:.ult of SM, they
will be preceded by the raised circle. So, for example, "gasglu
warns you that the actual word here is casglu: while gardd will
appear without because the g- is a radical. If a word beginning
with a vowel (or r- or w-) is preceded by then this shows that a
0
,
g- has dropped: "olchi shows that the word is really golchi (wash).
Similarly 'radd grade, degree (radical gradd), "weddill remainder,
rest (radical gweddill). Words beginning r- (as opposed to rh-)
are usually the SM form of rh-. and in these cases will be
unmarked; so while for oradd you should understand gradd, for
rywun you should understand rhywun. Words beginning 1- pose
SM of 11- (the most likely)
radicall-
In this book, 1- will be used for SM of 11-, so "lefydd (raU.ical
0
llefydd, places). No raised circle therefore means one of the oth-
er two possibilities -radical 1- usually occurs in loan words from
English and these are generally easy to spot, while gl- words arc
of Welsh origin. Compare lori (radical- lorry) and lannau (SM
of glannau shores).
Notice in the table that radical b-and m- both turn to f- under
SM- neither possibility is really more likely than the other, and
the best approach is simply to learn them as encountered.
_...,"""'" ----~~

36----------------------------- 37

Two of the Nasal Mutation effects are potentially ambiguous as "brisiau prices ngwaith work
well: m- (from b-) and n- (from d-). Where necessary, a superscript fawr big faner flag
· ~' will be used to distinguish these from radicals: so nenfwd fl• fach small ddraig dmgon
(ceiling)- radical, but NniiJad (my clothes)- NM of radical dillad. "dynnu pull "goch red

These typographical aids will appear only in the early lessons, as

Exercise 3
you must eventually learn to cope without them in the real world!
Listen to the following words in their radical and mutated forms:
' The phrase Dw i'n mynd r ... Fm going to . .. can be used with VNs
to talk about what you have planned. There will be SM of the VN
SM AM NM ll
radical after r. Using the vocabulary at the back. write down in Welsh five
car car ga• char nghar things that you are going_ to do today.
pabell tent babe !I phabell mhabell 1
tad father dad thad nhad 2
gardd garden ardd -
-
ngardd
mara n 3
bara bread
dillad clothes
llawn full
fara
ddillad
lawn
- nillad
I!! ;
merch daughter fer eh
rhicni parents rieni
B Offering and accepting things rn
Exercise 1
~~ The simplest way to offer someone something is to use Hoffech chi"
, .. ? (or, for people addressed with ti, Hoffet ti" •.• ?) Would you
Decide which of the following words are susceptible to SM, and give i1. like . .. ? What follows will have SM.
the SM variants: .11
chwiurydd sisters
Holtech chi ••• "banaid o 'de'? a cup of tea?
brodyr brothers
"ragor o "golli? (some) more coffee'!
archfarchnad supermarket llyfr book
ewythr uncle
l Would you like. "ddiod? a drink?
gwely bed
modryb aunt "bryd o fwyd fan hyn'! a meal here?
brecwast breakfast
caws (_'heese cotli coff~ee 1, ·gacen arall'! another cake?
map map '11 'gipolwg? a look?
wyau eggs ·<i
ffordd road, way ffurfJen danysgrifio'! a subscription form?
popty oven ii
taith trip. journey dinas city To accept use Hoffwn, Yes (I would like), or any of the following:
1
! lawn OK
Exercise 2 ll O'r gorau, 'te Alright, then
Pam lai? Why not?
Find the radical forms of the following mutated words. Use the
S~·niad da! Good idea!
vocabulary at the back of the book if need be. )I
If it's something expensive, don't forget to ask Pwy sy'n talu? Who's
owenu smile Nmocsys boxes ~j
'I paying? before committing yourself.
"gas nasly, hateful
ddenu attract
"ganol middle
"ganu sing
li
>;
.l;
You can also use Hoffech chi' ••. ?/Hoffet ti" •.. ? with a following
Nmawd thumb mhlanhigion planEs VN to ask if someone would like to do something:
38 39

Hoffech chi' . , . 'ddod 'da ni? come with us? maneg glove menig gloves
'weld y fwydlen'! see the menu? taith journey teithiau journeys
Would you like to. 'drio fc? try it?
chwarae peldroed? play footba!l?
'gwrdd ani wedyn? meet us later? Adjectives
ffonio adre? phone home?
Adjectives ('describing' words- red, heavy. international, exw,perat-
ing) come after the noun in Welsh- so a red bus is bws coch, and a
Nouns- genders and plurals big red bus is bws coch mawr.
du black melyn yellow (f. melen)
Nouns ('naming' words - bus, typewriter, children, honesty) are
gwyn white (f. gwen) brown brown
either masculine or feminine in Welsh, much as in French. For the
coch red llwyd grey
most part, there are no guidelines, except that nouns denoting males
glas blut pine pink
and females usually have the appropriate gender. Sometimes
gwyrdd green (f. gwerdd) piws purple
you can guess from the form of the word (usually the ending). For
oreu orange
o;;xamplc, nouns ending in -en tend to be feminine, and nouns in -yn
, .• golau light .
masculine. But generally the best approach is to learn genders with
.. , tywyll dark .
nouns (later in this lesson there is a neat way of doing this). and not
to worry if you don't know or get it wrong- you won't be mis-
understood.
While almost all nouns in English are made plum! by adding -s or
Sgwrs I:C
-es, the situation is more complicated in Welsh, with a number of
Mererid wants to buy a T-shirt
different ways of forming the plural. Again, you simply have to
learn them as you come across them. To the vocabulary at the back Gw: OAila i'ch helpu chi?
of the book the plural is given in brackets after each noun. By far MERERlD: Gallwch. Dw i'n chwilio am ogrys-T.
the most common plural endings are -au, -iau, -on and -ion. Also Gw: Mae llawer 'da ni ar hyn o obryd. Pa "\iw dych chi
fairly common are -i and -ydd/-oedd. In addition, many nouns in eisiau?
Welsh change a vowel in the middle of the word (as with English Mo Sa i'n siwr- gwyrdd, efallai, neu Jas.
man/men, foot/jeer, but far more numerous in Welsh). And many Gw: Dyma i chi un gwyrdd.
words use a combination of ending and vowel-change to make the Mo Mae'n "wyrdd tywyll iawn, on'd yw e?
plural. Gw: Ydy, braidd. Beth am yr un g!as. 'te.
Mo Mae hwnna'n owe!!. 'Gymera i"r un glas, 'te.
Examples:
siop shop siopau shops Geirfa
esgid shoe esgidiau shoe~
llythyr letter llythyron letters a1ht i'ch hclpu chi? llawer many: much gwell better
achos cause achosion causes can I help you? lliw colour gymtra i ... I'll take .
cape! chapel capeli chapels gallwch ye~ (you can) efallai perhaps sa i'o siwr I'm not sure
mynydd mountain mynyddoedd mountains chwilio am" look for neu" or
fforest forest fforestydd forests crys shirt ... iawn very
corff body cyrff bodie~
troed foot traed feet
40 41

Exercise 4 vsgol gynradd adcryn du

ffurfien swyddogol
Cywir neu Anghywir? True or False?
1 Does dim crysiau-T yn y siop ar hyn o bryd. Cl A Geirfa
2 Mae'r crys gwyrdd yn rhy (rhyo too) dywyll. CIA
nouns adjectives
3 Mae'r crys gla:. yn rhy olau. CIA
4 Yn y diwcdd (in the end) mae Mererid yn prynu'r un glas. CIA eglwys church newydd new
tywydd weather cui narrow
ffordd road, way cynradd primary
Feminine singular nouns ysgol school swyddogol official
ffurflen form lleul local
Two points need to be made about these, both to do with the Soft Jlwybr path pwysig important
Mutation. aderyn bird cyhoeddus puhlic
1 If a feminine singular noun is used with the definite article y (or Which two were you unable to determine?
'r), it appears with SM. So desg a desk, but y ddesg the desk; torth
a loaf, but y dorth the loaf, gardd a garden, but yr ardd the garden; Exercise 6
merch a girl, but yferch the girl; pabell a tent, but y babell the tent.
Check the nouns in exercise 5 above in the vocabulary at the back
Note: This particular ruk does nut apply to feminines beginning li-
to sec if you got the genders right, and then give the English trans-
ar rh-, even though these consonants usually do change under SM.
lations for the noun +adjective phrases.
2 If a feminine singular noun is used with a following adjective, this
adjective undergoes SM. Compare bwrdd (m) and desg (f):
bwrdd mawr a hig tahle, but dcsg ofawr a big desk. Verb 'to be' + yn • + adjective
It will help you remember the gender of nouns if you learn them
Another very common word that causes SM is yn' ('n' after vowels)
with an adjective- for example, learn not ffcnest (feminine), but
-it does not 'translate' into any English word, but performs a gram-
ffenest "fawr - this more realistic phrase will stick better in the
matical function in the sentence.
memory. If it is ffenest fawr and not ffenest mawr, this will remind
We have already seen that the normal word order in a Welsh
you that ffcnest window is feminine.
sentence is Verb-Subject-Object. In Lesson 1 we saw expressions of
the type Mac'n oer It's cold. This is really a contracted version of
Exercise 5
Mae hi'n oer, which can be analysed as follows:
Look at the adjectives in the following list of noun + adjective Mae hi 'n Oe<
phrases, and use them to sort the nouns into masculine and femi- ;, it cold
nine. With two of them. you will not be able to tell. (verb 'to be') (subject) (description of subject)
eglwys fach siop Ieo! The same structure could just as easily give us:
ffenest fawr ceffyl g\vyn
'This chair is comfortable'
teledu ncwydd dyn pwysig
Mae 'r gadair 'ma 'n gyfforddus
lori ddu stafell werdd
is this chair comfortable
tywydd braf llwybr cyhoeddus
(verb 'to be') (subject) (description of subject)
ffordd gul tre dawcl
42
----------------43
'A led is tall" This parcel is heavy.
Mae Aled yn dal 7 Mae'ch brawd tu allan.
A led Your brother is outside.
"(verb 'to be") (subject)
tall
(description of subject) 8 Dyw pethau ddim rhad fan hyn.
'You are late' Things are not cheap here.
Dych chi 'n 9 Mae Llanafan pentre bach tlws.
hwyr
an you Llanafan is a pretty (tlws) little village (pentrc).
late
(verb 'to be') (subject) 10 Ydy'r dyn 'na cynghorwr?
(description of subject)
Is that man a councillor?
This particle yn°, then, appears in descriptive sentences using the
verb 'to be', and is placed between the subject and the word that Finally, here is a reminder of the Soft Mutation. It is so important
describes it. This will be true for any tense of the verb "to be'. You that you should take time out now to become thoroughly familiar
should note that yno does not cause SM of following 11- or rh-. with it.
The description-word can be a noun as well as an adjective:
Mae Aberystwyth yn dre fach
B
c -- F

-
G
Aberystwyth is a smallwwn D DD
Ydy hynyn brohlem i chi? G (disappears)
b this a problem for you? LL L
Exercise 7 l]]!

Using the translations to help you. put yno or 'no as appropriate in its
M

RH
p

T
--
-
•
F
B
R
D
proper place in each of the following sentences, and make any
mutation changes necessary in the process. (Warning! One of them
is not strictly speaking a descriptive sentence. Try and spot it, and
leave out the yn· accordingly.)
Example: Mae Sian blinedig bore 'ma
Sian is tired this morning
Mae Shin yn j1inedig bore 'ma
1 Ydy'r bwyd parod?
Is the food ready?
2 Dan ni i gyd cynnar.
We are all (i gyd) early.
3 Mae Simon a Louisa prysur ar hyn o bryd.
Simon and Louisa are busy at the moment.
4 Mae'r tywydd braf heddiw.
The weather is fine today (note: brafis an immutable word).
5 Wyt ti oer?.
Are you cold?
6 Mae'r parse! 'ma trwm.
 45
:,1,

.j
,i'
'
;.'1
4 Ellwch chi A
j,
Good morning.
Cood morning. Have you got any rooms free?
Yes. How long would you like to stay for?
'
ddangos i mi • • •
?• A'
j, Till the end of the week, I think.
A' OK.
·! Can you show me ... ? Could you put a few details here.
),' L J· Of course.
··!·' A And sign here at the bottom of the form, please.
j, There we are.
A' Here's your key, then- room eight. I'll bring your bags up in a
'
minute.
In this lesson you will learn:
J: No, don't bother- I've only got the two small bags (lit. 'it is
• more about mutations only the two small bags that are with me')
• how to say 'my .. .", 'his .. .', 'her .. .' etc A: Alright. Lunch is at tweh•e, by the way.
• how to ask people to do things for you J: Thanks.
• how you ask if you can do something

Sgwrs l l ]
Sgwrs l l ]
Su.san hm arrived at her friend Mererid's hotL';e. Mererid shows her
lane has arriwd in Aberystwyth, and wants EO take a room in a hotd round
for a few days. She finds one yng nghanol y dre, in the town centre, MERERID: Dyma ni, 'tc. Mae lolfa a chegin 'da ni ar y llawr 'm a. Ac
and goes to lhe derbynfa reception wedyn mae'r ddwy stafe!l owely a'r stafell mokhi !an
A: Bore da. ilofft.
JA~E: Bore da. Oes stafe!loedd rhydd 'da cht'! SusA:-~: A lle mae'r t 9 bach'?
A: Oes. Am faint hoffech chi aros? M' Draw fan'na. Ti'n edrych wedi blino, Susan- beth am
J: Tan ddiwedd yr wythnos, dw i'n meddwl. obanaid?
A: lawn. S: 0, syniad gwych!
1-le gives her a ffurflen °gofrestru (registration form) M: Awn ni i'r ogegin, 'te.
"A!lech chi oroi ychydig o fany!ion fan hyn? S: OAlla i 'adael Nmagiau fan'ma amy tro?
J: Wrth ogwrs. M: Galli. OGei di fynd ii nhw \an wedyn.
She fills in enw (name), cyfenw (surname), cyfeiriad cartref (home (They go into the kitchen)
address) and rhifffOn cartref Mae tea choffi ar ogael- p'un leiciet ti?
A: A llofnodi fan hyn ar owadod y ffurflen. os gwelwch yn dda. S: Coffi, os gwe!i di'n dda.
lane signs her name at the bol!om.
M: Here we are, then. We've got a lounge and kitchen on this
J: 'I\' ani.
floor. And then the two bedrooms and the bathroom are
A: Dyma"ch a!lwedd chi, 'te- stafell wyth. ODdo i ft'ch bagiau
upstairs.
!an mewn munud.
S: And where's the toilet?
J: Na, peidiwch poeni- dim ond y ddau fag bach sy 'da fi.
M: Over there. You look tired, Susan. What about a cup of
A: lawn. Mae cinio am ddeuddeg, gyda llaw.
.1omething?
J: Diolch.
S: Oh, great idea.'
46-----------------------------! 47
Mo Let's go in the kitchen, then.
So
Mo
Can f leave my bag1· here for now? mutation m
Yes. You can take them up later. I've got tea and coffee
(lit. 'there's tea and coffee available')- which would you _ _ mentioned in the previous lesson, this is the simplest of the
like? 'mutations, and is easy to master:
So Coffee, please.
c- -• ch-
p-- ph-
Sgwrs m t- th-
·--It is mainly found after the following words:
(This time there is no translation; try and decipher us much of this a and ei her (possessive- see below)
dialogue as possible using the select vocabulary below.) a with g)·da with
Over a nice cup of coffee, Susan and Mererid catch up on family chwe six tri three
news tua about
SusAN:
Sut mae dy odeulu di dyddiau 'ma 'te?
MERERlD: So. for example: tad farher, but ei thad her father; cyllell knife, but
Go Jew. "Giywest ti fod Mair wedi priodi'n ddiweddar'.' llwy a chyllell spoon und knife;
So Naddo! Pwy yw'r dyn lwcus, 'te?
M But in Colloquial Welsh its use is not as consistent as that of the
Ifan L!wyd. 0 Abertawe mae ei odeulu'n dod, and maen Soft Mutation. To begin with, the mutation t-- th-is not usual in
nhw'n byw yn KNinas Mawddwy.
So A beth yw ei 'waith? spoken Webh- while hws a char a bus and a car is natural enough,
Mo bws a thacsi is not. Furthermore, many regions of Wales prefer the
Mae'n gweithio 'da'r cwmni trydan. Peiriannydd, wi·n radical after most of the six words given above, e.g. gyda ceffyl with
credu, neu rywbeth felly.
So a horse instead of gyda cheffyl. Exceptions to this are set phrases
Ac ydy Mair yn dal i weithio fel ysgrifenyddes? such as tri chant three hundred, chwe chant six hundred, chwe
Mo
Ydy. and mewn lie gwahanol nawr. Mae hi'n gweithio cheiniog six pence.
mewn swyddfa yswiriant yn NNolgellau.
So Druan ohoni. Another characteristic of AM in Colloquial as opposed to
Literary Welsh is that it sometimes affects words beginning m- and
Geirfa n- (turning them into mh- and nh- respectively); this occurs espe-
cially after ei her: ei mham her mother, ei nhain her grandmother
teulu f<~mily (N). You should imitate local practice on this point
rhywbcth felly something like that
dyddiau 'ma these days yn dai t ... ( + VN) still ... -mg Exercise 1
glywest ti fod •.. ? fel a~
did you hear that ... ? ysgrifenyddes secretary
wedi priodi got married As we have seen, the Aspirate Mutation (AM) is simple- adding
lie place
yn ddiweddar recently -h onto c-, p- and t- to give eh-, ph- and th- respectively. But be
gwahanol d1fferent careful - a good number of radical words begin with eh- in their
!wens lucky bellach now
Abertawe Swansea own right. Use the vocabulary at the back of the book to decide
yswiriant insurance which of the following are radicals. and which are AM. Write in the
trydan e!ectrictty
druan ohoni poor thing (of a woman) radicals where necessary:
(of a man: druan ohono)
chylldl knife phoeni worry
thad father thramor abroad, foreign
chwech six chaws chee~c
!.:i:
I
··-·1 '
'
48 49

pbupur pepper pblant children (f)my finger (p) my toothbrush

Chymraeg Welsh chwythu blow (g)my kettle (q) my lunch
thorri break phenblwydd b1rthday (h)my glass (r) my sister
phunt pound(£) cbeiniog penny (i)my cat (s) my season ticket
chwalu knock down, demolish cbwilio (am·) look (for) 0) my body ( t) my children
Can you see what the radical words have in common?
Geirfa

Nasal mutation r::c bisgedi biscuits

brws dannedd toothbrush
chwaer sister
geiriadur dictionary
This affects six initial letters, as follows: bys finger gwydr glass

--- ---
cath cat papur paper
b- m- g- ng- cinio lunch plant children
c- ngh- p- mh- corff body tegell kettle
d- n- t- nh- crys shirt teipiadur typewriter
This looks complicated, but there is a pattern if we arrange the cyfrifiadur computer tocyn tymor season ticket
radicals into voiced and unvoiced pairs: cyllell knife t9 house
voiced unvoiced
b- M- p- - MH-
-
Possessive adjectives- 'my', 'your', 'his',
d- N- -
g- - NG-
t-
c- -
NH-
NGH- etc. r::c
Like the AM, the Nasal Mutation (NM) is rather inconsistently As in English, the words for my, your, his etc. come before the
applied in many areas. It is used in only two circumstances in the noun, but in Colloquial Welsh an additional ·echoing' pronoun i~
spoken language: optionally (but frequently) added after it (here shown in brackets):
1 to express the idea of my- nhad. my father (tad); fy, '(y)n (NM) ... (i) -my ein ... (ni) -our
2 after the preposition yn, in (not to be confused with the linkword dy' •.• (di) -your eich ..• ( chi) -your
yn, which is followed by radical or SM- see Lesson 3). ei' ••• ( e/fe) - his eu ... (nhw) -their
.•• (o/fo) (N)
Exercise 2 ei (AM) .•• (hi) -her

You can say My .. by simply using NM on words that can take it. So, for example, car: ei gar e his car (lit. 'his car him')~ teledu: ein
For example, we have seen nghariad (Cram cariad) my boy/girl- teledu ni our television (lit. 'our television us')~ dy fraich di your arm
friend. Using the vocabulary below, translate the following. Be care- (lit. 'your arm you'). Remember that, if a word begins with a letter
ful- one of them cannot change, but you will have to think. not susceptible to a particular mutation, then there is no change.
You should also notice that most of these possessives do not sound
(a) my paper (k) my computer as they are spelt -particularly ei (both meanings) and eu, all of
(b) my knife (1) my house which sound like i.
(c) my bread (m) my dictionary
(d) my typewriter (n) my shirt Listen to the following combinations of possessive + noun:
(e) mybus (o) mybiscuits
 .: ...·,
•,'.·
,,,.,
50
-----------------------------------5'
'car' 'garden 'books' 'shoes'
Notice that. with radicals beginning in b-, c-, g- and p-, the form of
the word yn itself also changes.
'I· my. nghar i ngardd i 'n llyfrau i 'n sgidiau i It is also worth pointing out that you may hear SM instead of NM
':f: your. dy gar di dy ardd di dy lyfrau di dJ sgidiau di after yn in, particularly of place-names beginning P- and T-; so ym
i his. ei gar e ei ardd e ei lyfrau fe ei sgidiau fe Bort:haethwy. yn Dalybont.
her .. ei char hi ei gardd hi ei IIJfrau hi ei sgidiau hi
' our. ein car ni ein gardd ni ein llyfrau ni ein sgidiau ni Exercise3 [!]
I,
your .. eich car cbi eich gardd cbi eich llyfrau cbi eich ~gidiau clti
,'~1 their eu car nhw eu gardd nhw en llyfrau nhw eu sgidiau nbw To say you come from a place, you need o" with SM of the name; to
'children' 'food' journey'
say you live or work in a place, you need ynN with NM of the name.
'clothes'
Fill in the columns for the following Welsh towns. The first one is
my, mhlant i mwydi nbaith i ni11ad i done for you (dw i'n dodo Gaerdydd; dw i'n byw yng Nghaerdydd)
your .. dy bl:mt di dy fwyd di dJ daith di dy ddillad di
his . ei blant e ei fwyd c o"le? (yn"') lie?
ei daitb e ei ddillad e
her. from where? (in) where?
ei pblant hi ei bwyd hi ei thaith hi ei dillad hi
our. ein plant ni ein bwyd ni Caerdydd o Gaerdydd yng NghaerdJdd
ein taith ni ein dillad ni
your. eich plant chi eich bwyd cbi eich laith cbi eich dillad chi
Llanilar
their. eu plant nhw eu bwyd nhw eu taith nhw eu dillad nhw
Ystalyfera
Dinas Mawddwy
Notice that my . is generally done with NM alone if the word Talybont
begins with a susceptible letter. but that otherwise 'n is prefixed to Y Rhyl
the noun. So we say mhlant i for my children, but 'n sgidiau i for my !\1achynlleth
shoes. Aberteifi
Penybont-ar-Ogwr
One last thing to remember about the possessives concerns nouns Caerfyrddin
beginning with a voweL These present no problem with regard to
mutation, of course, but the possessives ei her (but not his), ein our Welsh and English names for some towns and localities in Wales
and eu their cause an h- to be prefixed in some (but by no means differ considerably. There are Welsh-language maps and aliases
all) areas of Wales. So ei arian e his money, but ei harian hi her on the market- if you have one handy, see if you can find the
money, ein harian ni our rnone};, eu harian nhw their money. Follow English names for the last three in the exercise above. You
the practice of native-speakers in your area. might also try looking for these towns outside Wales: Llundain,
Manceinion, Caergrawnt, Cacredin, Caerliwelydd. Rhydychen, :'i
Dulyn. Penhedw (near Lerpwl). '\
Nasal mutation after yn 'in' a:J
,I
The preposition yn in causes NM of the directly following word: Also remember:
(Bangor) ym Mangor in Bangor I come from Wales
'!
dw i'n dod o Gymru !'I
(Caerdydd) yng Nghaerdydd in Cardiff dw i'n byw yng Nghymru I Jive in Wales ijl
(Dolgellau) yn Nolgellau in Dolge!lau dw i'n dod o Loegr yn wreiddiol I come from Eugland (Lioegr)
(Gwynedd) yng Ngwynedd in Gwynedd originally
(Porthaethwy) ym Mhorthaethwy in Porthacthwy
(Talybont) yn Nhalybont in Talybont
52
53

Genitive noun-phrases- 'the ... of (the) gweddill yr wythnos

the rest of the week
There are two types in English: the girl's bike. the rest of am weddill yr wythnos
family; but only the 'of type in Welsh. All English expressions' for the rest of the week
involving 's or s' must first be mentally rephrased using 'of', (but: dw i'n aros amy gweddill. l'm waiting for the rest)
where this is unnatural in English. So the girl's bike will literally
the bike of the girl in Welsh. This is equally true of the other mutations, for example:
There is a special way of expressing genitive (or possession) canol y dre
relationships between two nouns, and this construction must be·' the centre of the town
mastered early on because it is of frequent occurrence in everyday yng nghanol y dre
speech. Taking the girl's bike as our example, we must first convert . in the centre of the town
it into a phrase using of the bike of the girl. Starting from an ... of (but: dyna nhw yn y canol, there they are in the centre)
.. phrase, two operations, both involving removal of elements, are
required: You can read more about this, and about SM after prepositions
generally, on pages 79-80.
1 removal of all instances of of, giving
the bike /of} the girl.
Exercise 4
2 removal of all the's except the one (if any) before the last noun in
the phrase: thus
Using the vocabulary provided, translate the following noun-phrases:
[the) bike fuf} the girl, giving in Welsh
beic y ferch 1 the capital of Canada
2 the bedroom door
In effect, the two nouns are linked simply by the intervening y, and 3 the end of the month
it is particularly important tu remember that there is no definite 4 the beginning of the week
article at the beginning of genitive noun phrases. Examples like 'y 5 the start of the rugby season
diwedd y rhaglen' 'the end of the programme'; 'y canal y dre' ·the 6 the manager's signature
centre of the town' are wrong. as are attempts to use o 'of' as in 'y 7 the family car
diwedd o'r rhaglen', 'y canol o'r dre'- o does mean 'of' in certain 8 my brother's season ticket
contexts (see Lessons 6 and 8), but not in genitive relationships 9 Mr J enkins- Welsh dictionary
between nouns, where 'of' must not be translated. 10 the language's future
If a preposition precedes a genitive noun-phrase (e.g. ·on the top of
the mountain', 'for the rest of the week'), it will cause a mutation Geirfa
because the first y, which would normally block the mutation, has
been removed as explained above. Compare: dcchrau beginning mis month
diwcdd end prifddinas capital
the top of the mountain drws door rheolwr manager
copa'r mynydd
dyfodol future stafcll wely bedroom
on the top of the mountain gciriadur dictionary tocyn ticket
ar gopa'r mynydd
iaith language tymor season
(but when only the one noun is involved: dan ni ar y copa, we're llofnod signature
on the top)
54
55

Exercise 5 various forms of these verbs are useful in making requests and, as
with all auxiliaries except hod be, they cause SM of the following VN:
GOGLEDD
North (dod) 'Alia i ddod? Can I come?
(llofnodi) 'Allech chi lofnodi fan hyn? Could you ~ign here?
80§ Similar expressions used in exactly the same way are:
£1 ~ 'AIIi(tEIIi) di' ••. ? Can you ... ? (ti-form)
GORLLEWIN
West (wy_ A ~ DWYRAIN ).
East
'Allwch (/'EIIwch) chi' ••• ?
'Allet ti' •• , ?
Can you ... ? (chi-form)
Could you ... ? (ti-form)

:v T 't
Neidi' ... ?
Newch chr ... ?
(helpu) Elli di helpu fi'!
Will you . . ? (ti-form)
Will you . . ? (chi-form)
Can you help me?
!'£_
(cywiro) Ellwch chig)'Wiro hwn i mi? Can you correct this for
me?
DE (mynd 3.) Allet tiJJnd ii'r plant? Could you take the
South children?
Cymru Lloegr Yr Alban (casglu) Nei digasglu nhw wedJn? Will you collect them
lwerddon
Wales England Scotland later?
Ireland
(agor) Newch chi agor J drws? Will you open the door?
Bearing in mind how we do 'the ... of ... ' expressions, how would If someone asks you, you need to know the ::~nswer ·yes' which of
you say the following in Welsh? (middle region' is Canolbarth). cour~e varies depending on how the question started:
1 I live in the South of Wales Question Answer 'yes'
2 I live in the North of Wales
3 I come from the North of England 'Alia i ... '! Galli/Gelli (ti-fnnn)
4 They come from the West of England or Gallwch/Gellwch (chi-form)
5 We come from the North of Scotland 'AIIidi ... ?
6 They have a cottage (hwthyn) in the West of Ireland 'EIIi di ... ? Galla(£) (final-£ optional)
7 She lives in the Midlands (i.e. of England) 'Ailwch chi .. ,? Can you ... ? (Yes) I can
8 Her family come from the middle of Wales '"EIIwch chi .•. ?
'Allet ti .•• ? Gallwn
"AIIech chi ••• ? Could you. '! (Yes) I could
Auxiliaries: 'Can I ... ?','Could you 7'
.'
'Will you ... ?' etc C] Nei di , , • ? Gwna(f)
Newch chi .•. '! Will you. ? (Yes) I will
Welsh has a number of auxiliary verbs that are used in conjunction If, when it comes to the crunch, you suddenly lose your grip on
with another VN. Two of the most important are: these different responses (it can happen), then fall back on lawn
gallu can; be able OK or Wrth gwrs of co11rse.
(gw)neud do Another important auxiliary is cael get, be allowed, used in the
second Sgwrs, 'Gei df •.. (chi-form: 'Gewch chf ... ), to say 'You
 '(

56
:rr- '
'
57

can . . ' where there is a sense of giving permission. The various f 7 Could you (ti) underline (tanlinellu) the mistakes (gwallau)?
uses of cael will be dealt with in more detail in Lesson 6. 8 Will you (chi) speak Welsh to (ii) me?

Exercise 6
Sgwrs a:l
first. add SM where necessary, and remove where unnecessary.;~~:'

(a) Elli ti diffodd y teledu?

-
Then match the Welsh sentences to their Ene.lish counterparts. :1r

(i) Can you arrange the food?

~·
~;.,
(Once again, there is no translation given for this dialogue - try to
understand as much of it as possible using the select vocabulary
(b) ~·ei di darllcn y neges 'ma? (ii) Will you turn the TV down?. · below)
(c) Galla i talu ii siec? (iii) Could you let me know? -· _ A led. a history student, knocks on Daf"ydd's door
(d) Gallwch chi trcfnu'rfwyd? (iv) Will you read this message? .,·I• · DAFYDD: Oewch i mewn.
(e) Allet di bwydo'r anifeiliaid? (v) Can I pay by cheque? :
Auoo:o: Shwmac, Oaf! Oes rhywbeth ar y gweill 'da ti heno?
(f) Newch chi droi'r teledu i Jawr? (vi) Will you buy the presents? · :1
D: Nag oes- dim byd yn arbennig. Pam?
(g) Newch chi prynu'r anrhegion? (vii) Could you feed the animals? i%
A: Mae 'na cbarti yn nh9 Eve. Beth am ddod gyda ni?
(h) Gallech chi rhoi gwybod i mi? (viii) Can you turn the TV off? ··
(Unbeknownst to A led, Dafydd has only just got back from a party
last night)
D• Heno? Dw i ddim yn siwr.
'Bring' and 'take' •"h: 0, ty'd ymlaen, Dafydd - mae dy ffrindiau·n disgwyl
A'
~~ gweld ti!
Welsh has no specific word for ·bring', and uses instead the phrase }I· (Dafydd"s resi.Hance begins to crack)
a
dod (lit. ·come with'). So, for example: ,.,; 0: Pwy sy'n mynd, 'te?
Dw i'n dod :i'r plant A: Wel ... fi. Sii"in- a phobol eraill.
I'm bringing the children
Newch chi ddod :i'r gweddill'! 0: Pwy yw'r "bobol eraill?
Will you bring the rest?
A: We! ... gweddill y criw, timod.
Similmly. when 'take' in English means 'accompany' or 'carry', D: Pwy ogriw'!
mynd ii (lit. 'go with') is the usual expression in Welsh: (Aled remembers that he has an essay lo write on the Spanish
Dw i'n mynd ii'r cryno·ddisgiau i gyd Jnquisilion)
A: 0, dw i ddim yn gwybod~ Y criw arferol-ein hall ffrindiau!
I'm taking all the COs
(There is a lenglhy pause, as Aled formulates a tactical manoeuvre.
Allwch chi f:ynd ii'r rhain i'r swyddfa i mi?
Can you take these to the o(fice for me? Finally:)
Ond os wyt ti am oadael Linda i lawr .
Exercise 7 D: Linda? Ydy Linda'n mynd i fod yno?
A: "Debyg iawn.
(The clincher- fUrther discussion is unnecessary)
Translate into Welsh, and add the answer ·yes':
0: lawn. Pryd dyn ni'n mynd, "te?
1 Could you ( chi) take those with you?
2 Cun you (ti) sit in the back of the car? Geirfa
3 Could you (ti) help me with my homework?
4 Can you (ti) see the top of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)? dewch i mewn come in
5 Can I help you (chi)? Oe~ rh)wbeth ar y gweill 'da ti'? Have you got anything planned""
6 Will you (ti) put this letter in the post? arhennig sp~;cial
58 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 59

yn nh9 = yn in+ (N)t9 house and you will see that this is true); so Aberystwyth is 'estuary of the
ty'd ymlaen! come on! meandering river'. Swansea is at the mouth of the Tawe, so its
disgwyl expect Welsh name is Abertawe. Cardigan is at the mouth of the Teifi, and
pobol people so on. The word aber, incidentully, is the same as the Scottish place-
eraill (sing. arall) other name element 'lover' (Gaelic inbhir) as in Inverness.
gweddill rest: remainder Llan means. broadly speaking. a church, and in placenames is
arfcrol usual often combined with a sainfs name- there will usually be a muta-
hull all tion of the name, so for example Llanfair is church of Mary (Mair):
os wyt ti am' ..• if you want to . Llandudno- church of Tudno; Llangybi- church of Cybi.
gadacl ••• i lawr k:t ... down See if you can work out who these places are named after:
tebyg likely
prJd? when? Llanbedr
Llanddanielfab
Llanddeu..~ant (den two)
Llanddewi
Cymru a'r Gymraeg Wales and Welsh Llanfairfechan (bechan little)
Llanfarian
Enwau llefydd Placenames (I) Llanfihangel
Llanilar
Wales is a land of varied und often striking scenery, and this is reflect- Llansteffan
ed in its placenames, a high proportion of which refer to topographic We will look at other elements in Welsh placenames in a later lesson.
or other geographical teatures. Once you have a basic vocabulary of
common terms, most placenarnes are easy to interpret. There is space
here only for the briefest of looks at this aspect of Welsh identity, but
there are a number of useful little books on the market in Wales that
deal systematically with a large number of names.
Many placenamcs involve genitive noun phr<lses as explained in
this lesson. English says 'the woman's hat', while Welsh says 'the hat
of the woman·. In the same way, where English says, for example,
Ammanford (South Wale:;:.), Welsh phr"dses it as '(the) ford (of)
Aman·: Rh_ydaman. Millford would be '(the) ford (of) the mill':
Rhyd y felin. In names this phrase is usually written as one word -
RhydJfclin - and this partly obscures its structure for the unprac-
tised. Get into the habit of identifying the components of a place-
name, and you will usually be able to decipher its meaning.
Elements that you cannot find in the dictionary are either mutated
(look them up again properly!), or personal names.
Two very common elements in Welsh placenames are aber and
llan: abcr means a river estuary. and the element after it is nearly
always the name of the river - Aber-ystwyth is ·estuary of the
Ystwyth', and ystwyth itself means 'meandering' (look on a map
 61

of relevant vocabulary - this is to encourage you to work out as

5 Holi'r ffordd much as you can from context and common sense, just as you will
have to when you finish the book.]
Asking the way
Geirfa

cymorth help. assistance cyrraedd arrive, reach, get to

o "tlaen in front of pell far, distant
0 ogwbwl at all rhyw· some: (w1th numbers) about
gw:~ith work cerdded walk
stryd (f) ~tree! munud minute
In this lesson you.willlearn:

•
•
how to ask and give directions
how to give and understand commands and instructions
Sgwrs m
• more ways of making polite requests
Later, Susan needs to find the post office, and after wandering around
• how to find the stem of the verb
aimlessly for a bit, asks for help
• how to point things out, and say where things are
• how to describe family relationships SuSA)';: Esgusodwch fi. ellwch chi oddangos i mi lie mae'r
swyddfa "bost?
PASSERHY: y swyddfa obost? Ych chi'n mynd yn y cyfeiriad
Sgwrs m S:
anghywir! Ewch yn 61 at y "groesffordd ...
lawn- ac wedyn?
P: Wedyn trowch i'r eh with, a mynd heibio i'r siop "(lodau.
Unlikely though it may seem, Susan has managed to get lost in
Yna cymerwch yr ail stryd ar y "dde, ac mi owelwch chi'r
Aberysnvyth. She knows that she has to find a street called Rhodfa'r
swyddfa "bost ar y eh with.
Gogledd (North Parade), but has no idea how ro get there. She asks
help from a passer-by S: 'N61 at y 'groesffordd. 'te, i'r chwith. heibio'r siop oflo-
dau. a'r ail ar y 'dde.
SusAN: Esgusodwch fi. Dych chi'n siarad Cymracg'? P: 'Na chi.
PASSER.-RY: Ydw. "Alia i [od 0 "gymorth i chi? S: Diolch yn ofawr iawn i chi.
S: Gobeithio. OEllwch chi ddcud 'tha [= wrthaj i sut mae P: Dim o ogwbwl.
cyrraedd Rhodfa'r Gogledd o fan hyn'!
P: Rhodfa'r Gogledd- ogawn ni "weld. 'te. lawn, ewch yn Geirfa
syth i lawr y stryd o'n b!aen ni fan hyn. ac mi 'wclwch
chi "Rodfa'r Gogledd ar y dde. dangos show CJfeiriad (h~,;re) directmn
S: Diolch. Ydy hi'n "bell? anghywir wrong croestfordd (f) cro~~roads
P: Ddim yn 'bell o 'gwbwl- rhyw ddau neu "dri munud o wedyn then blodau flowers
owaith cerdded. yn 01 ('nOI) b"ck heibio (i') p<1st.
s, Diolch am eich cymorth. "te. Hwyl nawr! ail" 2nd cymryd take
p, Hwyl!
f:"Jote: From now on. the dialogues will be followed not by a
wmplete English translation as in the early lessons, but by listings
 63
62 ----------------------------------~

Asking and giving directions m

Asking the W<JY is a very good excw;e for using your Welsh.
talk to perfect strangers, you can work our what you 're going to
first, and the answer will be a good comprehension test. Also, ,·
can ask them to repeat what they said- Newch chi ·ddeud hynny ..
'to? Will you say rhat again?, or "Write it down for you -AIIech chi
sgwennu fc lawr i mi? Could you write it duwn for me? If all
fails, have a map handy and say Allech chi ·ddango!> i mi ar y
Could you show me on rhe map? An alternative way of opening the-_,
conversation is Dw i'n chwilio am·.,. I'm looking for ... , and you
could add Dw i'n ·ddieithr fan hyn I'm nor from round here.
There are only a limited number of possibilities in the answer,
and it is worth mastering them now - if your Welsh was good in
asking the question, they may come back at you at some speed.
Ewch Go yn syth ymlaen srraight on
i lawr y ffordd down the road
i fyny'r ffordd up the road (,1\/)
lan y ffordd up the road (Sj
heibio (i) 'r ... pasr the.
hyd af . .. up to/as far as.
0

y groesffordd the crossroads

y golcuadau the lights
Trowch Turn i'r 'dde (to the) right '
\i
i'r chwith (to the) left
I.
Cymerwch Take y sfryd 'gynta the first street 1
lj
yr ail stryd the second street
y 'drydedd stryd the third street
ar y 'dde on the right
!
ar y chwith on the left
Mae e/hi It's ar y 'dde on the right
Fc/Mi 'welwch chi fe/hi ar y chwith on the left i!,,
You'll see ir yn syth o'ch blacn (chi) straight i
in front/ahead of you
draw fan'na over there
In a sequence of directions, . ., then is either wedyn or,
Exercise 1
Look at the map of Cwmcysglyd above, and imagine that someone
l
especially in colloquial speech, yna: Trowch i'r dde, yna i'r eh with has asked how to get to the places listed on p. 64. (Note that some
Turn right, then left. appear with SM after y, the on the map). Write down what instruc-
tions you would give in each case. Start from outside the door of the
bookshop (siop lyfrau) in all cases.
64 -------------------------------------- 65

Jlyfrgell library rinc iH icennk fan hyn fan'na fan'cw

system 11
gorsaf (f) station amgueddfa (f) museum fan'ma
ysbyty hospital neuadd (f) y dre town hall
canolfan (f) hamdden/chwaraeon
Both systems arc in common use, but many books ignore system 11
pwll nofio swimming pool
leisure/sports centre
for some reason, even though fan hyn. for example, is probably
archfarchnad (f) supermarket
far more frequently heard in speech than yma. Draw fan'na is the
Exercise 2 usual way of saying over there, useful in pointing places out. We
have already encountered extended system I forms dyma·, dynao
and dacw" (meaning Here is .. .!This is ... etc.) in Lesson 1, where
As with the previous exercise, but this time give directions from
you learnt how to introduce other people.
each place in sequence~ i.e. from the bookshop to the library, but
then from the library to the iccrink, and so on. In natural spoken Welsh, questions beginning Lie mae ... ? keep the
same word order in the answer. with the location-word or phrase
Exercise 3 coming first in place of the question-word:
Lie mae e? Fan'na mace
Using the vocabulary at the back where necessary, match up each Where is it? It's there
building in the left-hand column with the appropriate item in the Lie mae'r swyddfa host? Draw Jan'na ar y dde mae hi
right-hand column. Where's the post-office? It's over there on the right
gorsaf bufen i.!i though obviously the location phrase is often given alone as the
swyddfa bo.~t llyfr siec answer, as in English.
sinema raced sboncen
siop lyfrau sioded Exercise 4
ysgol tocyn dwyiTordd
bunc
Translate the following questions and answers, and pay attention to
cenhincn Hedr
siop fei)'Sion
the word-order and pronouns (m/f!) in the answers:
geiriadur Cymraeg
siop Oodau stampiau 1 Where's the station? It's over there
canolfan hamdden bwrdd du 2 Where·s the nearest (agosa) bank? It's here on the left
3 Where's the library? Ifs down the road
4 Where's the Oower-shop? It's opposite (gyferbJn) the
Asking and saying where things are m bank

Where is (or are) ... ? in Welsh is Lie mae .•• ? (N); or "Le mae •.• ?
or Ble mac .•. ? (S). Making requests - 'Can you ... ?', 'Will
Welsh has a rather more complicated system for indicating here and
you ... ?' m
there. To begin with, it distinguishes between there (close by) and Ellwch chi" ... ? (or Allwch chi' ... ? in some areas) Can you. ?
there (in the distance), giving a three-way system similar to Spamsh. and Newch chi" ...? Wilt you . ? arc both useful ways of ~tarting a.
Furthermore, for this three-way system, you can either use basic reque~t for someone to do something for you. Another alternative
words (system I below), or phrases using fan place (system IT is Allech chi" ..• ? Could you ... ? \Vhichcver you use. the action
below). that you want them to perform will be the simple VN (dictionary
here there (close) form of the verb). and \Vill appear with SM. Please is os gwelwch
there (distant)
system I yma yna yn dda (familiar: os gweli di'n dda), but the loanword plis is very
a<w
commonly heard as well.
66 67

Ellwch chi esbonio hyn inni? Can you explain this to us? (dianc escape, stem dihang-: ennill win, stem enill-; aros stay,
Allech chi "ddod yn 01 wcdyn? Could you come back later? wait. stem arho~'>-).
Newch chi ffonio i mewn drosta i? Will you phone in for me?
in the vocabulary at the back of the book, unpredictable verb-stems
ExerciseS m arc given in brackets after the YN, e.g. aros (arhos-), and should be
learnt. Where no stem is indicated, you should assume dropping the
final vowel (if there is one), or making no change at all (if there is
What does Rhodri have to do? And what does Sian have to do?
not).
RHODRJ: Lle dach chi isio'r bocsys 'ma'!
S1A:-.~: Newch chi roi nhw lawr fan 'na, os gwelwch yn dda?
RHODRJ: lawn. Allech chi ddal y drws 'ma ar agar am eiliad? Giving commands C]
$1.,\,N: Wrth gwrs- 'na chi.
The command form of the verb, or imperative. is formed by adding
Exercise 6 the ending -web to the stem of the verb (see above). The command
fonns for the verbs given there are talwch! pay.', codwch! raise!.
Translate the following requests into Welsh: get up!, ffoniwcht phone!, eistcddwch! sit!, symudwcht mm-·e!,
agorwch! open/, derbyniwch! accept/, daliwch! catch.'. enillwch!
1 Could you open this window for me (i mi)?
win!. arhoswch! wait.'. This is the polite or formal command, corre-
2 Will you write your address (cyfeiriad) down for me?
sponding to the pronoun chi. Familiar commands (corresponding to
3 Can you tell me where the bus-stop (saOe bysiau) is?
4 Will you speak Welsh to me (a fi) today? pronoun ti) substitute -a for -web (tala! coda! ffonia!) or, with some
consonant-ending \IN~. simply use the VN itself- arhosa! or aros!,
5 Will you buy the tickets?
6 Could you close the door? symuda! or symud!
Some commonly used verbs have irregular command forms that
must simply be learnt:
Stem of the verb smg. pl.
mynd go dos! (N) ewch!
When endings need to be used with the verb (usually with command-'
cer! (S) cerwch! (S)
forms, or the past or future tenses), they are added to the stem.
(cewch in many areas)
Sometimes this is the same as the VN (dictionary form), but often it
is not. There are two types: dod come ty(•)d! (N) dewch!
VNs that end in a vowel- the stem is found by removing the final dere! (S)
vowel, so talu pay, stem tal-; codi rise, raise, (also means charge gadael let, leave gad! gadewch!
money), stem cod-; ffonio phone, stem ffoni-. Note in the last·'
example that where two vowels are at the end, the rule still Dos JD 01 a gofJn iddo! Go back and ask him!
Dere 'ma am "funud! Come here (for) a minute!
applies- the final vowel only is removed. But VNs ending in -au
nearly all change thi:; to -eu-: dechrau begin (dechreu-). Gad y papurau ar y bwrdd! Leave the papers on the table!
2 VNs that end in a consonant- many of these do nothing to form·'
the stem: eistedd sit, stem eistedd-; symud move, stem symud-; Note in the first example above that, where a sentence has two
agor open, stem agor-. But many others change in some way. imperatives in succession, the second one in Welsh is the simple
VN.
often either by adding an -i (derbyn accept, receive, stem der-
byni-; dal catch, stem dali-), or by making some internal change
68------------ 69

Exercise 7 Exercise 8

Using the vocabulary at the back, write down the Welsh command$
(all polite) for the following:
write'. wait! run'. hurry'. come back 1•
show! vote! give! learn! speak!
Eleni mae S4C yn rhoi cyfle i chi enni!l
gwobrau drwy wy!io eich hoff raglenni
dros y Dolig.
There are several command-forms in this leaflet advertising a TV·
related competition run by the Welsh language channel S4C. You
do not need to understand everything in it for this exercise. lJsing
the vocabulary at the back of the book to help you if need be, find
and write down in English the three things that you have to do to
enter the competition.
1
2
3
Now answer the following questions in English as well:
4 Could you enter more than once?
5 What is the first prize?
6 What time of the year is this competition being held?
7 What prizes arc being given out every day?
8 Till what time are the phone lines open for you to enter?

• Yn gyntaf chwiliwch amy blychau Geirfa

melyn yn yr amserlen.
gwobr (I") prize ceisio try
• Gwyliwch y rhaglenni ac atebwch y
gwylio watch twt compact: little
cwestiynau.
blwch box crys shirt
• Ffoniwch y rhif isod gyda'r ateb- a amserlen schedule canol middle
dewisir 30 o enilfwyr bob dydd ar hap o
bfith yr hall gynigion cywir.
• Gallwch geisio nifer a weithiau. Negative commands ('Don't ... !) rrJ
• Mae'r gwobrau dyddiol yn cynnwys
To tell someone not to do something. use Peidiwch + the ordinary
5 set teledu twt, casetiau fideo a
chrysau T S4C.
vn
Peidiwch mynd mor g~mnar Don't go so early
• Cyhoeddir yr enillwyr dyddiol ar S4C y Dun "t cross the street here
Peidiwch croesi'r str:yd fan hyn
diwrnod canlynol. Don "t wait roo long
Peidiwch arm; yn rhy hir
• Dewisir enw enillydd y brit wobr o The singular informal equivalent is Pai.:l, used in the same wa}:
wyliau i 4 gwerth hyd at £2,000, o'r hall
atebion cywir ar lonawr 1. Paid mynd mor gynnar Don 'r go so ear(v
Pris y galwadau yw 36c y funud cyfradd rad, a 48c y
etc. etc.
funud pob adeg arall. Llinellau ar agar tan ganol
nos. Mae'r rheolau i'w gweld ar y dudalen gefn.
The formal language. and some colloquial variants. use £i after
Paid/Peidiwch; \vhcre this option is used, the following V~' (if it
70 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------71
begins with c. p or t) sometimes has an Aspirate Mutation Exercise 10
page 47). So Don't lose the money can be heard variously as
Paid colli'r arian Try and locate m the Dialogue above the Welsh words or phrases
Paid ii colli'r arian for the following:
or Paid a cholli'r arian lost
at least
Exercise 9 grey
anyway
Tell the people indicated not to do the following things: between
1 play with the cat (two children) don't worry
2 shout like that (fel 'ny) (your husband) next
3 throw crockery (your wife) at all
4 make too much (gormod oo) noise (Pontarddulais Male twice
Choir) mean
5 sit there (your best friend)
6 look at the hamster like that (the cat)
7 move (the bank manager)
8 move (the entire bank staff) Decide whether the following statements in Welsh relating to the
Dialogues arc True (Cywir- C) or False (Anghywir- A):
Mac Susan ar y ffordd iawn i'r swyddfa bost CIA
Sgwrs m Mae Rhodfa'r Gogledd yn belli ffwrdd (away) CIA
Rhwng y siop fiodau a'r banc mae'r Ganolfan Dwristiaeth CIA
A friendly old lady ( L) comes to the assistance of a hewilderefi,~ Dyw'r twrist ddim ar gall o gwhwl CIA
looking tourist (T)
Ailysgrifennwch y rhai anghywir!Rewrite any that are false.
L: Alla i'ch helpu chi o ogwbwl? Chi ddim ar "gal!, nag ych chi?
T: Dw i'n hallo! ar 'gall, a deud y gwir. Alia i'm ffeindio'i
OGanolfan ODwristiaeth ar y map 'ma o "gwbwl. " Describing family relationships
L: We\, He gaethoch chi'r map 'ma, 'te ~ o'r amgueddfa? ,
peidiwch poeni - edrychwch, mae'r OGanolfan "Dwristiaet~' The main terms for members of the family (aelodau o'r teulu) are:
draw fan'na, ar y chwith ~ yr adeilad llwyd 'na gyda'r ffenestrj;
mawr. (S). taid (N) grandfather
T: Drws nesa i'r banc, chi'n feddwl? f;'inam-gu (S). nain (N) grandmother
L: re- rhwng y banc a'r siop ·lyfrau. father
T: Dw i wedi cerdded yn syth heibio iddo "ddwywaith yn mother
heb sylweddoli!
L; Dych chi'n iawn - dyw e ddim yn adei!ad trawiadol iawn,
'""
daughter
yw e? Ond o 'leia mae'r 'bobol tu 'fewn yn "gyfeillgar. brother
T: Diolch am eich cymorth chi, ta beth. sister
L: Croeso- a peidiwch anghofio gofyn iddyn nhw am "fap newydd (ewythredd, ewythrod) uncle
modryb (modrybedd) aunt
[: cefnder ( cefnd)'f) cousin (m) 11
'
I
72
73
cyfnither (1._.yfnitheruedd) cousin (f)
nai (nei;dnl) nephew (g) Mac 0\iver yn i Jenny
nitb (nithoedd) mece (h) Mae Jenny yn i Elinor
~yr
grandson 0) Mae Elinor yn i Christine
wyres (j) Mae Christine yn i Adam
granddaughter
wyrion
grandchiklren (k) Mae Adam yn i Jonquil
(1) Mae Jonquil yn ____ i Morgan
'-in-law' is -yng-nghyfraith: mam-yng-nghyfraith mother-m-law,
Gwleidyddiaeth -Politics
Exercise 12
Ode right and chwith left also have political connotations as in
Look at the family tree below. and then fill in the appropriate English. The sefyllfa ·wleidyddol political situation in Wales differs
in the sentences that follow. Note that Mae Ayno.,. i BA is B's. from that in England in having all parliamentary seats contested by
m valves a Soft Mutation. gwleidyddion (sing. gwleidydd) politicians from four instead of
three main parties (pleidiau, sing. plaid (f)- also plcidleisio vote) .
Plaid Cymru ('Party of Wales') is the nationalist party, which cam-
.f)- t;\11 !'-\
\~oy >:::~;{ ~~
,{ ·, '!' paigned unsuccessfully for devolution (datganoli) in the '70s, and
'--'
Dalydd Jones E!eri Wolframs
~ ··-{
continues to press for self-government (hunan-lywodraeth) and a
Welsh Parliament (Senedd (f)). It envisages Wales as an indepen-
leuan flans Olwen Edwards
dent sovereign state within the EC (y 'Gymuned Ewropeaidd). The
{rl \>
,.
three British-bascd parties <~re y Ccidwadwyr the Conservatives (y
. ~y '\:=:>:'I
'Biaid 'Gcidwadol, y Toriaid), Llafur Labour (y 'Biaid 'Lafur) and
y Rhyddfrydw.}'r Democrataidd the Liberal Democrats (y 'Biaid
Rhys Jones 'Ryddfrydol). Other parties include .}' 'Biaid 'Werdd the Green
Elinor flans
Party, .}' 'Biaid 'Gomiwn)'ddol the Communist Party and Plaid yr
-.,.,.,__ Ynfyd Mawr Gwallgnf Monster Raving Loony Party. The ·wing' of
r60l
\ ... -.·
!-~<
v'. -.. ,,
I i
j:.__ ;;j,
----;_!
1------/
a party is asgell (f)- asgell 'dde'r Blaid Geidwadolrhe right wing of
the Conservative Party: (also in sporting terminology: asgellwr
Morgan , Chr~srrne winger). San Stelfan is the Welsh name for Westminster, where
Garerh -' Jonqurl
Parliament (also Sencdd) comprises Tf'r Cyffredin the House of

/~
I Commons and Tf'r Arglwyddi the House of I.ords. Y IJywodraeth
I
..
~
. ~ the Government is led by the Prif 'Weinidog Prime A1inister
\c_.(

Oriver
(' ,~
'

Jenny
'.
~·j / _
'
.
<
..
~ ) JJ
~
-I

i
-~

'-
i (gweinidog minister), and opposed by yr 'Wrthblaid (gwrth anti +
plaid) the Opposition.
In the ymgyrch campaign leading up to an etholiad cylfredinol
Adam Lram Srephen
general election. the ymgeiswyr (sing. ymgcisydd) candidates try to
(a) Mae Liam yn i Eddie a Paula argyhocddi convince you to pleidleisio drostyn nhw mre for rhem so
(b) Mae Paula yn i Elinor they can become the Aelod Seneddol (A.S.) Member of Parliament
(c) Mae Elinor yn -~ i Ieuan for your etholaeth constilllency. They talk a lot about polisi'au
(d) Mae Icuan yn i Rhys policies, trethi (sing. treth f) taxes, y Gwasanaeth lechyd the Health
(e) Mae Rhys yn i lames Service, gwa~anaethau llcol/ocaf service~·. and pleidleisio cyfrannol
(f) Mae James yn i OJiver proportional representation. At national level. all that re<~lly matters
is buddugoliaeth (f) victory. An opinion poll is arolwg barn, or often I
74

pOI piniwn in many parts of Wales. The arolgwyr barn pollsters

their polls are dibynadwy reliable, and not at all camarweininl mis-
leading. even though they frequently rhagddweud predict a Senedd
Siopa
'grog hung Parliament. The gwleidyddion will atgoffa pawb remind Shopping
everyone thill J pOI ar ~, noson ei hun yn unig sy'n cyfri the poll on--
the night i.1· the only one that counts. The cyfryngau media then
dadansoddi"n ddibaid ceaselessly analyse the canlyniadau results
w1th the help of arbenigwyr experts and their cyfrifiaduron (sing.
cyfrifiadur) computers. For eclch datganiad declaration, all parties
will be hoping for a mwyafrif llethol an overwhelming majority; in
the stiwdio, the cynrychiolydd representative [or y "blaid fuddugol"
the winning party will be annioddefol msufferable: yn rhyfedd In this lesson you will learn how to;
strangely, those for the other parties will be not all siomedig disap, _
• ask for things in the shops
pointed, and certainly not wedi'u digalonni disheartened - it was,
• ask how much something costs
wcdi'r cwbwl ajfer ut!. and o dan yr amgylchiadau under the circum-
• use numbers
s/ances. a sedd anodd i'w hcnnill a difficult seat to wm. and does not
• talk about money
adlewyrchu'r oduedd "gencdlaethoi reflect the national trend."
• say that you want or need something
ODrannoeth the next day. avoid more dadansoddi dibaid by telling ,
everyone Nes i ogysgu trwy'r c)fan i gyd I slept through the whole!
thing. Barring is-etholiadau by-elections, you should be safe am [D
obedair blynedd {) oleia for at feast four years.
The siop /eo/local shop is an important place for catching up on the
Village news. If you want, you can buy things there as well, but Mrs
Williams und Mrs Owen are more interested in the former than the

Alla i'ch helpu chi'ch dwy?

Dim diolch, Mr Davies. Dyn ni ddim angen dim
byd heddi.
(spots the cheese)
0, mae caws Caerffi\i 'da chi hcddi, oes e?
Oes.
Faint yw c?
Punt a pymtheg cciniog y pwys.
Ga i hanner pwys, 'te? i
Cewch.
Well i mi "gael dau "bwys o odatws hefyd, tra bo fi
I
1.

'ma, a banner dwsin o afalau.

'Na ni. li
0. ac mae ymwelwyr 'da ni heno. on'd oes?- ga i
'dorth 'wen a dau 'becyn o fisgedi?
iI
Unrhywbeth arall?

~~
'I
76
77
MRsW: 'Na'r cwbwl amy tro, wi'n meddwl.
MRD: lawn. Tair punt a deg ceiniog, os gwelwch yn dda. .Geirfa
MRsW: Diolch ...
(looks round) danfon send awyr a1r
Ydy Mrs Owen wedi mynd? · yr Unol Oaleithiau the US pwysig 1mportant: urgent
dorian (f) scales ail ddosbarth second cla~s
Geirfa .•. neu "beidio? ... or not? cynta fir~t
{aint gymerith e'! how long os if
dyn ni ddim angen we don't need will it take? popeth everything
dim byd nothing fel anlil otherv.-isc gyda'i gllydd together
punt (f) pound (.£) tatws potatoes mis month mae ofn arna i I'm afraid
pwys pound (Jb) ar gyfer for
tra bo fi 'ma while I'm here {S)
hanne{ hall
afal (-au) appk
well i mt.,. I'd hetter
cae! get; have
ymwelwyr visitors
Ydy ..• wedi mynd'! Has ... gone?
Shopping m
To ask somebody to give you something, as in a shop, use Ga r ... ?
Sgwrs m Can I have ....~, or Alia i "gael •• .'?meaning the same thing. But first
of alL you may want to find out the price:
Glyn has some things to do in the port office Faint yw'r, ••
Gw: Pnawn da How much is/are the.
GLYN:
Pnawn da. Dw i eisiau danfon y pecyn 'ma bara bread melysion
Daleithiau. i'r Uno! sweets
menyn butter orennau oranges
Gw: Allech chi roi fear y glorian? caws cheese afalau
( Cilyn puts it on the scales) apples
bresych cabbage bananas bananas
Post awyr neu beidio? nionod (N) pysgod fish
G: Faint ogymerith e fel aral!? wynwyn (S) onions cig moch pork
Gw; M is o le!<t. tatws potatues cig eidion beef
G:
Post awyr, 'te - mae'n obwysig. Ga i ddau stamp ail ddos- moron carrob cyw ifir chicken
barth hefyd, a llyfryn o stampiau dosb<Jrth cynta? letys lettuce selsig sausage(~)
Gw: Cewch. L'nrhywbcth aral]? ff• beans bisgedi bi~cuits
G: Oes. Dw i eisiau talu ~miJ ff6n ffa pob baked beam halen
(hund~· over the hi!/) salt
ffa dringo runm:r beans pupur pepper
Gv.: Iawn. Ydych chi am odalu a sic:c? sgcwyll sprouts sebon soap
G: Ydw, os ydy hynny'n iawn.
Gw: Ycly. •••
creision 9d
porridge powdwr golchi washing powder
cornft<~kes
G: Ga 1 dalu am 'hopcth gyda"i gilydd?
G\\' Na chewch, mae ofn arna i. Mae eisiau siec ar gyfer y bil Notice that what you want will appear with SM if you use Ga i .. :.
ff6n yn unig. a siec arall amy gweddill. but not with Alia i ogael •. .'!
Ga i "dri pwys o f'oron? i
!I'
but: Alia i gael tri pwys o foron?
Can I have three pounds of carrots'!
I,

,,
78
79

Other expressions useful when shopping are: as opposed to:

Mae hynoy'n rh}' ddrud That's too exp(.:nsivc Faint yw hwnnw/honno? How much is that (thing)?
'Na fargen! What a bargain I [can abo be used
iromca!lyj You should also learn the following very common idioms using hyn
Oe~, .. ar 01 'da chi? Have you got any. . left? and hynny:
Pryd bydd rhagor 'da chi? When will you h<M: (some) more (in)? ar hyn o ·bryd at the moment
Mac dyddiad y ..• 'ma wedi ffi)'lld This ... is pa~t its date byd yn hyn so far; up till now (also hyd yma)
Rhowcho, .•i mi Give me
byn oil all this
Allech chi rui'r cyfan mewn Could you put it all in a
bag!bocs i mi?
fel byn like this: in this way
bag/hox for me'! fel hynny, fel 'ny like that; in that way
Ooes gen i ddim newid (N)
"bryd hynny, obryd 'ny at that time
Does dim newid 'da fi (S) I haven't got nny change wedi 'ny after that; then
Does gen i ddim llai (."\!)
Uues dim llai 'da fi (S) I haven't got anything smaller
'Mond papur ugain punt ~y 'da li (,S)
gen i (N)
SM after prepositions
I've only got a £20 nole
.'\'1ae'r newid 'ma'n anghywir This change i~ wrong Most prepositions in Welsh cause SM of the following word. The
Dych chi'n derbyn sieciau? Do you take ch<equcs~ most common ones that do this are:
Dw i wcdi anghofio ngherd)'ll siec I've forgoltcn my cheque-card amo bydo up to, as far as
Mac ebiau ffonio nghyfrif:ydd I must phone my accountant ar· 011 r to. for
(heavily iromc) at" at, to o" from: of
(o) dano under tan" until
dros" over; for trwy" (drwy)' through
hyn 'this' and hynny 'that' gan· by; with wrtb"
beb· without
These are general terms for 'this' and 'thaC when these words are
used on their own (i.e. without a following noun) without reference (am and wrth have many different uses, corresponding to various
to a particular object or person. Compare: prepositions in English)
Mae hwn yn "drwm This (one) is heavy Several of the prepositions have special meaning<; when used with
(e.g. talking of a parcel) VNs:
Mae hyn yn anodd This is difficult Dych chi am "dalu ii siec'? Do you want to pay by cheque?
(e.g. talking of a situation) Mae'r hws ar f:ynd The bus is abour ro go
Mac hwunw'n oberyglus That (one) is dangerous Mac Elspeth a Linda heb ddod Elspeth and Linda have nm come
(e.g. a dog)
(see further Lesson 12)
Mae hynny'n "beryglus That is dangerous Canwch y larwm drwy "dorri'r Sound the alarm by breaking the
(e.g. a cour~e of action) gwydr glass
Similarly, after getting everything you want in the shop. you may
wish to say: And we have already seen the more obvious i + VN in Dw i'n mynd
r .. . I'm going to.
Faint yw hJnny? How much is that?
(i.e. all the purchases together)
so ------------------------------------81
Prepositions before genitive noun-phrases Exercise 1 1::1]
In Lesson 4 we saw that expressions involving the .. . of . .. (or, of Practise saying these telephone numbers in Welsh, and then. if you
course, the . . 's) do not begin with the definite article in Welsh. Ill_. have the cassette, listen to the native speakers saying them and try
other words, while the phrase 'the end' is y diwedd as we would noting them down without looking at the book. 'Zero· is dim.
expect, 'the end of the programme' is diwedd y rhaglcn: if this (a) 021-433-1616 (e) 0424 551139
phrase is preceded by a mutating preposition, then there is no y to . (b) 071-755-1201 (f) 0222 480060
block the mutation. Compare: (g) 051-624-3392
(o) 0804 431176
ar' y diwedd at the end (d) 081-500--7004 (h) 0970 429073
but ar· ddiwedd y rhaglen at the end of the programme
ar" y gwaelod at the bottom Expressions of quantity tD
but ar· waelod y ffurflen at the bottom of the form
faint? how much? how many?
ar" y copa on the summit a lot, much; many
Uawer
but ar" gopa'r mynydd on the summit of the mountain gormod too much; too many
digon enough
Numbers 1-70 m rhagor
mwy
more ( = 'in addition')
more(= rhagor in this sense)

1 un,un . 6 chwe(ch)
ychydig a little; a few

2 dau·, dwy' 7 saith Units of measure and terms for containers or packaging also come
3 tri, tair 8 wyth under this type, e.g.;
4 pedwar, pedair 9 naw pwys pound (lb)
5 pum(p) 10 dcg banner dwsin half a dozen
dwsin a dozen
These are generally used with a singular noun: pedwar llyfr (not,., pecyn a pack( et)
Jlyfr11u) four books. tun a tin
Where two forms are given, these are for use with masculine and potel (f) a bottle
feminine nouns respectively: dau fachgen two boys, dwy ferch two darn a plcce
girL~; tri planhigyn three plants, tair coeden three trees. tafcll (t) a slice
Final consonants in brackets (5 and 6) are heard only when there ~leisen (f) a slice
is no following noun: hu~ a box
Mae pump fan hyn There are five here Terms that express a quantity of something require oo - in other
hut Mae pum afal fan hyn There are [ive apples here words, we say in Welsh ·enough of bread' (digon o fara), 'too many
of people' (gormod o hobo!), ·more ofcot'fce· {rhagor o gorti), 'half I·
Ch"'cch yn unig Only six
but Chwe torth yn unig Only six loaves
Notice that 1 (f) and 2 (either gender) are followed by S:'VL
a dozen of eggs· (banner dwsin o wyau) etc.

Exercise2 m
i
I'
AM is optionally used after tri (but not tair) and chwe, especicllly

~
with words beginning c- and p-: tri cheffyl three horses (cetfyl): tri Imagine you are in the siop Ieo!- what would you say to get the fol-
phensil three pencils (pensil). Follow local usage on this point. lowing items? Try and gel all instance~ of SM in each case.

~
82
83
1 half a pound of tea
2 six pounds of potatoes (o) how much?
3 two books of stamps (p) pork sausages
4 three tins of baked beans
5 half a dozen apples
6 three bottles of milk Numbers 11-20
Exercise 3 There are two systems in Welsh for numhers 11-20, an old one with
special words for certain numbers, and a modernised decimally-
Put in the mutations (all SM) that have been left out of the follow:·
based system:
ing: old new
11 un ar ddeg undeg un
1 Ca i tri pwys o caws? 12 deuddet: undeg dau
2 Oes wyau 'da chi bore 'ma? 13 tri ar ddeg undeg tri
3 Rhowch dau pccyn o creision caws a nionyn i mi os gwelwch 14 pedwar ar ddcg undeg pedwar
d,.
15 pymtheg undeg pump
4 Does dim tatws 'da ni ar hyn o pryd. 16 un ar bymtheg undeg chwech
5 A !la i cael dau pwys o sgewyll? 17 dau ar bymtheg undeg saith
6 Mae rhagor o moron ar gwaelod y bocs 'na. 18 deunaw undeg wyth
Which sentence did not need any mutations added? 19 pedwar ar bymtheg undeg naw
20 ugain dauddeg
Exercise 4
The italicised numbers in the old system are still very widely used,
and you should be familiar with them. The new system is promoted
Starting with the original sentence below, make substitutions as in schools- these numbers are usually followed by o" +plural noun:
indicated to create different sentences. The first two substitutions undeg wyth o amlenni eighteen envelopes; undcg pedwar o bensiliau
arc done for you as an example. fourteen pencils.
Ga i ddau bwys o gaws?
(a) potatoes
(b) one pound
Ga i ddau bwys o datW.f Money
Ga i bwys o d.atws
(c) we
(d) packet of crisps A pound is punt (f- pl. punnoedd or punnau), and a penny is
(e) I ceiniog (f- pl. cciniogau). You will need the rest of the numbers up
(f) two packets to lOO- old system variants still widely used are given in brackets:
(g) a white loaf 21 dauddeg un 60 chwcdeg
(h) we 22 dauddeg dau 70 saithdeg
(i) two white loaves etc. 80 wythdeg
m a white loaf --- aJ'I':!:·
30 trideg YO nawdeg
(k) I 31 trideg un 100 can(t)
(!) a dozen eggs etc.
1!
(m) two dozen 40 pedwankg (deugain) l
(n) half a dozen 50 pumdeg (hanuer can(t))
84 ------------------------------------~ 85

Generally, these higher numbers arc, like 4uantity sing. pL

followed by o" +plural noun: trideg pump o ddynion 35 men 1 gen i, gyn i gynnon ni
chwedeg wyth o ddefaid 68 sheep (dafad): canto bunnoedd (punt).: 2 gen ti, g,_vn ti gynnoch chi
Measure-words, however, are usually in the singular: banner 3 gynno fo gynnyn nhw
milltir fifty miles, pedwardeg pum pwys o datws forty-five pounds gynni hi
potatoes.
In writing, and sometime~ in speech, gynn- is found as gandd-, and
But with money both singular (without o) and plural (with)
pl. is often seen as gennych (chi).
heard. So for example, £3.57 can be either tair punt pumdeg saith
You should also notice that, in this Northern possession construc-
geiniogau or tair punt pumdeg saith ceiniog.
tion, the thing possessed has SM.
Note is papur - papur pum punt jive-pound note;
piece/coin is usually pisin (pronounced 'pishin')- pisin banner Mac gen i ·ragor o enghrcifftiau fan hyn
ceiniog 50 pence piece. I've got more examples here
Mae gynnyn nhw ddigon o 'draffcrthion yn barod, dybiwn i
Oes pisin ugain ceiniog 'da ti i'r peiriant tocynnau?
They've got enough troubles already, I should think
Have you got a twenty-pence piece for the ticket machine?
Mae g_vn 'n chwaer i lwyth o ·waith i'w wneud erbyn diwcdd yr
ExerciseS m wythnos
My sister's got a load of work to do by the end of the week
Write out the following amounts in Welsh: Another alternative you will frequently come across in the North is
the v~rb medru can. he able, used widely where other regions have
1 £9.47 6 £2.99
gallu. By and large it works the same way.
2 £1.60 7 £6.22
3 £0.75 g £7.38 Fedri df- .. ? Can you ... ?
4 £10.80 9 £3.95 t'cdrwch chf _.. ? Can you ... ?
5 .£3.15 10 £5.75 Fedret ti" •.•? Could you ... ?
Fedrech chf .•• ? Could you. 'l
One use that medru does not share with gallu can be seen in:
Northern alternatives: possession, 'can'
,, Mae Susan yn medru C_ymraeg Susan can speak Welsh
Generally, the Welsh spoken in the North and South of the country''
does not differ all that much. A lot of it comes down to accent,
if you have the cassette you will no doubt identify the Nortl Eisiau 'want', angen 'need'
speakers fairly easily. Occasionally we find a different sentence
structiun in the North. and this is the case with possession. The~e two words are nouns. but they act virtually as verbs in
Lesson 3 we saw that gyda with is used: Colloquial Welsh. in that they are used V>'ith hod. The important thing
to notice ahout them, however. is that. when used with hod, they do
Mac car newydd 'da John John's got a new car
not have the linkingyn thut would be needed with ordinary VNs.
But in the North, gan (or gyn in speech quite often) is used instead
Dwi 'n mynd 1 go
of gyda, and the word-order is different:
but: Dw i eisiau I want [i.e. no£ 0\V t'n eisiauj
Mae gan John ·gar newydd
Mac Rny a Stella'n gyrru Jeep Roy and Stclla drive a Jeep
Funhermore, when gan is used with pronouns, it changes its form: hut: Mae Roy a Stella angen petrol Roy and Stella need petrol
86 87

Other useful constructions: Beth ydy'r enw?

Alun Jenkins.
Dych chi (/Wyt ti) eisiau •.. ? Do you want . ?
A be' 'dy rhif eieh cyfrif cadw?
Dych chi eisiau i mr •.• ( + VN)? Do you want me to ... ?
Dw i ddim yn gwybod, mae ofn arna i.
Dych chi (w.rt ti) angen • , •? Do you need . ?
£: Dim ots- na i oofyn i'r cyfrifiadur.
or, with an alternative construction: (checks on the compmer)
Oes angen ••• arnoch chi (arnat ti)? Do you need.
,, Dyma ni - wyth wyth dim pedwar chwech dim saith dim.
Arwyddwch fan hyn, os gwelwch yn dda.
Both eisiau and angen can be used as nouns in impersonal construct
Dych chi angen ·n llyfr siec?
tions using Mac (INT Oes, •.?. NEG (Doe)s dim .••) before
Nadw, ond mae eisiau i chi arwyddo'r credyd.
to express There is a need .... ctc:
Mae angen mwy o "gefnogaeth More support is needed
[lit. 'there is need of more supnnrt'l
'Sdim eisiau poeni am hynny There's no need to worry trosglwyddo transfer dim ots it doesn't matter
that cyfrif account naf .•. I'll.
Oes angen dweud rhywbeth'? Should something be said? cyfredol current cyfrifiadur (-on) computer
"cadw keep; (here) depo~it arwyddo sign (vb)
Eisiau is pronounced variously isio (N), ise (Mid-Wales) or isie,
~: mae ofn arna i I'm afraid credyd slip (Le. form)
never as spelt.
Remember that am" + VN is another way of saying want:
Maen nhw am ddysgu They want 10 learn
Here i~ another conversation in the bank- but jumbled up. Put the
Many S areas use a true VN moyn or mofyn for want instead, parts for both speakers in the right order so that the whole thing
this does require the linking yn. Compare: ·· makes sense.
Dyn ni eisiau mynd adre We want to go home : Oes. Allech chi lenwi fe i mi? B: Oes- newch chi Iofnodi fe?
Dyn ni'n moyn mynd adre We want to go home . A: 'Na ni. 'te. Hwyl. B: Ccwch. Oes cn.:dyd talu i
mewn 'da chi?
In some areas you will hear moyn used to mean fetch:
~-A: Diolch. Oes eisiau i mi wneud
Cer i moyn y llacth, nci di? Go and fetch the milk. will unrhywhcth arall? B: Hwyl fawr.
Ga i dalu'r siec 'ma i mcwn? B: Fan hyn ar y gwaelod.
Notice from this example that moyn is an immutable word (i.e.
Gwna. Lie dach chi eisiau i mi B: Gallwn. 'Na chi.
Cer i" foyn y llaeth ... )
lofnodi?

Sgwrs Cl ,j
l
Alun has a transaction at the bank The word for 'in' in Welsh differs according to whether the item
.: following is specifically defined or not. By specific we mean any
i
ALuN: Bore da. Dw i eisiau trosglwyddo arian o nghyfrif cyfredol · ;I
word that is I
nghyfrif cadw. i!
B: lawn. Faint hoffech chi drosglwyddo? (a) preceded by the definite article (y, etc.)
A; Tri chant o bunnoedd. . (b) preceded by a possessive adjective (see Le~son 4)
 88
~------------------------------89
(c) apronoun
(d) a name of a person or place There, there. Now, there arc two gentlemen in the next room
who are waiting to have a word with you.
In all these cases, the word for 'in' will be yn (NM) (see Lesson Gentlemen'.' Am l ... in trouble, or something?
But otherwise the word for 'in' will be mewn (no mutatiot Let's just say they're both in unifonn.
Compare:
yn yr ysgol m the school
mewn ysgol
in a school (nor specified)
yn yr ysgolion in the schools
mewn Jsgolion in schools (generally)
yn J dre in the town
yn Llanelli in Uane!li
mewn tre
in a town (not specified)
Exercise 7

Without tran:.lating, decide whether you would use Jn or mewn

'in' in the following sentences:

(a) Would you like a ride in my helicopter?

(b) rve never been in a helicopter before.
(c) I bought it second-hand in Ta!ybont.
(d) Was it m a shop?
(e) No, silly- it was in the dassitieds.
(f) Have you taken anyone else for a ride in it'?
(g) No. you're the first. I've been in the garage
months. putting it together.
(h) Putting ... you mean it came in a kit?
(i) Yes, I thought I mentioned that. Are you strapped in your
(j) Yes ... You amaze me. we're in the air.
(k) Oh ye of little faith. Now watch this, I'm going to put her
tight turn. Pull that lever, would you?
(I) This lever here, you mean? ... Oh look, it's come off in my
(m) Has it? It didn't say anything about that in the instructions.
(n) And it says in this manual that you need a licence to fly these.,
(o) Never mind that- does it say anythmg in the manual c

landing?

(p) Where am I? What am I doing in a strange bed?

(q) You're in Brong!ais HospitaL
(r) 1 had this terrible dream. nurse. I was in a helicopter, only ·
wasn't.
-~4 >0'~=..,."-""'"'~-,..~·-"·-· ~-
~------------------------------91

7' V tywydd neb no-one

yn union fel exactly like
man a man i ti fod wedi , , , ( + VN)
The weather you might as well have.

neu Anghywir?
_. ~--- y tywydd yn Abergwaun yn boeth. CIA
In this lesson you will learn how to: -'Does neb yn bwyta sglodion yn Abergwaun. CIA
· Mae llawer o hobo! yn siarad Saesneg yn Majorca. CIA
• talk about th1ngs that were
Mae Nige eisiau mynd i Majorca eta. CIA
• say what was happening
• say what will happen ~jilysgnfennwch y saw{ sy'n anghywir (rewrite those that are false).
• understand weather forecasts
• discuss plans in relation to the weather
m
Sgwrs m _ Mair and Elinor's differing approaches to life are revealed in their
~,-discussion of the weather

Dewi and Nigef are comparing notes on their holidays. Nigel has. Mae'n braf heddiw, on'd yw hi?
come back from Majorca, while Dewi stayed put in Abcrgwau, Bydd hi'n bwrw glaw erbyn amser cinio.
(Fishguard) WeL o 'leia "gafon ni ddiwrnod heu\og ddoe.
O'n i yng Nghaergybi ddoe. Roedd hi'n ddiftas trwy'r
DEwJ: Sut oedd y tywydd ym Majorca, 'te, Nige? dydd.
NIGEL We!, oedd hi'n "boeth a heulog, wrth 'gwrs. Beth
Ahergwaun?
D: Poeth a heulog hefyd. Sut oedd y bwyd draw fan·na?
N: Oedd y sglodion yn seimllyd, a 'r cwrw'n 'wan. bwrw glaw (to) rain Caergybi Holyhead (Anglesey)
D: Swnio'n 'gyfarwydd. Oedd y 'bobol yn 'gyfeillgar? by(time) ddoe ye~tcrday
N: Oedden. Ond doedd neb yn siarad Saesneg. cafon ni we had/got (S) diHas miserable
D: Yn union fel Abergwaun! Man a man i ti fad wedi aros diwmod day trwy'r dydd all day
hyn. Nige.
N: Wi ddim yn mynd 'to.
Imperfect of bod - 'I was', etc
Geirfa
To say I was, you were, etc, you will need the imperfect tense of
tywydd weather gwao weak bod:
poeth hot swoio'n gyrarwydd sound~ familiar
heulog ~unny cyfeillgar friendly
92 93

for 'no' answers, prefix a Nag to either written or spoken INT

AFF JNT NEG
tonns: Nag oeddwn or Nag o'n (i) (No,) I wasn't; Nag oedd (hi)
sing. 1 o'n i I was o'n i? Was I? (d)o'niddim '(No,) she wasn't, etc.
2 o't ti etc. o't ti? etc. (d)o't ti ddim etc.
'Tag'·questions can be made by placing On'd before the INT forms,
3 oedd e/hi oedd e/hi? (d)oedd e/hi ddim
with or without the following pronoun:
pl. 1 o'n ni o'nni? (d)o'nniddim
2 o'ch chi o'chchi? (d)o'chchiddim Qedd hi'n ocr iawn bore 'ma, on'd oedd (hi)?
3 o'nnhw o'nnhw? (d)o'n nhwddim It was very cold this morning, wasn't it?

These forms may vary a little from region to region in Colloquial,'

Welsh, but generally AFF and INT are distinguished only by Imperfect of bad + VN - 'I was .. .ing', etc
nation, whlle NEG has an optional d-on the front and. of course,
following ddim ('not'). You can use the imperfect of hod with a VN Uoining them with yn
'2if'' -see Lesson 2) to make a 'past continuous' tense:
O't ti yn y "dre neithiwr? Were you in [the] town:;!
last night? Oedd J' 'bobol yn eistedd draw l'an'na The people were sitting over
Do'n nhw ddim "gartre They were not at home _,, there
Oedd e tu allan trwy'r nos He was outside all night'-~ O'n i ddim yn gyrru'n rhy 'gyflym I wasn't driving too fast
O'ch chi' n aros am rywun? Were you waiting for some·
In most types of writing. however, the following fuller sets off,
one?
from which the above colloquial pattern has since developed, are,,
Doedd y trenau ddim yn rhedeg The trains weren't running
generally in use:

AFF INT NCG

Exercise2 [!]
sing. 1 rocddwn i oeddwn i? doeddwn i ddim Turn these present tense sentences into the imperfect. Use the sim·
2 roeddet ti ocddet ti? doeddct ti ddim ph:r spoken forms in this exercise.
3 roedd elhi oedd e/hi? doedd e/hi ddim
Example: Dw i ddim gartre heddiw ('I am not at home today')
pi. 1 roeddcn ni oeddcn ni? doedden ni ddim
- O'n i ddim gartre heddiw ('l wasn't at home today')
2 rocddech chi oeddech chi? doeddcch chi ddim
J roedden nhw oedden nhw? doedden nhw ddim 1 Mae Aled a Julie yn rhannu (share) fflat.
2 Dych chi'n gwylio'r teledu?
So: Oeddet ti yn y "dre neithiwr? 3 .Yn ni ddim yn moyn talu gormod.
4 Wyt ti'n bwriadu (intend) dod 'da ni?
Doedden nhw ddim "gartre
5 Dyw mrawd ddim yma.
Roedd e tu allan trwy·r nos
6 Ydy'r dosbarthiadau Cymraeg yn an odd (difficult)'?
For ·yes· answers to questions beginning with the imperfect of bod,
use the written D-'T forms above, but without the following pro· Exercise 3
noun:
O'ch chi yn y 'dre neithiwr'! Repeat Exercise 2, but this time use the more formal written forms
Oeddwn
Were you in town last night'? of the imperfect tense.
(Yes,) I \Vas
Oedd Julie'n 'grac? Oedd
Was Julie cross? (Yes,) she was
94 ---------------------------------95
Fyddi di yn y dosbarth wythnos nesa? Na fydda (f)
·r knew·, 'Ithought'
(No,) I won't be
Will you be in class next week?
In Welsh, verbs that express a mental state. like gwybod know,-,;
fact), nabod know (a person) and mcddwlthink, use the imper-' 'Tag'-questions can be made by placing On' before the AFF forms
feet where Engli~h uses an ordinary past tense. In other words, (usually unmutated), with or without the following pronoun:
for I knew we must say in Welsh O'n i'n gwybod, lit. 'I
Fydd hi'n oer heno, on' bydd (hi)?
knowing'. Similarly O'n i'n nabod e flynyddoedd yn 01 I knew
It will be cold tonight, won't it?
him years ago; O'n i'n meddwl hynny I thouglu so (lit. ·J was-·
Fe fyddwn ni mewn pryd, on' byddwn (ni)?
thinking that').
We'll be in time, won't we?

Future of bod - 'I will be', etc Future tense of other verbs
AFF (statement) forms are as follows: The future of any verb can be formed by joining its VN to the future
of bod using yn. So:
bydda i I will be byddwn ni we will be
byddi di you will be b~·ddwchchi you will be Bydda i 'n gofyn
bydd e/hi he/she will be byddan nhw they will be I will be [link] ask(ing) l will ask
:o
or I will he asking
To turn these into questions. simply use SM. For example: fydda . _
Bydd Roger yn chwarac gwyddbwyll trwy'r dydd yfory
will 1 be?, fyddwch chi? wtl! you be?. The NEG versions require -'f··
R will be GinkJ play(ing) chess all day tomorrow
both SM and following ddim ('not'): fydda i ddim I won't
fyddwch chi ddim you won't be. Similarly:
In fact even the AFF forms are frequently heard with SM
Fyddi di'n mynd ar y tren neu yn y car?
Colloquial Welsh- so. for example. Byddan nhw fan hyn yfor:y
Will you go by train or by car?
F:yddan nhw fan hyn yfory both mean They"!! he here tomorrow. . \
Fyddwn ni ddim yn gweld llawer o fan hyn
The INT version Fyddan nhw fan hyn yfor}~ Will they be
We won't see much from here
tomorrow? differs only in intonation.
'Yes' answers simply repeat the appropriate form of the verb, Exercise 4 m
out SM:
Change the following sentences into future.
Fydd Alun yn y farchnad pnawn 'ma? Bydd
Will Alun be at the market this afternoon? (Yes,) he will be Example: Mae Fred yn y dosbarth ['Fred is in the class']
Fyddwn ni mcwn pryd, ti'n meddwl? Byddwch - Bydd Fred yn y dosbarth [·Fred will be in the class']
Will we be in time, do you think? (Yes,) you will be
Ydy Fred yn y dosharth heno?
·No' answers use N:.~" •.•: Na fydd (No,) he/she won'r be; Na fyd- 2 O'ch chi'n gweithio dros yr Ha?
dwch (l'v'o.) you won't be. 3 Maen nhw eisiau gweld y manylion (details) gynta.
4 Dw i ddim yn dod i'r parti.
In answers only, the lst pers. sing. is often heard with a -f on the t"'"
5 "\'n ni'n gwerthu'r t9. I
end:
6 Wyt ti'n barod? !'
FJddi di i fl"wrdd trwy'r wythnos? Bydda (f)
Will you be away all week? (Yes,) I will be
I
':1

I
96------------------------------ 97
Inflected verbs (verbs with endings) Fe fydd Sioned yn mynd? Will Sioned be going?
Fe fydd Sioned ddim yn mynd Sioned won't be going
With the future tense of hod we encounter our first example
tense made up of verb-stem (here bydd-) + personal ending~ neither is a positive statement. But remember also that,
(inflections). There are three sets of persona! endings in Colloquiai Since the affirmative marker is optional in any case, you might be
Welsh, corresponding to different tenses, and we will deal ;'just as likely to hear
them one at a time in later lessons. For now, you need to know
Bydd Sioned yn mynd, or
few principles about inflected verbs in Welsh that can be illustrate( Fydd Sioned yn mynd
with the future of hod, but are equally true of all inflected verbs.
because Colloquial Welsh tends to generalise SM on inflected verbs.
1 INT inflected verbs have SM- so fyddi di? Will you be?
2 NEG inflected verbs have SM, (or sometimes AM where possible;
and particularly with verbs beginning c-),+ ddim of course- -
fydda i ddim 1 won't be.
Decide where you would be able to put fe'/mi" in the following
3 AFF inflected verbs have the radical (byddi di you will be),
sentences and where not:
there is also a tendency in Colloquial Welsh (but not
written) for SM to be extended to these as well (fyddi di you 1 Fydda i'n hala'r bil atyn nhw yfory.
be). 2 Fydd y plant yn mynd i'r gwely am saith.
;.. 3 Fyddi di'n 61 mewn pryd?
What these three principles mean in effect is that you can use S.'\1
4 Fyddan nhw ddim yn caniatau hynny.
all inflected verbs, and sound perfectly natural.
5 Fyddan nhw'n gofyn am ragor o amser i dalu.
4 AFF inflected verbs can optionally be preceded by an affirmatiw 6 Fydd e "n gwadu popeth.
marker fe" or mi'- so fe fyddi di or mi fyddi di you will be.
below. Geirfa m
Although it has endings (a- and -web), we do not count the imper- hala send caniatliu allow, permit
ative (command forms) as inflected verbs, and the above principles mewn pryd in time
do not apply. gwadu deny

You will hear the future a lot in weather forecasts on the media-
Affirmative markers Fe" and Mi" listen out for Bydd ••. or Fe fydd .•• There will be ... or It will (be) .
. . . Understanding the weather forecast (rhagolygon y tywydd) is
largely a matter of listening out for the geiriau allweddol key words
ln Colloquial Welsh. all inflected verbs can be preceded by the
-as long as you can spot enough of these as you go along. you will
particles fe" (Sand central areas) or mr (N) when what is being said
get the gist of it, so the following basic words and expressions
is a statement (i.e. not a yuestion, negative or command). We will·
should be committed to memory:
deal with this in more detail in a later lesson. but for now it is impor-
tant to remember two things about these markers: '" braf fine glaw rain
heulog sunny glaw miin drizzle
1 They are used only with positive statements;
oer cold gwynt (-oedd) wind
2 Their use is optionaL
sych dry eira snow
For example, Fe fydd Sioned yn mynd Sioned will go/be going is gwlyb wet storm (-ydd) storm
correct because we arc making a statement, while the following are cymylog cloudy ysbaid (ysbeidiau) interval, spell
impossible: diHas miserable cawod (-ydd) shower
 98------------------------~
di~og/air
bright
--------------------------99
rhagolygon (pl) forecast
gwyntog windy
gradd degree
)-n cyrraedd 16 gradd erbyn y prynhawn. Ond disgwylir i'r tywydd
niwlog foggy, misty G'wacthygu dros y rhan fwya o Gymru ar 61 iddi nasi, gyda tebygr-
stonnns stonny ardal (-oedd) (f) area, region
o law yn ardaloedd y De erbyn saith. Bydd y tywydd yn
trwm heavy gwlad (gwledydd) (f) country
trwy'r dydd yfory.
ysgafn light cefn gwlad (f) inland/country areas
ger y glannau on the coa~t
cynnes warm f',:Kercise 6
egJur clear
arfordir coastal region
ledled y wlad across the entire
bwrw glaw (or glawio) (to) rain forecast would be the best for:
bwrw eira (to) snow dros Gymru gyfan over the whole
of Wales a Bonfire Night (Noson Guto Ffowc) party?
ch1rythu blow
an afternoon picnic?
cynyddu increase
daw •.•... will come an afternoon o flaen y teledu?
lleihau decrease. lessen
l1'D before
gostwng drop
erbyn by (time)
gwe/la improve
gwaethygu worsen
ar iil a(ter m
wedi after
diflannu disappear
ymddangos appear
yn bennaf mainly is trying to break it gently to Dafydd that he has nor the
cyrraedd arrive; reach yn enwedig especially "slightest intention of attending any committee meetings (cyfarfodydd
parhau continue disgwylir •••.. .is/are expected {'jiwyllgor) in the near future
tywyllu get dark yma ac acw here and there
Fyddi di yn y cyfarfod pwyl!gor yfory?
nosi get dark rywbryd sometime
Os bydd hi'n braf iawn yfory, efa\lai bydda i yno. Ond os
rhewi freeze tebygrwydd o" .•• a likelihood of.
bydd hi'n bwrw, neu'n oer, neu'n gymylog, fydda i ddim
eisiau mynd.
Here are four short weather bulletins incorporating some of Fyddi di"n dod i'r cyfarfod nesa ddydd Llun. 'te?
words and phrases. If you have the cassette, try and get the We! ... os bydd amser 'da fi, fe fydda i yno, and mae'n
bosib bydd ymwelwyr 'da ni. Gawn ni weld.
allweddol as possible. m
without looking at the script, listening out for as many
Beth amy cyfarfod cyffredinol blynyddol, 'te. Fyddi di'n
bresennol? Mae e ...
Dyma ragolygon y tyrydd am yfory:
Gwactha'r modd fydda i ddim yn gallu dod. Bydda i'n
Bydd hi'n oer yfory, ond yn sych, gydag ysbeidiau heulog yn. sfil.
erbyn y prynhawn. Bydd y tywydd ledled y owlad yn ddisglciriac!:i: Ond dw i heb ddweud 'that ti pryd mae e 'to!
(brighter) ar 61 amscr cinio, ond yn parhau'n oer. ·•· Pryd bynnag bydd y cyfarfod, bydda i'n sU!. iawn?
Bydd niwl ger y glannau'n diflannu erbyn canol y bore, a bydd
boeth ac yn heulog am weddill y dydd. Daw tyrydd gwlyb i Geirfa
rhan o Gymru gyda'r nos.
yfory tomorrow blynyddQI annual
Bydd y gryntocdd yn cynyddu dros OGymru "gyfan, yn enwcdig·: os if presennol present; in attendance
mewn ardaloedd gorllewinol. Bydd glaw trwm yn yno there (place not in sight) gwaetha'r modd unfortunately
ardaloedd y De erbyn banner dydd, a chawodydd trwrn yma ac acw, . nesa next sill ill
yn y Gogledd a'r Gorllewin.
os bydd., .'da fi if I have dw i heb ddweud 'that ti I haven't
posib possible told you
Mi fydd hi'n parhau'n sych ac yn heulog heddiw, gyda'r tymheredJ
ymwelwyr (pl.) visitors (e)to yet
100 101

Gawn ni weld We'll see pryd bynnag whenever f-Jieddiw today is pronounced heddi in many parts of Wales. Pnawn
cyft'redinol general
:·afternoon is spelt prynhawn in written Welsh, but not usually so
; pronounced.
Exercise 7 a:l larger units of time (amser) are:

Match Iestyn's excuses to the various meetings:

(a) annual general meeting (i) Iestyn's family are
round
(b) committee meeting tomorrow (ii) Iestyn anticipates ill health
(c) committee meeting on Monday (iii) Iestyn is worried about · can be combined with "bob and trwy'r:
weather dydd every day lrwy'r dydd all day
bob wythnos every week trwy'r wythnos all week
jjob mis every month trwy'r mis all month
Making plans and expressing intentions bob blwyddyn every year trwy'r flwyddyn all year
the future m AJso bob amser every time: always trwy'r amser all the time
Na i" ••• + VN is a common way of saying that you are going to • , . diwetha, .•. 'ma and ..• nesa arc used after the noun as follows:
something. It is actually the inflected future (Lesson 10) of gwn• last . . this. next.
do, and using it rather than the more neutral future Bydda i'n t-
wythnos diwetha wythnos 'ma wythnos nesa
is a way of expressing definite intent. Compare:
mis diwetha mis 'ma mis nesa
Bydda i'n sgrifennu atat ti ar 01 y Nadolig
~--Similarly with tro time (in a sequence): tro diwetha last rime, etc.
I'll be writing to you after Christmas [i.e. you'll be getting a
letter from me] Gobeithio byddwch chi'n llwyddiannus tro nesa
Na i sgrifennu atat ti ar 01 y Nadolig I hope you'll be successful next time
I'll write to you after Christmas [i.e. that's a promise J
But 'year· has special words for 'last ... ' and 'this .. .':
The 1st pers. pi. form nawn ni we wilt do is useful in the phrase
nawn ni? What shall we do? llynedd elcni tlwyddyn nesa

Be' nawn ni gyda'r plant dros hanner tymor? f' n ni ddim yn mynd eleni, ond efallai bJddwn ni'n mynd flwyd-
What shall we do with the children over half-term? dyn nesa
We're not going this year. but perhaps we'll go next year

lime expressions Days of the week tt::J

You should learn the important words and Monday
yesterday today Tuesday
tomorrow
Dydd Mercher Wednesday
ddoe heddiw yfory Dydd lau Thursday I
(morning) bore ddoe bore 'ma bore fory Dydd Gwener Friday I
(aftn.) pnawn ddoe pnawn 'ma pnawn yfory Dydd Sadwrn Saturday
(night) neithiwr he no nos yfory Dydd Sui Sunday

11
102
103
To say 'On ... ' a day, simply use SM; Ddydd Mawrth on Tuedni.
Words like bob, diwetha etc. can he used in the normal way m
days of the week.
and his fiancee Angharad are debating what to do today -stay
Mae'n dod fan hyn bob dydd Mercher fel arfer, ond fydd e
ddydd Mercher ncsa _
He comes here every Wednesday usually, but next Wednesda) Be' nawn ni heddiw, 'te?
he'll be away We!. mae"n dibynnu ar y tywydd, on'd ydy'? Beth
oedd y rhagolygon?
If you want to say 'Tuesday night', you change Dydd into Nos·.
Nos Fawrth. and su on. ·-· Ansefydlog. Well inni aros gartte, dw i"n meddwl.
Mae'r gCm fawr ar y telcdu pnawn 'ma, gyda llaw.
Mi fyddwn ni'n gweld chi i gyd Nos Lun, 'te Ond dw i eisiau ychydig o awyr iach yn hytrach nag
We'll see you all on Monday night, then eistcdd o fl.aen y teledu! Beth am fynd i"r dre?
0, dim eta! O'n ni yn y dre ddoe, trwy'r dydd!
Exercise 8 Ond dw i eisiau gwneud y gwaith siopa. Dw i angen dy
help, Dy\an!
Read this postcard, and then answer the questions in English: O'n i ddim yn helpu llawer tro diwetha.
O't ti'n cwyno trwy'r amser, 'na pam. Ond fyddi di
[i.(,..J41/ii...'
:z:y,,.~ lferd(er ddim yn cwyno tro ·mu, na fyddi di? Bydd y gem fawr
,4.."1' ...w."-' ar y teledu eto heno, on' bydd?
>y..., o-..+· re , t; "
LA.rlf~ AU. ....,.., ~y;t,
(Dy!an knows Angharad is right)
D: Bydd.
y~ ~r.r 'tyM>I4>s. lf4e 'r Y'~rc.J y ... (He tries a last desperate change of tack)
6rJf/ k.J;>o..; ' A~ Wi! t{; '" t.J/y& Mae'n rhwym o fwrw glaw, timod.
'~""'- J.-.K y s.._t. f!.i:oe l".fl~ ~ l'ft..J A: Os bydd hi"n bwrw pan fyddwn ni yn y drc. na i brynu
ar 1 jf;,,.J~ <tr g-ykr ;10.- r Fe _ ymbare! i ti, iawn?
/rJJul4. 1(/~ ~rcs ~ yr .:lf"~l1 ,.,..,. -t.-~-, / o, lawn.
J.Ji,ut!)d JY" tv;rtAI1t>f I A j6:J ;-- M ,. A Awn ni, 'te.
<14«-rJyJ~ t:;r y &c. . AI4S tJe ..f!.r. E!!t"
,A J"'rJI" 'V_· Y"" (, f'-€r? ~ / ~~~ fi Geirfa
o'r t>~i, '"r.Jlf. .
!ltJyl 4"1- rOb 4 Sl.Js
be' nawn ni? what ~hall we do? belh amo .. , + VN what about .. mg?
fi_., .. ~.s dibynnu depend trW)"'r ... all . (time expressions)
ansefydlog unsettled cwynn ~;omplaio
1 What was the weather like in Uangollen at the weekend? awyr air rbwym o' .•• bound to
2 How long are Fiona and Desmond staying in the area? iacb h~althy timod :/know
3 What will the weather be like on Thursday? yn bytmch na rather than ymbarCI umbrella
4 Where are Fiona and Desmond staying in Llangollcn? o flaen in front of
5 What has Jane got to do?
6 What was the weather like on Wednesday? Placenames and geographical features (11)

The weather may not always be on your side if you're out and
about. but there's always plenty to take your mind off the rain, not
 105
104 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ;

least the names of places you may pass through. We have coed 'wood'- Trawsgoed 'Crosswood'
had a look at the ubiquitous Aber- and Llan-; here arc some bedw 'birch'- Pantyfedwen 'Birch-hollow'
common elements in Welsh placenames: celyn 'holly' - Llwyncelyn ·Hol!ygrove'.
topographical features derw 'oak'- Derwenlas 'Green oak'
afon 'river· - the names of rivers themselves also onn ·ash'- Bancyronnen 'Ashhill(ock)'
prominently in place names. · Two adjectives, isa(f) 'lowest' and ucha(f) 'highest' correspond to
allt 'cliff ·Lower .. .' and ·upper .. .', usually of more localised features.
bryn 'hill'
bwlch 'gap' or 'pass· Here are some well-known places interpreted:
cors 'bog' Betws-y-Coed- betws prayer-house+ y + cocd- 'prayer-house in
<wm ·valley'- actually a rounded 'scoop'-type valley; the woods'
are various words fur ·valley' in Welsh, depending Brynmawr- bryn + mawr big- 'big hill'
the type: dyffryn is a broad, fiat river-valley: glyn· Llangollen -llan + collcn hazef,tree- 'Hazelchurch'
like the English 'vale', as is ystrad; pant is a 'hollow' Llanuwchllyn -llan + uwch higher+ Uyn lake- ·church above the
glan ·bank', 'shore' lake'
llwyn 'grove'- Llwyndafydd. Nantyglo- nant + y + glo coal- 'Coalbrook'
mynydd 'mountain' Penrhyndeudraeth- penrhyn headland+ dau two + traeth beach
nant ·stream'. 'brook'- another very common element -'headland of the two bcachd
certain parts of Wale~. Penygraig- pen+ y + craig ruck, crag- 'top of the rock'
pen 'top'; 'end' Pwllheli- pwll pool+ heli salt water- 'saltwater pool'
man-made features Rhosllannerchrugog - rhos moor, heath + llanncrch glade +
(these words generally occur as first element, often followed by grugog heathery- 'moor of the heathery glade'
personal name) Tonyrefail- tOn tone, sound+ y + gefail smithy- 'sound of the
caer 'fortified (originally Roman) settlement' - c smithy'
sponds to English '-chester', '-burgh' or '-bury' • Bear in mind, finally, that many Welsh towns. especially the larger
the same meaning. Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen),; ones, have co-existing English names- either anglicised versions of
'Merlin's fortress· (Myrddin); Caergybi (Holyhead) the original Welsh name (CaerdJdd Cardiff. Caerfyrddin
'Cybi's fortress'; Caergaint (Canterbury) ·fortress of Carmarthen, Dinbych Denhigh) or in many cases completely
Kent (Caint): and, of course, Caer (Chester). different names - Aberteifi Cardigan, Abertawe Swansea.
croes ·cross' Aberdaugleddau Aiilford Ha~·en, Yr Wyddgrug Mofd, Aberhonddu
gwaun ·meadow'; Waunfawr 'big meadow' Brecon, Y Trallwng Welshpool. And in fact many of the larger
llys ·court'; cwrt also occurs in placenames. English towns are also known by different names in Welsh -
melin ·mill' remember that a form of Welsh was spoken ail over England long
pont ·bridge' before the Angles and Saxons brought their language over.
rhyd 'ford'
tre(f) 'town'
trees
(most native tree-names in Welsh end in -en to signify a single '_r
tree. and drop this ending to make a 'collective' name for the ·
species- so dcrwen is an oak tree, while derw means 'oak', as in
'a field of oak')
 107

prysur busy cyfleus convenient

8 Gwneud gofyn ask ardderchog ext;ellent

trefniadau Sgwrs al
Making arrangements Nia arrives later at the surgery
ORD: Pnawn da. Beth sy'n hod arnoch chi, 'te?
NtA: Mae annwyd trwm arna i.
DRD: Oes unrhywbeth arall yn bod? Pen tost, cfallai? Neu owres?
N' We!, mac peswch arna i, ac dw i"n teimlo'n funedig iawn
In this lesson you will learn how to: trwy'r dydd. Alia i ddim anadlu drwy nhrwyn, chwaith.
• tell the time DRD: Ers pryd dych chi'n si'tl, felly?
• make appomtments on the phone N: 0, ers wythnos bellach. O'n i ddim eisiau'ch poeni chi. ond
• talk about pains and illnesses dyw'r annwyd ddim yn gwella, ac mae'n rhaid i mi fod yn 61
• cope with language problems yn y gwaith ddydd Iau.
DRD: Beth yw'ch gwaith?
N' Ysgrifenyddes.
ORD: Dych chi'n gwcithio gyda pobol eraill?
Sgwrs l l ] N' Mae tair anon ni yn yr un stafell.
DRD: lawn. Ddylech chi ddim mynd yn 61 i'ch gwaith tan wythnos
Nia phones to make an appointment to see the docwr (y meddyg).! nesa. Ac dw i eisiau'ch gweld chi eta. Dewch i ngweld i tua
The receptionist (y derbynnydd) answers the phone diwedd yr wythnos.

DERR.: Meddygfa. Bore da. Geirfa

NJA: Bore da. OAlla i wneud apwyntiad i •wctd rhywun heddiw?
D' Yn ni'n 'brysur iawn bore 'ma. Ga i 'ofyn beth yw'r beth sy'n bod? what's wrong? poeni [here] bother
!em? pen tost headache rhaid must
N: Mae annwyd trwm arna i. OEllwch chi "drefnu i mi ·weld gwres temperature, fever lair onon ni three (f) of us
o'r meddygon am obum munud? peswcb cough ddylech cbi ddim you shouldn't
D: Galla, siwr o fad. teimlo (eel mynd yn 01 return
(looks in the appointments hook) blined.ig tired , .. ngweld i . . see me
Mae Dr Davies yn rhydd am ·bedwar. Ydy hynny'n "gyfkus? . anadlu breathe tua (some time) around
N: Ardderchog. Dio!ch yn fawr.
D: Dim o "gwbwl. Hwyl nawr.
N: Hwyl. Personal forms of prepositions
Geirla Most prepositions in Welsh take verb-like endings when used with
pronouns. For example, ar on has the foHowing forms:
meddygfa (f) surgery annwyd cold (illness)
apw)ntiad appointment trdnn arrange
rhywun someone meddyg (-on) doctor
 j
108 •
109
ama ion me arnon ni on us
arnat ti on you cold pe~wch cough
arnoch dLi on you
arno fe on him y ddannodd toothache
arnyn nhw on them
arni hi on her temperature y frech goch measles

So, while it is fine to say ar y bwrdd on the table, or ar Dafydd used in this way are syched thirst and eisiau bwyd hunger:
Dafydd, if we want to say on him, it must be arno fe and not ar 'Mae syched ofnadwy arna i I'm awfully thirsty
The best approach is simply to learn these sets of forms as Oes eisiau bwyd ar y plant? Are the children hungry?
encounter them, or by consulting the grammatical appendix at
back of the book. For now, here are three more sets: conditions involving parts of the body + tost sore, painful use
i' to,for
Mac pen tost 'da fi I've got a headache
i mi/fi to me inni to us Oedd stumog dost 'da hi She had stomach ache
i ti to you i chi to you Ocs dust dost 'da ti? Have you got earache?
iddo fe to him iddyn nhw to them
iddi hi to her Other useful expressions when visiting the doctor or dinic are:
o· of, from mac'n brifo? Where doe~ it hurt''
ohona i of me Ow i wedi brifo ~ ... i I've hurt my.
ohonon ni of us -~ ..• yn poeni fi
ohonat ti of you My. is bothering me
ohonoch chi of you
ohono fe of him I feel sick
ohon~'n nhw of them
ohoni hi of her I feel dizzy
i ddim cysgu I can't ~Jeep
{These personal forms are also found Vvithout the -ho- element, i.e.' :-.Alia i ddim anadlu'n iawn I can't breathe properly
ona i, onat ti, etc.) -- Dw i'n teimlo'n JJinedig I feel tired
am" (various meanings) . , . o bryd i'w gilydd ... now and then
· ; .. trwy'r amser ... all the time
amd:ma i amdanun ni
an1danat ti amdanoch chi These are the main parts of the body:
amdano fe amdanyn nhw bys (-edd) finger
amdani hi
bawd (bodiau) thumb
ln Colloquial Welsh the 3rd person singular form.~ {'him' and · trwyn nose brest (f) chest
of all personalised prepo~itions often drop the pronoun- so iddi . dust (-iau) (flm) ear stumog (f) stomach
iddi hi. amdano for amdano fe. arni for arni hi, and so on. All ceg (f) mouth cefn back
persons must have the pronoun stated. gwddw neck, throat coes (-au) (f) kg
ysgwydd (-an) (f) shoulder pcnglin (-iau) (f) knee
braich (breichiau) (m/f) arm migwrn (migyrnau) ankle
Talking about pains and illnesses Ill penelin (-oedd) (m/f) elbow troed (traed) foot
arddwrn (arddyrnau) wrist bys troed toe
Many temporary physical (and mental) states are described using !law (dwylo) (f) hand bol (or bola) belly
on -we say not that we have the illness, but that the illness is on
In most cases you will need the personal forms of ar (sec above).
Common terms for illnesses which use ar are:
 ~!

110----------------------------~ 111
Exercise 1
·' i ti fynd You must go
···"- i ti beidio mynd You mustn't go
Put the words listed on the right into their correct places in , •Sdim rhaid i ti fynd You needn't go
sentences about discomfort und illness:
1 Mae pen tost fi ers bore 'ma )iercise 2
2 Oes annwyd ti? arnyn
3 Mae syehed ofnadwy y plant 'da the instructions to the places:
4 Oedd y ffliw nhw llynedd 'da
5 Bydd stumog dost ti "' :Rhaid
-Rhaid
i chi
i chi
gadw'ch ci ar dennyn (a) yr ysbyty
beidio gofyn am gredyd (b) y llyfrgell
6 Ers pryd mae'r peswch 'nu ___ chi?
'Rhaid i chi wadu popeth (c) y bws
Rhaid i chi beidio ysmygu (d) y dafam
Rh aid 'must', 'have to' m _Rhaid
Rh aid
i chi
i chi
ddangos eich tocyn
fod yn dawel
(e) y pare
(f) y ny,
To express obligation you need the noun rhaid nece.1·sity
preposition i to. ·I must go' IS phrased in Welsh as:
'(There is)
i 'ought to/should' m
necessity to me (to) go'
(Mae) rh aid i mi fynd is a special inflected verb for 'ought to', "should':
So we have rhaid. then i + person. then mutated form of the dylen ni
indicate the action that h<Js to be done. The mae can be lc(t out, dylech chi
it can also be extended to mae'n- either way i[ makes no differenc'e dylen nhw
Rh aid i'r plant orffwys
0

The children must rest some areas an -s- is inserted in these forms after the -1-: dylswn
Rhaid iddyn nhw "orffwys They must rest • ti, etc. There is no difference in meaning. Because this is an
Rhaid i Sioned 'brynu sgidiau Sioned must buy (some) ~inflected verb, the usual principles regarding mutations and affir-
newydd shoes :<.:..n.:.,Q markers (Lessons 3 and 7) apply:
Rhaid iddi hi fod yn 01 erbyn deg She must be back by ten
dylai fe
Remember that certain pronouns (like nhw and hi in the exampl~
above), will affect the preceding i.
ddylai fe
fe (!mi) ddylai fe
) he ought to; he should

1NT: ddylai fe? ought he'!; should he?

Questions are done by adding Ocs •.. ? (Is there necessity ... ?):
NEG' ddylai fe ddim he oughtn't; he shouldn't
Ocs rhaid i chi fynd mor gynnar? Must you go so early?
Oes rhaid inni dalu ymlacn Haw? "'' As with rhaid must, dylwn i etc. is used with a following VN. which
Do we have to pay in -is mutated with AFF and INT, but not with NEG.
advance?
Mi ddylwn i 'gysylltu a nhw I ought to get in touch with them
Does dim rhaid means .. .needn't .. (not musln'r):
Ddylwn i "gysylltu i nhw? Should I get in touch with them?
'Sdim rhaid i ti oboeni am hynny You needn ·r worry about that Ddylwn i ddim cysylltu ii nhw I ought not get in touch with them
'Must not. .'is done in exactly the same way as "must', but
obeidio in front of the (unmutated) VN. Compare:
112
113
Exercise 3
galw call
Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg: amdanat ti for you (am)

1 Should we wait here for a minute or two?

2 Do you have to complain all the time (trwy'r amser)?
3 I mustn't forget my bags. Cywir neu Anghywir?
4 Ieuan and Sioned ought to swap jobs.
5 You shouldn't fuss so much. Mac Si wan yn golchi ei gwallt heno. CIA
6 There's no need to remind me. Oedd Emyr ar y teledu neithiwr. CIA
Mae Emyr yn talu amy ddau docyn. CIA
Geirfa Mae'r cyngerdd yn dechrau am 7.30. CIA
Ailysgnfennwch y rhai anghywir
munud minute swydd (-i) (f) job (Rewrite those that are false)
cwyno complain ffwdanu (make) a fuss
trwy'r amser all the time "gymaint so much
cyfnewid swap atgoffa remind Telling the time

Sgwrs Cl First of all, throw away (taftwch) or hide (cuddiwch) your digital
electronic timepieces ~ apart from being hollol ddisteil completely
najfthese days, they are ill-suited to telling the time in Welsh, which
Emyr has used his contacts in the showbiz fraternity ro get hold of ' sees time as a clock-face. That is to say, while it is OK to say 3.55 as
~·ome
concert tickets. Now he needs .mmeone to go with either 'five to four' or 'three fifty-five· in English, only the first
Wyt ti'n rhydd heno, Siwan?
E.vtvR: option will do in Welsh.
SJWAN: Efallai. Oes rhywbeth 'da ti mewn golwg? You will need these expressions for telling time to the nearest five
E: Hoffet ti ddod 'da fi i'r cyngerdd? minutes:
S: Pa 'gyngerdd? Pwy sy'n chwarae'.' numbers 1-10 (Lesson 6) chwa{ter a quarter
E: Yr Anfarwolis. unarddeg eleven banner awr half an hour
S: Dw i ddim yn nabod nhw. d~uddeg twelve t to
E: Ddim yn nabod nhw!? Maen nhw'n enwog! O'n nhw ar y o'r gloch o'clock wedi past, after
tcledu neithiwr! pnm munud five minutes yn gwmws preci~ely
S: Iawn, 'te. Ond . deng munud ten minutes
(Siwan has a sudden disconcerting thought) ugain munud twenty minutes
.. pwy sy'n talu amy tocynnau? pum munud ar hugain twenty·five minutes
E: 'Ges i ddau 'docyn yn rhad ac am ddim. Mae cariad brawd
y gitarydd yn ffrind i rywun o'n i'n nabod yn yr ysgoL The hour in five-minute intervals is as follows:
S: O'r gorau. Pryd mac'r cyngerdd yn dechrau? 3.00 tri o'r gloch 3.30 hanner awr wedi tri
E: I'<' a i "alw amdanat ti tua hanner awr wedi saith. 3.05 pum munud wedi tri 3.35 pum munud ar hugain i bedwar
Geirfa -r-:. 3.10 deng munud wedi tri 3.40 ugarn munud i bed war
3.15 chwaner wedi tri 3.45 chwarter i bed war
rhydd free ges i' I got 3.20 ugJin munud wcdi tri 3.50 deng munud i bedwar
mewn golwg in mind: planned yn rhad ac :un ddim free: gratis 3.25 pum munud ar hugain wcdi tri 3.55 pum munud i bedwar
 ''!'

114 115

Hanner dydd and banner nos are mtdday and mtdnight respective]
To ask the time, use Faint o'r gloch yw/ydy hi? What time is ir?
To say what the time is. use:
Mae hi bran yn wyth o'r gloch 4
((/l
Mae'n" ...
~/
It's .
Mae hi bron yn·,,. It's almost
Mae hi'n tynnu at" , ..
Mae hi newydd ·drui ...
It's getting on for.
It's just turned.
L 'Exercise 6 m
~_.Ifyou have the ca~sette, listen to the six times given in Welsh and
Judicious use of these will avoid having to be too precise in
answer. If anyone insists on accuracy to the minute, scare them rilatch them to the times in figures below:
with one of the following: (d) 3.30
Pam na brynwch chi oriawr (or wats) eich hun? (e) 8.45
Why don't you buy your own watch'? (f) 9.15
0, cdrychwch- mac 'n oriawr i wedi sefyll To say the time when something happens. use:
Oh look, my watch has stopped
Mae'n ddrwg 'da fi (/gen i) - oriawr digidol sy 'da fi (/gen i) at.
Sorry, I've only got a digital at about.

,'
by.
Exercise 5 before
ar 01 ... after
Match the clock faces to the phrases o" •• , tan' ... from ... til!

0
o" ••• ymlaen from . . onwards
(a) Mae'n ddcng munud i naw
' rhwng .. , a.,. between .. and .

...__£ ·~]
"'i
Exercise 7 r!l
If you have the cassette, listen for the times that the speaker does
~\~ various things (they are not in the right order), and note them down

't~ 5)'·
(b) Mae hi'n tynnu at bum munud wedi wyth 2 as appropriate below:
time
~

(c) Mae hi newydd droi pum munud wedi wyth 3

0 ' .
J
.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(gets up)
(has breakfast)
(goes to town)
(has lunch)
(washes the dishes)
(has evening meal)
(g) (goes to bed)
116 117

Possessive adjectives with VNs Pwy sy'n siarad Cymraeg yma? Who speaks Welsh here?
This also applies to other question words:
The words for ·my', ·your', 'his', etc (Lesson 4) are used in front
VNs to express the pronoun object of' the verb: for example.· . Beth sy'n digwydd? What's happening?
me' is phrased as 'my seeing'; ' . . .see him' as 'his scemg'd{,.] Faint sy'n aros·~ How many are staying?
In Colloquial Welsh this happens mainly in sentences involving.~ P'un sy'n perthyn i chi? Which one belongs to you'!
auxiliary verb (such as eisiau, ga i ... ? or dylwn i) +following Saw! un sy 'da chi? How many have you got?
Examples: [lit. 'how many are with you']
O'n i cisiau'ch gweld chi I wanted to see you Remember that identification sentences (Lesson 1) use yw/ydy
Ga i'ch helpu chi? Can I help you? instead- sy is never used in these types.
Ddylsech chi'n cefnogi ni You ought to support us
Exercise 8

"Someone: "anyone: etc ·;. Make any corrections necessary in the verb-forms in the following:
1 Pwy yw'n gyrru'r lori 'na?
Rhywun means someone (there is also a plural rhywrai
2 Pwy yw fan'na?
people), and unrhywun means anyone. You can use rhyw-
3 Faint yw pecyn o grcision?
unrhyw- to make other words:
4 Beth sy'n bod fan'na?
rhywbcth something unrhywbeth anything 5 Pwy sy eich brawd?
rhywlc somewhere unrhywle anywht:rc 6 Beth ydy prifddinas yr A! ban?
rhywbryd wme time unrhywbryd any time

Pwy sy'n ... (+ VN)? 'Who is ... (-ing)?'
When the interrogative word Pwy? Who? is used with a
tense verb (not bod on its own~ see Lesson 1), we need a special
form of bod before the YN: sy. Compare:
(a) Mae Angharad yn darllen y newyddion heno, ond, .•
Angharad is reading the news tonight, but .
(b) pwy sy'n darllcn y newyddion yfory?
who is reading the news tomorrow?
Mae cannot be preceded by the subject of the sentence in Welsh.
Normally, of course, this situation does not arise, because the verb
normally comes first in Welsh (see (a) above). but question-words
do come first, and when they represent the subject (as in (b) above),'
mae is changed to sy. Further examples:
Pwl sy'n dod 'da ni? Who's coming with us?
Pwy sy'n gyrru heno? Who's driving tonight?
Sgwrs Cl
Debi and Sicin hump into each orher in the srreer
DEBr: Sifin~ Dw i heb 'weld tiers tro.
SrA:--.l: Beth am fynd am 'banaid a sgwrs bach rywle?
D: Nawr, ti'n meddwl? Wel, nawr 'te ~ ogawn ni oweld.
(looks in her trefniadur personol (penorwl organiser))
'ma ni: d\v i'n cacl te gyda ffrindiau am ddau: wedyn
mac'r trydanwr yn dad am 'dri. 0 hanner awr wedi tri
tan obedwar bydda i'n gwneud y siopa. Os eith hynny'n
ddidrafferth, bydda i yn 61 yn obrydlon i n61 y plant o'r ysgo!.
. -~ Wedyn ...
··JI;. S: Beth am hcno?
D: Heno? We!.
(rurns rhe page)
... dw i'n coginio o ~aith tan wyth. Bydd Ronnie a Fifi'n dod
draw tua banner awr wedi wyth. \Vedyn, ar 61 swper, 9n ni i
gyd yn mynd.
 ~~

118 119

S: 0, dim ots, Debs- 'sdim rhaid inni 'wneud e nawr. ~cwch chi sgrifennu fe i lawr i mi'!
yfory? Will you write it down for me?
D: Yfory? Mmm , .
(turns another page) but make sure one or other of you has pen and paper first to avoid
Mae yfory'n !lawn odop 'da fi. "Allwn ni odrcfnu fc ar ·unnecessary embarrassment.
Second. you may have difftculty understanding what wmeone has
rhyw ddiwrnod arall? Mae pythefnos i heddiw yn
'da fi. said to you - this is a stage of language-learning that everyone
S: Pythefnos i heddiw!? O'r gorau. Ond rhaid i mi to go through, and remember that it is far more worthwhile
nodyn o'r dyddiad rhywle. •jumping in at the deep end' and tackling fairly fast but natural
(Siiin fumbles in her hag and pockets for a pencil and paper) Wdsh than settling for the 'soft option' of unnaturally slow and
D: Ti mor anhrefnus, Sian. Ddylet ti obrynu trefniadur dy hun, laboured speech. Try and prevent the conversation switching to
mae'n aehub cymaint o amser. wir i ti. English -once this hapJ:lens, it is all the more difficult to steer it
back to Welsh. Even if you understood nothing at all of what the
Geirfa speaker has just said, you should say so in Welsh. Here are some
useful phrases for this type of situation:
ers Ieo for a while (since) llawn full Mae'n ddrwg gen i (S: 'da 6) . I'm sorry ...
rhywle somewhere llawn "dop full right up Dw i ddim yn deall 1 don't understand
meddwl (here) mean pythefnos fortnight Dw i'n deallllawcr, ond dim popeth I understand a lot, but not
os eith .. , if ... goes nodyn (a) note everything
';:,,
yn ddidrafTerth smoothly; dyddiad date Allech chi ddweud h}'DDJ 'to'! Could you say that again?
without problems mor"so Rh aid i chi siarad JD araf i mi You must speak slowly for
prydlon punctual; on time anhrefnus disorgani~ed me
nO! felch (mo)n in many S areas) achub save (safio in many areas) Dw i ddim yn de all y gair' ••. ' I don't understand the word
coginio cook cymainl (o") so much/many
Peidiwch troi i'r Sacsncg Don't turn to English
Dwcdwch fe 'to wrtha i yn Gymraeg Say it again to me in Welsh
Language difficulties It is important for the serious student to ~ocialise with Welsh-
speaker~ as much as possible. This need not mean - at least in the
By now you should be beginning to feel more confident in your early stages- that you should aim to hog the conversation; listening
of conversational Welsh. and it is at this stage that you may is a crucial part of language-learning, and sitting on the sidelines
encounter two types of problem. First, you may know how to phrase is very definitely not a waste of time as long as your ears are open
something, but do not know a particular Welsh word. In this case, and you are attempting to take things in, even on a passive level.
ask in Welsh for the word you need:
Getting the gist of a conversation is an important stage on the road
Sot mae dweud ' .•• ' yn Gymraeg? to fluency. Here are some phrases to reassure your Welsh-speaking
How do you say' .. .' in Welsh? friends that you are not being anti-social:
Or, if it is something you can point to: Anwyhyddwch fi, ...
) Don't mind me ....
Peidiwch poeni amdana i, ...
Beth dych chi'n galw hwn (hwnnw) yn Gymraeg'!
What do you call this (that) in Welsh? dw i'n gwrando ar bob gair
I'm hanging on every \Vord
If the response still causes problems, you could say: ymarfer 'n sgiliau gwrando a deall dw i
I'm practising my comprehension skills
 ~
r

120 121

dw i'n ymdopi Welsh media, and it would take an ymosodiad niwcliar ar

I'm coping
dw i ar goll, ond dw i'n cael hwyl ta beth
I'm lost, but I'm having fun all the same
am :y Gymraeg yn unig dw i fan hyn
T'm only here for the Welsh
The Eisteddfod
You can get lots of practice speaking Welsh at the EisteddFJ
Genedlaethol National Ei:,·teddfod, which is a digwyddiad diwyllian'
nol pwysig important cultural event in Wales. Basically a ~ ..
fe~-riva! of cystadleuthau competitions in various cultural fields, .-
has a secondary function as an annual meeting place for
speaking people o bob cwr o'r wlad from ewry corner of the
Where do~.:s this reunion takG place?.Well, it depends: the Nationa'
Eisteddfod moves around, visiting a different town or area
year, always in the first week of August. They alternate betweer
venues in the North and in the South, which leads to some
derfyniadau dadleuol controversial decisions regarding .
mid-Wales- Aberystwyth, for example, was officially a southerfl1
venue (digon teg fair enough) for 1992, while Llanelwedd (neaf]
Llanfair-ym-Muallt Builrh Wells) in 1993 was of course a northcmj
venue. despite the minor point that, on most maps, it has an i
ing habit of appearing to be fifteen miles further south
Abervstwvth. But ta beth whatever, no-one seemed Lo mind
wedi'~ cwbwJ after all, there are more important things ar y ddaea;1
'ma on this earth than daearyddiaeth geography.
The twin uchatbwyntiau highlighrs of the Eisteddfod are
awarding of Cadair yr Eisteddfod the Ei.\·teddfod Chair, and
Coron Crown. These are for different types of poems; the suhjects~:ll
are_ spe_cified in advance. as arc the required structure~ of the poems.•:~,~
wh1ch mvolvc mastery of cynghanedd, a method of mternal rhyme ;oi_._:
Bontrhydygroes nuclear attack on Pontrhydygroes or angenfilod o'r
ar strydoedd y Bala spacemonsters on the streets of Ba!a (yn
i'r 'steddfod fortunately for the eisteddfod not always easy to
spot. fel y gellwch ddychmygu as you can imagine) to knock it off
,1; top billing.
· There is a no-alcohol rule ar Faes yr Eisteddfod on the Eisteddfod
Ljield (it nearly always is in a field, as well- a very large one, big
enough to accommodate all the pebyll tents and stondinau stands),
and the language of the whole event is of course Welsh, though
English-speaking visitors are increasingly seen taking an interest in
,this aspect of Welsh culture.
i It is, of course. not everybody's panaid o de: if you are a keen
'eisteddfotwr eisteddfod-goer, then there are plenty of reasons for
Joining in the fun; if not. then you just have to cadw draw keep away
'from that part of Wales. and osgoi avoid the Welsh-language radio
-, and TV channels fel y pia like the plague all week.
_,
"' .
'=
1

and alliteration, and of different mesurau caeth strict metres; cvery-,-_f.

one who competes in these. and other competitions, submits his or~
her entry under a ffugenw (pseudonym) to ensure chwarae ~­
play in the bcirniadaeth judging. For these important competitions
a panel of eminent judges deliberates, and hopes to be able to
dyfarnu award the prize- but if they judge that none of the entries
has sufficient merit to be teilwng worrhy of the prize, then they must
atal y wobr withhold the prize. In this way it is hoped that safonau ·:
standards are maintained. All of this is given a high profile in -.
 -~,

123

9 Be' Sut oedd y •ctaith adre?

O'n i'n teimlo braidd yn isel 'n ysbryd. a dweud a gwir,
wedi gadael Delyth ym Mharis.

ddigwyddodd? Ddaethoch chi ddim yn 61 gyda'ch gilydd, 'te?

Naddo. Mae hi'n dod yn 61 rywbryd tua diwedd y mis.
Gwe\ai.
What happened?

(pl) holidays hithau she; her (emphatic)

_.-- travel crwydro wander
In this lesson you will learn how to: :_o 'gwmpas around: about stryd (-oedd) (f) street
• talk about events in the past
cadw keep
• say when something happened
cofio remember
• say before or after something happened
(-ion) cook (m) rhydd free
• use mo in negative sentences
isel . , , (pos~.) • , . ysbryd depressed
get married gadael (gadaw-) leave
ben dy hun on your own gyda'ch gilydd (you) together
gwela i I see (confirmation of
Sgwrs m tired
understanding)

GERAlNT: LLc aethoch chi ar cich gwyliau eleni, 'te?

LL '>R: Aethon ni i Ffrainc. "Deithion ni o 'gwmpas Gogledd
owlad, a gorffen ym Mharis.
m
Q, Faint o amser odreulioch chi ym Mharis? A policeman (heddwas) is taking details at the scene of a ruad
LL O'n ni yno am •ctri diwrnod.
Q, .. accident
Lle arhosoch chi ym Mharis?
LL: Mewn gwesty yng nghanol y ddinas. Mae Delyth Beth yn union ddigwyddodd fan hyn, 'tc? "Welsoch
nabod un o'r cogyddion - ogwrddon nhw ar ogwrs chi'r ddamwain?
ddoedd yn 61, cyn inni "briodi. Do. O'n i'n sefyll ar y "gorncl yn siarad a ££rind.
Q, A be' naethoch chi yno? 0 oba "gyfeiriad daeth y car?
LL: We!, es i allan "bob dydd i "weld y ddinas. Ocdd y car yn dud o "gyfeiriad y 'dre, ac fe oweles i'r
Q, Ar oben dy hun, ti'n meddwl? beic modur yn troi o'r stryd draw fan'na i'r cyfeiriad
LL: le. Ocdd Delyth yn tcimlo'n ftinedig ar 61 yr hall "deithio, arall.
ac fe ·benderfynodd hi aros yn y gwesty. Stopiodd y beic modur cyn troi?
Q, Beth ... am 'dri diwrnod!? Dw i ddim yn gwybod.
LL: Oedd hi'n ftinedig iawn. Gwela i.
Q, Be' naeth hithau, 'te, wrth i ti "grwydro strydoedd (turns to another witness)
LL Wel, oedd ei ffrind y cogydd yno i 'gadw cwmni A beth amdanoch chi? ·welsoch chi be' ddigwyddodd?
cofia. O'n i'n gweithio yn yr ,ardd pan oglywes i sWn ofnadwy
G' Doedd e ddim yn gweithio, 'te. o'r stryd.
LL: "Gaeth e amser rhydd. Aethoch chi allan i ,weld bcth oedd yn bod?
124 125

R Do, redes i allan yn syth a gweld dyn ifanc yn gorw.. .-l:.:~ _Geirfa
ar y palmant. Yna ffonies i'r gwasanaethau brys.
dw i wedi cael I've had o'n i heb gael hi yn 01 I hadn't
Geirfa yn gynta first had/got it back
ar y Cfordd on the way curo knock
digwydd happen, occur clywed (clyw-) hear galw eaU llwyddiant succes~
damwain (f) accident s~n noise, sound wedon nhw fod ••• they said that .. bricsen (f) brick
sefyll stand rhedeg ( rhed-) run ar gael available t'wel y'see (chi-form: ch'wel) (S)
come! (f) corner yn syth straight away !lf frys in a hurry gwahodd invite
cyfeiriad direction gorwedd lie yn y diwedd in the end crac cross, angry
troi turn palmant pavement trerdded ( cerdd-) walk nOI fetch
gardd (0 garden gwasanaethau brys emergency services colli lose; (here) miss nofiwr swimmer
cyrraedd ( cyrhaedd-) arrive delfrydol ideal
ffeindio find pwysig important
Sgwrs r:J:l ·· ar glo locked afon (-ydd) (f) river
aUwedd (-i) (f) key
ScsJE: Ti'n edrych yn ftincdig hraidd, Brenda.
BRFNDA: 0, Susie, dw i wedi cael diwrnod ofnadwy, timod.
ogynta, fe "ges i obrob!em gyda'r car ar y ffordd l'r Preterite (past) tense
Galwes i'r garej Ileal, ond wedon nhw fod ncb ar
roi help. We!, o'n i braidd ar frys. fdly yn y diwedd The preterite in Welsh denotes completed action in the past. It is
des i i'r odre. Ar 61 gwneud y siopa, 'golles i'r bws, a formed by adding endings to the stem (Lesson 5) of the verb:
ogyrhaeddes i, ffeindies i fod neb gartre a'r drws ar
S: Doedd dim allwedd 'da ti? sing. pi.
R Nag oedd! Roddes i'n allwedd i'n chwaer i wvthnn~
1 -e' -on
diwetha, ac o'n i heb "gael hi yn 01.
s, Be' nest ti, "te? 2 -est -och
a, OGures i ar ddrws nghymydog, Mrs Evans. "Drion 3 --odd --on
"dorri i mcwn, ond hcb lwyddiant- doedd dim bricsen ar·.,
"gael, t'wel. Felly gwahoddodd Mrs Evans fi i mewn These are followed as usual by the appropriate pronouns, so that,
"banaid o de. Wedyn ddaeth 'n chwaer 1 a'i for example, gweld see (stem gwel-) looks like this in the preterite:
Wayne yn 61 am "bed war.
s, gweles i I saw gwelon ni we saw
Be' wedest ti 'thyn nhw. O't ti'n ograc?
R gwelest ti you saw gweloch chi you saw
Nag o'n, nag o'n. Ond wedes i wrth Wayne am fynd i
gwelodd e/hi he/she saw gwelon nhw they saw
nghar.
s, Mecanydd yw Wayne, 'te? Being an inflected tense, the principles of mutation and affirmative
R Nagc, nagc. Ond mae'n nofiwr ardderchog. particles (see Lessons 3 and 7) apply here. Go back now and look
nofio dros 'Gymru. Person deifrydol i wneud y job. these over again if you are uncertain.
s, Mae'n nofio? Pam fad hynny'n "bwysig, 'te? Sometimes an -s- is inserted between stem and plural endings,
R We!, i n61 y car o'r aton Ue gadawcs i fe. particularly with stems ending in -1- or -d-: so gwelsoch chi for
gweloch chi. There is no difference in meaning.
There is also a non-inflected preterite in Colloquial Welsh which
126
127

is interchangeable with the inflected method described here. It " ... j Exercise 2
be dealt with later (Lesson 14), and for now you should concentrate;
on mastering this one. A third method. restricted to Northern~ Rearrange the scrambled sentences for the dialogue to make sense:
regions of Wales, will also be introduced in Lesson 14.
A: da ti ar ? gest dy amser wyliau
Exercise 1 B: iawn 'n oedden 'r tywydd gyda ni lwcus do,
A: arian wariest o ? ti lawer
Using the vocabulary at the back if necessary, write a report in B: ddes :1 fe yn ti i i hwn ond 61 naddo.
Welsh of six things that you did yesterday, saying what you did, and A: yw 'na ? beth e garedig,
at whclt time. For example, you could say that you fed (bwydo) the ~"· B: faes anrheg awyr o Cacrdydd
cat at half past eight: Fe fwydes i'r gath am banner awr wedi wyth.
Try and be interesting and/or controversial. Geirfa

'm gwario spend (money) dod ii bring

2 am
3
'
' am __._
caredig kind maes awlr airport
4 am
5 ' am
6 '
' am
Preterite of bod
The verb 'to be' has its own preterite, used in certain very restricted
senses.
Irregular preterites- 'went: 'came', 'did',
~got'
singular plural
1 hues i buon ni
These four important verbs have irregular preterites which must be
2 buest ti buoch chi
learnt Notice that they all go the :.ame way- once you have learnt
es i, est ti etc., you can do the other:.. 3 bu(odd) eihi buon nhw

VN mynd gwneud In everyday language. this is most often found with reference to
dod cael journeys or visits to places. and it corresponds to English 'have been
sing. [ esi I went nes i I did (to) .. :,
der. i I came res i J got
2 est ti nest ti dest ti cest ti Fuoch chi yn Harlech eriocd? Have you ever been to Harlech?
3 aeth e/hi naeth e/hi daeth e/hi caeth e/hi Fe fuon ni yn Lloegr llynedd. We were in England last year.
pL 1 aethon ni naethon ni dacthon ni caethon ni Lie buest ti, 'te? Where have you been, then?
2 acthoch chi naethoch chi daethoch chi caethoch chi
3 aethon nhw naethon nhw daethon nhw :Sotice that in all the examples above. the persons concerned have
cacthon nhw
since returned from where they were.
The preterite of cael. however, is found in different forms depend-
Exercise 3
ing on the region. You may hear cafodd e/hi [or Jrd pers. sing.; and _
the plural forms can be cafon nL cafoch chi. cafon nhw or cawson ni, .;,-·
Cywir neu Anghywir?
cawsoch chi, cawson nhw. As always, the best approach is to follow .<,
the practice of local native speakers. Look back over the three dialogues we have had in this lesson, and
'""" decide true or false for the following:
 ~

128
129

1
2
Mae Wayne yn frawd-yng-nghyfraith i Brenda.
Oedd y beic modur yn mynd i'r dre. Expressions with ar
3 Arhosodd Delyth a LL}T mewn gwesty.
4 Mae Mrs Evans yn byw drws nesa i Susie. Welsh has a number of set expressions involving ar + another
5 Gadawodd Brenda ei char yn y garej. dement. often but not always a VN. We saw ar gael, ar frys and ar
6 Oedd Delyth yn sal ym Mharis. glo in the third Sgwrs of this lesson. They all indicate some kind of
state or condition. and are best learnt as one-off items. Here arc
Exercise4 r:l:J some other common ones:
ar agnr open ar gau dosed
Turn the following present tense sentences into the preterite. ar dfin on tin: ar golllo~t
ar gadw (pa<.:ked/tidicd) away ar werth for sale
Example: Maen nhw i gyd yn mynd i'r dre
- Aethon nhw i gyd i'r dre
I Mae Peter yn cael sanau i Nadolig. How to say 'when .. '
2 Dw i'n ymweld <l'r teulu.
3 Ydych chi'n defnyddio'r llyfr 'na? We have aln:ady encountered the question-word Pryd ... ? meaning
4 Ti'n ynganu hynny'n anghywir. When. ?·
5 Ydy John a Sally'n agar y siop bore 'ma?
_,,,, Pryd mac'r bws nesa'n dod? When is the next bus coming?
6 tn ni'n dysgu llawer o'r llyfr 'ma.
But if 'when' occurs in a staremenr, then in most parts of Wales a dif-
Geirfa ferent word pan' is used instead. It is very common with the
preterite.
hosan (pi. sanau) sock ynganu pronounce
ymweld (ymwel-) a visit
Pan ddacth y bws ••• When the bus came ...
anghywir wrong; incorrect
Pan g)Thaeddon ni adre ... When we got home ..
O'n i mas pan ffonicst ti I was out when you phoned
'Yes' and 'No' in the past
YfN questions using the preterite require the answer Do for 'Yes' Avoiding the preterite with 'before .''
and Naddo for 'No'. 'ft
a er ... 11
I as ... s1nce ...
11"
I
I

Glywsoch chi'r s~n 'na? Naddo.

Did you hear that noise? No You do not need the preterite after timewords like cyn before, ar 01
Welest ti'r ffilm neithiwr? Do. after, and wrth as in expressions like 'before we arrived', 'after Fifi
Did you see the film last night? y, --;: lefr'. In Welsh these words are used in a different construction,
~· involving i and a plain VN:
To make 'tag'-questions after preterite statements. simply use
On'do?. regardless of person: [time word] [personJ WNJ
Ddaethon nhw i drwsio'r soser lloeren ddoe, on'do? For example, while 'Gwenith arrived" is gyrhaeddodd Gwenith,
They came to mend the satellite dish yesterday, didn't they? ·after Gwenith arrived' is not 'ar 61 gyrhaeddodd Gwenith' but:
Roddes i'r manylion i ti gynnau, on'do? '"
I gave you the details just now, didn't 1? ar 01 Gwenith "gyrraedd
 131
130 ----------------------------------------

Further examples: ata i aton ni wrtha i wrthon ni

atat ti atoch chi wrthat ti wrthoch chi
Lapies i'r anrheg cyn i Lisa ddod adre atyn nhw wrtho fe wrthyn nhw
ato l"e
I wrapped the present before Lisa came home wrthi hi
ati hi
Wrth i Fififynd allan, ddaeth Katy i mewn
As Fiji went out, Katy came in The general meaning of af is morion towards, and so it often does
correspond to 'at'. It is similar in meaning to i", but with an impor-
Notice that, in all two-part sentences of this type, there is a preterite tant difference. Compare these two sentences:
in the other part that makes the time clear.
Dw i'n mynd i'r feddygfa I'm going to the surgery
Exercise5 Dw i'n m)'Tid at y meddyg I'm going to the doctor('s)
The preposition r. used spatially, implies motion towards and into,
Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg so it is right for buildings but not for the people who work in them.
1 I read a book while the children did their homework. At'. on the other hand, takes you as far as your destination without
2 We arrived home before it got dark (tywyllu). going in. For this reason also we use at" after verbs like ysgrifennu
3 I turned off (ditTodd) the television before the programme. write, danfonlanfon send and hala send, when the recipient is a per-
finished. wn. But if a country, town or building is stated rather than a person,
4 He walked out before I had (cacl) a chance (cyfle) to expl<~in. then i is the right choice:
5 We had no Welsh before we came to Wales. Dw i eisiau hala'r llythyr 'ma i'r Unol Daleithiau
6 The garden looked (imperf.) better after we planted (plannu) the . I want to send this letter to the United States
flowers. -'~- 1

Dw i eisiau hala'r Uythyr 'ma at Arlywydd yr Unol Daleithiau

I want to send this letter to the President of the L'nited States
dweud 'say' Wrtho indicates spatial proximity:
Mae rhywun wrth y drws Someone's at the door
This VN means 'say' or 'tell', as opposed to siarad which means Stand by the counter
Sefwch wrth y cowntcr
'talk' or 'speak'. In many pans of the South it is not dweud but -,.
gwcud; and many regions that use dweud actually pronounce it ;~· Its other common use is after dweud say, tell (see above p. 130).
dcud. Either way, the verb-stem is generally wed-: wedes i I said, Notice that the personal forms of this preposition are frequently
be' wedsoch chi? whar did you say? shortened in Colloquial Welsh - 'tha i for wrtha i, 'thyn nhw for
'Say ro. . 'is dweud wrth" ... (not r ... as you might expect); and wrthyn nhw.
to tell someone to do something is dwcud wrtho (person) am" (VN): I told them yesterday
Wedes i 'thyn nhw ddoe
Well i mi ddweud wrth y plant am Jod yn dawcl Mac eh.iau dweud 'thi hi (Someone) should tell her
I'd better tell the children to be quiet
Dos i ddweud wrth Gwilym am ddod ii'r bisgcdi fan hyn
Go and tell Gwilym to bring the biscuits here 0'
_,·. mo in NEG sentences
The negativl! particle ddim that we find on the end of all NEG verbs
More personal forms of prepositions- at, wrth in Welsh cannot remain in this form when directly followed by an
item that is specific - turn back to Lesson 6 if you wish to remind
At' and wrth' simply add the personal endings (see Lesson 8) directly yourself of what constitutes a 'specific' word in Welsh. In these cir-
without a 'joining' syllable: cumstances. ddim becomes mo (wntraction of ddim + o). Compare:
!'
132 ----------------------------------~ 133

Weles i ddim rhaglen deledu neithiwr OGollest ti ddim byd. Oedd hi'n ofnadwy, owir i ti.
I didn't see a (i.e. any) television programme last mght Mae·n amlwg. Sut ffilm oedd hi, 'te?
Weles i mo'r rhaglen deledu neithiwr Ffi!m arswyd, i fod.
I didn't see the television programme last night A be' ddigwyddodd yn y ffilm?
Wel, ddaeth anghenfil enfawr allan o ·r m6r ac ymosod ar
In the second example, the presence of the defmite article idcntifie:
ddinas Llundain. "Gerddodd i fyny'r Tafwys a dechrau bwyta
rhaglen deledu as specific- the speaker has a particular one in
adeiladau yng nghanol y ddinas; wedyn aeth ymlaen i San
-and this turns the preceding ddim (from Weles i ddim l didn't
Steffan.
into mo. Similarly, l didn't see Dyfan will be not Weles i ddim
Swnio'n ddigon eyffrous.
(which means 'I didn't see anyone called Dylan') but Weles i
Ti'n meddwl? We!, gwranda- pan 'gyrhaeddodd yr anghenfil
Dylan; and I didn ·r see your brother will be Weles i mo'ch brawd.
San Steffan a deehrau bwyta T9'r Cyffredin, aeth pethau o
With pronouns (which are also specific) mo has personal forms ddrwg i 'waeth.
the prepositions we have already encountered: Do? Be' ddigwyddodd, 'te?
Wel. ogeisiodd pawb tu allan achub y "bobol tu fcwnt
mohona i mohonon ni
Be'? Achub yr Aelodau Seneddol?
mohonat ti mohonoch chi
le! Cwbwl afrealistig, yntefe?
mohono fe mohonyn nhw
Cytuno'n llwyr.
mohoni hi
Doedd neb yn helpu'r anghenfil druan o ogwbwL
(sometimes without the -ho- element: moni hi for mohoni hi, OGest ti dy siomi, 'te.
Do. Des O'Connor ar y siancl arall 'bob tro i mi o hyn ymlaen.
Weles i mohonot ti fan 'na I didn't see you there
(shivers) Brrr, 'na arswyd go iawn i ti.
Brynon ni monyn nhw We didn't buy them
lasoer, yntefe'? Mae'n gwneud i ti feddwl, on'd ydy?
Exercise 6

Without translating, decide which of these sentences would

ddim in Welsh, and which would use mo:
tf bwyta restaurant cyffrous exciting
tan yn hwyr till late o ddrwg i waeth from bad to worse
1 We didn't buy any bread when we were out amlwg obvious achub save
2 Bertie didn't pay his library fine. sut", ..'! what kind of. ~ af- un-
3 The police didn't find Bertie. arswyd horror yntefe'! isn't it? [general question tag,
4 I didn't eat the carrots. i fod supposed to be like french n'est·ce pas?]
5 I didn't eat <my vegetables ut all, actually. anghenfil monster cytuno'n llwyr (I) completely agree
6 You didn't help me. enfawr hug~: gest ti dy siomi you were
mOr ~ea disappointed
ymosod (ar) attack o byu ymlaen from now on
Sgwrs Ill Llundain London go iawn real: genuine
Tafwys Thames iasoer chilling; bloodcurdling
adcilad (-au) building
Fran and 1Vorman are discussing last night's viewing
NoRMAN: OWelest ti'r ftilm ofnadwy ar y teledu neithiwr? _
Naddo, "weles i moni. o·n i'n gweithio yn y t9 bwyta tan"
FKAN:
yn hwyr.
i
!l
 "'

134 135

THEATR FELINFACH
C9lEG toJ\
yn cyflwyno (jngoJ~
DRAMA
• Cyfle cyflrous i b<:Jbl ifa1nc
DDYDDIOL NEWYDD SBON oy'n gadael yr ysgol de
oedo!ion gael addysg a
b.yfforddiant.

BONTLWYD • Hyfforddiant yn rhad ac

1lL JJit:
-'"
arn dd1m i bob myfynwr
amser !lawn newydd.

UN-AR-DDEG Y BORE
• Oudiant yn rhad ac arn
BOB BORE (LLUN- GWENER) ddim yn 01 a 'mlaen i'r
eo leg ar hyd y prif ffyrdd
Cofiwch amy bennod gynta
BORE LLUN 11eg HYDREF
a'

RADIO CEREDIGION
ar 103.3fm a 96.6fm

Exercise 8
Exercise 7
Look at the advert above for a local coleg addysg bellach further
Look at this taflen gyhoeddusrwydd publicity leaflet for a proo _, education college and answer the following questions in English:
gramme on a local radio station. and then answer the following
1 What two groups of people is the advert aimed at?
questions in English:
2 What type of students get free tuition?
1 How often is the programme on?
2 What time i~ it on? Geirfa
3 What is happening on the 11th October?
cludiant transport prif main
Geirfa ar hyd along lfordd (lfyrdd) road

newydd sbon brand new pcnnod (f) chapter; episode

 J
'
137

10 Awgrymu Geirfa

dal hold prysur busy

pethau eiliad {f) {a) second

moyn {here) !etch {S)
dyddiadur diary
galw heibio call round
tybed I wonder gwych! great~
Making suggestions eitha quite

Sgwrs m
In this lesson you will learn how to: Ihe girls are on the ruzzle somewhere, and Gary and .lim are won-
• make suggestions
dering what to do this evening. A simple enough rhing to decide.
• give invitations wouldn 'r you think?
• arrange to meet someone GARY: Oes awydd 'da ti fynd mas rhywle heno?
• express a preference for doing something )tM: Efallai. Be' sy 'da ti mewn go\wg?
• say years and dates G: O'n i'n meddwl cfallai gallen ni "gael diod neu ddau mewn
tafarn rhywle. ac wedyn mynd am 'bryd o fwyd Indiaidd.
j, Ncu fe "alien ni fynd am "bryd o fwyd lndiaidd "gynta. ac
Sgwrs m wcdyn diod ncu ddau mcwn tafarn.
G. Mae hynny'n "bosibilrwydd aralL P"un sy'n well 'da ti?
Jeni wants Pippa to come and cut her hair, so she phones to make an ), Hmm - bwyd lndiaidd, ac wedyn y diodydd. N eu ddiodydd
appointment "gynta, ac wedyn y bwyd. 0, oalla i ddim penderfynu!
G' Mae bywyd yn ogymhleth weithiau, on'd yw e?
lE:-.~1: Helo. Ydy Pippa 'na? Ydy. lawn- awn ni am fwyd ··gynta. cyn i'r lie lemvi.
j,
ANNE: Daliwch eiliad -a i i moyn hi. Penderfyniad o'r diwedd! lawn. Awn ni, "te. Mae'n saith o'r
(Pippa comes to the phone) G'
"gloch yn "barod.
PlPPA: Helo. Pippa ~y 'ma. Aros funud. I 'ha ·ct~ bwyta lndiaidd awn ni? rr Golau Asia
),
J: Helo, Pippa. Jeni sy 'ma. Elli di ddod i odorri ngwallt neu i'r TandiVri Brenhinol? Well 'da ll'r Tand(\;ri, rhaid i mi
pnawn yfory, tyhcd?
ddweud.
P: Pnawn yfory - hmrn, dw i'n eitha prysur yfory, dw i'n Ond well gen i'r Golau Asia. ·Gas gen i fynd i'r Tand(\;ri
G
mcddwl. Ond na i edrych yn y dyddiadur.
(looks in her diary)
0, 'ma ni- ydy pedwar yn "gytleus'?
,, dyddiau 'ma- mae gormod o fyfyrwyr yn mynychu'r lie.
Ond mae hynny'n dangos pa mor dda yw'r bwyd!
G' 0? Ac ers pryd mae myfyrwyr. o 'bawb, yn· poeni am
J: l'rdim.
ansawdd bwyd?
P: lawn- na i "alw heibio tua pedwar o'r "gloch yfory, "te. ), Wel - ta beth. oalla i ddim diodde'r 'gerddoriaeth yn y
J: Gwych! OWelwn ni ti yfory. Hwyl nawr. Golau Asia. Dw i'n gwrthod mynd yno.
P: Hwyl. lawn. Pendcrfyniad arall wedi'i wneud. Oes syniadau eraill
G'
'da ti?
), Gallen m eistedd o f'laen y te\edu am oweddill y noson.
G' 'Na syniad- mae Pubol y Cwm ar fin dechrau.
138 139

;, Ond mae'r pel-droed Amcricanaidd ar fin dechrau ar Allai fe ddod yfory? Could he come tomorrow?
sianel arall! ... Allwn i ddim derbyn h)'nny I couldn't accept that

Geirla Exercise 2

oes awydd 'da tr (+ VN)?
do you feel like -ing. ''
mewn golwg in mind
pryd o fwyd mea!
posibilrwydd possiblity
gynta first (adv.)
cymhleth complicated
llenwi fill up
myfyrwyr (pi) students Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg
mynychu (to) frequent, go to
1 Could you (chi) help me?
o bawb of all people
2 We ought to inform the authorities.
ansawdd quality
3 You (ti) could be right.
cerddoriaeth (f) music
4 Should we discuss this with him?
gwrthod refuse
5 I could mend that for you (ti) if you want.
wedi'i wneud made
6 We could come back at a more convenient time.
ar fin ( + VN) about to .

Geirfa
Exercise 1
rhoi gwybod i inform trwsio mend
Cywir neu Anghywir?
awdufdod (-au) authority adeg (f) time (occasion)
1 Mae telcdu yn y Golau Asia. iawn right (correct) mwy cyfleus more convenitnt
2 Mae Gary a Jim yn penderfynu cael bwyd cyn mynd i'r dafarn trafod discuss
CIA
3 Dyw Gary ddim yn hoffi'r TandfVri. CIA
4 Mae ansawdd bwyd yn b\\')'Sig i fyfyrwyr. 'other', 'the other (one!'
5 Mae pe!-droed Americanaidd ar y teledu ar 61 Pohol y Cwm.
As an adjective (e.g. 'the other man'), other is arall in Welsh; it is
6 Does dim cerddoriaeth yn y Golau Asia. one of a small number of adjectives that have a different form for
use with plural nouns (eraill- pronounced erill). Soy dyn arall the
other man, but y dynion eraillrhe or her men.
Gallwn i 'I could' If you want to use other as a pronoun (i.e. meaning 'the other
one'). then you need :y Hall (singular), y lleill (plural):
In Lesson 8 we had dylwn i I ought to/should. We can use the
Lie mae'r llall? Where's the other one?
set of endings on gallu to express I could, where this means 'I
Mae'r Ueill draw fan'na The others are over there
be able':

singular plural
Exercise 3

1 gallwn i gallen ni Using the vocabulary at the back where necessary. put either arall
2 gallet ti gallech chi or eraill after the following nouns:
3 gallai fe/hi gallen nhw yswpau _ __ y merched _ __
The same applies for medru in the North: medrwn i, etc. llyfrau _ __ yt9c-c-
gair rhaglenni _ __
As with dylwn i etc., the VN following gallwn i etc. has SM. SM of
y geiriau y sianeli _ __
verb-form itself is required as usual in questions and NEG sentenceS:
140 -----------------J 141

y cyllyll _ __ eich cues _ __

Oes awydd 'da ti balu'r ardd i mi?
ei sgidiau _ __ athrawon _ __
Do you feel like digging the garden for me?
sianel _ __ athrawesau _ __ Beth am wisgo fel angenfilod a dychryn y plant?
How about dressing up as monsters and frightening the kids?
''"h"
lflf1 IC h ••••?'

If you want to ask 'Which ... ?', use Pa' .•• ? (or Pwy' .•. ? in
S areas):
the following phrases to find out people's preferences:
0 'ba ran o Gymru dach chi'n dod yn wreiddiol?
P'un sy'n well 'da chi? Which do you prefer? (choice of two)
What part of Wales do you come from originally? [lit. P'un sy orau 'da chi? Which do you prefer? (more than two)
. h part ....'I']
wh1c
Ym mha ddosbarth mae d:y chwaer yn dysgu Cymraeg? If you want to make two alternative suggestions, use:
What class is your sister learning Welsh in? [lit. 'In P'un sy'n well 'da chi, (VN) neu' (VN)?
eI'ass ....')'I
P'un sy'n well 'da ti, mynd i'r dre neu aros fan hyn?
As pronouns, Which one? is Pa un? or, frequently in Colloquia[ Would you rather go to town or stay here?
Welsh, P'un?. The plural Pa rai? means Which ones?
P'un sy'n edrych orau? -- To state your preferences, use:
Which (one) looks the best?
Pa rai wyt ti am brynu? Which (ones) do you want to buy? Well 'da fi "VN I'd rather ... (S)
Well gen i OVN I'd rather ... (N)
'How .. , Notice the difference between this and Well i mi "VN, which means
I'd better . ... Compare:
Pa mor' .•• ? is used with adjectives to mean How ... ? in the Well i fi aros fan hyn gyda'n ffrindiau
of 'to what extent?': I'd better stay here with my friends
Well 'da fi aros fan hyn gyda'n ffrindiau
Pa mor fawr yw'ch estyniad? How big is your extension?
Pa mor ddifrifol oedd ei I'd rather stay here with my friends
How serious were her injuries?
hanafiadau? Use the following phrases to say what you like or dislike doing
generally:
But How . . .! with an adjective as an exclamation is done with 'Na'
.•. !, and an optional i ti or i chi following: Dw i'n hoffi!leicio VN I like ... -mg
'Na neis! Dw i wTth 'y modd yn VN I love ... -ing
How nice! Dim ots gen i/'da fi OVN I don·t mind ... -ing
'Na ddrud (i ti/chi)! How expensive! Fyddai dim ots gen i/'da fi 'VN I wouldn't mind ... -mg
F)'ddwn i ddim yn malio VN I wouldn't mind ... -mg
Making suggestions Dw i ddim yn orhoff o "VN I'm not too keen on ... -mg
Well gen i/'da fi beidio VN I'd rather not ...
Gas gen i "VN I hate ... -ing
In addition to Hoffech chi 'VN ... ? etc. Would you like to . .. ?, you
Alia i ddim diodde VN I can't stand ... -ing
can use the more informal Beth am 'VN ... ? What/How about . .
-ing ... ?, or Oes awydd 'da ti/chi 'VN ... ? Do you feel like ... ?
 "
I
I
142 I'
143 I

Exercise 4 Os gweli di fo wedyn, dwed wrtho

If you see him later. tell him
Using the likes/dislikes phrases above, make up six sentences
Welsh about your own tastes and preferences. For example, if that the radical of the inflected verb is quite common
hate getting up in the morning, you could write Gas gen i godi yn (though not obligatory) after os.
bore. na' (or A~!),,_ tf ... not ... is similarly used in NEG sentences:
I Os na gollan (or chollan) nhw'r gCm 'ma, bydda i'n synnu
2 If they don't lose this game, ru be surprised
3 Os na weli di fo , ••
4
If you (will) not see him ...
5
6 ;-And Pam na' (or AM) ..• ? with a 2nd person inflected future is a
·common way of saying ·Why don't you ... ?' as a suggestion.
Pam na sgwenni di lythyr ato fo? Why don't you write him a
Inflected future letter?
Pam na 'ohiriwch chi fe tan yfory"? Why don't you put it off till
We have already seen how to form the future using bydda i ... I tomorrow?
be . .. etc. (Lesson 7). You can also use future endings on the
of the verb. in much the same way as the preterite. For the Exercise 5
the endings(+ pronouns) are:
singular ~'""~'
r'~'"'
Change the VNs in brackets into the appropriate inflected future
-----=----,-----------"'''"'' forms:
I -a i -WOOl
2 -i di -web chi Example: Fe (ffonio) Elinor yfory
3 -ith e/hi -an nhw Fe fl"onith Elinor yfory
1 Fe (gweld) nhw'r canlyniadau yfory.
Notice that the 2nd person singular pronoun is di rather than ti · 2 Pryd (blodeuo) y planhigyn 'ma'?
this tense. 3 Pam na (talu) di a siec?
General rule~ for inflected verbs (refer back to Lesson 7 if you are 4 Mi (tynnu) o·r llun mewn munud.
uncertain) apply with the inflected future. 5 Fe (treulio) ni bum niwrnod ynu.
The inflected and bydda- futures are often interchangeable in 6 Pam na (cysylltu) chi i:i"r pencadlys.
Colloquial Welsh, but in some areas the inflected forms are pre-
ferred in certain circumstances. Geirfa

canlyniad n~~ull diwrnod day

'If .. :, 'If ... not .. :, 'Why don't you ... ?' blodeuo Ilower (vb) cysylltu fi get in touch with: contact
planhigyn plant pencadlys headquarters
Where 'if is followed by a present tense in English, os is used with t}·nnu llun takl: a picture
a future in Welsh, and it is often the shorter. inflected future.
Os collan nhw'r gCm 'ma hefyd, bydd hi ar ben 'da ni
If they lose this game as well, we're finished
144 145

Exercise 6 Alia i ddod yfory?

Can I come tomorrow?
Unscramble each sentence of this dialogue: Alia i ddim dod yfory
I can't come tomorrow
A: i gweld ddirn dw mwyach ti eisiau
B: wyt feddw! 'n ? beth ti The predominantly N word medru can is used in the same way: e.g.
A: gyda dw allan ·n Huw i mynd medra i I can, medr o he can; fedra i? can I?; fedr hi ddim she can't.
B: mi i fe bwnia

Geirfa
The various forms of gallu have been put in the wrong places.
mwyach (any) more pwnio thump Rearrange them correctly.
m~ddwl mean
Allwch y plant ddod i chwarae pnawn 'ma?
Allwn i siarad yn arafach os dych chi eisiau.
Gall i ddim gweld y pwynt.
Galla i 'I can' All ni helpu gyda'r llestri?
Afla cathod weld mewn tywyllwch.
In earlier forms of Welsh. what we now know as the future endings-:.,
Galla chi aros amdana i fan hyn?
were also used for the present where a continuing state was
expressed rather than an action. This usage survives in set expres- 71,-
sions like Gwela i I see (as a confirmation of understanding) that we·
have already come across, and also for all persons with gallu- for 'I,:
Irregular futures- 'I will go/come/do/get'
can', you can say either dw i'n gallu (using bod in the usual way with_,. with the preterite, mynd, dod, gwneud and cael have irregular
VN) or galla i.
inflected futures:
singular plural
mynd gwneud dad cael
1 galla i I can gallwn ni we can
1 a i I'll go na i I'll do do i 1'll come ea i I'll get
2 galli di gallwch chi
2 ei di nei di doi di cei di
or gelli di you can or gellwch chi you can 3 eith e/hi neith e/hi daw c/hi ceith e/hi
3 gall e/hi he/she can gallan nhw they can
' pi. 1 awn ni nawn ni down ni cawn ni
Notice: 2 ewch chi newch chi dewch chi cewch chi
3 an nhw nlln nhw dOn nhw din nhw
1 the alternative vowels a/e in the 2nd person singular;
and 2 that the 3rd person singular has no ending, although gallith You will hear variations on these in different parts of Wales, partic-
and gellith are heard in many areas, and also in expressions ularly afi, naf i, dof i and caf"i in the 1st person singular, and ewn ni,
like 'ellith fod it may be (true), newn ni, dewn ni and cewn ni in the 1st person plural. In some
areas, dod goes like the other three (e.g. deith instead of daw).
Like gallwn i I could and dylwn i I ought to, galla i etc. is used with
a following VN, which takes SM provided there is no intervening
Exercise 8
ddim for negatives.
(G)alla i ddod yfory os wyt ti'n moyn The verb-forms (italicised) are in the wrong places. Switch them
I can come tomorrow if you want round so that everything makes sense.
 '
·:!

146 j 147

Fe helpu i draw am bedwar. Os na drefnu neb o gwmpas, ffoniwchl

ad re a allwn Ron. Os na a Ron. dewch rhaid i mi ffonio tan
Ond os ddaw chi adre erbyn chwech, cawn fi; wedyn fe fydd ni
popeth, ac os ddo ni unrhyw brob!emau, fe aros mrawd i'n
m.
Sgwrs Ill
Afebwch y cwestiynau amy darn uchod yn Saesneg:
What will Jane·s husband be doing?
Who will definitely be coming to the party?
When will Pam know if she can come?
What will be available apart from presents and entertainment?

lane suggests an evening out with the family to Pam

JANE: Dan ni'n cynnal parti Nadolig yn y ncuadd Nos Sadwrn.
na ddoi di il.'r tculu? To begin with, you need to know that there are three related words
PAM: Dw i ddim yn siwr ydan ni'n rhydd Nos Sad~Tn neu for 'year' in Welsh: (i) hlwJddyn (f) is the basic dictionary form.
J: Mi oge\vch chi i gyd lawer o hwyl os dewch chi. siwr iawn i used on its own and in expressions like Blwyddyn NewJdd Dda!
P: Na i roi gwybod i ti bore fory, iawn? , Happy New Year/; (ii) blynedd is used after numerals (other than
J: lawn. Ac mi rodda i'r manylion ·ma am y noson i tt 'One'); note the mutations it undergoes from 2 to 10:
beth bynnag.
P: Diolch. (un flwyddyn) 1 year chwe blynedd 6 years
(looks at the details) dwy Hynedd 2 years saith mlynedd 7 years
tair blynedd 3 years wyth mlynedd 8 years
0, mae gynnoch chi 'bob malh o obeth ynu, on'd oes? . ,
J: Oes. Bwyd ac adloniant. Ac mi ogeith pob plentyn ~---'- .!·,_,,. pedair blynedd 4 years naw mlynedd 9 years
oddiwrth Si6n Corn. pum mlyncdd S years deng mlynedd 10 years
P: Pwy fydd yn chwarae Si6n Corn eleni? '6 years' is also heard as chwe mlynedd, and '8 years' as wyth
J: NgV?r i. Ond os weli di fo, paid ti a deud dim. Dw i isio blynedd.
newyddion drwg iddo 'n hun. Ti'n meddwl byddwch
dod, 'ta? (iii) blwydd means 'years of age', and is optionally followed by ocd
P: Gwranda - hyd yn oed os na fedra i ddod 'n hun, mi
age. The mutations are as for blynedd. So, for example, dwy flwydd
Wyn efo'r plant yn "bendant. oed two years old, deng mlwydd oed ten years old.
To ask how old someone is. say Bcth ydy/yw 'eh oed chi? What is
Geirfa your age?. or. to a child. Bcth ydy/yw d)' oed? Faint yw'ch oed and
Faint yw dy oed? arc alternatives. Oedran is also heard for oed.
cynnal hold (a function) To find out what year someone was born in, say Pryd gaethoch
pob math o beth all kinds of things
neuadd (f) hall chi'ch gcni? or Pryd gest ti dy eni? When were you horn? To say
adloniant entertainment
. . . neu beidio ... or not when you were born, use Gcs i ngeni ym ..•
SiOn Corn Father Christmas
hwyl fun Years are referred to in Welsh as 'a thousand' (mil) followed by
'n bun myself (N)
rhoi gwybod (i") let ... know hyd yn oed even three single digits. So '1975' is mil naw saith pump; 'in 1993' i~ ym
manylion (pi) details mil naw naw tri, written ym 1993. But ·1970' can be either mil naw
os na fedra i ... if I can't ... (N)
n1-an now (N) saith dim or mil naw saithdeg; and 'the 70s' is y saithdegau.
yn bendant definitely
beth bynnag anyway
148 ::
149

Exercise 10 A sut mae byw fan'ma ar ochor y mynydd? Ydy hi'n galed
i rywun mewn aed £el chi'?
Answer the questions in Welsh, as indicated. Ydy, weithiau- ond symuda i ddim r*an. Ac mae'r tculu
Example: Pryd ga£odd eich brawd ei eni? (1962) yn 'gcfnogol, cofiwch. Os bydd angen rhywbeth arna i yn
- Cafodd mrawd ei cui ym mil naw chwech dau ystod y tywydd garw, bydd un o nheulu "bob tro yn "barod
i'n helpu.
1 Faint yw oed eich tad? (57) Dialch yn fawr i chi, Mrs Jenkins, am rannu ychydig a'ch
2 Pryd gaethoch chi'ch geni? (1948) banes a ni.
3 Pryd gafadd eich chwaer ei geni? (1976) We!, diolch yn fawr i chithau i gyd am ddod i ngweld i.
4 Faint ydy oed eich brawd bach nawr? (7)
5 Pryd gafodd yr efeilliaid eu geni? (1988)
6 Beth yw oed dy chwaer-yng-nghyfraith? (20)
-. bwthyn cottage mewn oed of an age; elderly
Exercise 11 ochor draw (i) on the other/ cefnogol supportive
yn ystod during
There are some rather odd things in the following piece. t)'Wydd garw severe weather
spot them and rewrite them so they make sense? rhannu share
Mae nghymydog i, Mr Williams, yn wraig t9. Mac e'n ugain mlwydd '·mynydd mountain hanes history; story
oed, ac mac'n byw drws nesa ers deugain mlynedd. Bob nos i frecwasl hard chithau you {emphatic- Lesson 14)
mae'n yfed creisian 9J, ac mae'n bwyta panaid a halen. Mae'n
crys du ar ei draed, ac mae'n cad\v ei gar yn ci bwll nofio. Mae dau
'da fe- Haracc sydd yn gan mlwydd oed, a Beatrice, sy'n gweithio y1 and giving the date
y stafcl! malchi Ieo!. Mae'r hull deulu'n dad i Locgr ar eu gwyliau·;
maen nhw'n mwynhau bad o dan y traeth pan mae'r haul yn bwrw.-:;· Beth ydy/yw 'r dyddiad heddiw? What date is it today?

The months (y misoedd) in Welsh are:

Sgwrs Ill Januarv Gorffennaf July
February Awst August
Mrs Jenkins is being interviewed for a local radio programme March Medi September
A' Nawr 'te, Mrs Jenkins- yn ogynta, fedrwch chi ddeud 'tha April Hydref October
lie a pryd "gawsach chi'ch geni? May Tachwcdd November
MRs J: Wcl, yn Nolge\lau "ges i ngeni, ym mil naw dim wyth. June Rhagfyr December
A Ac ers pryd dach chi'n byw fan hyn?
MRsJ: Dw i'n byw yn y bwthyn 'ma crs i mi fad yn ddeg oed.
ar ·y mhen 'n hun ydw i nawr, cofiwch. Bu farw n~r The ordinal numbers needed for dates are:
blynedd yn 61 yn '>vythdcg tair aed. ht cynta 6th chweched
A Oes gynnach chi odeulu yn yr ardal? 2nd ail 7th seithfed
MRs J: Oes, oes- mae gen i ddau fab. Mae'r un yn byw ochor draw 3cd trydydd 8th wythfed
i'r nant, a'r llall yn byw lawr yn y 'drc efo'i owraig a teulu. 4th pcdwcrydd 9th nawfed
Ac mae gen i lu o wyrion hefyd, "wyddoch chi. Chwech·; 5th pumcd lOth degfed
ohonyn nhw i gyd.
150 -----------------------------------1 151

The vigesimal (20-based) system is used from 1 I onwards in ~--- then, of course, it has developed in its own way, and under
11th yr unfed ar ddeg increasing influence of French, but its similarity to Cornish, both in
21st yrunfedarhugain
12th y deuddegfed 22nd yr ail ar hugain
structure and vocabulary, is unmistakable.
13th y trydydd ar ddeg _ Within the Goidclic group, Scots Gaelic and Manx are both direct
23rd y trydydd ar hugain
14th y pedwerydd ar ddeg ~:descendants of the Irish transplanted to Scotland and the Isle of
24th y pedwerydd ar hugain
15th y pymthegfed Man at an early date. Both are sufficiently different now from Irish
25th y pumed ar hugain
16th yr unfed ar bymtheg to preclude any mutual inte!ligibility, though Scots Gaelic shows
26th y chweched ar hugain
17th yr ail ar bymtheg . similarities to northern Irish dialects such as Donegal, and Manx,
27th y seithfed ar hugain
18th y deunawfed t though drastically simplified in structure, has things in common with
28th yr wythfed ar hugain
19th y pedwerJdd ar bymtheg 29th y nawfed ar hugain ·~ both Irish and Scots Gaelic.
20th yr ugeinfed The diwylliant culture that these six languages represent is a com-
30th y degfed ar hugain _..
mon one, and an interest in Welsh is a good man cychwyn starting
31st yr unfed ar ddeg ar hugail_!~:l
point for an exploration of the gwareiddiad Celtaidd Celtic civilisa-
'On the ... of ... 'is Ar J ... o fis., .: Ar y chweched ar hugain o tion which is part of the etifeddiacth ddiwylliannol cultural heritage
Tachwedd On the 26rh of l\'ovember. of all :i'u gwreiddiau yn yr Ynysoedd Prydeinig with roots in rhe
"· Brirish Isles. You will find some suggestions for further reading on
Yr ieithoedd Celtaidd- the Celtic languages (I) -~·.··::: p. 237.
'<i
We have seen how to talk about years and dates in this lesson-
for a bit of (early) history.
Welsh is a memher of the Celtic branch of the Indo-European.
family that includes most of today's European language~. Celtic !an-.:·
guages were at one time spoken over large areas of the European
continent - these languages, all now long dead, constituted "'
Continental Celtic branch of the family. Another group of CeltiC}-·.,
languages established themselves on the islands in the North-:}f I
west of the continent, and represent the Insular Celtic branch. They'~ 1-
are represented today by six languages. which fall into two groups::{·
the Brythonic group comprising Welsh (Cymraeg). Cornish_"_~.·
(Cernyweg) and Breton (Liydawcg); and the Goide!ic group, corn-·
prising Irish (Gwyddeleg), Scots Gaelic (Gacleg }r Alban) and
Manx (Manaweg). The three Brythonic languages are closely
and vi.~ibly related, as are the three Goidclic languages. But thee
two gror~ps of language do not look very similar at all, and they
certainly sound different.
Within the Brythonic group, Cornish and Breton are more closely "·
related to each other than either is to Welsh- Breton. spoken in
the northwestern corner of France (it is the only Celtic language
now spoken on the continent of Europe), was taken there by '-"
Brythonic-speaking peoples fleeing the south-we~t of England ·
before the onslaught of Germanic tribes around the sixth century.

~)
.·.~
 153

11 Beth wyt ti' n Geirfa

yr Almaen Germany ymgeisydd applicant

feddwl? treulio spend (time)

prifysgol (f) university
- hysbyseb (-ion) (f) advert
What do you think? gwybodaeth (f) knowledge
estron foreign
mantais (f) advantage
llwyddiannus successful
rheswm reason
gradd degree
dod ymlaen a get on with
esboniu explain
rhoi'r gorau i give up

In this lesson you will learn how to: Sgwrs l l ]

• ask and express opinions Paula and Christine are discussing the new supermarket that is
• give reasons for opinions coming to town
• report what other people have told you
• make compound sentences PAuu.: Glywest ti fod archfarchnad newydd yn dod i'r dre?
• compare things CHIUSTINE: Do. Rocdd yn y papur lleol bod nhw'n bwriadu lleoli
hi ar ymylon y dre.
P: 'Na ryfedd~ glywes i fod y gymuned fusnes yn erhyn y
syniad 'na.
Sgwrs Ill C: Maen nhw wedi ailfcddwl. Mae rhyw s6n erbyn hyn
fod y cyngor yn mynd 1 ddarparu ffordd osgoi. Bydd
Medi has come in for an interview for a job she has applied (ymgeisio)~· yr archfarchnad yn rhan o'r cynllun.
for. The Personnel Manager (rheolwr personel) is looking at her CV P: Ond hydd hynny'n golygu na fydd pobol heb gar yn
RHEOLWR: Dw i'n gwe!d fan hyn bo chi'n siarad Almaeneg. gallu siopa yno!
ddysgoch chi? C: Mae'n debyg y bydd gwasanaeth minibws o'r dre.
MEDJ: Yn yr Almaen. Dreulies i ddwy flynedd yno ar 61 guu~j:fl£
Geirfa
fen yn y Brifysgol. Weles i yn yr hysbyseb bod gwybo-~::S.'
daeth o ieithoedd estron yn fantais i'r swydd 'ma. ,,~: lleoli lo!.:ate mae rhyw sOn there's talk
R Dych chi'n gwybod y bydd rhaid i'r ymgeisydd llwvddi-·~. ym)·lon (pi) (here) outskirts erbyn hyn now
ann us deithio? 'na ryfedd that's odd darparu pro~ide
M' Ydw. 'Na un o'r prif resymau i mi ymgcisio, a dweud cymuncd (f) community ffordd osgoi hy-pass
gwir. _ }Tl erbyn against cynllun plan
R Ac mac'n dweud dros v dudalen fan hyn bad gyda chi'. maen nhw wedi ailfeddwl golygu mean
radd mewn Scicoleg. 'nw i'n siwr y bydd hynny'n :' they've changed their minds gwasanaeth servi!.:e
fantais hefyd os gewch chi S\\·ydd gyda"r cwmni 'ma.
M' Pam? Achos bydda i'n gallu dad ymlaen ft phobol eraill ,
yn dda, chi'n meddwl'! X Compound sentences and reported speech
R Na. Gellwch chi esbonio i mi pam na roddes i"r gorau .·"·
In English we use the word 'that" to form compound sentences (sen-
i'r swydd ofnadwy 'ma flynyddoedd yn 01.
tences consisting of two parts) and to report the words of others.
The part of the sentence after the 'that' is called the 'that'-clause.
154 ------------------------------------~ 155

·You are learning Welsh' [reported] fod e'n s;il bore 'ma
My neighbour says rhat you are learning Welsh ... that he is ill this morning
'That'-clauses arc also found after verbs like 'think', 'know', [original] Dw i'n mynd i Gaer
·be sure', etc.; and after gobeithio (/)hope. [reported] mod i'n mynd i Gaer
. .. that I am going to Chester
·Jwan will be back later' [original] Maen nhw tu allan rhywle
I think that Iwan will be back later. [reported] bod nhw tu allan rhywle
In Welsh the way to form a compound sentence or report ... that they are outside somewhere
(i.e. form the 'that'-clause) depends on what begins the -r :Remember that bo fe, bo fi and bo nhw would have been possible as
(original) sentence. For now we will deal with two possibiliti~
which cover the overwhelming majority of cases: -
r·. vv 11'-"-· a noun rather than a pronoun is involved, you can use either
1 the original sentence to be reported begins with some form bod or fod- it does not have anything to do with masculine or fern-
present tense of hod; So, for example:
2 the original sentence to be reported begins with some other ver
form. Mae Delyth yn dod heno
Delyth is coming tonight
If option 1 applies, then the present tense form of bod i~ replaced [reported] fodlbod Delyth yn dod heno
the appropriate form from either of the two sets below: ... that Delyth is coming tonight
smg. 1 modi bo fi that I (am).
2 fod ti bo ti that you (are) 1
Jm Code bo fe that he (is).
f hod hi bo hi :~ Turn the following originals into reported speech using Dw i'n meddwl
that she (is) ...
plur. 1 bod ni bo ni that we (are) .. ,,.! rhink .... lJse the longer (modi, .. etc.) forms for this exercise.
2 hod chi bo chi that you (are) ...
3 hod nhw bo nhw that they (are) ..
Mae hi'n siarad Cymraeg yn rhugl
These two sets are interchangeable- use whichever is found in_ She speaks Welsh fluently
area. Don't let anyone tell you that the simpler bo-set is someh01 - Dw i'n meddwl bod hi'n siarad Cymraeg yn rhugl
'wrong'. just because it is simpler. T think that she speaks Welsh fluently
You will sec that, whichever set you use, the verb and the idea
'that' are both contained in the first element. Look at how Dw i'n mynd i chwydu.
works in practice: I'm going to be sick.
Maen nhw yn erbyn y syniad.
[original sentence J Dych chi'n dysgu Cymracg They are against the idea.
You are learning Welsh Dyn ni angen mwy o amscr.
[reported} hod chi'n dysgu Cymraeg We need more time.
that you are learning Welsh Dych chi wcdi nghamddeall L
The verb-form dych is 'swallowed up' by the bod- the pronoun·. You have misunderstood me.
remains, of course. Mae'n bwrw eira,
It's snowing [careful!].
Further examples: Mae e'n aros tu allan.
[original} Mae e'n s31 bore 'ma He's waiting outside.
156 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . :
157
Phrases like O't ti'n gwybod., .?, O'ch chi'n gwybod., .'!
know. .?. O'n i'n meddwl ... I thought. and O'n i ddim'·'
gwybod . .. I didn't know . will also be fo!lowed by the
clause if the original sentence is in the present. For example, dod o hyd (i) find
you know that he spoke Welsh?. goes back to the idea 'He
Welsh· (1l--lae'n siarad Cymraeg)- so O't ti'n gwybodfod e'n
Cymraeg? Negative compound sentences/reported
The other option is when the original begins with a verb other ~ speech - 'that ... not ... '
the present tense of bod- this can be either a completdy differeni
verb. or a different tense of hod (e.g. future). In this case, nothing{§ . For reporting NEG originals, the mod i/bo fi type presents no
t.problems:
done to the verb, except that afr!rmative markers fe" and mi"
Lesson 7) and/or any SM is removed; and the word for 'that' [orig.] Dw i ddim yn gallu dod he no
be y- but m Colloquial Welsh this is often not heard. So, if I can't come tonight
original was [rep.] •.. modi ddim yn gallu ...
Fe ddylen nhw fod yn ofalus . . that l can't.
They ought to be careful
[orig.] Dyw Si On ddim yn hoffi gweithio trwy'r dydd yn y ffatri
this will become
Si6n doesn't like working all day in the factory
• • . (y) dylen nhw fod yn ofalus ... that they ought to be . [rep.] •• . fod SiOn ddim yn holli gweithio ...
. .. that Si6n doesn't like working.
because dylen nhw is not part of the verb hod. Similarly,
For the (y)-type. replace y by na" (sometimes AM) that ... not.
i')dda i yn 01 erhyn ~>aith I'll be back by seven The rldim in the original can remain or be dropped:
becomes [orig.] DdOn nhw ddim yn 01 nawr
..• (y) bydda i yn 01 erbyn saith They will not come back now
. that I'll he hack by seven
I"P·l Gobeithio na ddOn nhw (ddim) yn 01 nawr
because. although bydda i 1s part of hod, it is not in the present': I hope that they will not come back now
tense.
[orig.] Fydd Sioned ddim yn ymddangos ar y llwyfan heno
Sioned will not be appearing on stage tonight
Exercise 2
i"P·l Mae'n debyg na fydd Sioned (ddim) yn ymddangos.-.
It's likely that Sioned will not be appearing ..
Turn the following simple sentences into compound ones using Dw·
i ddim yn siwr I'm nor sure . ... Pay attention to the verb at the start. Exercise 3
1 Mae hynny'n iuwn.
2 Dych chi i fod i wneud 'ny. Check your answers for the last exercise in the key at the back. Now
3 Fe fyddwn ni mewn pryd. alter the six reported speech sentences by starting with Dw i'n siwr
4 Mi ddylset ti ddeud wrtho. I'm sure ... , and making the reported speech negative instead. The
:~.
5 Mae digon o fwyd ar 61. first sentence is done for you.
'~.
6 Dw i'n gallu dodo hyd iddyn nhw nawr. Dw i'n siwr fod hynny ddim yn iawn.
2
3
4
158 159

5 Mae'n amlwg fod ••. It's clear/obvious that ...

6 Rhaid i mi ddweud fod .•• I must say that ...
Does dim dwywaith fod ••. There's no doubt that .. .
Exercise 4 All neb wadu fod . , , No-one can deny that .. .
Rhaid qfadrle fod . , . It has to be admitted that .
Fill in the blanks from the box. Ddylen ni ddim anghofio fod .•. We shouldn't forget that.
Mae'n bosib fod .•• It's possible that ..
bad fod Mae'n dehyg fod , •• Ifs likely that ..
bod na yn (Fe/Mi) Alia i'ch sicrhau fod, • , I can assure you that .
hi mod dy Sicr is a common alternative to siwr in many areas.
na ddim 'da In addition, efallai perhaps (falle in S speech. ella inN speech),
and hwyrach perhaps (N areas) are followed by 'that'-clauses in
1 Mac Sioncd yn dweud _ __ chi'n bwriadu mynd -~.·
Welsh- 'Perhaps he is ill' will be efallaifod e'n s.il, literally 'perhaps
gynnar. that be is ill'.
2 Wyt ti'n siwr nhw yn dad hcno?
Efallai bod chi'n iawn, ond , •• Perhaps you're right, but ..
3 Wcdodd gariad ti'n hynod o gryL
Efallai fod hynny'n wir, ond ••• That m<ty be true. but ...
4 Mac 'n bosib fydd digon o amser _ _ _ ni.
5 Dw 'n s1wr i'n 1awn.
Exercise 5
6 Gobeithio ddaw §'i rhieni.

Unscramble the sentences

Asking and giving opinions 1 cyfadde chi iawn rhaid 'n bad
2 fad deal! 'n ddim amlwg yn mae ti
The following phrases are useful in finding out what other people 3 fod siop gau ti mynd ? Ieo! y yn glywcst i
think: 4 nhw na 'n grac gobeithio fyddan
5 credu dylen i fynd y 'n ni dw nawr
Beth dych chi'n feddwl am' •.. ?What do you think about . ')
6 i fod 61 eith<t ar caws dw peth siwr 'n
Beth yw/ydy'ch barn amo ••• ? What is your opinion of .. ?
Dych chi o blaid ..• ? Are you in favour of. ')
Dych chi yn erb:yn •.. ? Arc you against ... ?
D:ych chi'n cefnogi ••.? Do you support
Giving reasons
/;];:
;~:
Dych chi'n meddwl fod/(y)., .? Do you think that ... ? < Achos is the usual word for because in Collo4uial Welsh- oherwydd
Meddwl is used for think here, but in many S areas you will hear is sometimes heard with the same meaning. Both are followed by
credu instead. 'that' -clauses:
Answers will involve fod (or one of its variants). or y, depending
..• achos hod hi'n rh:y hwyr i ymgeisio am y swydd 'ma
on the sentence:
... because it's too late to apply for this job
Dw i'n meddwl fod ••• I think that . .;~·(, [lit. 'because that it is too late ... ']
Dw i ddim yn meddw·l fod •• , I don't think that. ••• achos fod y gweithdai ar gau am '"''eddill yr wythnos
Dw i'n siwr fod ..•
Dw i'n eitha siwr fod . , .
Dw i ddim JD siwr fod •. ,
I'm sure that .
I'm fairly certain that .
I'm not sure that .
. because the workshops are closed for the rest of the week
• •• achos modi ddim yn cytuno a nhw
. .. because I don't agree with them
'
160
•.. achos (y) dylwn i ymarfer Nghymraeg gyda nghydweithwyr'
. because I ought to practise my Welsh with my workmates
. , • achos na fydd amser 'da fi yfory
. because 1 won't have time tomorrow
Exercise 6
If you want to get out of doing something, it's best to give an
and this will involve achos + 'that'-clausc in Welsh. Start the
with something apologetic like:
Yn anffodus, alia i ddim + VN Unfortunately I can't ...
or Gwaetha'r modd, 'sdim modd Alas, there's no way I can ...
imi'VN
Formulate excuses for the following situations, using the key-word
provided. Complete sentences in Welsh, please.
Example: wash the car [mae twll yn y bwced]
~ Alia i ddim golchi'r car, achos fod twll yn y bwced
1 tidy the room lmae nghoes yn rhoi dolur]
2 come to the party tomorrow night [dw i'n gorfod trwsio'r peiriani
golchi llestri]
3 invite you in [mae'r lle'n llanast]
4 speak English at the moment [mae rhaid i mi ymarfer Nghymraeg]
5 answer the phone [mac Cymru ar fin sgorio] ·
6 buy you a drink fti'n feddw g'dib yn barod J
Geirfa
tacluso tidy
gorfod have to mae'r lle'n llanast
trwsio mend the place i~ a tip
gwahodd invite meddw gaib completely drunk
Other words that are followed by a 'that'-
clause
A variety of conjunctions, or 'link-words', are followed by the same
'that .. .'constructions explained above:
161
><
onibai unless
rhag ofn in case
nes until tra while
Awn ni ymlaen, onibai bo chi'n anghytuno
We'll go ahead, unless you disagree
Er fod y sefyllfa'n un anodd, fe nawn ni'n gorau
Although the situation is a difficult one, we'll do our best
Cuddiwch nhw, rhag ofn bod rhywun yn sylwi
Hide them, in case someone notices
Mi nes i hyn heddiw fel na eith dim byd yn chwith yfory
I did this today so that nothing will go wrong tomorrow
Arhoswch fan hyn nes (y) bydd rhywun yn dod
or Arhoswch fan hyn nes (y) daw rhywun
Wait here till someone comes (lit. · ... will come')
In addition. the prepositions am and gan are used with following
'thaf-clause to mean because/since:
Mae'n amhosib ar hyn o bryd am Jod banner y dosbarth yn
abscnnol
It's impossible at the moment since half the class are absent
_
_. Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg
I won't go unless you (ti) promise to come with me.
Let's keep quiet until somebody asks.
Look in the fridge for the cheese while l cut the bread.
He can understand Welsh, although he can't speak [it] fluently.
I'll put this in the cupboard in case someone calls.
You (chi) can't come in unless you have a ticket.
Geirfa
addo promise oergell (f) fridge
cadw keep yn rhugl fluently
tawel quiet cwpwrdd cupboard
~,,
1~ ~ 163

Comparison of adjectives- '-er', '-est'; In more formal Welsh the superlative ending -a is written -af:
' more ... ' , ' most .. ' agosaf, uchaf, mwyaf.

Welsh uses the endings -acb corresponding to -er and -a
sponding to -est in English. So from ysgafn light (weight) we
form ysgafnach lighter and ysgafna lightest. Similarly agos
agosach closer, agosa closest; hardd beautiful, harddach more
ful, hardda most beaurifu!; doniol funny, doniolach funnier
doniola funniest.
Adjectives ending in -b, -d. -g change these to-p, -t. -c rc~pectivelj1
gwlyb wet gwlypach werter gwlypa wettest
caled hard caletach harder caleta hardest
teg fair tecach fairer teca fairest
Some adjectives undergo a vowel change when these endings
added: trwm heavy, trymach, tryma: tlawd poor, tlotach. tlota.
As in English, the endings are generally restricted to
that are not too long- harrldach is fine in Welsh, but the
equivalent is not ·beautifuller' but more beauujid. This
method is used in Welsh with longer words- mwy more and
most are put in front of the e~djective, e.g. pryderus anxious,
pryderus more anxious, mwya pryrlerus most anxwus.
Than' with comparatives is na (AM), or nag before vowels:
Mae loan yn dalach na Rb,lS loan is taller than Rhys
Mae Medi'n dalach nag Eleri Medi is taller than Eleri
Sentence structure with superlatives
When we wish to sing!.:: out one particular thing by saying that it is
'the -est', this is an identification sentence, and so will require a
special word order in Welsh. Just as we say Pwy ydy hwnnw? Who
is that?, and answer with the same word-order Elwyn ydy hwnnw
> Elwyn (go back to Lesson 1 and review this if you are uncer-
tain), so a sentence like Which is the highest mountain in Wales?
(P'un ydy'r mynydd ucha yng Nghymru?) will have the answer Yr
. .Wyddfa ydy'r mynydd ucha yng Nghymru Snowdon is the highest
'mountain in Wales. This i~ true even if the underlying question has
_ not been asked- the person or thing ~ing!ed out for attention comes
first, with the verb in second place; and this means that in present
tense hod sentences, we need ydy/yw and not Mae.
Comparative ('-er') ~entenccs, on the other hand, simply look at
two things and compare them without singling either of them out.
These, then. arc ordinary verb-first sentences. Compare:
Mae'r CrJS coch yn ddrutach na'r crys gw}"n
The red shirt is dearer than the white shirt
but Y crys glas yw'r druta ohonyn nbw i g:yd
The blue shirt is the dearest of them all
Exercise 8

Irregular comparison of adjectives :C,c

Read the sandwich price-list below, and correct any of the following
~~< --
statements that need correcting:
Some adjectives in Welsh have irregular forms for the comparative"·}
and superlative: BRECHDANAU'

da good gwell better gorau best caws 75e jam 60c

drwg bad gwacth worse gwaetha worst --.;__·- cig moch 95c selsig-a-marmared 90e
mawr big mwl bigger mwya biggest wy 70c banana 85c
bach small Uai smaller lleia smallest mEd sac cyvv iiir 90c
uchel high uwch higher ucha highest
isellow is lower isa lowest (rhad cheap; drud dear)
lfanc young and hen old are regular in many areas, but iau is not~-~­ 1 Mae cig moch yn ddrutaeh na selsig-a-marmalt~d.
unusual for younger; as also hfn older and h,.-na oldest. 2 Mae banana 'n rhatach na chaws.
164 ------------------------------------~ 165

3 Cig moch ydy'r druta ohonyn nhw i gyd. Mac nghymdogion i'n garedig My neighbour~ are kind
4 Mae cyw i<lr yn rhatach na chig moch. ond yn ddrutach na Mae nghymdogion i mor garedig My neighbours are so kind
5 Wy ydy'r rhata ohonyn nhw i gyd.
6 Mae selsig-a-marmaiCd yn ddrutach na chaws, ond yn rhatach
banana.
in the gaps from the box:
Exercise 9
Mac 'r tywydd ddiftas heddiw, ydy?
Unscramble the sentences of the following dialogue: Ydy'r crys 'ma well 'run 'na, ti'n meddwl?
Mae Abcrtawe'n Aberystwyth.
A: arafach Ui ? yn siarad alii Ond Caerdydd 'r ddinas yng Nghymru.
B: yn yn 'n siarad dw barod araf i Dyw hi ddim uer oedd hi ddoc.
A: ti araf mi yn yn ddim i ddigon siarad wel, Ti'n cdrych ftinedig __ fi.
B: i drio na 'te arafu,

Geirfa mor a "n ydy mo• on'd

fwya mor Y' nag ag m
yn barod alre<~dy arafu slow down

Mai ... -'that .. :

How to say 'as ... as .. :
~ We saw earlier in the lesson that how you form the ·that'-clause for
'As·-. as ... ' is mor" •• , a (ag before vowels)_._. Words be inni ~-~--_·reported speec_h depen~s on how the ~riginal sentence _starts_ in
11- and rh- do not mutate however mo• go~ • d g ngN<' - Welsh. With tdenrificauon sentences, mcludmg tho~e 1nvo!vmg
~ ' · u•a ... asre as but~- . . ~
mor ~/wyd a •.. as grey as .... You can use optional AM· ~f;e ..;.~: 5superlau~c~ (s_ee above), the_verb does not come fi!st- some other
(partiCularly words beginning c-). r a~ , element 1s m 1ts place. In th1s case, Welsh sunply msens the word
· · mai thar and leaves everything else unchanged -this is the way we
Mor gyllym a cheffyl As fast as a horse always do it in English.
M or werthfawr ag arian As precious as silver
Mor ddu ii'r frfm As black as a [the J crow [orig.J Yr Wyddfa yw'r mynydd ucha yng Nghymru
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales
You should also know the words cystal (ii) as good (as), cymaint as [rep.] Dw i'n meddwl mai'r Wyddfa yw'r mynydd ucha yng
big (also as much/many) and cynJlcied as little (also a~· Nghymru
expressions cyn gynted ag y bo modd and cyn gynted a phosib. I think that Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales
meaning as soon as possible.
From what we know of 'that'-clauses in Welsh already, this makes
You can use Yr un mor" .•• a (ag) •.• to express Just (equally) perfect sense- generally the formation of the 'that·-clause depends
... as.
on what type of verb starts the original sentence. But where there is
Mae hon yr un mor ddrud a honno no verb at the start (it is further on down the line), that option is
This (one) is just as dear as that (one) closed to us, and a true word for 'that' is needed instead.
On its own. moro means 'so . When used with the verb hod, it In many S areas. taw is used instead of mai:
displaces the link-word yn:
Wi'n credo taw'r Wyddfa yw'r mynydd ucha yng Nghymru
166 _________________________________________]

And in some N areas na is used instead of mai.

Finally, remember that for most instances of
English, it is possible to leave out the 'that'- 'I think that Clywed y
late' or 'I think they'll be late'. You are still dealing with a
clause even if you can't see the 'that'! newyddion
Exercise 11 Hearing the news
Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg
1 I'm pretty sure that this house is for sale.
2 It's obvious you (ti) don't know the facts.
3 I hear that Ceri is writing a book about (am) Welsh. In this lesson you will learn how to:
4 But I thought he was a town planner.
• say that something has happened
5 Perhaps he teaches Welsh as a hobby.
• say that something has been or had been
6 I hope he knows what he's doing.
• use compound prepositions
Geirla • say that something is still happening
• say that something usually happens, or used to, and how often
ar werth for sale cynllunydd tre town planner
ffeitbiau facts hubihobby
newyddion (news report) m
\lywodraeth wedi datgan prynhawn 'ma fod y nifer o blant
bedair oed yn mynychu ysgolion meithrin yn Ne Ddwyrain
Cymru wcdi dyblu ers llynedd. Dwcdodd llefarydd ar ran y Swyddfa
:··Gvmreig hefyd fod y nifer o ddosbarthiadau Cymraeg i oedolion
Gymru gyfan wedi cynyddu'n aruthrol yn ystod y deng mis
1diwetha. Ond mae'r gwrthbleidiau wedi ymosod ar gynlluniau'r lly-
- wodraeth i gau ysgolion cynradd bychain mewn ardaloedd gwledig,
0
honni (od 'na gryn wrthwynebiad wedi bad i'r syniad yn y
___

cymuncdau Ileal, a bod y fath weithred yn mynd i effeithio'n

ddifrifol ar yr iaith Gymraeg yn ei chadarnleoedd. Mae'r Adran
Addysg wedi addo y bydd pobol leol yn cae! lleisio'u barn mewn
cyfarfodydd agored ledled y wlad cyn diwedd y ftwyddyn.

llywodradh (f) government cynradd primary

datgan announce bychan (pi. bychain) small
c·· nifer (o) number gwlcdig rural
ysgol feithrin Welsh language honni claim
nursery school gwrthwynebiad opposition
168 ---------------J 169
dyblu (to) double gweithred action
llefarydd ~poke~man, termed the perfect, which corresponds to English 'I have seen'. To
effeitltio (ar) affect: have an
sp(lkeswoman form this tense in Colloquial Welsh, we simply take the present
effect on
ar ran on behalf of tense of the verb, and change the 'linking' yn into wedi:
yn ddifrifol seriously
cynyddu incn:ase cadarnle (-oedd) stronghold Dw i 'n gweld I see
yn amthrul hugely
Adran Addysg Department ot Dw i wedi gweld I have seen
yn ystod during Education
oedolyn (pL oedolion) adult Mae Lloegr yn colli England are losing
lleisio voice, express
gwrthblaid opposition party Mae Lloegr wedi colli England have lost
agored open
Dach chi'n darllen y papur 'na? Are you reading that paper?
Sgwrs l:n Dach chi wedi darllcn y papur 'na? Have you read that paper?
A
Yn ni ddim yn siarad age We don't speak to him
lestyn has some earrh-shattering news to impart to A led A We're not speaking to him
Y n ni ddim wedi siarad ag e We haven't spoken to him
IESTYN: Glywest ti'r newyddion?
ALFD: Naddo. Be' sy wedi digwydd? In Colloljuial Welsh wcdi is often shortened to 'di: Dw i 'di deud
I: Ti ddim wcdi clywed, 'te? 'that ti unwaith yn barod I've told you once already.
A: Dw i newydd wcud bo fi ddim. You will see that the present and perfect are much more similar
1: Wel, mae hynny'n anhygoel- !le wyt ti welii hod in Welsh than in English: in Welsh, the verb and the VN remain
wythnos, mewn ogof rhywle? Mae hi wedi bad ar y \;c-
the ~oame, and only one word linking them is changed; in English the
mae wedi bod yn y papurau newydd, mae wedi bod ... form of the verb changes, and 'have' or 'has· is introduced in
A Ti 'di gwneud yn ddigon eglur fad rhywbeth wedi dig- the perfect.
wydd, lestyn, and tidal i fod heb weud beth.
t Alla i ddim credu fad ti heb glywed, 'na i gyd! Exercise 1
A Dw i heb glywed dim- iawn?
L· lawn. Ond ... wel, byddi di'n cael sioc go dda pan weda Malch the Welsh sentences to their English equivalents
wrthat ti- 'na'r cwbwl alia i weud.
A 0, gad fe, Ies. Dw i 'di calli diddordeb erbyn hyn. 1 Dych chi wcdi gweld yr hysbyseb? (a) Do you read the adverts?
2 W)'t ti'n darllen )'t hysbysehion?
(b) Have you advertised them?
Geirfa 3 Dych chi'n darllen yr hJsbyseb? (c) Have you seen the advert?
4 Dych chi wedi hyshyscbu nhw? (d) Have you advertised it?
anhygoel incredible 'na i gyd that's all 5 Wytti wedi hysbysehu fc? (e) Do you see the advert?
ogof (f) cave sioc go dda quite a ~hock 6 Wyt ti'n gweld yr hyshyscb? (f) Are you reading the
eglur clear gad fe leave it: let it be advert?
dal (here) still diddordeb interest
Exercise 2

Dw i wedi ... -'I have (done something)' Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg

1 Have you (ti) seen Delyth?
The preterite. which we met in Lesson 9. corresponds to the ordi-
2 Has the post gone yet?
nary past tense in English - dw i'n gweld I see or I am seeing
3 You (chi) have forgotten to sign the cheque.
becomes weles i I saw. But there is another past tense, traditionally
4 My keys have disappeared again!
 -
170
171
5 Ronnie and Fifi have gone to North Wales for a fortnight. Dan ni wedi bod yn ymweld a fo'n fwy cyson yn ddiweddar
6 Have they taken their passports? We hat:e been visiting him more regularly of late
Dydy o ddim wedi hod yn gwneud ei waith cartre
He hasn 'r been doing his homework
O'n i wedi ... -'/had {done something)'
Just as you can turn the present into 'I have (done something)'
changing yn to wedi, so you can change the imperfect into ·J Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg
(done something)' (traditionally called the pluperfect) by the"
method: Have you (ti) been drawing pictures on the walls again?
These two men have been waiting for you since two o'clock.
O'n i'n rhedeg lawr y str:yd 1 was running down the I have been out of the o(fice all day.
O'n i wedi rhedeg lawr y stryd I had run down the road I hope you've all been practising your Welsh.
O'n nhw'n cyrraedd They were arriving They've been promising to come round since Christmas.
O'n nhw wedi cyrraedd They had arrived I hear that your (eich) brother has been working in Cardiff for
-- ....
Oedd Amanda'n sgrifennu llythyr Amanda was writing a letter·~ , quite a while now.

Oedd Amanda wedi sgrifennu Amanda had written a letter Geirfa

IIJthyr
tynnu lluniau draw pictures addo promise
Exercise 3 aros am wait for ers amser for quite a while now

Not only do the following pair<; of Welsh and English sentences

match, hut some of the yn's and wedi\ are mixed up as well.
match, and then alter yn's and wedi's as appropriate.
m
Mac Fred yn mynd am yr arian (a) Fred has lost his money It is Christmas (Nadolig, or Dolig), and there is a family reunion in
2 Mae Fred yn colli'r bws (b) Fred's money has gone , the Llwyd family. Marc, a keen photographer (jfotograffydd brwd),
3 Mae Fred wedi colli'r gCm has been delegated to take a family photo (llun o'r teulu). No-one
(c) Fred's gone for the mon""
4 Mae Fred wedi colli'r gem else is getting a word in edgeways
(d) Fred has lost the game
5 Mac arian Fred yn mynd (e) F red has missed the bus MARC: lawn~ dw i eisiau i chi i gyd fod o flaen y goeden Nadolig
6 Mae Fred wedi calli ei arian (f) Frcd·s losing the game draw fan'na. 'Na ni. Elinor, ti'n rhy fyr o lawer i sefylllle
wyt ti ~ fydd neb yn dy weld di. Well i ti sefyll ar bwys
mamgu. Neu os bydd Ieuan yn sefyll ar ei phwys hi. gelli di
'... have been ... ', '... had been ... ' symud draw fan hyn. Ac wedyn ... Sioned- nei di eistedd
ar bwys Gerwyn, yn !le Rhodri? Rhodri ~ rhaid i ti symud
To form the perfect and pluperft.:ct of 'be', we put the VN bod after hefyd. Elli di sefyll wrth ochor y goeden- 'na fe, wrth ei
the wcdi:
hochor hi? I'r dim. ~1 ps, na'r gath yn trio dianc- rhed ar
Dw i wedi bod yn s3J I have been ill ei h61 hi, rywun. Nawr 'te, oes 'na unrhywun arall yn sefyll
O•n i wcdi hod yn sal I had been ill neu'n eistedd !le na ddylen nhw fod? Pawb yn barod, 'te?
SroNED: Ond Marc.
You can add another VN to wedi hod by means of yn to express M' Paid torri ar nhraws i, Sioned- dw 1'0 trio trefnu pethau
'have/had been ... -ing':
fan hyn. Felly ... le o'n i'! 0, ie ... nawr 'te, mae'r gath yn
172 ~
1
173

ll<""JU-J•""--' ,-, paid becso don't worry

mam2U grandmother (S)
Ue instead of
"wrth ochor beside
i'r dim just right
torri ar draws interrupt
dan reolaeth under control
arbenigwr expert
gwenu smik
ffeiliau'r heddlu police files
yn fwriadol on purpose
canolbwyntio concentrate; pay
attention

Exercise 5
'Naaokffawm Cywir neu Anghywir"!

~lwift~~a I Mae Gerwyn yn eistedd ar bwys Sioncd.

2 Rhaid i Rhodri fod wrth ochor y goeden.
C/A
C/A
L_ ~da_ J 3 Mae Sioned yn trio dianc.
4 Fe roddodd Marc ffilm anghywir yn ei gamera.
C/A
CIA
5 Mac Elinor yn rhy dal i sefylllle mae hi. CIA
edrych braidd yn anghyfforddus ar y goeden, on'd ydy? 6 Yn y diwedd, mae'r galh yn eistedd wrth ochor mamgu. CIA
Rhowch hi ar y llawr o flaen mamgu. lawn - dw i'n mynd
i dynnu'r llun nawr.
s, Ond Marc. Compound prepositions
M' Aros le wyt ti, Sioned, a paid becso, iawn? Mae popeth
dan reoJaeth. Gad i'r arbenigwr wnew.l ei waith. lawn - Some common prepositions consist of two components - a simple
gwenwch i gyd! preposition+ a noun. The most frequently used are:
(takes the picture)
ar bwy~ by: near (S) o gwmpas around
Ac un aralJ ar gyfer ffeiliau'r heddJu ...
(takes another) ar draws acro~s wrth ochor beside
lawn. Unrhyw gwestiynau? ar gyfer for yn erbyn again~t
s, Oes, mae 'da fi un cwestiwn bach, Marc. Pam na roddest ti
ar 01 after yn lie instead of
ffilm yn y camera cyn tynnu'r llun? o Haen in front of yn ymyl near
M' Er ... nes i hynny'n fwriadol, i wneud yn siwr bod chi i gyd They behave like ordinary prepositions when used with nouns
yn canolbwyntio. Da iawn, Sioncd. (except that they are not followed by SM), but their personal forms
(takes the film from Sioned and loads it) (i.e. when they are used with pronouns) make use of the possessive
Nawr 'te, cyn inni fynd ymlacn, mae eisiau symud rhai adjectives ('my', ·your· etc.- Lesson 4). If we take ar gyfer as our
ohonoch chi, dw i'n meddw! ... example, the first thing to notice is that gyfer is really cyfer- it is
;; only mutated because of ar. To get the personal forms, we put the
Geirfa >'c'
possessive element between the ar and the qfer, and cyfer will be
{ mutated in accordance >with the possessive.
o tlacn in front of trefnu organise <
cocden (f) tree
anghyfforddus uncomfortable
rhf •.. o lawer much loo . llawr floor j
 I
i

174-----------------------------------l >

;·. 175

singular plural flacn

1 ar nghyfer i for me ar ein cyfer ni for us
erbyn
!od 'blaen mod
le
ac
herbyn gyfer "yw
2 ar dy gyfer di for you ar eich cyfer chi for you
3 ar ei gyfer e for him ar eu CJfer nhw for them
ar ei chyfer hi for her Prepositions heb, dros, drwy
Cyfcr here behaves just like any noun after the possessives- Heb' without has the following personal forms in Colloquial Welsh:
this part of Lesson 4 now if you are uncertain about this.
The mutation patterns will differ depending on the initial letter oi singular plural
the second element. 0 flaen consists of oo + blaen, and b- is hebdda i hebddon ni
susceptible to AM (3rd person sing. feminine): hebddat ti hebddoch chi
hebddo fe hebddyn nhw
singular plural hebddi hi
1 o mlaen i in front of m.: o'n blaen ni
2 o dJ flaen di o'ch blaen chi Dros' over; for (when thi~ means on behalf of) ha~ the following
3 o'i flaen e o'u hlacn nhw personal forms:
o'i blacn hi
singular plural
while ar 01 has a second element beginning with a vowel, :md which_·: 1 drosta i droston ni
may therefore be heard with a prefixed h- in Jrd person sing., 1st ,. . 2 drostat ti drostoch chi
and 3rd persons plural: 3 drosto fe drost)""n nhw
drosti hi
singular plural
Drwy' (sometimes trwy') through has the following personal forms:
1 ar'n Oli ar ein hOI ni -~·--------------

2 ardyOidi ar eich 01 chi singular plural

3 areiOie ar eu hOI nhw
ar ei hOI hi 1 drwydda i drwyddon ni
2 drwyddat ti drwyddoch chi
Exercise 6 3 drwyddo fe drwyddyn nhw
drwyddi hi
Fill in the gaps from the box:
Examples:
Mae Mari yn mcddwl pawb yn ei hi.
2 Beth hwnna o yr ysgol? Peidiwch mynd hebdda i!
3 Rhaid i mi ddweud 1 yn y syniad. Don't go without me!
4 Dyw Rhodri ddim yn dud, felly mae leuan yn dad yn ~--
>
'·
Pam na gasgli di'r ffurflenni drosto fe?
Why don't you collect the forms for him?
5 Ddes i -~~- 'r rhain ar y parti he no. A i lawr i'r siop drostat ti os ti eisiau
6 Mae'r ffordd o'ch chi gau. I'll go down to the shop for you if you want
Mae'r gwynt 'ma'n mynd yn syth drwyddoch chi, on'd ydy?
This wind goes straight through you, doesn't it?

__ _j

176
Another use of heb'
You can use heb in Colloquial Welsh to mean ddim wedi in the
feet and pluperfect tenses (see above):
Dydyn nhw ddim wedi talu They haven't paid
or; Maen nhw heb dalu They haven't paid.
In this variation, what you arc really saying is 'They are
paying', i.e. they haven't done it yet.
Doedd hi ddim wedi llofnodi'r She hadn't signed the cheql
siec
or: Oedd hi heb lofnodi'r siec She hadn't signed the
Exercise 7
Rephrase these sentences using hcb·:
1 Dydy Ioan a Iona ddim wedi ffonio yn 6!.
2 Dych chi ddim wedi prynu'r tocynnau, 'te?
3 o·n i ddim wedi meddwl am hynny ar y pryd.
4 Dyw'r llywodracth ddim wedi cyhoeddi'r ffigurau.
5 Dydy'r bws ddim wedi dod.
6 Dw i ddim wedi deall yr un (a single) gair.
dal- 'still'
If you want to say that something is still happening, use:
yn dal i fod yn + VN
or yn dal i + OVN
Ydyn nhw'n dal i fod yn rhedeg y siop leol?
or Ydyn nhw'n dal i redeg y siop Ieo!?
Are they still running the local shop?
Mac SHin yn dal i jod yn aros am dacsi
or Mac Shin yn da/ i aros am dacsi
Siil.n is still waiting for a taxi
Used with an adjective instead of a VN, the constructions is:
yn dal i fod yn"
or (yn) dal yn'
·~
-~
177
Mae'r sefyUfa yn dal i fod yn ddifrifol
Mae'r sefyllfa (yn) dal yn ddifrifol
situation is still serious
'Exercise 8
have been asked to help dig the garden (palu'r ardd!). Avert
disaster (trychineb) by saying that you are still engaged on some
important task.
(eating my breakfast)
- Yn anffodus, dw i'n dal i Jwyta mrecwast
doing the washing-up
tidying the kids' rooms
·busy with the accounts
trying to get through to Jeremy Beadle
in bed
mending the video-recorder
cysylltu a contact; get through to
trwsio mend
recordydd fideo video-recorder
·;,n
~' nr.:P. ' , 'tWICe
· 'etc ·
(f) is the word for 'time' when talking about how many
something is done. It combines with the numbers (feminine
where possible): unwaith once, dwywaith twice, tairgwaith
f-three times, pcdairgwaith four times, etc. 'How many times?' is Faint
o weithiau'! or Sawlgwaith? and you should also know weithiau
~--sometimes and amhell waith occasionally, sometimes. Notice that
:_ weitbiau is mutated, as is generally the rule with adverbs expressing
or how often something happens; and for the same reason, you
' are more likely to hear ddwywaith, dairgwaith etc.
Dw i wedi hod fan hyn ddwywaith yn barod heddiw
I've been here twice already today
Mae'r car wedi torri lawr dairgwaith wythnos 'ma
The car has broken down three times this week
 •

178
179
arfer
Exercise 9
This word is used in Colloquial Welsh to express ·usually' which of the following statements about the conversation
present tense) or 'used to ... ' (with an imperfect). Either way, are true, and which are false?
construction is: bod + yn arfer + VN:
Rhys has been worrying lately. CIA
Mae'r ddwy 'na'n aifer aros yn hwyrach na'r lleill Rhys uses the fttness room twice a month on average. CIA
Those two (f) usually stay later than the rest Gwyn is convinced that twice a month is too much. C/A
Oedd mrawd yn atfer chwarae pCidroed cyn iddo dorri ei Rhys's body is important to him. CIA
My brother used ro play football before he broke his leg Gwyn offers Rhys a cake, CIA
Rhys says he'd prefer milk. C/A
Sgwrs c::l
Gwyn and Rhys have bumped into each other at theffreutur SPORT-CHWARAEON
of the focal Canolfan Hamdden Leisure Centre, and are appropr
ately discussing physical fitness. Gwyn is worried about Rhys,
tells him straight (yn blwmp ac yn blaen)
PENGLAIS
" CANOLFAN

~
SPORTS CHWARAEON [ ~rl
GwvN: Wi'n poeni amdanat ti, Rhys. CENTRE PENGLAIS
RHYS: Poeni? Amdana i? Pengla1s School

~
Waunfawr, Aberystwyth ~
Gc Ie. Gwed, nawr- pa mar ami wyt ti'n defnyddio'r stafe!l ffit;
wydd? I Rh,gleo Gwyl""'' N'dohg ' Bl,ct I
R Y stafel\ ffitrwydd? We!- gad i mi feddwl.
Llun 20 Rhagfvr i Gwener 31 Rhagtvr 1993
mis. wedwn i.
Gc Ddwywaith y mis? 10 i 12 o'r gloeh y bore £1.00 am 2 awr
Re 'Swn i'n meddwL •
Gc Bob yn ail wythnos, 'te? OYQD!AD OED GWEIJHGAREDD
R Ar gyfartal, ie. Pam?
G: Ti ddim yn meddwl fad ti'n gorwneud pethau, 'te? Llun Pan 12 *GWE!THGAREDOAU AMRYW!OL
R (20 Rhagfyr) (Bechgyn a Merched)
Wi'n moyn cadw'n heini. Mae nghorffi'n demL
Gc Mae eisiau galw'r adciladwyr i mewn ar frys, 'te, on'd Mawrth Pan 12 PEL-DROED 5 BOB OCHR
Teisen arall? (21 a 28 Rhagfyrl
R Pam lai? Mercher I Bob Oed DISCO RHOLSGLEFRIO
(22 a 29 Rhagfyr) (Gellir llogi'r esgidiau)
Geirfa !au Pan 12 *GWEITHGAREDDAU AMRYWIOL
(23 a 30 Rhagfyr)
poeoi worry ar gyrartal on average Gwener Dan 12 PEL-DROED 5 BOB OCHR
gwed tell (me) (ti-form) (S) (31 Rhagfyr) Wechgyn a Merched)
gorwneud overdo
ami often heini active; fit *GWEITHGAREDDAU AMRYWIOl • Badminton. Ten is Byr,
ffitrwydd fitness Ten1s Bwrdd, Pei-Fasged, Uni-Hoc, Criced
tern! (f) temple
wedwn i I would say adeiladw)"r builders Ystafell Cadw'n Heini ar gael i blant dros 12 ac oedo!ion yn
'swn i'n meddwl I would think leisen (f) cake (S) ystod yr oriau uchod.
bob Jll ail ••. every other .
Manylion: Oydd 0970 624818 (Nid adeg Gwyliau)
Nos 0970 615303 (Ar 61 5.30 pm)
180 181

Exercise 10
·'.defined cymuned community, and within that community it func-
. as the primary means of communication in practically all
Look at the activity (gweithgaredd) programme on p. 179 and ~-aspects of bywyd beunyddiol everyday life. The same is broadly true
to answer the following questions in English: ·of Scots Gaelic, which benefits in this respect from the relative geo-
1 What time of the year is the programme for? ., graphic isolation of the Western Isles, a situation that probably
2 What kind of people is it for? enhances the sense of a separate community, and hinder~ the
3 How many weeks does it cover? , encroachment of English. And it is no cyd-ddigwyddiad coincidence
4 When could one play basketball? f· that the least anglicised parts of y Fro Gymraeg the Welsh-speaking
5 What can adults do during these activities? 1 heartlands also tend to be in remoter or more inaccessible areas.
6 What other activity can children over 12 do, and on what day? The fortunes of Welsh and Scots Gaelic have taken an upturn in the
last twenty years, with a more general awareness of the cultural
Exercise 11 heritage that the languages represent. In Wales, attendances at
adult language classes everywhere are on the increase - in many
In the next lesson you will need the possessive adjectives (Lesson 4 ~egions permanently oversubscribed.
again, so you might as well revise them now. , The language is being given a good start among the very young by
means of an effective if underfunded rhw:ydwaith network of ysgo-
Match the two halves of each sentence:
lion meithrin nursery schools (singular )'Sgol feithrin), which give
Mae Sioned wedi calli (a) 'u llyfrau yn 61 pre-school age children from both Welsh- and English-spcaking
2 Dych chi heb dalu (b) ngherdyn aelodaeth gartre homes the all-important early grounding in the language. In the
3 Maen nhw heb ddod a (c) dy fenig school system, Welsh is now an integral part of the National
4 Ti 'di cwympo (d) ei harian rhywle yn y dre Curriculum, and in areas with a high proportion of Welsh speakers
5 Mae Dafydd wcdi gwerthu (e) 'eh tiil aelodaeth most ysgolion cynradd primary schools teach mostly trwy gyfrwng y
6 Dw i wedi gadael (f) 'i d9 o'r diwedd Gymraeg rhrough the medium of Welsh. This policy aims at enabling
every child to be dwyieithog bilingual by the time he or she enters
Geirfa the ysgol uwchradd secondary school, and the proven manteision
advantages of dwyieithrwydd bilingualism. especially in learning iei-
cwympo fall: drop til fee: payment thocdd estron foreign languages later on, no doubt account in part
aelodaeth (f) membership o'r diwedd at last at least for the overwhelming support for this educational policy
maneg (menig) (f) glove among Welsh- and English-speaking families alike. Outside the
school system, there is a vigorous Welsh·language publishing indus-
try, and a popular radio and TV channel. A Welsh-language film
Yr ieithoedd Celtaidd- the Celtic languages (IJ): was nominated recently for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language
y dyfodol -the future Film. Ar y cyfan on the whole, it is probably fair to say that the
prospects for Welsh (and Scots Gaelic) are looking better now than
As ieitlwedd lleiafrifol minority languages, all the Celtic languages they have done for a hundred years.
are in danger of their lives, in an age where cyfathrebu electronig Irish and Breton are in a more precarious position. Irish was dealt
electronic communications have raised the statws status and an almost mortal blow by the Famine of the nineteenth century,
increased the dylanwad influence of English (and a few other lan- when many native speakers lost their lives and many more were
guages) throughout most of the world. Welsh, at least, has proved forced into exile in the New World. The drastic decline in numbers
remarkably resilient in the face of this almost overwhelming linguis- that this engendered is probably now unstoppable. despite wide-
tic and cultural competition, and is today by far the strongest and ranging and enthusiastic government support for the language in
most viable of the Celtic languages- it is the language of a clearly the Republic. Then again, there has been a notable resurgence o(
182

interest in the language in recent yeurs, particularly in the

and this gives, for the first time in many decades, grounds
mism. Breton. on the other hand, has a large number of
Dyma'r penaw-
(perhaps even more than Welsh), but ~uffers hostility from
government, which has made determined and undisguised
eradicate the language. The future of these two languages ·
dau diweddara
fantol in the balance. Here are the latest headlines
As for Cornish and Manx, their fate has already been
once: Cornish died out some time in the late eighteenth
while the presumed last native speaker of Manx, Ned
died as recently as 1974. Yet today these languages are heard
not. of course, in exactly the same form as before- while ---···. In this lesson you will learn how to:
least of such recent demise that there are electronic recording\
how it sounded, the restoration of Cornish has presented a say that something was done
testing problem - but <Js living languages nonetheless. say 'myself', 'yourself' etc.
taught in schools, and both are beginning to experience the make adverbs from adjectives
pangs of revival. The road will doubtless be a long and wcarisot
one for them, but the hope of those who "Wish to sec them revi
living community languages (as has already been achieved Pigion o'r newyddion [!]
Israeli Hebrew) is perhaps not as far-fetched now as it might
seemed even a mere twenty years ago. gafodd lri o ddynion eu harestio neithiwr ar 61 i'r heddlu gat:! eu
i dafarn yng nghanol y dre. Dywedodd llefarydd dros yr hcdd-
y bore 'ma fod dau ddyn wedi cael eu cyhuddo o fad yn fcddw
!le cyhoeddus, ac y bydd un arall yn cac\ ci gyhuddo rywbryd
o ymosod ar heddwas.
" . adroddiad yn cael ei gyhoeddi gan y llywodraeth heddiw yn
fdangos fod y mwyafrif llethol o rieni di-Gymraeg yn y sir o blaid
drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg i'w plant. Bydd ystadegau'n cael
rhyddhau yfory i ddangos yn union pa ganran o blant y sir sy'n
·'"cael cu dysgu'n bennaf trwy'r Gymraeg yn yr ysgolion cynradd.
gafodd trio bobol eu hanafu'n ddifrifol mewn damwain car ar y
" ffurdd rhwng Abersoch a Phwllheli y bore 'ma. Roedd rhaid i un
;o: ohonyn nhw aros am hanner awr cyn iddi gael ei rhyddhau o'r car
· gem y gwasanaethau brys. Roedd y ffordd ar gau trwy gydol y bore,
ond fe gafodd ei hailagor amser cinio.
Mae deugain o bobol wedi cael eu diswyddo o ffatri ddillad ar ymy-
lon y dre. Honnodd rheolwr y ffatri, Mr J Williams, fad y cwmni
wcdi cael ei daro'n ddifrifol gan yr himawdd economaidd yn ddi-
wcddar, ac fe gadarnhaodd y bydd y cwmni yn cael ei roi yn nwylo'r
derbynwyr erbyn diwedd yr wythnos. Bydd gweithwyr mewn ffa-
tr"ioedd eraill yn Lloegr hefyd yn cael eu diswyddo, meddai.
184
185

Ac yn ala, mae merch fach saith oed o Laneglwys wedi possessive precedes it- review Lesson 4 if you wish to refresh your
gwobrwyo gan Fr:igild Dftn y dream ei dewrder wrth achub ei .inemory on this.
pedair oed, funudau cyn i'w t~ gael ei losgi'n ulw ddiwedd
Tachwedd. Fe gcith Mari ap Owain ei chyflwyno i'r Pri '· Taking talu pay as cm example. we can see how the past-tense
yfory i dderbyn tystysgrif a medal, ac fe fydd hi a'i theulu a ffr:indiau~~· passive will look for all persons:
cac! eu gwahodd i barti Nadolig Maer y dre wythnos nesa. I was paid
you were paid
Geirfa he was paid
gaeth e ei dalu
·. gaeth hi ei thalu she was paid
pigion selections anafu injure gaethon ni 'n talu we were pmd
llefarydd spokesman, ailagor reopen gaethoch chi 'eh talu you were paid
spokeswoman diswyddo sack, fire gaethon nhw eu talu they were paid
cyhuddo accuse; charge ymylon outskins
ymosod (ar) attack Remember the various alternative forms for the preterite of cael-
honni claim
adroddiad report gafodd for gaeth, gawson for gaethon, etc. - that you are just as
hinsawdd climate
mwyafrif maJority likely to hear depending on the area.
cadarnhau confirm
llethol overwhelming Other tenses of the passive are simply done using the appropriate
derbynwyr receivers
sir (f) (Welsh) county tense of cael- nothing else in the construction changes:
meddai he (/she) said
o blaid m favour of gwobrwyo give an award/prize to dw i'n cael nhalu I am paid
addysg (f) education dewrder bravery fydda i'n cael nhalu
cyfrwng medium (noun) acbub save. rescue or ga i nhalu I'll be paid
ystadegau statistics llosgi burn dw i wedi cael nhalu I have been puid
rhyddhau release ulw ashes
canrao percentage If you need to specify who the action was done by, use gan (and
cyflwyno present (vb)
yn bennaf mainly remember that it has special personal forms- Lesson 6):
tystysgrif (f) certificate
Fe gafodd y bel eira ei thaflu gan y bachgen

Passive sentences Exercise 1

A sentence like 'The boy threw the snowball' is an active sentence;' Turn these active sentences into passives.
because the subject ('the boy') is doing the action ('threw'). If
we turn it round and say 'The snowball was thrown by the boy', Example:
have a passive sentence, because the subject ('the snowball') is the Stopiodd yr heddlu ein bws
recipient of the action. The police stopped our bus
In Colloquial Welsh, passive sentences use cael get- 'the snowball Gaeth ein bws ei stopio gan yr heddlu
was (or: got) thrown' is phrased as 'the snowball got its throwing': Our bus was stopped by the police
.Fe gafodd y bel eira ei thaflu 1 Mae'r plant yn golchi'r car.
2 Dorrodd y lleidr ffenest y gegin.
From this it should be clear that the basic construction for passives is: 3 Gohiriodd y cadeirydd y cyfarfod.
cael + possessive adjective + VN 4 Bydd y trysorydd yn cyhoeddi'r ffigurau nes ymlaen.
5 Bydd Eleri'n canu'r gan 'ma yfory.
and the VN will be subject to mutations depending on which 6 Mae Rhodri'n paratoi'r bwyd ar hyn o bryd.
 ~
•
186 187 I
Note: An alternative way of forming the passive. using
instead of cael, is the norm in the media and in Literary Welsh-
in stative passives
will be dealt with in Lesson 15. .,. }leb is used in exactly the same way as wedi in stative passives. but
to correspond to 'un- .. .',i.e. to indicate a state where something
not happened- for 'an unopened letter' we say 'a letter without
Stative passives opening' llyth~'r heb ei agor. Further examples:
These correspond to simple past participles m English, used nofcl heb ei chyhoeddi an unpublished novel
as adjectives: siec heb ei llofnodi an unsigned cheque
siec heb ei llenwi a blank cheque
a broken window (' ... without its filling')
an unopened letter an unsolved problem
problem heb ei datf)'S
or as a complement of the verb 'to be': swyddog heb ei ethol an unelected official
this window is hroken
this letter is unopened
Welsh does not have true participles, but takes these Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg
for what they are: stative passives (where the state is the result
This parcel is badly wrapped.
previous action). If we look first at a dynamic passive:
I have three undelivered letters here.
(prcs.) Mae'r ffenest yn cacl ci thorri The garage roof is mended now.
(pret.) Gacth y ffenest ei thorri This bill is still unpaid.
(pert.) Mae'r ffenest wedi cael ci thorri I'd rather read a book aimed at native Welsh speakers.
The mistakes are all underlined.
we sec, of course, some form of cacl in each case. The cael serves
indicate the fact that a dynamic action has occurred or is occurrini.~
When we look at a window that has heen (wedi cacl) broken alreadv~
(the third example above). that action has already happened ,:·) lapio wrap
could have happened years ago), so in this case the action indicatof·] tanlinellu underline
(cael) is removed, so that
tn.,·sio mend, repair
Mae'r ffcncst wedi cael ei thorri
The window has been broken
become:;
Special uses of newydd
Mac'r ffenest wedi ei thorri In ordinary wedi- tenses (of which we have encountered the perfect
The window is broken and pluperfect- Lesson 12), you can replace the wedi by hewydd" to
indicate that the event has just happened. Compare:
Notice that the possessive + VN remain, and that mutation of the
VN will still depend on the gender and number of the noun in ques- Mac'r trydanwr wedi mynd The electrician has gone
tion- 'a broken table' will be bwrdd wedi ei dorri. because bwrdd is-. Mae'r trydanwr newydd Jynd The electrician has just gone
masculine. The possessives are usually shortened They've arrived
Macn nhw wedi cyrraedd
wedi: wedi'i thorrL wcdi'i dorri, wedi'u torri etc. They've just arrived
Maen nhw newydd gyrraedd
188 189 ~
In stative passives, newydd + possessive + VN is used to indicate erlid persecute arwyddo sign (vb)
situation that has only recently come about: siop newydd ei diniwed harmless treth (f) tax
a recently opened shop; ffigurau newydd eu datgan recently relea;ed f.lwirio insure dyledus due
figures.
Exercise 3
Sgwrs [J] Cywir neu Anghywir?
ALEo: Ti 'di clywed am Eifion? 1 Oedd y treth ar gar Eifion heb ei thalu. CIA
BRucE: Naddo - dw i newydd ddod yn 61 o Gaerfyrddin pnaWn"' 2 Doedd dim goleuadau cefn yn gweithio ar gar Eifion. Cl A
'ma. Beth sy wedi digwydd? 3 Oedd Bruce wedi bod yng Nghaerfyrddin. Cl A
A: Gafodd e ei stopio gan yr heddlu bore 'ma. 4 Cafodd Eifion ei roi yn y carchar am fis. Cl A
B: Do? Pam? Oedd e'n gyrru'n rhy gyftym fel arfer? 5 Docdd dim dogfenni 'dag Eifion pan stopiodd yr heddlu fe. Cl A
A: Nag oedd, nag oedd- doedd un o'r goleuadau cet'n 6 Doedd Bruce ddim wedi llofnodi'i drwydded. CIA
yn gweithio, a 'na pam stopion nhw fe.
B: We!. a bod yn onest, mcddwl dw i y dylai'r
dreulio'u hamser yn mynd ar 61 troseddwyr go iawn Sy(dd)- 'who/which is/are'
hytrach nag erlid pobol diniwed fel Eifion ...
A: le ... ond pan edrychon nhw ar ei ddogfenni, fc we\on In English we have special relative pronouns 'who'/'that' (for per-
fod y car hcb ei yswirio, a hynny ers wyth mis! sons) and ·which'/'that' (for things) that relate back to a previously
B: Wel, mae hynny'n warthus, rhaid i mi ddweud.
mentioned item:
A: Cytuno'n llwyr. Mae cyfrifoldeb arnon ni i gyd i wneud
siwr bud ni'n gyrru'n gyfreithlon, on·d oes? This is the man who tunes our piano for us
B: Oes. Ei roi yn y carchar am fis neu ddau sy eisiau. I've lost the instructions that come with this machine
(takes out his own documents)
Where, as in the above examples, a present tense follows the rela-
Edrych fan hyn, A led ... popeth fcl y dylai fod. tive pronoun in English, Welsh uses a special present tense relatil-'e
A: (has a casual look)
form of the verb hod that does the work of the relative as well as the
Popeth ond yr yswiriant, ti'n meddwl. verb. In speech it is usually sy, but in writing you will often
B; Beth!?
encounter it as sydd. It takes the place of the ordinary present tense
A: (has another, closer look)
when the relative pronouns are required in English.
Ac mae'r drwydded yrru heb ei harwyddo. Ac mae'r •
yn ddyledus ers tair wythnos ... Mae'r dyn ma'n trwsio'n ltOn ni
B: Well i mi fynd, Aled. Mae'r swyddfa bust yn eau am bump. This man is mending our phone
Dyma'r dyn sy'n trwsio'n ffOn ni
Geirfa This is the man who is mending our phone
Maen nhw'n siarad yr iaith yn rhugl
Caerf)Tddin Carmarthen gwarthus disgraceful
They speak the language fluently
golau (pl. goleuadau) light cyfrifoldeb responsibility
Dyna'r bobol sy'n siarad yr iaith yn rhugl
mynd ar 01 go after; chase l)'freithlon legal
Those are the people who speak the language fluently
troseddwr (-wyr) criminal ei roi , , , sy eisiau he needs putting
go iawn real; genuine carchar prison .'ltlae'r cyfarwyddiadau'n dod gyda'r peiriant
yn hytrach na rather than trwydded (f) li<.:encc The instructions come with the machine
 'I

190 191

Wi ddim yn deall y cyfarwyddiadau sy'n dod gyda'r peiriant

South North
I don't understand the instructions which come with the machin~
plur. 1 ein bunain ourselves ein hun
The same substitution occurs with 'who has. (done something){
2 eicb hunan yourself eich hun
etc., because this also involves the present tense of bod ( +
eicb bunain yourselves eich bun
Welsh:
3 cu hunain themselves eu bun
Mae'r parseli wedi cyrraedd
The parcels have arrived Pam na ddewch chi'ch bun?
Dyma'r parseli sy wedi cyrraedd Why don't you come yourself(/yourselves)?
These are the parcels which have arrived Pwylla, neu fyddi di'n brifo d)' hunan!
Careful no\v, or you'll hurt yourself!
Sy is also used in place of mae after the question-words Pwy , .
Mae'n debyg bydda i'n gorfod ffonio fo 'n hun
Whu ... ?. Bcth ... ? What ... ? and Faint •.• ? How many. ? when
these are th<:: subject of the sentence: I'll probably have to phone him myself
Gwnewch eich hunain yn gartrefol
Pwy sy wedi hod yn eistedd ar nghadair i? Make yourselves at home
Who's been sitting on my chair?

Exercise 4 How to say 'on my own' etc.

Turn these ordinary sentences into relative ones using Dyma , , . The forms for 'self' are used with ar ben in Colloquial Welsh to
Example: Mae'r fcrch ·ma'n siarad Cymraeg mean on ... own:
Dyma'r fcrch sy'n siarad Cymraeg ar ben 'n hunan on my own
ar ben d)' hunan on your own
Mae'r bobol 'ma wedi dad 1'ch gweld chi. on his own
ar ben ci hunan
2 Mae'r ddynes 'ma'n gofalu amy plant bob Nos Wener. on her own
ar ben ei hunan
3 Mac·r fath beth yn tueddu dig\vydd. on our own
ar ben ein hunain
4 Mae'r ani fail 'ma'n saL on your own (singular)
ar ben eich hunan
5 Mae'r car 'ma wedi torri i lawr. on your own (plural)
ar ben eich hunain
6 Mae'r teulu 'ma wedi prynu'r t9 drws ncsa. on their own
ar ben cu hunain
These are the u~ual forms in S areas. In the N, one form bun do~s
How to say 'myself', 'yourself' etc. the job of both bnnan and hunain. ln more formal Welsh you may
come across versions with a possessive before pen, and consequent
'Self' is hunan (singular), hunain (plural) inS areas, bun (singular or mutations, e.g. ar ei phen d hunan on her own.
plural) inN areas. It combines with the possessive adjectives:

South North
Turning adjectives into adverbs
smg. 1 'n hunan myself 'n hun You can make adverhs from adjectives (like adding ·-Jy' in English)
2 dy hunan yourself dy bun by putting yno before the adjective:
3m ci hunan himself ei bun
pendant defimte )n bendant definitely
3f d hunan herself ei hun
araf slow yn arahlowly
 "'~
I
192 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 193

cyflym quick yn gytlym quickly With the present tense of hod, the 'that'-dause is optional:
trwm heavy JD drwm heavily
agored open yn agored openly Prin bo ji'n cofio fe nawr
mawr big; great yn fawr greatly or Prin dw i'n cofio fe nawr I hardly remember him now

The same principle applies with the comparative, whether the-·

or the mwy (Lesson 11) type: How to translate 'become'
arafach slower yn arafach more slowly
mwy cyfforddus more comfortable There is no verb directly corresponding to 'become' in Colloquial
yn fwy cyfforddus more
- Welsh- instead the usual way of expressing a change of state is with
comfortably
mynd + yn':
Exercise 5 Mae Sioned yn mynd yn grac
Sioned's getting cross
Unscramble the following sentences: Mae'r peth 'ma wedi mynd yn wyrdd
1 dre ei cael newydd hagor yn wcdi mae llyfrgel\ y This thing has gone green
2 hyn chi eich fan dych ben? hun ar Sometimes dod yno is used, particularly where the change of state is
3 wedi popeth barod mae 'i yn drefnu viewed subjectively:
4 'ma wi hunan y moyn 'n 'n gwaith gwncud
5 eu docyn ·r dal gwerthu heb mac 'ma ddau yn Mi ddaw'n amlwg cyn hir
6 'i 'eh wedi chi ydy ? 'to telcdu drwsio It will soon become clear

Bron - 'almost' Another way of saying 'want to .. .'

To say 'I almost/nearly (did something)', use Oedd bron i mi + VN: Instead of using eisiau/moyn (Lesson 6), it is possible in Collo~uial
Welsh to use am'+ VN to mean ·want to (do something)":
Oedd bron iawn i mi syrthio I very nearly fell
Oedd bron i'r plant golli'r bws The children almost missed the Wi am drafod hyn 'da ti ymhellach ar ddiwedd y noson
I want to discuss this further with you at the end of the evening
bu'
Ocdd bron i Mercrid fynd Pwy sy am redeg y stondin teganau eleni?
Mererid almost went without
hebddon ni Who wants to run the toy stall this year?
u'
'Almost ... -ing' is bron a (optional AM; ag before vowels): Exercise 6
Oedd hi bron a llefain She was almost crying (S)
Oedd hi bron a chrio She was almost crying (N)
Convert these 'want' sentences from eisiau/moyn to am, or vice v.::rsa:
Example: Wi'n moyn talu a siec
- Wi am dalu a siec
Prin -'hardly', 'scarcely'
1 Dan ni eisiau gweld y dogfenni i gyd cyn penderfynu
This is usually followed by a 'that'-clause (Lesson 11): 2 O'n i am wneud yn siwr fod pawb yma (- moyn)
3 Dych chi'n moyn casglu'r papurau ar y £fordd adre?
Prin y gallcn ni ganiat:iu hynny We could hardly allow that 4 Maen nhw am ddatblygu eu sgiliau cyfathrebu (- eisiau)
";'.

.,_ -~.;.. .c'.:;,};>h·..

 > -~­
"
·r

194 ------------------------------------~' 195

5 Bydd Islwyn yn moyn cyfwcld a·r ymgeiswyr yn fuan hapus gwyn

6 Dw i eisiau dileu 'n enw i o'r rhcstr tlawd gwan
cryf cymhleth
Geirfa newydd trist
crwn petryal
dogfen (-ni) (f) document cy·fweld fi interview peryglus ea'
casglu collect ymgebwyr (pl.) applicants golygus hawdd
datbl)gu develop yn fuan soon dill. as cyfoethog
cyfathrebu communicate dilcu delete, remove caredig hen
da diogel
syml diddorol
Feminine and plural forms of adjectives an odd OC<

Which two were already paired off?

Some adjectives have different forms for use with feminine nouns."
The most common in Colloquial Welsh are (feminine forms
brackets): Y tafodieithoedd- the dialects (I)
gwyn (gwen) white byr (ber) short
Like most languages, Welsh comes in a variety of distinct, though
gwyrdd (gwerdd) green trwm (trom) heavy
similar, dialects. Terrain plays an appreciable part in whether
melyn (melen) yellow tlws (tlos) pretty
speakers from one area have an acen wahanol different accent or use
LTwn (cron) round cry(f) (cre(f)) strong
geiriau gwahanol drfferent words from those in another. Mynydd-dir
So we say, for example, nodyn byr a short note but stori fer a short) mountainous country- and there is plenty of that in Wales- hinders
story; crys gwyrdd a green shirt but ffrog werdd a green dress. . cyfathrebu communications (this has at least been true "Until oe" y
In the older language, many adjectives had plural forms for use;' cyfryngau torfol the age of the mass-media) and so encourages
either with plural nouns or as nouns in their own right. NowadayS. ' the natural process of linguistic change, because speakers from dif-
only a very few adjectives do this routinely, of which by far the ferent cymunedau communities do not get the chance to influence
common are (plural forms in brackets) arall (eraill) other, ifanc · each other's speech.
(ifainc) young, and bychan (bychain) small. But plural formations_, Much is made in Welsh of the gwahaniaeth difference between
(mostly in -ion) are found with other adjectives when they are used Northern and Southern dialecb. According to which type a native
as nouns: (cyfoethog) y cyfoethogion the rich: (marw) y meirw/ speaker is perceived to use, he or she will be regardt.:d and referred
meirwon the dead; (dall) y deillion the blind. to as a gog Northerner or a hwntw or sioni Southerner. This
You will also occasionally come across plural adjectives in set North/South divide is certainly a useful starting-point for the unini-
expressions- in Wales, listen for gwyntocdd cryfion strong winds on' tiated. and native speakers share this perception, even if it is a little
the weather forecasts! simplistic, based as it is broadly on certain pronunciation features;
once other factors such as grammar and vocabulary are taken into
Exercise 7 account, the overall picture becomes less clear-cut. The danger with
taking the North/South idea too far is that, for example, many
Pair off the adjectives: dialects (especially in central regions) sound Southern, but use
certain vocabulary items associated with the North. And there is
ysgafn drwg
certainly no single line where all 'northern' words ~top and ·south-
du hyll
ern' ones take over. For example, there are two words in ¥/elsh for
poeth trwm
·out': allan (classed as aN word) and mas (classed as aS word); also
 ~ --~

196 ~

there are two words for want: eisiau (N) and moyn (S); but you
well hear a speaker in mid-Wales use mas for ·out' but eisiau ·~
'want'. To see this (as some do) as an undesirable 'mixing' ~• "' 4 Tasai'ch brawd
and South is to fail to understand the nature of dialect in
which is that, as you move from North to South. the Welsh chanPPJ
gradually, constantly and by almost imperceptible degrees.
fan'ma ...
f
could just as easily claim, incidentally, that distinctively N and If your brother were here .
dialects represented divergences from a central norm. The truth
of course, that there is no norm, at least as far as the dialects
concerned. They are all different, and in this difference lies one
the most fascinating aspects of Welsh. They certainly
contribute to cyfoeth yr iaith the richness of the language.
In this lesson you will learn how to:
In the next lesson, we will be taking a look at some of the
teristics that mark out various dialects of Welsh. • say that something would happen
• say that you would do something if.
• talk about the person who does something
• talk about the likelihood of something happening

m
' Ceri and Gwyn bump into each other as they are looking for
Christmas presents for their wives
We!, wel ... Ceri Williams yn crwydro canal y dre, a hithau
heb nasi!
(irritably)
Cau dy ben, Gwyn, nei di? Dw i'n teimlo fel modi wedi
bod fan hyn ers y bore glas, ac dw i'n dal heb ddod o hyd i
anrheg Nadolig i Cathy.
'Na beth od body ddau ohonon ni'n digwydd cwrdd fan
hyn, 'te, a finnau'n gwneud yr un peth a ti!
C: Ti'n chwilio am rywbeth i Meleri, wyt ti? Wel, pob llwyddi-
ant- oes syniadau 'da ti o gwbwl?
G: Nag oes, fel arfcr- dim clem 'da fi be' hoffai hi. Ond gwranda
- gan bad ni wedi dod ar draws ein gilydd, beth am inni.
gydweithio, fel petai?
C: Syniad gwych ~ helpa di fi, ac fe helpa innau dithau, ti'n
meddwl?
G: 'Na yn union be' dw i'n feddwl.
(They go imo y siop agosa the nearest shop. Ceri instinctively
picks up a charming llif gadwyn drydanol electric chainsaw that is
 -~
:rl
198
199

both lliwgar colourful and rhesymol reasonably priced)

C: Sbia. Gwyn - mae hon yn rhesymol iawn ... llai nag South North
~
punt, gyda chyfarwyddiadau llawn! A each yw byddwn i bydden ni baswn i basen ni
Cathy, cofia. byddcch chi or: baset ti basech chi
byddet ti
G: We!, bydd yn onest, nawr, Ceri - fyddai honno'n 1awn byddai fe/hi bydden nhw basai fe/hi basen nhw
tithau, siwr iawn -and teimlo dw i na neith hi mo'r tro
hithau rywsut.
-
General principles for inflected verbs apply (see Lesson 7). You will
C: (knows deep down that Cwyn is right) frequently hear the has- forms without the ba-, so for example
le- ti'n iawn, wrth gwrs. Mcrched! 'Sdim plesio nhw, nag { 'sech chi for bascch chi.
oes? 'Tag·-questions can be made by placing On' before the full forms
G: Nag oes.
(with or without the pronouns):
(sees a notice in y siop gyferbyn the shop opposite)
Ond paid digalonni - mae 'na arwerthiant offer garddio~. Fydden nhw gartre erbyn hyn, un' bydden (nhw)?
ail-law draw fan'na! They would be home by now. wouldn't they?
C: I'r dim! Byddwn ni'n ffeindio rhywbeth addas iddi 'Sai fe o blaid, on' basai (je)'! ,
mae'n debyg. He'd be in favour. wouldn't he?
G: I Me!eri hefyd. Gall y ddwy helpu ei gilydd, on' gallan?
C: Gallan. A cofia - pan fyddwn ni wedi prynu'r anrhegion;
cadw'n dawel. Conditional of other verbs - 'I would (do
G: lawn- welest ti mono innau, a weles i monot tithau. something}'
Geirfa
Any other VN can be linked with the conditional of bod (by means
o[yn in the usual \vay) to form its own conditional:
crwydro wander dod ar draws ein gilydd
a hithau heb nosi bump into each other Byddwn i'n mynd I would go
and it's not even dark yet cydweithio co-operate Basech chi'n cyrraedd You would arrive
eau dy ben shut up fel petai as it were Fyddai hi'n cytuno? \Vould she agree?
y bore glas the early morning yn union exactly 'Sen nhw ddim eisiau 'ny They would not want that
'na beth od how funny/strange cyfamyddiadau (pi.) instructions And if you use wedi as the link-word. you get· ... would have (done
pob llwyddiant good luck gwneud y fro do the trick ·/· something)':
'.~dim clem 'da fi
digalonoi get down-hearted
I haven't a clue arwerthiant sale Byddwn i wcdi mynd I would have gone
gan (bod) since/as . offer equipment Basech chi wedi cyrracdd You would have arrived
ail-law second-hand addas suitable Fyddai hi wedi C)·tuno'! Would she have agreed?
'Scn nhw ddim wcdi eisiau 'ny They would not have wanted that

Conditional Exercise 1

There are two ways, depending on the region. of forming the con- Turn these sentences into conditionals- use the bydd- type for this
ditional of bod ('I would be', etc.). using different stems- bydd- or exercise.
bas-. Either way, the endings are the same as in dylwn i and gallwn Example: Mat.: Fred a Ron yn cytuno
i encountered in Lessons 8 and 10. Byddai Fred a Ron yn cytuno
!.
I

.l
 "

200 201

1 Dw i'n derbyn popeth dych chi'n ddweud. the implication is rather different - that in fact Ron is not here. In
2 Dych chi'n fodlon helpu? other words, the speaker would tell him if he could, hut as it is
3 Maen nhw'n gwadu'r cyhuddiadau. he can't. This is called a closed condition, while the two previous
4 Ydy Gwcn yn dod 'da ni? examples are open condition~. An open condition leaves 'open· the
5 Dyn ni ddim yn s6n am bethau felly. possibility that the 'if. .. ' element might happen; a closed condition
6 Oes rhaid i chi gael caniatftd i wneud hynny? implie~ that it will not, and that the whole idea is hypothetical.
Closed conditions in Welsh require a different word for 'if: pe.
Exercise 2 L'sing the bydd- set of conditional forms, we would say:
Pe byddai Ron fan hyn. fJddwn i'n dweud wrtho
Now turn the sentences in Exercise 1 above into conditionals
using the abbreviated has- type. Using the has- set of conditional forms, these turn into tas- after
the pe: pc taswn i ... if I were . .. , pe tasel ti •.• if you were . ... etc.
Example: Mae Fred a Ron yn cytuno
With many speakers. the pe itself is dropped, leaving the t- element
- 'Sai Fred a Ron yn cytuno
alone to convey the idea of 'if':
1
2
Tasai Ron fan'ma, 'swn i'n dweud wrtho
3 There are a number of other variants for clo~cd conditions in
4 Colloquial Welsh. The two explained here are line t'or S and N
5 respectively, but don't be surprised if you hear other forms- the pe
6 will be present to give you a clue.

Exercise 3
'If' with conditionals
Change the following open condition (os ••. ) sentences into closed
In Lesson 10 we saw that os is used for ·jf' with a following future conditions- use the bydd- conditional forms for this exercise. Pay
present. So we could say: attention to both halves of each sentence_
(talking about the future) Example: Os bydda i'n hwyr, bydd y gweddill yn aros
- Pe hyddwn i'n hwyr, byddai'r gwcddill yn aros
Os bydd Ron yno heno, weda i wrtho fe
If Ron is (lit. 'will be') there tonight, I'll tell him 1 Os bydd amser 'da ni. gewch chi chwarac ar y siglcnni.
2 Os byddan nhw'n cwyno. byddwn ni'n gorfod meddwl am ryw-
and
beth arall.
(talking about the present) 3 Os bydd y car yn torri lawr. bydd rhaid i mi gerdded.
4 Os gwela i fe. bydda i'n rhoi gwyhod i ti.
Os ydy Ron fan hyn rhwyle, ga i air ag e
5 Os eith pethau'n chwith. gallwn ni ailddechrau.
If Ron is here somewhere, I'll have a word with him
6 Os digwyddilh hynny. bydd y teulu i gyd yn siomedig .
Notice that the verb in the clause after the comma (saying what Will,,;
.~·'
actually happen 'iL .. ')is in the future in English. Now look at this 1• Geirfa
English example: ·
siglen (-ni) (f) swing rhoi gwybod i let . know
1f Ron were here, I would tell him
cwyno complain mynd yn chwith go wrong
In this case, the verb after the comma is not 'will' but 'would'. and gorfod be obliged to ailddechrau start again
 ·-··-~1

202 ~----------------------------------203

Exercise 4 speech with byddwn etc.

Change the following closed condition sentences into open .If someone makes a statement i.!bout the ruture ("I will buy a mobile
tions- for this excrci::.e, use the hod- future. . phone') and you then wish to report what was said, the future is
Example: Pc hyddwn i :yno, h:yddcn nhw'n gofyn i mi turned into the conditional. as in English:
If I \Verc there. they would ask me Sioned: Tll buy a mobile phone tomorrow'
Os bydda i yno, byddan nhw'n gofyn i mi [reported] Sioned said she would bur a mobile phone the next day
If I'm there, they will ask me
In this usage. the bJdd- type conditional is used rather than the
Pe byddet ti'n ymaelodi a·r clwb sboncen, byddwn i'n bas- type.
chwanw yn d' erbyn di.
2 Pe byddai ei phlant hithau'n perftormio heno, byddai 'n Sioned: 'Bydda i'n prynu ff6n symudol yfory·
ninnau'n perfformio hetyd. Wedodd Sioned y byddai hi'n prynu ffOn symudol y diwrnod
3 Pe bydden nhw'n mynd i'r Eida!, bydden ni'n mynd i Ffruinc. wedyn ,
4 Pe bydden m'n gallu. bydden ni'n dod.
5 Pc hyddech chi"n cad trafferth. bydden ni'n helpu.
6 Pe byddai Ad a Vie ar gad. byddwn i'n gofyn iddyn nhw.
'>; Report what the people said as indicated.
Geirfa Example: Gerwyn: 'Bydd hi'n bwrw glaw heno'
- Wedodd Gerwyn y byddai hi'n bwrw glaw heno
ymaeludi join (club, de.) sboncen ~4uash (game)
Mrs Williams: 'Bydda i'n mynd i'r dre'
Exercise 5 Iestyn: 'Bydd y siop ar gau'
Mcleri: 'Bydd y ddau ohonoch chi'n hwyr'
Imagine what you might do 1f the following six things came true, Rhys: 'Byddan nhw wedi mynd yn barod·
make two-part sentences with pe byddwn i'n ... , byddwn i'n . Aled: 'Fydd dim bwyd ar 61'
or taswn i'n .... ha~wn i'n •••. You can use negatives in the se con{; Gwenilh: 'Fydda i ddim yn gwneud ngwaith cartrc'
part if you like. of course. ·
Example: (ennill miliwn o bunnocdd) Extended pronouns (emphasis)
- Taswn i'n ennill miliwn o bunnocdd, baswn i'n m:ynd ar
daith o gwmpas y b:yd In addition to the ordinary pronouns (Lesson 3). Welsh has a set of
If I won a milhon pounds, I'd go on a trip round the extended versions used to convey emphasis or contrast:
world
cael ngwahodd i Balas Buckingham singular plural
2 gweld papur deg punt ar y palmant 1 innau, finnan, minnau ninnau
3 bod yn frcnin 2 tithau chithau
4 cti[eddu Ferrari coch 3m yntau, fintau. (N) fothau nhwthau
5 bod yn blemyn etu hithau
6 cael 'yn stopio gan yr heddlu am yrru·n rhy gyftym
 .---.,
204 { 205

You will not come across these all that often, but you
North
certainly be aware of them. You are quite likely to hear chithau
you wish someone Nadolig llawen Happy Chrisrmas, to which (we) together efo'n gilydd
set response is A chithau And (the same to) you (too). Thcv (you) together efo'ch gilydd
common in expressions of the type: • (they) together efo'i gilydd
a finnan (hefyd) me too
na finnau (chwaith) Oan ni isio hod efo'n gilydd
me neither
We want to be together
Dw i'n mynd i'r dre yfory. -A finnan Dych chi'n mynd gyda'ch gilydd?
I'm going to town tomorrow -Me too Are you going together? '
'tn ni ddim vn danfon cardiau Nadolig -:'lia ninnau Bydd rhaid iddyn nhw aros gyda'i gilydd amy tro
We don't send Christmas cards -l\"either do we r·n,..... ...... They'll have to stay together for now
A hithau .•• is sometimes heard in idiomatic Welsh with impersonal
expressmns (remember that hi i:, the pronoun used for ·'"h«trco.--,· :Exercise 7
it):
" Without translating, choose the right form for 'together· in the fol-
A hithau'n tynnu at saith o'r gloch, dJma benawdau'r newyddior •~.,;,.,,., sentence;;

(With) it getting on for seven o'clock, here arc the news headlines'
We want to be together (S)
Oedd hi bron yn amhosih, a hithau'n bwrw mor drwm
Are you two together? (N)
It was almost impossible. (with) it raining so heavily
We'll all go together when we go (N)
Hang my two platinum discs together over there, would you? (S)
All together now, smile for the camera! (S)
How to say 'each other'; and 'together' These two want to sit together (N)
The expression for ·each other' varies for person:
ein gilydd
eich gilydd
1st person (talking of us) m
2nd person (talking of you)
ei gilydd 3rd person (talking of them- but notice that the Si6n is trying to tell !euan about his eventful trip to town
spelling is the singular ei rather than the
S16N: Wel, yn gynta. ncs i barcio'n anghyfreithlon- oedd rhaid
eu - the pronounciation, of course, is 'i'
... oedd y !le mor !lawn. A dim ond am bum munud, cofia,
case)
wrth i mi brynu rhywbeth .
Fyddwn ni'n hclpu'n gilydd We will help each other IEuAN: Be' ddaru ti brynu, 'ta?
Dach chi'n rhy hell o'ch gilydd You're too far away from each S: Nes i brynu hogydd pensil, ac wedyn nes i fynd yn syth yn 61
other i'r car ...
Maen nhw'n cas:iu ei gilydd They hate each other I: Faint ddaru ti da\u?
S: Faint nes i dalu am beth?
·Together' is done is Colloquial Welsh by saying ·with each other',
I: Am yr hogydd pensil. Dw i isio gwybod- ddaru mi golli 'n
using either gyda (S) or efo (N)- the principle of varying for person
still applies. So: un i ddoe.
S: 0 . nes i dalu pedair punt a nawdeg ceiniog, dw i'n
meddwl. Ac yna nes i weld heddwas yn sefyll wrth ochor y
car. a naeth o ..
 ,.-~~~

'
206 207

r, Pedair punt a nawdeg ceiniog am hogydd pensil!? Ddaru :Both these alternatives are exactly the same in meaning as the
brynu set gyfan o bensiliau, gan gynnwys hogydd pensil, ,inflected preterite:
lai na hynny wythnos diwetha!
s, le .. Wel, naethon nhw ddweud 'tha i yn y siop fad (Fc/Mi) Werthes i hanner dwsin
pethau 'ma'n hrin ofnadwy ar hyn o bryd. Ond. fel o'n Nes i wcrthu banner dwsin
dweud, mi naeth yr heddwas . Ddaru mi werthu banner dwsin (N)
r, Ddaru nhw weld ti'n dod. l sold half a doten

Geirfa Exercise 8

anghyfreithlon illegal Change the preterite in each sentence into the alternative form
gan gynnwys including
hogydd sharpener llai less
indicated. You may need the glossary at the back for some of the
'nun i my one; mine prin scarce verbs.
cyfan whole; complete ofnadwy awful Example: Codon ni d9 newydd wrth droed y rhiw (ddaru)
(after adj :awfully .. ) - Ddaru ni godi t9 ncwydd wrth droed y rhiw
1 Gofynnes i iddi hi am ddod yn 61 wedyn (ddaru)
Alternative ways of forming the preterite 2 Mi gollodd o ei swydd mis diwetha (ddaru)
3 Arhoson nhw yma am dair wythnos (gwneud)
Instc<-1d of using the inflected preterite (Lesson 9), you can use the 4 Pwy dynnodd y llun 'ma? (ddaru)
preterite of gwncud (nes i I did etc.) with a following verb noun. So 5 Faint archeboch chi? (gwncud)
instead of saying I saw (gweles i etc.), you can say 'I did see'. This 6 Fe ofales i amy plant (gwneud)
way, the preterite of an ordinary verb like gweld looks like this:

singular plural
Expressing likelihood- 'probably', etc.
nes i weld 1 saw naethon ni weld we saw To say that something is probably the case, use the phrase mae'n
2 nest ti weld you saw naethoch chi weld you saw debyg ('it is likely/probable') either at the beginning of the sentence
3 naeth e/hi weld he/she saw naethon nhw weld they saw and followed by a that-clause (Lesson 11), or tagged onto the end of
the sentence as it is. You cannot put it in the middle in the way that
The questions forms will be the same but with different intonation the adverb probably can he used in English.
(Nes i weld? Did l see?), and the NEG forms will have a ddim and
an unmutared V::'-J (Nes i ddim gweld I didn'r see). Mae'n debyg hod hi'n mynd i fwrw pnawn 'ma
InN regions of Wales, an even simpler alternative preterite is in or Mac hi'n mynd i fwrw pnawn 'ma, mae'n debyg
common use. involving the auxiliary ddam. This is invariable for It's probably going to rain this afternoon
person, and is followed by subject+ "VN: Mae'n debyg y b}·dd y gweddill )'D dod qn hir
or Bydd y gweddill yn dod cyn hir, mae'n debyg
singular plural The re~t of them will probJbty be along soon
ddaru mi weld I saw ddaru ni weld we saw If you want to say that something seems to he the case, or is appar-
2 ddaru ti weld you saw ddaru chi weld you saw ently so. use the phrase mac'n ymddangos ('it appears') in the same
3 ddam o/hi w·cld he/she saw ddaru nhw weld they saw way:
208 209.
r
i

Mae'n ymddangos na fydd digon o amser 'da ni used with the preterite (also with the nes i and ddaru alternative
or Fydd dim digon o amser 'da ni, mae'n ymddangos preterites explained above).
It seems we won't have enough time
Examples:
Mae'n ymddangosfod popeth dan reolaeth bellach
Mae popeth dan reolacth bellach, mae'n ymddangos Dw i byth yn siarad Saesneg a hi
Everything is apparently under control now I never speak English to her
In more formal written Welsh you may see mae'n ymddangos as
Dw i erioed wedi siarad Saesneg hi a
I have never spoken English to her
ymddeng_vs.
Welwn ni hyth monyn nhw 'to
Remember that efallaiperhaps, hwyrachperhaps (N), and gobeithio We'll never see them again
(I) hope, hopefully work in exactly the same way as mae'n debyg Welcs i erioed y fath lanast
and mae'n ymddangos. I never saw such a mess

Exercise 9 Dyma'r gaea gwactha erioed

This is the worst winter ever
Inject a little doubt into these bald statements by prefacing them Dolffinod Miami am byth!
(you will need 'that'-clauses) with the words indicated. Miami Dolphins for ever!
As one~word answers, byth and erioed mean Never:
Example: Mae'r swyddfa docynnau ar gau erbyn hyn. (debyg)
- Mae'n dcbygfud y swyddfa docynnau ar gau erbyn hyn Y dy e'n sgrifennu a tat ti? Byth.
Does he write to you? !\'ever.
1 Dan ni'n mynd i fod yn hwyr. (ymddangos) "{"
Wyt ti wedi hod mewn ysbyty? Eriocd.
2 Dylech chi ymddiheuro. (efallai)
Have you been in hospital? Never.
3 Maen nhw'n dal i fod yn aros amdani. (de by g)
4 Mae hi'n rhy hwyr. (efallai)
5 Bydd y g\vaith papur "da chi yfory. Exercise 10
(debyg)
6 Does dim caws ar 6! yn yr oergell. (ymddangos)
Answer with an indignant 'Never!' to the following outrageous
accusations. (Be really indignant - can't you see it is your cOd
Geirfa
anrhydedd code oflwnour that is being impugned here?):
ymddihcuro apologise oergell (t) fridge "'' 1 Dych chi wedi dweud celwydd?
gwaith papur paperwork 2 Dych chi'n darllen y Financial Times?
·f·
3 Fyddet ti'n mynd i Bangkok?
4 Fuoch chi erioed yng Nghanada?
'Ever' and 'never' 0· 5 Fasech chi wedi talu treth y pen?
6 Wyt ti'n siarad Saesneg yn y Llew Du?
These two words are not distinguished in Welsh- context makes 7 Ydy'ch chwaer yn mynd all an gyda llyfrgc\lwyr? _ __
plain which is appropriate in English. But there are two words to g Wyt ti'n cribo dy wallt yn y bore?
choose from, depending on the type of sentence.
Byth means ever/never with tenses formed with yn + VN. Geirfa
Erioed means ever/never with tenses formed with wcdi + VN. :"--
celwydd lie trcth y pen the poll tax
y
As for inflected tenses, byth is used with the future, while erioed is llyfrgellydd librarian cribo comh (vb)
 ~,

210-------------------------------
Y tafodieithoedd- the dialects (11)

There is no denying that even b.::ginner~ in the language can 5 Cefn gwlad
hear the difference in accent between a speaker from the far
and one from the far South- the Welsh spoken in, .~ay, Bangor The countryside
Barry (Y Barri) does ~ound very differen1. Then again, this is
expected anyway because they are at geographically opposite
(the same is true of the English of Caergaint
Caerliwelydd Carlisle and Caeredin Edinburgh). On the other
spotting differences between, say. Aberaeron and Cardigqil_j
(Aberteifi) requires much closer examination (though natives
area would probably have little difTiculty). Seen objectively. the _, In this lesson you will learn:
enc..: is not really that great. It is more a question of accent. indudin~
ynganu pronunciation and goslef mfonation. than anything else. · • a more formal way of doing the passive
factors. in decreasing order of imponancc, are geirfa • how to put special emphasis on a particular idea
gramadeg f{rammar and cystrawen sentence-structure. As a • more about compound sentences
ddJfodiad newcomer to the language. you will be ymwybodoi
dialect primarily at the pronunciation and intonation level.
Listen for the distinctive pronunciation of u in most :-J dialects
it sounds yuite unlike i (in the S they are indistinguishable) Cefn Gwlad is a term you will hear a lot of in Wales -it means
verges more towards a French u but with unrounded lips. If 'countryside'. and for many it epitomi~es the unique character of
have the ca~settc, there are examples of words with this sound pro-~­ lhe country in the same way as the language speaks for its people.
nounced by a North-Walian and a South-Walian for you to listen to}"· There are many organi~ations dedicated to conserving (gwarchod)
and compare. You may also notice a greater preponderance of -a""7·· and, where necessary, dcf.onding (amddiffyn) this aspect of Wdsh
inN speech: not only are the plural marker-au und the verb-endini]l. life - one of them is the Countryside Council for Wales. C)·ngor
-ai pronounced -a, but many N regions turn unstressed -e- in Cefn Gwlad Cymru. Here are some short item~ trom th~ir newspa-
final syllable into -a-: rhcdeg sounds like rhedag, halen like hala... ~: per A.dtlifl}' Ddraig ("Dragonwing'). You will see cert<~in verb-form~
Typically S pronunciation features arc: ':® you have not yet encountered - with the he'lp of the vocabularies
provided, try and get the gist of these pieces before going on to the
plural marker -au and verb-ending -ai pronounced -e;
chw- at the ~tart of a word often reduced to hw- or even w-:
grammar. m
wcch for chwcch, warae for chwarae Mac arolwg a gomisiynwyd gan y Cyngor Cefn Gwlad yn dangos
fod yna 81 o safleoedd yng Nghymru llc gellid agor chwareli, o gan-
and if you live in Sir Benfro Pemhroke in the south-west corner of lyniad i ganiatii.d a roddwyd yn ystod y pedwardcgau . .\1ae·r rhan
Wales, you may hear a number of unusual pronunciations, notably fwyaf o·r safl.eoedd mewn ardaloedd a gafudd cu dynodi ohcrwydd
we for oe: so m!dd hi for oedd hi, lvi's for oes, and so on.
pwysigrwydd eu tirlun neu eu bywyd gwyllt.
This is a big subject- but the important things to remember about
the dialects as far as you are concerned arc to take them in your
Geirfa
stride- they are not that different from each other on the whole. and
not to let anyone tell you the dialects are ·not real Welsh' or, even arolwg survey o ganlyniad i as a result of
worse. that they are "had Wcbh'.l'<'obody would tell a Yorbhireman dynodi earmark (vb)
comisiynu commission (vb)
that about his dialect of Engli~h. would they'~ l'<'ot unlc~s they were
saHe (-oedd) site tirlun landscape
very haerllug cheeky and/or hunanddinistriol suicidaL.
chwarel (-i) (f) quarry bywyd gwyllt wildlife
 ·---__,.,..

212
213

Mae'r Cyngor Cefn Gwlad yn awyddus i glywed gan LLnrhyw ~archodfa (-feydd) reserve (n) ar y gweill in the pipeline
fodlon cynorthwyo mewn arolwg fel y gellir casglu mwy o , casgliad collection
daeth am y pathew. Cafwyd dirywiad mawr yn nifer y pathev;
oherwydd torri coctiroedd, plannu conifferau a rheoli coetiroe
mewn dull anaddas. Gellir adnabod y creadur bychan wrth ei K._,
fon flewog drwchus, ei ffwr tywodliw a'i lygaid duon chwyddedig .. partneriaid y Cyngor Cefn Gwlad i holi Aelodau ac
.. .. _ swyddogion mewn tri chyfarfod cyhoeddus a gynhelir yng
Geirfa ;:r\J"ghaerdydd, Y Drenewydd a Llandudno. Bydd cyfte hefyd i drafod
awyddus keen, eager {j.baglen stratcgol y Cyngor.
adnabod recognise
cynorthwyo help, assist bychan little
pathew (-od) dormouse cynffon (f) tail
dirywiad deterioration blewog furry rgwahodd invite 9fle chance, opportunity
coetir (-oedd) woodland trwchus thick strategol strategic
rheoli manage tywod sand
dull method, manner Uiw colour
anaddas unsuitable chwyddedig bulging
fAiternative forms of the passive
-.We saw in Lesson 13 how, in Colloquial Welsh, the usual way of
Os dewch chi ar draws pysgodyn anghyffredin. neu bysgod
, forming the passive is by using cael + possessive + VN. But more
mannau annisgwy\, hoffai'r Cyngor Ccfn Gw!ad gacl gwybod
~formal styles of Welsh -notably the media and Literary Welsh-
Mewn cynllun ar y cyd a Chymdcithas Bywydeg y M6r,
~-frequently use an inflected impersonal (or autonomous) form of the
Cyngor yn casglu gwybodaeth ynghylch dosbarthiad yr hoU _ ~
··· The two most common endings arc:
sy'n byw yn y m6r a'r aberoedd yng Nghymru. Mae cardiau cofnod'i
Cymraeg ar gael o'r cykiriad a roddir uchod. -wyd past tense •
-ir present or future tense
Geirfa
·o These endings arc added to the stem of the verb in the normal way.
dud ar draws come <Jcross bywydeg biology ·~ They are invariable for person. If a subject is stated, they corre-
pysgodyn (pysgod) fish dosbarthiad distribution spond exactly to the passive with cael. Examples:
anghyffredin unusual boil' all
t:ynUun plan cofnodi record (vb) anafwyd dyn a man was injured
ar y cyd joint(ly) uchod above [spoken: cafodd dyn ei anafu]
gwerlhWJd y t9 the house was sold
m [spoken: cafodd )' t9 ei werthu]
Ar hyn o bryd, mae ·r Cyngor Cefn Gwlad yn ceisio trosglwyddo trefnir cyfarfodydd yn gyson
mwy o wybodaeth i'r cyhocdd ynghylch Gwarchodfeydd Natur , meetings are (or will be) regularly organised
Ccnedlaethol. Darparwyd byrddau hysbysrwydd newydd, ac mae ~t: [spoken: mae (orhydd) CJfarfodJdd JO cael eu trcfnu'n gyson]
cynllun ar y gweill i gyhoeddi casgliad o ffeithiau diddorol am yr " They can also be used on their own without a stated subject. in
hall Warchodfeydd yng Nghymru. which case they corrcsond to impersonal expressions with 'It is/
Geirfa was ... ed':
Dywedir fod .•• It is said that .
trosglwyddo transmit; pass on bwrdd board
Honnir fod ••• It 1s claimed that .
ynghylch about; concerning hysbysrwydd information
Drwgdybir fod .•. It is suspected that ...
214----------------------------~ 215
Disgwylir fod •.• It is expected that
This device is very common on the media, as are the -wyd
endings generally. vehicle tyw~'soge~ ( r) princess

Cafwyd, the -wyd form of cael, is frequently used in the digwyddiad event
mean There has been ... or even There has happened chwalu destroy
ymateb da There has been a good response. yn 1nfangwbwl completely
The-ir ending is unusual in that it can affect the form of the taflegryn missile
when it is added. If the last vowel of the stem is -a-, this is
to-e- when the-ir is added:
darpar-u provide
~iarad ~peak
darpedr
siaredir
rn
tal-u pay telir has a crisis (argyfwng) on Ius hands
cadw keep (con~onantal w) cedwir
Beth sy'n bod, Gwyn?
Fe gynhelir y cyfarfod nesafwythnos i heddiw Wi'n ffili ffeindio'r allweddi. Maen nhw ar gall fel arfer.
The next meeting will be held a week today Fe ddylet ti vvneud fel fL cariad, a rhoi nhw"n syth yn yr un
Fe delir eich cyflog yn uniongyrchol i'ch banc lle hob tro wrth ddod i mewn.
Your salary will be paid direct to your hank Ydy hi'n anodd. Sian?
Siaredir Cymraeg yma Beth. nawr? ,
Welsh (is) spoken here
Bud yn berffaith mewn byd sy mor bell o fad yn berffaith.
Darperir lluniaeth ysgafn
Wi"n ymdopi. A 'sdim eisiau bod yn bigog, Gwyn, oes e?
Light refreshments will he provided Nawr, 'te . efallai taw yn y gegin maen nhw. Beth am
Note also the useful gellir one can, and (with a different ending' edrych fan'na'.'
gellid one could and dylid one ought to. ·-'-'· Wi wedi chwilio tan'na'n barod.
Remember that these endings belong to more formal Welsh- Ti 'di mynd i weld ydyn nhw yn y lolfa, 'te?
will see them written, and you will hear them on the media, but ·- (Gwyn got's to look and comes back unsuccessful)
should avoid them in everyday conversation. t. S: We\, rhaid bod nhw'n rhywle.
G: We!, diolch yn fawr iawn. iawn amy cyfraniad pwysig 'na.
Exercise 1 Sian. Fe wyddon ni o leia fod yr allw~ddi'n debyg o fod rhy-
wle. Wi'n teimlo'n well o lawer yn barod.
Turn the following impersonal sentences into their colloquial Ti'n mynd yn grac nawr, Gwyn. Ti wastad fel hyn pan ti'n
versions. ffili derbyn taw ti sy ar fai. Alia i weld yn sylh drwyddat ti.
G: 0. gad lonydd i fi, nei di?
Example: Fe gynhelir y gystadleuaeth bob blwyddyn (sits down for a minute to think)
Mae'r gystadleuacth yn cae/ ei chynnal bob blwyddyn Nawr, 'te. Gad i mi feddwl.
1 Fe drefnir yr ail gem ar gyfer y pumed o tis Tachwcdd S: Paid gorwneud pethau, cariad.
2 Stopiwyd dros ugain o gerbydau ar y ffordd i'r Bala (while struggling not ro split his sidt's laughrng at this, Gwyn suddenly
3 Lansiwyd ymgyrch newydd dros hawliau dynol yn Llundain ddoe remembers)
4 Agorir y llyfrgell newydd yn swyddogo! gan y Dywysoges yfory G: Aros eiliad- ncs i roi'r allwl':ddi i ti, un'do?
5 Fe dynnir lluniau o'r digwyddiad gan ein ffotograffydd S: Naddo!
6 Chwalwyd yr adeilad yn gyfangwbwl gan y taflegryn G: Do! Fi agorodd y drws .
 --,.,

216 ------------------------------------------- 217

S: le .. . be focused on by putting them first in the sentence, displacing the

G: ... a fi ocdd yn gorfod nO! gweddill y pethau o'r car. into second place:
S: Ie .
(a) Gartre mae Dylan heno place - V - S - time
G: Ac yn y cyfamser, ti oedd yn gofalu am yr allweddi!
(b) Heno mae Dylan gartre time-V-S- place
S: ... 0, ie.
(c) Dylan sy gartre he no S- V- place- time
G: Ac erbyn i mi ddod yn 61, oeddet ti wedi rhoi nhw.
S: ... yn 'y mhoccd. The sense of each of these focused versions is as follows:
(Si{in, realising the enormity of her guilt, produces yr eitemau sy
(a) Dylan is at home tonight(, not out on the town)
sylw the items in question)
(b) Dylan is at home tonight(, not tomorrow night)
Mae'n ddrwg 'da fL Gwyn. Rhaid mod i wedi rhoi
(c) It's Dylan who is home tonight(, not Ronnie)
fan'na heb feddwL
G: (magnanimous in victory) Popeth yn iawn, cariad. The italicised (focused) ideas in the English correspond to what
sy'n coginio heno. comes first in the Welsh equivalents. Notice, incidentally. in sentence
''(c) that mae cannot be preceded by its own subject (it is unique in this
Geirfa ··:respect), and must be changed for sy(dd) in these circ~mstances.
the Sgwrs above, Gwyn says Fi agorodd y drws, meaning ·I
allwedd (-i) (f) key crac cross, angry not you) opened the door' ~he is making that point that it
fel arler as usual wastad always wasn't Siiin. but him. If he had said Agores i'r drws, that would
yr un lie the same place derb)TI accept simply mean 'I opened the door' (and then I did something else,
anodd difficult gad lon)·dd i fi leave me alone and then something else happened, and so on)- this would be the
perlfaith perfect gurwneud overdo neutral sentence with the verb first, and it simply answers the very
byd world yn y q·famser in the meantime vague and non-specific notional question Be' ddigwyddodd? What
pell far gofalu am look after happened? The focused version here answers a much more specific
pigog touchy coginio cook notional question: Pwy agorodd y drws? Who opened the door?
q·franiad contribution Notice also that whenever the subject of an inflected verb is focused
in this way. the verb is put in the 3rd person singular (with SM)
regardless (so not: Fi agores y drws).
Focus l:C When a pronoun is the focused element in the sentence, it Js
often (though optionally) preceded by y: Y fi .•• It is I who .
As we saw quite early on, the usual order of words in a Welsh;;~. Y nhw ••. It is they who .
sentence is: verb first. then subject, then whatever else is needed,
This is the 'neutral' order of words in Welsh. For example: · Exercise 2
Mae Dylan gartre hcno V-S -place- time
Find and underline all the focused words or phrases in the Sgwrs.
simply makes a statement- 'Dy!an is at home tonight'. But some- 1
times we wish to focus in on a particular part of the sentence.
might wish to make the point that Dylan is at home tonight and
somewhere else. The usual way of doing this in English is by Tum the following neutral (verb first) sentences into focused ones,
nation. The usual way in Welsh is by altering the word-order- putting the item(s) in italics first. Watch out for sy!
you want to focus on something. you put it first in the sentence
Example: Mae Reggie yn gwncud y siopa
place we usually expect the verb to be in Welsh). So any of the con_--,:~;
- Reggie sy'n gwneud y siopa
stituents (subject, place or time in the above neutral sentence)
218------------------------------~
219
1 Wcdon nhw hynny
2 Bydda i gartre trwy'r dydd Lewis sydd yn dod i os am lwyddo. Fe fydd y gem
3 Mac Buzz ac Amanda yn byw fan hyn Arfau yng Nghaerdydd gynta'n cael ei dangos yn fyw
Hydref. o'r Maes Cenedlaethol Ddydd
4 Mae Alun, Lifian ac Osian wedi danfon y cerdyn "m a
gan Cymru dair gem Mercher am 7.25pm, gyda
5 Byddwn ni"n rhcdeg y stondin planhigion eleni
6 Tales! ti'r bil ar 61 yn ei hymgyrch i sylwebaeth gan lan Gwyn
rowndiau terfynol Hughes.
There are three focused sentences in the following piece prcviev _.._. , y Byd yn yr Unol
a new series of a sports programme on the Welsh language Daleithiau. Rhaid ennill y tair Sbec (Western Mai/)
channel S4C. See if you can spot them- look out for sentences
don't begin with the verb.
The Welsh in this piece is basically colloquiaL apart from
("' gan + ni- gynnon ni in Colloquial Welsh). and a more o ar y gweill in the pipe1ine
application of AM (e.g. a pheJ-droed where many native ~
shorten; get shorter cyfuno combine
would say a pCI-droed). Sec how much you can get the gist
·cold (n) yr hyn the thing (that) . .: what.
by reading it through quickly a couple of times. Then use
(f) stone yn ogystal fi as well as
vocabulary to help you out.
p.l\1-droed football dadansoddi analy~e
break: time off golwg look (n)
Lie Cymru ar faes chwarae'r byd
achlysur (-on) occasion
i dod praise: renown megis like(= colloquial fel)
Mae'r plant yn 61 yn yr ysgol, Ond er ma1. rvgb1. a phel~-· "-·.
' .,.
___cyfarw)·dd fam1. mr arf(-au) arm [weapon]
mae'r dyddiau'n byrhau ac droed yw pn. f gvnhahaeth
· . . · cvfres · (f) senes ymgyrch campaign
mae 'na oerni yn yr awyr yn y rhaglen, bydd cyt1e ".1 edrych a·,· hydlenth g terfynol final
boreau. Ydi, mae'r Haf yn eau, chwaraeon gwahanol hefyd: · - ~- 0 hyn •vmlaenhfrom . now on llwyddo succeed
a'r Hydref ar gMreg ein drws pencampwr c hamp10n )TI fyw live [broadcasting]
medda1. Huw Bevan, go!ygydd' · f ,
ni. Mae chwaraewyr rygbi a - i$ ., rif gynhaliaet m am ar.._ cenedlaethol national
y rhaglen. 'Mae'n dibvnnu bet~bJ."af. ,-P d.
phel-droed wedi cael eu seib- -
sydd • ,
ar y gweill, •
meddJ.J, • ,
on o . • . golygydde
- 1tor sylwehaeth (f) commentary
iant yn yr haul ac yn barod i gan fod gennym fwy u amser ar
ddechrau tymor newydd o gys- y rhaglen fe fyddwn yn galh.li.,- Exercise 4
taJlu am glod a chwpanau. cyfuno ychydig o'r hyn y
Huw LlyweJyn Davies a dai Y Maes Chwarae yn True or False?
Gareth Roberts, cnwau cyfar- ar ei 61.' Mae hyn yn golygu
wydd iawn ym myd rygbi a 1 The football season will be opened by Cardiff and Bangor T/F
edrych ymlcten ctt yr hyn sydd i ,_ 2 Tocyn Tymor wil! deal exclusively with rugby and football T/F
phel-Jroed; fydd yn cyflwyno ddod yn ogystal ag cdrych yn 3 Glamorgan had a good crickcting year last year TIF
yng nghyfres newydd Tocyn 61 a dadansoddi'r hyn sydd 4 Bruno and Lewis will b~ in Cardiff in November TIF
Tymor, a fydd yn awr o hyd ar wedi bod. 5 Tocyn Tymor will be an hour long every weekend TIF
nos Sadwrn o hyn ymlaen. Y Can fod Morgannwg wedi fi Wales need three a\vay wins to qualify fur the World Cup T/F
pencampwyr Llanelli yn erbyn bod mor llwyddiannus eleni yn
Pontypwl fydd yn dechrau'r y byd criced, bydd golwg yn 61
tymor; gyda Inter Cardiff yn Exercise 5
dros y tymor, a golwg hefyd ar
erbyn Bangor yn agor y tymor acl1lysuron arbennig megis y
pel-droed. Rearrange these scrambled sentences for the dialogue to.. ··make
G."
ffcit fawr rhwng Frank Bruno a sense:

·o~ .. -.,o •.. c· .. "

220 221

A: olchi mi ? nei 'r i di llestri Wyddost ti (often shortened to 'sti) and wyddoch chi (often short-
B: nhw ond olchodd fi ! neithiwr ' ened to 'ddchi) are the N equivalents of S timod, chimod y'know:
A di nh\v hefyd we!. olchi gelli he no
'Sdim isio gweiddi, 'sti There's no need to shout, y'know
B: tost pen fi 'da mac
Exercise 6
gwybod - 'know' ·.": Convert the inftected gwybod forms into their bo'd + VN equiva-
lents.
This verb is used when speaking of knowing a fact (as opposed to
person). It has a number of peculiaritie~. . Example: Wyddost ti be' ddigwyddodd?
The VN is widely pronounced as gwbod. In many ways it acts as 't - Wyt ti'n gwybod be' ddigwyddodd?
normal VN, but being a stative verb, it cannot form a preterite
1 Be' -$lyr o am wleidyddiaeth?
because knew does not imply completed action. Instead the imper Wyddet ti fod Sian am fod yn athrawes?
feet is used~ where English says 'I knew thaf, Welsh says O'n ·
Dw i wedi caelllond bol o'r sothach 'ma, wyddost ti.
gwybod hynny ·r was knowing that'.
4 Gwn i am rywun allai helpu chi.
Gwybod is unusual in having alternative inlkcted forms for 5 Wydden nhw ddim byd amdani.
present and imperfect: 6 Fe wyddai fe'n union beth oedd angen.

present imperfect Geirfa

sing. 1 gwn i I know gwyddwn i J knew
gwleidyddiaetb (f) politics bol (or bola) belly
2 gw)'ddost ti you know gwyddet ti you knew
llond.-.a . . ful sotbach rubbish (figurative)
3 g<Vyr e/hi he/she knows gwyddai fe/hi he/she knew
pl. 1 gwyddon ni we know gwyddcn ni we knew
2 gw:yddoch chi you know gwyddech chi you knew
3 gwyddon nhw they know gwydden nhw they knew
'cannot'
For 'I cannot (do something)'. you can of course use the NEG forms
So. for example. gwn i is another way of saying dw i'n gw}'bod. and
of gallu or medru: Alia i ddim/Fedra i ddim or Dw i ddim yn gallu/
gwyddwn i is another way of saying o'n i'n gwybod.
Dw i ddim yn medru. But where 'cannot' implies physical inability,
Exumples of usage: Colloquial Welsh has an alternative construction using AFF methu
fail (ffili in some S areas):
Wyddech chi fod Aiun yn s:li? Did you know Alun was ill?
Alia i ddim gweld y sgrin o fan hyn
Several set phrases use the inflected forms: Hyd y gwn i As far as I
or Dw i'n methu gweld y sgrin o fan hyn
know/am aware; Am wn i For all f know; Pwy a *yr? Who knows?
'i or: Wi'n ffili gweld y sgrin o fan hyn (S)
The very useful phrase 'I don't know' is heard variously as I can't see the screen from here
Dw i ddim yn gwybod .,,1 Exercise 7
Dwn i ddim (N)
Dwn 'im (N)
Go back to the Sgwrs above and say whether the following arc
Sa i'n gwybod (S)
So fi'n gwybod (S) Cywir neu Anghywir?
·.~
222 223

1 Mac Gwyn yn ffili dodo hyd i'w allwcddi. C/A_,-;- 3 I want to know wheth.::r you can see that sign over there.
2 ~[ae Gwyn yn ffili meddwl lie gallcn nhw fod. C/A .. 4 I can't say definitely whether Alcd will succeed or not.
3 Mae Siii.n yn ffili gwcld drwy Gwyn o gwbwl. CIA 5 I'm not sure if term has started yet.
4 Mae Siftn yn ffili de all taw hi sy ar fai am hyn oil. CIA 6 We'll have to find out if you're telling the truth, won't we?
5 Mae Gwyn yn ffili ffeindio'r gegin hyd yn oed. C/A '
6 Mae SiJ.n yn ffili ymdopi a bod yn berff<~ilh. C/A--:l:;,, Geirfa

arwydd sign (n) tymor term

Indirect questions and 'whether' pendant definite darganfod di5cover; find out
Jlwyddo succeed gwir truth
These involve 'whether' (interchangeable with "if) in English: I'm •.• neu beidio . or not
not sure whether they will come (direct question: ·Will they come?');
Go and ask whether Jeuan is intending to go as well (dirc:ct question>
"Is Ieuan intending to go as well?') The underlying direct question . rhaid bad ... 'must' (supposition)
is important, because Colloquial Welsh simply forms the indirect
ver~ion from this by placing ao before it. You should note that. in- When rhaid must implies obligation. we follow it with i + subject +
normal speech. this a is not heard. though the following SYII~- VN (Lesson 8). But sometimes 'musf implies supposition: 'He must
be home by now· (i.e. ·I am sure that he is home by now'). 'You
Dw i ddim yn siwr (a) fyddan nhw'n barnd mewn pryd must be out of your mind' (i.e. 'you certainly look to me like you are
I'm not sure if(= whether) they'!! be ready in time mad'). In these cases, rhaid is used with a hod 'that'-clause (review
Dos i ofJn (a) ydy Ieuan ~'n bwriadu m}"nd hefyd Lesson 11 if you are not sure about this).
Cio and ask if(""' whether) Ieuan is intending to go as well
Rhaid fod e gartrc erb)·n hyn
1\otice that os if is not used in indirect question~. even though 'if' is Rhaid bod chi o'ch eo'
perfectly acceptable in English-· os is restricted to open conduions
(see Lesson 10). Exercise 9
Further examples:
Cyfieithwch i'r Gymraeg. You will have to decide in each case which
Cer i ofyn (a) ydyn nh\\''n moyn dod 'da ni construction to use with rhaid.
Go and ask i( they want to come with us
Dw i ddim }'D siwr (a) ddylen ni ddeud wrtho ncu beidio You must be mad!
rm not sure whether we ~hould tell him or not 2 He must be home by now.
Oan ni isio gwybod (a) fascn nhw'n barod i helpu nos yfor}" 3 We must arrange to go out together some time.
We want to know if they would be prepared to help tomorrow night 4 I must phone my parents by eight.
Gawn ni weld (a) oes digon o arian ar 01 yn y cadwmigci 5 They must have gone out already.
We'll see if there's enough money left in the moncybox 6 We must buy something for the kids while we·re here.

Exercise 8
Ownership
CJ'fienhwch i'r Gymraeg Tht.:re IS no word for Whose .? in Welsh, and questions
I don't know if they'll be ready yet. asking about ownership are phrased in either of two ways. You
2 Let's go and see if the ticket office is open now. can say .•. pwy y-w/ydy hwn? lit. ·The of whom is this?', to
224 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 225

which the answer will be along the lines of •.• Des yw/ydy e It's Yn gywir iawn Very truly
Des's. Yn ddiffuant Sincerely
Or you can use biau own, and say Pwy sy biau'r •.. 'ma? Who Cofion Regards
owns this ... ?, to which the answer might be Des sy biau fe, or Fi sy ,,, Cofion cynnes Warm regards/Best wishes
biau fe. There is no linking yn between sy and biau, and indeed the
There are certain other set phrases of a rather literary flavour which
sy can also be dropped: Pwy biau'r rhain'!- Nhw biau nhw. Whose
are quite common in letter-writing:
are these?- They're theirs.
Notice that these are focused sentences in Welsh- because state-_ Cyfeiriaf at eich llythyr. . • I refer to your letter .
ments of ownership by definition single out a particular person. Ymhellach i'n sgwrs... Further to our conversation ...
The owner, whether noun or pronoun, will be the first element in Diolch am eich llythyr d:yddiedig y •••
the phrase. Thank you for your letter of the ...
Edrychafymlaen at glywed gennJch (qn bo hir)
I look forward to hearing from you (in due course)
Expressing good wishes [!]
Exercise 10
To congratulate somebody on something, use Llongyfarchiadau ar'
+noun or VN: The sentences in this letter are in the wrong order. Rearrange them
so that the letter makes sense:
Llongyfarchiadau ar eich dyrchafiad
Congratulations on your promotion
Llongyfarchiadau ar gael eich diswyddo o'r swydd ofnadwy 'na .Ril()t.JM f/Y/f.UJ I ;l(t Of NA AWNff C'ltl 10c]J.
Congratulations on getting the sack from that awful job . .,.~.

Llongyfarchiadau ar basio dy brawf gyrru o'r diwedd :., }JW I iv H(b/)tJt... )" };f[(N tV! t:OJil¥) I ..l)?o!"fOO
Congratulations on passing your driving test at last y HATEi!..... Ar.INtJYL M< (.)tt.UArt$. }JQ !'N
OK.W!11 'IHU.~ Ar tJU..}j t!Nf. Y,e f.J./J!Jc:,(JI( YAJ
To wish someone a happy birthday, use Penblwydd Hapus! You
t;YtJtR.,. lJrot.rl( AJ./ t!ICFf LL'I'ff7Y-f. $ibiJA/ Jo
may also need the following:
0'1!... <{.CCf-1 })j)"Jj)i:J ~()(N~ '1/4 t.r'FtfuS I Hr.
Pryd mae'r parti? When's the party?
AU.~ eHr Oi>ciJ 1 'N StJYbf:f-1( 1 ?
Pam na ges i wahoddiad? Why didn't I get an invitation?
Another good way to annoy someone on their birthday is to say:
More relative clauses
0 ystyried eich oedran, dych chi'n edrych yn hynod o dda
You're looking awfully good considering your age In Lesson 13 we saw that sy(dd) who/which islure can be used to
form relative clauses involving the present tense (or the perfect with
If you wish to pass on greetings via someone else, use:
wedi), where the person or thing referred back to is the subject of
Cofia (Cofiwch) fiat •.. Remember me to ... < the verb.:
;;"
'
For letter-writing, you will need Annwyl" •.. for Dear ... (but don't Dyna'r dyn sy'n dysgu Cymraeg (Mae e'n dysgu Cymraeg)
mutate personal names). As in English, there are various ways of That's the man who's learning Welsh
signing off: Dyna'r dyn ~·y wedi dysgu Cymraeg (1\tlae e wedi dysgu Cymraeg)
That's the man who has learnt Welsh
Yr eiddoch yn gywir Yours truly '_,
Yn gywir Truly
' But other tenses simply involve the relative particle (a)':
226 227

Dyna'r dyn (a) oedd yn dysgu Cymraeg Ychydig o lonydd Peace and quiet
( Oedd c 'n dysgu Cymraeg) Dim and rhat o fanteision ein Christmas trees and timber are
That\ the man who was learning Welsh coedwigoedd yw cynnig Coed just one oUhe many benefits of
Dyna'r dyn (a) fydd yn dysgu Cymraeg Nadolig a phren. Mae'r goedwig our forests and they also provide
hefyd yn cynnig lie llonydd a people with havens of peace and
(Bydd e 'n dysgu Cymraeg) thawel i bobl ymlacto a mwynhau. quiet to relax in and enjoy.
Thafs the man who will learn Welsh Mae tforestydd a choetiroedd yn Forests and woodlands enhance
Dyna'r dyn (a) ddysgith Gymraeg (Dysgith e Gymraeg) gwella'r tirlun ac yn rhoi cynefin the landscape and provide
That's the man who will learn Welsh pwysig- ac unigryw weithiau- i important and sometimes unique
Dyna'r dyn (a) ddysgodd Gymraeg (Dysgodd e Gymraeg) fywyd gwyllt y goedwig. habitats for forest flora and fauna.
Ers mwy na deng mlynedd a thrigain For over seventy years the
That's the man who learnt Welsh Forestry Commission- a
mae'r Comisiwn Coedwtgaeth,
sy'n Adran·a·r Llywodraeth, wedi Government Department - have
Remember thaL in Colloquial Welsh, the a itself is often not heard,
bad yn gyfrifol am wneud yn siwr had the responsibility of
leaving only the following SM to indicate its presence: D)'Da'r dyn ensuring that Britain's forests develop
Coedwigoedd Prydain yn datblygu,
dd)'sgodd Gymraeg. ac ar yr un pryd, yn taro and at the same time achieve a
In formal Welsh, the autonomous -ir and -w:yd forms of the ver:b ff~­ cydbwysedd rhesymol rhwng reasonable balance between
coedwigaeth a'r amgylchedd. Mae forestry and the environment.
can also be preceded by ao: Menter Goedwig yn rh an o'r Forest Enterprise is part of the
Comisiwn Coedwigaeth. Forestry Commission.
Mewn c:yfarfod a gynhelir yfory
In a meeting that will be held tomorrow
Crown Copvright Rcproduc<Od hy p~rmi:;s10n of the For<.:stry Curnmission
Ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd gan y llywodracth
Figures that have been/were published by the government
This particle a· has <:t NEG equivalent na" (or AM):
Dyna'r dyn na ddysgodd Gymraeg
Thut's the man who didn't learn Wdsh

Finally, to return to the world of nature, here is u bilingual leaflet

from the Comisiwn Coedwigaeth Forestry Commission explaining
something of what they do and why. Use the English to help you
understund the phrasing and structuring of the Welsh- the two ver-
sions follow each other very closely. and the Welsh is both natural _,_._
and idiomatic. All manner of material is available bilingually in
Wales these days, and this kind of comparison exercise can be both -~~
interesting and rewarding. It is also good for vocabulary acquisition,. :~
because you see new words immediately in context without the ·:•-
distraction of having to look them up in the dictionary. and they will
tend to :ymsefydlu yn eich mcddwl stick in your mmd better.

;-,:,
 229

16 Cymraeg Hastings. an event whose effects were as far-reaching on Wales as

on England. though in a different way:

ysgrifenedig a'r Ar 61 brwydr wyth awr yn Hastings, cipiwyd' Lloegr gan Wilym; 1 bu'n
rhaid wrth ragor o ymgyrchoedd ar gyrion y wlad, ond erbyn 1070 yr
oedd' y deyrnas i gyd yn ddarostyngedig iddo. Gymaint oedd gafael y
cyfryngau Concwerwr ar ei diriogaeth newydd fel y medrai' gynnal ymchwiliad
manwl i'w hadnoddau yn 1086. sef sail y ddogfen ryfeddol honno,'
Written Welsh and the media y Domesday Book. Bcllach, dinasyddion eilradd oedd y Saeson yn
Uoegr. NW eu hiaith hwy' oedd iaith cyfraith a llywodraeth, a byddai
bron tair canrif a banner yn mynd hcibio cyn y byddai eto~r rhugl ei
In this lesson you will learn: Saesncg ar orsedd Lloegr. Pcidiodd nawdd i lenyddiacth Saesneg
ymhlith dosbarthiadau uchaf cymdeithas. a throes 8 llifciriant cryf y
• about formal and Literary Welsh
llenyddiaeth honno'n ddifcrion gwan. Amddifadwyd y hendefigaeth
• how to read Literary Welsh
Seisnig o'u hystadau; crbyn 1086 Normaniaid oedd perchnogion
• interesting facts about the electromc media in Wales
bran y cwbl o dir Lloegr, a thros 9 banner y wlad yn eiddo i'r brenin,
• how to use the media to your advantage
ei berthnasau a rhyw ugain o'i ddilynwyr amlycafY' Magodd y
Normaniaid ddirmyg at y gcnedl a ddarostyngwyd ganddynt; 11 erbyn
oes Gerallt Cymro (1146-1220), ystyrid' 2 bud y Sacson yn bob! ddiog.
'f_,;
This last lesson is devoted largely to reading passages. Now that · fudr, wa~aidd, feddw a di-ffrwt.
you are nearly at the end of this book. you will want to continue Nid hynny fu'' tynged y Cymry. o leiaf nid y pryd hwnnw. Pan
with your Welsh. All the main grammatical structures have been __ _ aeth llenyddiaeth y Saeson o dan gwmwl, yr oedd !lcnyddiaeth y
explained, and your main strategy to achieve fluency now, other -_-.· Cymry ar drothwy cyfnod ysblennydd, a phan alltudiwyd y Saesneg
than of course using the language with native speakers wherever o lys a chyngor, yr ocdd y Gymraeg yn magu ystwythder cynyddol
you get the chance, will be to acquire vocabulary. For this you ·:: fel cyfrwng cyfraith a llywodraeth. Am gcnedlaethau wedi·" 1066
will need to read Welsh, and before you can set out on thi~ course > cyfarfyddai'-' pendefigion Cymreig a Normanaidd fel gw)'r cydradd;
you will need to know how to cope with the differences between L er y bu gelyniaeth rhyngddynt, bu hefyd gydbriodi, a chyfoethog-
native spoken Welsh and what you mav come across in print. ;~­ wyd y naill gan draddodiadau'r Ball.
There are differences, but they arc n~t insurmountable. For ,. Hanes Cymru (Penguin)
example, we saw in the previous lesson an alternative way of
doing the passive - this is commonly used in print, but is not part Geirfa
of the spoken language. You need to recognise it when you see
it, but that is all. Depending on subject-matter and style, the brwydr (f) battle eiddo property
distance between a written piece and any variety of spoken Welsh cipio capture, seize dilynwyr followers
will vary - but there are certain characteristics of the formal ar gyrion on the borders/edges amlycaf (amlwg) most prominent
language that are very prevalent, and very easy to deal with once teyrnas (f) kingdom magu nurture. nurse
you know how. darostllng subdue, subject dirmyg scorn, contempt
We will use this extract from Hanes Cymru by John Davies. a gafael grip oes (f) age
complete history of Wale:. in Welsh and written in moderately for- tiriogaeth (f) territory diog lazy
mal language. to illustrate some of these features. There is a fairly ymchwiliad investigation hudr dirty
comprehensive vocabulary at the end of the piece to help you. adnoddau resources gwasaidd servile
This section deals with the immediate aftermath of the Battle of sail (f) basis di-ffrwt feeble, gutless. no spark
230 231

rhyfeddol wonderful
dinesydd (dimtsyddion) citizen
eilradd second-class/rate
cyfraith (f) Ia w
gorsedd (f) throne
n11wdd patronage, support
llenyddiaeth (f) literature
ymhlith amongst
cymdeithas (f) society
llifciriant flood
diferyn (diferion) drop
amddifadu deprive
pendetigaeth (f) aristo~;racy
ystad (!)estate
perchennog owner
tynged (£)fate 11 ganddynt- 3rd person plural form of preposition gan: the -nt
trothwy threshold inflection for "thL:y/them' is widespread in formal Welsh, but
cyfnod period has not been part of the spoken language for the best part of a
ysblennydd splendid thousand years. CW: ganddyn nhw, gynnyn nhw.
alltudio banish 12 yst:yrid "it was considered'- the -id past autonomous inflection,
ystwythder flexibility though neaL is entirely confined to the formal language.
cynyddol increasing 13 fu- preterite of bod. here meaning simply ·was·; this tense of
cenhedlaeth (f) gennation bod is much less common in CW. where it tends to mean
cydradd (of) equal (~landing) 'has/have been' (Leswn 9)
gelyniaeth enmity )4 wedi 'after' -usually ar 01 in CW, with wedi confined to time
cydbriodi intermarry expressions and constructions with VNs.
cyfoethogi enrich cyfarfyddai 'used to meet' - inflected imperfect of cyfarfod:
y naill .•• y llall . . the one . inflected imper(ects are very unusual in CW apart from with cer-
the other tain verbs (e.g. gwyhod- Lesson 15)
traddodiad tradition

Specifically formal linguistic or stylistic features are indicated

numbers in the extract above as follows:
Characteristics of Literary Welsh
1 cipiwyd 'was captured' - autonomous past of cipio: as men- . The ·formality" of formal Welsh varies by degrees - i.e. to what
tioned previously, this neat way of doing the passive is virtually extent it departs from spoken usage. Literary Welsh (LW) i~ simply
the norm in formal Welsh, and common enough on the media. a term for a style (and structure) that diverges most widely and with
Don't use it when speaking, though. CW cafodd ••. ei chipio. the greatest frequency from the spoken language. In some respects
2 OWilym - SM of name Gwilym; personal names are rarely · LW is very like Colloquial Welsh- much of the vocabulary is iden-
mutated in CW. ticaL for instance. But in other respects- notably the verb system. it
3 yr oedd -in formal Welsh the imperfect of hod, and the 3rd is very different. All you have to do. however, is be able to recogni.\e
persons singular and plural in the present are usually prefixed by ~pecifically LW form~ for what they are \vhen you see them (so
y(r). So similarly Ymae .•. for CW Mae •.•. that you don't try and imitate them in speech, where most of them
4 medrai 'he could' - omission of the personal pronoun after an c"· have no place), and identify what they correspond to in the living
inflected verb is a common feature of formal Welsh. -~; language.
5 y ddogfen ryfeddol honno 'that wonderful document' - use of ,~.
hwn/hon and hwnnw/honno for 'this' and "that' instead ofCW 'ma
and 'na. Verbs
6 Nid is the norm for 'not' in the formal language, while CW
frequently uses dim. LW has a more complex tense-system than Colloquial Welsh, and
7 hwy 'they', 'them'- never found in CW, which always uses nhw. makes far more use of inflected tenses. But first, let us look at how
8 throes -AM of troes: literary 3rd person sing. preterite of troi; the inflections themselves differ from Colloquial Welsh.
CW would more likely have troddodd or trOdd.
9 tluos- AM of tros 'over'; CW usu<~lly has this word with perma- Preterite (Future) Unreality
nent SM: dros.
smg. 1 -a is -af -wn
10 amlycaf - superlative of amlwg 'prominent'; in CW final -f is
hardly ever pronounctd (aml}'ca), but it is usuallv written in 2 -aist -1 -it
3 -odd no ending or -a -ai
formal Welsh.

232
Preterite (Future) Unreality
pi. I -asom -wn -em
2 -asoch -web -ech
3 -asant -ant -ent
Sometimes an -a- in the stem changes to-e-: LW telais for tales i.
In addition to this. LW likes to make the inflections do all the work
by omitting the following subject pronouns that are virtually always
present in the living language. So, for example, byddan nhw will
appear in LW as bJddant: fe redon nhw as rhedasant: and so on. On
no account should any of this be imitated in speech.
Notice also that verbs are made negative in LW by prefixing Ni
(Nid before vowels): Ni theithiasant 'They did not travel' (CW:
Deithion nhw ddim); Ni hoffai 'He/She did not like (C\\i: Doedd
e/hi ddim yn holli): this is completely alien to the spoken language.
r~
As far as the tenses themselves are concerned, there are three
major differences between the living and Literary systems:
The inflected future serves also as a present in LW, where a per-
manent state is involved rather than an action. _;;
2 There is an inflected pluperfect in LW that i~ simply ahsenl from
the living language - it combines the -as- element of the LW
preterite with the unreality endings: rhedasent for o'n nhw wedi
rhedeg.
3 The subjunctive, which survives in the living language only in set
expressions, still forms part of the tense-system of LW.
Pronouns
We have already seen Lhat subject pronouns after verbs are
frequently omitted in LW. But several of the pronouns even look
different: ef (CW e. fe), chwi (CW chi), and hwy or hWJDf (CW
nhw). Some of the focused pronouns (y fi, J fe/fo etc.- Lesson 15)
are almost unrecognisable: chwychwi ( = y chi), hwJnthwy ( = y
nhw).
Object pronouns can precede Lhe verb if a particle is available to
attach them to: Ni'th gosba He 1vill not punish you (CW Fydd e
ddim yn cosbi di or Fydd e ddim yn dy gosbi di).
Finally, a point about word-order: the fundamental 'verb first in a
neutral sentence' principle is sometimes disregarded by writers
·--·-,,
233
aiming at what they perceive to be an 'elevated' style, and the
subject placed first. ewn though it has no special emphasis: Hwy a
welsant 'They saw' (CW: Wclon nhw); Chwi welwch 'You see'
(CW: Dych chi'n gweld). No prizes for guessing whether or not you
should imitate this.
These are the main aspects of Literary Welsh that may cause you
problems in reading. Don't be downhearted- native Welsh-speakers
have to be taught Literary Welsh as well: it is a native language to
no-one. But it is the vehicle of a prolific literature, and merits master-
ing for that. Unless or until you venture into the realm of novels and,
particularly, traditional formal poetry, the formal language will not
encroach too much on your reading. But whatever, just make sure
that you keep the dividing line between LW and CW clear in your
mind. Some claim, incidentally, that there is no real distinction
between spoken Welsh and the literary construct. The evidence is
otherwise. as these two versions of the same sentence give eloquent
demonstration:
I did not know that you had seen him
CW: O'n i ddim yn gwybod bod chi wedi'i weld e
LW: Ni wyddwn y'i gwelasech
Y cyfryngau yng Nghymru- the media in Wales
If you live in Wales, you will be greatly helped in your learning of
the language by the cyfryngau torfol mass media. and particularly
the Welsh-language radio and TV stations that broadcast to all parts
of the country. Radio Cymru is an excellent station whose pro-
grammes feature ordinary people talking about everyday things in
everyday language. If you're at home during the day. switch it on
in the morning and let it burble on regardless while you get on with
rhoi silffoedd i fyny putting shelves up, aildoi'r tf reroofing the
house or ailwifro'r cstyniad rewiring the extension (and as for the
husbands: why not listen to the canlyniadau peJ-droed in Welsh
while all that !I~D noise is going on in other parts of the house?).
You may not understand much to start with, but o'r cychw)'D cynta
right from the start it is a good way to attune your brain to the
sounds of the language- an important stage in language learning.
The Welsh TV channel S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru) has one
obvious advantage over radio - Uuniau. Not only will the pictures
give a cyd-dcstun context to the words you are hearing, but you will
be able to watch people's lips- this is more of a help than you might
234 ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 235

think, especially if it gives a clue to a gair allweddol keyword in m6r-ladron o ddyddiau'r Rhu- Ac er ymnvymiad y gyfres i
sentence. With rhaglenni newyddion news programmes. feiniaid hyd heddiw gyda nifer o gwmniau teledu dros y
the English news on another channel first. and then you will (partly} . graffeg, mapiau, drama a hen byd i gyd, megis The Discovery
know what's coming on the Welsh channel! Llechwraidd under-_ ffilm. A mentrwn i bob rhan o'r Channel, clywir hefyd hanes y
hand, but etTeithiol effective. Rhaglenni plant children's pro- byd yng nghwmni'r cyflwynydd m6r-ladron Celtaidd- Barti Ddu,
grammes are i'w cymeradwyo to be recommended - the language '\ Geraint Wyn Davies. 'Roedd yn Harri Morgan a Chapten Kidd.
used in programmes for young children is of nece~sity colloquial brosiect enfawr,' meddai Dafydd
and relatively simple in structure, and of course (fel yn y byd darlle- Williams. 'Aeth tri chriw i rannau Sbec (Western Mail)
du'n gyffredinol as in broadcasting generally) the subject matter iL_ amrywiol o'r byd i ffilmio.'
generally more interesting. and the storylines far more intelligent
and convincing, than is the case with the mwyafrif llethol o raglenni Characteristics of formal language in this piece include: omission of
wedi'u hanelu at oedolion ~·ast majority of prot;rammes aimed at pronouns after verbs (e.g. roedd, cafodd, cawn. mentrwn); paharn
adults. Eto i gyd then again, the operliu sebon soap operas are good for CW pam: er despite (CW er gwaetha); autonomous forms
for natural language, although the cyHymder speed may put you (clywir); consistent use of AM.
mewn penbleth in a dizzy; if you have TeleText, try switching on the
isdeitlau subtitles. but don't makc too much of a habit of it- there. Geirfa
are no subtitles out in the Real World. Gyda llaw incidentally, the
world's longest-running opera sebon, Pobol y Cwm, will give you dycbymyg imagination rbaff (f) rope
isdeitlau even if you haven't got TeleText- they show it in pristine mOr-ladron pirate~ ailfyw relive
condition in the evening ar 01 y newyddion. and then ailddarlledu cynbyrchlad production profiad expaience
repeat it gydag isdeitlau the next day (amscr cinio lunch time). It is rhyngwladol international ercbyll horrible
soon to be made available to gwylwyr 1-·iewers in England, i ·/J cyd- co- ffrwydrol explosive
lewyrchu i'r rhai sydd )'D eistedd mewn tywyllwch to give light to "• ymdrin ii deal with synhwyrnl sensible
them that sit in darkness (Biblical Welsh!). cymhelliad ( cymhellion) motive llynges (f) navy
The following piece is an article from a televi:.ion listings paper anfcrth huge Rhufeiniaid Romans
previewing a big new series to be shown on the Welsh language anlwcbad luck mentro venture
channel S4C. As with most material aimed at a mass audience, the bradychu betray enfawr enormous
language is essentially CW with a few more formal features here crogi hang (on gallows) ymrwymiad association, connection
and there (see below). Inclusion of these formal features is more a
This final reading piece. from Hanes Cymru by John Davies, out-
matter of convention than anything else.
lines the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the Welsh
language television channel, a development that was of significance
Mae'r Saeson yn hoff o ddweud William Kidd? !'<id yn unig
both culturally and for the status of the language. and one which
bad y gwir yn rhyfcddo1ch na'r cafodd ei fradychu a'i grogi, and
gave the lead to other linguistic minorities in Europe. The language
dychymyg. A phrin fod esiampl fe dorrodd y rhaff a bu'n rhaid
is, as in the first extract in this lesson, moderately formal Welsh with
gwell na .'v16r-Ladron, cynhyr- iddo ailfyw'r hall brofiad erchyll.
certain Literary characteristics. A few purely Literary Welsh verb-
chiad rhyngwladol 54C Bwridd A phwy fedr egluro paham y
forms (i.e. that have no place in Colloquial Welsh) arc explained.
cyd-gynhyrchydd y gyfres, dewisiodd yr hen Barti Ddu hoff
The vocabulary at the end is not complete - see how much of the
Dafydd Rowlands, oedd ymdrin ddiod o rwm a phowdr ffr-
rest you can get over several readings by guesswork and intuition.
a chymhdlion ac ochr seicolegol y wydrol? Roedd yn ddigon syn-
m6r-ladron. hwyrol wrth wynebu'r Llynges Gan dybied bod Cenedlaetholdeb Cymreig mwyach ·mewn
Roedd yn sialens anferth. Sut Frenhinol! parlys o ddiymadferthwch', cyhoeddodd yr Ysgrifennydd Cartref
oedd esbonio anlwc yr enwog Dros 13 pennod, cawn hanes ym mis Medi 1979 na fyddai'r llywodraeth yn anrhydeddu ei
L:
2.36 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
haddewid i sefydlu Sianel Deledu Gymraeg. Bu'n rhaid wrth
ymgyrchu taer a charcharu tlym cyn ennill yr addewid honno a
chythruddwyd y Cenedlaetholwyr wrth i'r llywodraeth gefnu'n, _
swta arni. Erbyn dechrau 1980, yr oedd dwy fil o aelodau Plaid
Cymru wedi ymdynghedu i fynd i'r carchar yn hytrach na thalu'r
drwydded de\edu. Yn y gwanwyn, cyhoeddodd Gwynfor Evans y
byddai'n ymprydio hyd at farwolaeth pe na sefydlid Sianel _
Gymracg. Pcnnodd 6 Hydref 1Y80 fel diwrnod cychwyn ei·-·
ympryd, ac ar ddechrau mis Medi anerchodd filoedd o'i gyd- --
Gymry mewn cyfarfodydd a nodweddid gan angerdd dirdynnol.
lldiodd y llywodraeth ar 11 Medi - yn rhy gynnar ym mam
Gwynfor Evans, gan ei fod ef yn argyhoeddedig y byddai ychydig
yn rhagor o wythnosau o gynnwrf wedi rhoi i Blaid Cymru 'salle
di-syft'. Rhoddwyd cychwyn ar Sianel Pedwar Cymru ar 1
Tachwedd 19H2. Roedd yn wefr i'r Cymry Cymraeg gael y byd a'i
bethau ar y sgrin trwy wasanaeth a siaradai eu hiaith, a bu
gwledydd eraill yn awyddus i brynu rhai o raglenni gorau S4C. Bu
dadkuon maith yngl9n a ftigurau gwylio; denodd rhaglcnni
mwyat poblogaidd y Sianel hyd at 150,000 o wylwyr. nifer pitw o
gymharu §'r rhwydwaith Prydeinig, ond un a gynrychiolai 30 y
c<Jnt o'r gynulleidf<J boten~i<Jl, canran y byddai unrhyw gwmni
te\edu'n hvnod falch ohoni.
Hanes Cymru (Penguin)
pe na sefydlid: 'if ... were not established' (LW autonomous form
of scfydlu); a nodweddtd ·. which were characterised' (LW
autonomous form of nodweddu): a siaradai ' ... which spoke' (LW
imperfect 3rd pers. sing. of siarad); a gynrychiolai ' ... which repre-
sented' (LW imperfect 3rd per~. sing. of cynrychioli)
Geirfa
tybied suppose dirdynnol excruciating
cenedlaetholdeb nationalism argyhoeddedig convinced
parl}'S paralysis cynnwrf commotion
diymadferthwch helplessness di-syfi immovable
anrhydeddu honour (vb) cychwyn start
addewid (f) promise (n) gwefr thrill
taer earnest gwlad (gwledydd) (f) country
llym severe: harsh dad! (-euon) (f) debate. argum<Ont
cythruddo annoy: provoke maith long
swta abrupt denu attract
237
ymdynghedu take an oath: vow 0 gymharu a compared with
ymprydio fast (vb) rhwydwaith network
marwolaeth (f) death canran percentage
annerch (anerch-) address (vb) hynod remarkable
angerdd passion balch proud: pleased
Further reading
A systematic account of the grammar of spoken Welsh is given in
Modern Welsh: A Comprehensive Grammar (G. King: Routledge
1993). This reference book deals with all main structures and mor-
phology in the modern living language, and includes numerous
examples from native speakers throughout.
It is difficult to recommend a Wclsh-English dictionary for the
serious student. Those currently available are either dated and
given over entirely to Literary Welsh, or (in the case of one or
two aimed specifically at second-language users) are inadequate
and unhelpful. One exception is Y Geiriudur Cymraeg Cyfoes/
Dictionary of Modern Welsh by H. Meurig Evans (G. Hughes:
L\andybie) which, although making few allowances for learners. is
at least up-to-date and pretty thorough in its coverage. Oxford
University Press have a usage and phraseology dictionary of the
modern language under way at the moment.
Hanes Cymru, already mentioned, gives a history of Wales in
Welsh with a helpful vocabulary for apprentice readers. Published
by Penguin. Also available in an English translation.
You can read selections from early Welsh (and Irish) literature in
translation in A Celtic Miscellany, edited by K.H. Jackson
(Penguin). The mediaevul Welsh talcs comprising the Four
Branches of the Mabinogi are available in a number of English and
modern Welsh editions, as well as children's and learners· versions.
,;_~ An excellent book on Celtic culture and customs in Wales and
Ireland is Celtic Heritage by Alwyn Rees and Brinlcy Rees (Thames
& Hudson). Nora K. Chadwick has written several general books on
the Celts, including The Celts (Penguin) and Celtic Britain (Thames
& Hudson).
 -~

-------------------------------------239

Key to exercises ;,. Exercise 7

1 Mae'n braf, 'tydy? 2 Mae'n oer, on'd yw hi? 3 Mae·n ddiflas. on'd
yw hi? 4 Mae'n boeth, 'tydy?

Exercise 8

1 ti 2 chi 3 chi 4 chi 5 ti 6 chi 7 chi 8 chi 9 ti 10 chi

Exercise 9

Lesson 1 mynedfa croeso nawr diolch dr-ws nesa cymydog

Exercise 1 Lesson 2
da, mae, go, diolch, chithau, yn. ddrwg Exercise 1

Exercise 2 1 dw, yw 2 yw, yw 3 yw, dw 4 yw, yw 5 yw, dw

Bore da: Bore da; Shwd ych chi? lawn, diolch. Exercise 2
ddrwg, chimod; Wela i chi: Hwyl nawr
1 Mae Mari tu allan 2 Maen nhw draw fan'na 3 Mac hi !any grisiau
Exercise 3 4 Mae eo dan y bwrdd 5 Dan ni or (d)yn ni i ffwrdd yfory 6 Dw i
fan hyn 7 Dach chi or (D)ych chi mewn pryd 8 Mae Dafydd gartre
1 Dyma fy mam 2 Dyma mrawd Ronnie 3 'Na mrawd 4 Ga i heddiw
gyfiv.yno Mrs Williams? 5 'Na 'n chwaer 6 'Na weddill y teulu tu 01 _
iddi 7 Dyma nghyfaill sy'n byw drws nesa 8 Ga i gyflwyno ngV;<r? Exercise 3

Exercise 4 ydy hi? dan ni ydyn nhw? dw i ydw i? wyt ti ydych chi?

1 Pwy ydy(/yw) honno draw fan'na? 2 Beth ydy hwn? 3 Beth yd}' Exercise 4
hwnnw? 4 Pwy ydy hwn? 5 Pwy ydy hon? 6 Pwy ydy hwnnw draw
fan'na? 1 Ydyn nhw? 2 Ydych chi? 3 Ydych chi? or Wyt ti? 4 Ydyn nhw? 5
Ydy hi? 6 Ydw i?
Exercise 5 L
·~ l: Exercise 5
1 y2 'r3 'r4y 5 ·r6 yr7 'r8y, 'r ">
1.."
1 I'm not home tomorrow 2 Are you away all week? 3 Siii.n isn't
Exercise 6 here at the moment 4 Am I in time? 5 Are Dewi and Silfan here?
6 They're over there somewhere, I think 7 They're not upstairs
1 Pwy ydy(!yw)'r rheiny? 2 Faint ydy hwn? 3 Beth ydy hwn yn 8 Are they in the kitchen, perhaps?
Gymraeg? 4 Gymera i'r rhain, os gwelwch yn dda 5 Faint ycty·r rhciny?
240 ------------------------------~ I
- ------------------------------------------ 241
Exercise 6
3
1 Dach chi'n siarad Cymraeg yn dda 2 Mae Eddie a Paula 'n mynct·
fExercise 1
ffwrdd yfory 3 Dan ni'n siarad Cymraeg trwy'r amser gartre 4
mrawd yn darllen yr Independent 5 Maen nhw'n hedfan i Iwerddor
wely frecwast gaws bopty daith lyfr fodryb goffi fap ddinas
yfory 6 Mae'r plant yn gwilio'r teledu

Exercise 7

gwenu cas denu bawd prisiau mawr bach tynnu bocsys canal canu
1 Dydy or Dyw Sioned ddim yn gweithio fan hyn 2 Dw i ddim
planhigion gwaith baner draig coch
siarad Ffrangcg 3 Dan or (D)yn ni'n gadael wythnos nesa 4 Dw i'n::
prynu gormod o lyfrau 5 Mae Alun yn gwerthu'r car 6 Ydy e'n
yfory? 7 Ydyn nhw'n gwybod? 8 Ydy'ch rhieni chi'n gwybod'? 9
Ydych chi (or Wyt ti)'n darllen hwn? 10 Ydy'ch mam chi'n
Cymraeg? 1A2C3A4C

',Exercise 5
Exercise 8

• masculine: rywydd ceffyl dyn llwybr aderyn; feminine: eglwys ffen-

1 Mae Sioned yn gweithio ar hyn o bryd 2 Dw i'n prynu gormod o
est lori ffordd ysgol siop sta[eli tre; unclear: teledu ffurften
lyfrau 3 Dydy mrawd ddim yn siarad Ffrangeg 4 Lie dach chi'n byw
erbyn hyn'! 5 Mae'n oer tu a\Jan 6 Ydy'ch gwraig yn gweithio fan Exercise 6
hyn?

Exercise 9 little church, big window, new television, black lorry, fine weather.
narrow road, primary school, official form, local shop, white horse,
important man, green room, public path, quiet town, black bird
1 Ydy 2 Ydw 3 Ydw or Ydyn 4 Ydyn 5 Ydyn or Ydych 6 Wyt or
Ydych
Exercise 7
Exercise 10
);
1 Ydy'r bwyd yn barod? 2 Dan ni i gyd yn gynnar 3 Mae Simon a
Louisa yn brysur ar hyn o bryd 4 Mae'r tywydd yn braf heddiw
1 Ydw2Ie 3 Ydyn 4Ie 5Ydych 6 Ydy7 Ydyn 8Ie 9 le lOYdw
5 Wyt ti'n oer? 6 Mae'r parse\ 'ma'n drwm 7 Mae'ch brawd tu allan
Exercise 11 8 Dyw pethau ddim yn rhad fan hyn 9 Mae L\anafan yn bentre bach
tlws 10 Ydy'r dyn 'na'n gynghorwr?
glwb chwaraeon; rhif ff6n (cartref); rhugl; \lofnod; cyfeiriad; briod;
Lesson 4
rhif ff6n (gwaith); mam-iaith; cyfenw; rhieni; aelod; dyddiad; enwau
er ail!
Exercise 1

cyllell Lad pupur Cymraeg torri punt poeni tramor caws plant pen-
blwydd ceiniog The radical words all begin with chw-.
 r '

242 -----~ llf------------------- 243

Exercise 2 f. Lesson 5
'
~i
(a) mhapur (b) nghyllcl\ (c) mara (d) nheipiadur (e) mws (f) m,ys.- __ \·Exercise 3
(g) nhege!l (h) ngwydr (i) nghath U) nghorff (k) nghyfrifiadut·::; ;- ,.
(I) nh9 (m) ngeiriadur (n) nghrys (o) misgedi (p) mrws dannedd-~;'_ ···-"orsaf-tocyn dwyffordd; swyddfa bost-stampiau; sinema-hufen i<'l.;
(q) nghinio (r) chwuer (s) nhocyn tymor (t) mhlant ·~'it.>~ :: ;iop lyfrau-geiriadur Cymraeg: ysgol-bwrdd du; banc-llyfr siec; siop
_;,:fu)c _ felysion-sioded; siop flodau-cenhinen Bcdr; canolfan hamdden-
Exercise 3 ;r~:;: ::,.raced ~boncen
-,{?~{-:.
o Lanilar, yn Llanilar; o Ystalyfera, yn Ystalyfera; o DdinaS:,)'_l :f? Exercise 4
Mawddwy. yn Ninas Mawddwy; o Da\ybont. yn Nhalybont; o~i?
Rhyl. yn y Rhyl: o Fachynlleth, ym Machynllcth: o Aberteifi, yn~::· ~-;· 1 Lie mae'r orsaf? Draw fan'na mae hi 2 Lie mae'r banc agosa? Fan
Ahcrtcifi; o Benybont-ar-Ogwr, ym Mhenybont-ar~Ogwr; o;:_;':_~· - hyn ar y chwith mae e 3 Lie mae'r llyfrgell? Lawr y ffordd mae hi
Gaerfyrddin, yng Nghaerfyrddin , -i\{_ ·.__ ':· 4 Lle mae'r siop fiodau? Gyferbyn y banc mae hi
--~- - -, '

Exercise 4 . ,_}f;_:
+, •,
-~ -~Exercise 5
~'-
1 prifddinas Canada 2 drws y staf~ll wely 3 diwedd y mis 4 dechrau·J_'-- ·- Rhodri has to put the boxes down over there. Si::ln has to hold the
wythnos 5 dechrau'r tymor rygb1 6 llofnod y rheolwr 7 car y teulu.. j' door open.
8 tocyn tymor mrawd 9 geiriadur Cymraeg Mr Jenkins 10 dyfodol yr '< -
iaith f.' Exercise 6
..•
Exercise 5 .1i2 -~' 1 Allech chi agar y ffcnest 'ma i mi? 2 Kewch chi sgrifennu'ch
trJ}: cvfeiriad i lawr i mi? 3 Allwch chi ddweud wrtha i He mae'r safie
1 Wi'n byw yn Ne Cymru 2 Dw i'n byw yng Ngogledd Cymru 3 DW,:;~' :' b-ysiau? 4 1\"ewch chi siarad Cymraeg a fi heddiw? 5 Newch chi
i'n dad o Ogledd Lloegr 4 Maen nhw'n dad o Orllewin Lloegr ,._ .. ' brynu'r tocynnau? 6 Allech chi gau'r drws?
5 Dan ni'n dod o Ogledd yr Alban 6 Mae bwthyn 'da nhw yng:L.::-
Ngorllewin lwerddon 7 Mae hi'n byw yng Nghanolbarth Lloegr~~:. . Exercise 7 1-
8 Mae ei theulu'n dodo Ganolbarth Cymru !;_.:''
_ r.: (y)sgrifennwch! arhoswch! rhedwch! brysiwch! dewch yn 61! dan-
Exercise 6 goswch! pleidleisiwch! rhowch! or rhoddwch! dysgwch! siaradwch!

di ddiffodd (viii) ddarllen (iv) alia dalu (v) allwch drefnu bwyd:: Exercise 8
(i) ti fwydo (vii) no changes necessary (ii) brynu (vi) allech roi (iii)
..r~ 1 look for the yellow boxes in the schedule 2 watch the programmes
Exercise 7 and answer the questions 3 phone the number with the answer 4
:;;, yes 5 holiday worth up to £2,000 6 Christmas 7 mini-TVs. video-
1 Allech chi fynd S.'r rhciny 'da chi? Gallwn 2 Alii di eistedd yng .-- cassettes, S4C T-shirts 8 midnight
nghefn y car? Galla 3 Allet ti helpu fi gyda ngwaith cart re? Gallwn
4 Alii di weld copa'r Wyddfa'! Galla 5 Alla i'ch hclpu chi? Gallwch-\
6 Nei di roi'r llythyr 'ma yn y post? Gwna 7 Allet ti danlinellu'r _'_--
gwallau? Gallwn 8 Newch chi siarad Cymraeg ii fi'.' Gwna
244 -:,·~~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 245

Exercise 9 .' ~i'_~f;:~. (h) gawn ni darth wen; (i) gawn ni ddwy darth wen; U) gawn ni
'<;t- - ctorth wen; (k) ga i darth wen; (1) ga i ddwsin o wyau; (m) ga i ddau
1 Peidiwch chwarae gyda'r gath 2 Paid gweiddi fel 'ny 3 Paid taftu ·<:·~- ·-~ ddwsin o wyau; (n) ga i banner dwsin o wyau; (o) faint ydy/yw
!lestri 4 Peidiwch gwneud gormod o s'(i{n 5 Paid eistedd fan'na 6 Paict-~F'-: L banner dwsin o wyau?; (p) faint ydy/yw'r selsig cig moch?
edrych ar yr hamster fel 'ny 7 Peidiwch symud 8 Peidiwch symud
>~ Exercise 5
Exercise 10
-Ji; 1 naw punt a pedwardeg saith ceiniog 2 punt a chwedcg ceiniog 3
ar gall, o leia, l!wyd, ta bcth, rhwng, peidiwch poeni, nesa, o saithdeg pum ceiniog 4 deg punt ac wythdeg ceiniag 5 tair punt a
ddwywaith, meddwl pymtheg ceiniag 6 dwy bunt a nawdeg naw ceiniog 7 chwe phunt a
dauddcg dwy geiniag 8 saith punt a trideg wyth ceiniog 9 tair punt a
Exercise 11 nawdcg pum ceiniag 10 pum punt a saithdeg pum ceiniog

1 A - Dyw Susan ddim ar y ffordd iawn 2 A - Dyw Rhodfa'r Exercise 6

Gagledd ddim yn bell 3 A- Rhwng y siop lyfrau a'r banc mae
4 A- Mae'r twrist yn hallo[ ar gall Ga i dalu'r siec 'ma i mewn? Cewch. Oes credyd talu i mewn 'da chi?
Oes. Allech chi lenwi fe i mi? Gaflwn. 'Na chi. Diolch. Oes eisiau i
Exercise 12 l mi wneud unrhywhcth arall? Oes- newch chi /ofnodi fe? Gwna. Lie
h -,'; dach chi eisiau i mi lafnodi? Fan hyn ar y gwaelod. 'Na ni, 'te. HwyL
(a) nai (b) ferch-yng-nghyfraith (c) ferch (d) dad-yng-nghyfraith ' Hwylfawr.
(e) dad-cu/daid (f) gefnder (g) frawd (h) wyres (i) fam-yng'
nghyfraith U) fodryb (k) fab (1) chwaer-yng-nghyfraith Exercise 7

Lesson 6 (a) yn (b) mewn (c) yn (d) mewn (e) yn (f) yn (g) yn (h) mewn
(i) yn (j) yn (k) mewn (I) yn (m) yn (n) yn (o) yn (p) mewn (q) yn
Exercise 2 (r) mewn (s) yn (t) mewn (u) mewn

1 Ga i banner pwys ode? 2 Ga i eh we p(h)wys o datws? 3 Ga i ddaU Lesson 7

lyfryn o stampiau? 4 Ga i dri tun o ffa pob? 5 Ga i banner dwsin o
afalau'! 6 Ga i dair potel o laeth? Exercise 1

Exercise 3 1 C 2 A- Mae pobol yn bwyta sgoldion yn Abergwaun 3 A- Does

ncb yn siarad Saesneg yn Majorca 4 A - Dyw Nige ddim yn mynd
1 Ga i dri pwys o gaws'! 2 Oes wyau 'da chi bore 'ma? 3 Rhowch eta
ddau becyn o greision caws a nionyn i mi os gwelwch yn dda 4 Does
dim tatws 'da ni ar hyn o bryd 5 Alia i gael dau bwys o sgewyll? Exercise 2
6 Mae rhagor o foron ar waelod y hoes 'na "-,·
l 1 Ocdd Aled a Julie yn rhannu fftat 2 O'ch chi'n gwylio'r teledu?
Exercise 4 3 O'n ni ddim yn moyn talu garmad 4 O't ti'n bwriadu dod 'da ni?
5 Oedd mrawd ddim yma 6 Oedd y dosbarthiadau Cymraeg yn
(c) Gawn ni bwys o datws; (d) gawn ni becyn o greision; (e) ga i anodd?
becyn o greision; (f) ga i ddau becyn a greision: (g) ga i dorth wen;
~ ' 1 m
Exercise 3 fxercise 3

1 Roedd Aled a Julie yn rhannu fflat 2 Oeddech chi'n gwylio'r __ _ . 1 Ddylen ni aros fan hyn am funud neu ddau? 2 Oes rhaid i ti/chi
du? 3 Docdden ni ddim yn moyn talu gormod 4 Oeddet ti'n bwriadti gwyno trwy'r amser? 3 Rhaid i mi beidio anghofio magiau 4 Dylai
dod 'da ni? 5 Doedd mrawd ddim yma 6 Oedd y dosbmthiadau teuan a Sioned gyfnewid swyddi 5 Ddy!et ti (/Ddylech chi) ddim
Cymraeg yn anodd? ffwdanu gymaint 6 Does dim rhaid atgoffa fi

Exercise 4

1 Fydd Fred yn y dosbarth heno? 2 Fyddwch chi'n gweithio dros 1 A- Dyw Siwan ddim yn gwybod eto 2 A- Doedd Emyr ddim ar
Ha? 3 Byddan nhw eisiau gweld y manylion gynta 4 Fydda i ddim y teledu neithiwr 3 A- Mae'r ddau docyn yn rhad ac am ddim 4 A
dod i'r parti 5 Byddwn ni·n gwerthu'r t:9 6 Fyddi di'n barod? ,; - Bydd Emyr yn galw am Siwan am hanner awr wedi saith

Exercise 5

1 Fe/Mi fydda . 2 Feflvli fydd ... 3 - 4 - 5 Fe/Mi fyddan

6 F e/Mi fydd ...

Exercise 6
ld 2c 3a 4e 5f6b
1 first forecast 2 fourth forecast 3 third forecast
'-~.'~,;,"If Exercise 7
Exercise 7
1 g, 11.30; 2 d. about 12.00; 3 c, 10.00:4 f, by 6.00:5 b, between 7.15
a-ii;b-iii;c-i and 7.30; 6 a, 7.00; 7 e, 12.45

Exercise 8 Exercise 8

1 very wet 2 till the end of the week 3 wet 4 in a tent 5 pick them up 1 Pwy sy'n gyrru'r lori 'na? 2 Pwy sy fan'na? 3 correct 4 correct
at the station 6 fine ~ 5 Pwy yw (ydyFch brawd? 6 correct

Lesson 8 Lesson 9
Exercise 1 Exercise 2
)

1 'da 2 arnat 3 ar 4 arnyn 5 'da 6 arnoch .,. Gest ti amser da ar dy wyliau? Do, oedden ni'n lwcus iawn gyda'r
tywydd. Wariest ti lawer o arian? Naddo, ond fe ddes id hwn yn 6l i
Exercise 2 ti. 'Na garedig. Beth yw e? Anrheg a Faes Awyr Caerdydd.

l(e) 2(d) 3(f) 4(a) S(c) 6(b) Exercise 3

1A2C3C4ASA6A
248 249

Exercise 4
1 Gaeth Petersanau i Nadolig 2 Ymweles i ft'r teulu 3 Ddefnyddio;~~
chi'r llyfr 'na? 4 Ynganest ti hynny'n anghywir 5 Agorodd John::~-"'·
Sally y siop bore 'ma? 6 Ddysgon ni lawer o'r llyfr 'ma
rt:xercise 3
eraill; llyfrau eraill; gair arall; y geiriau era ill; y cyllyll eraill;
.. ~y--
sgidiau eraill; sianel arall; y merched eraill; y t9 arall; rhaglenni
y sianeli eraill; eich coe~ arall; athrawon eraill·, athrawesau

Exercise 5
!.
;Exercise 5
1 Ddarllenes i lyfr wrth i'r plant wneud eu gwaith cartre 2
haeddon ni adre cyn iddi dywyllu 3 Ddiffoddes i'r teledu • . .. welan 2 ftodeuith (/blodeuith) 3 dali (/thali) 4 dynnith 5 dreuliwn
rhaglen orffen 4 Gerddodd e allan cyn i mi gael cyfle i esbon:i~' gysylltwch (!chysylltwch)
5 Docdd dim Cymraeg 'da ni cyn inni ddod i Gymru 6 Oedd yr
yn edrych yn well ar 61 inni blannu'r b\odau --f.Exercise 6

Exercise 6 _:I,UW i ddim eisiau gweld ~i mv.:ya_ch. Beth wyt ti'n feddwl? Dw i'n
·'tf"mvnd allan gyda Huw. Mt bwma 1 fe.
1 ddim 2 mo 3 mo 4 mo 5 ddim 6 mo
Exercise 7
Exercise 7
--1 All 2 Galla 3 Alia 4 Allwn 5 Gall 6 Allwch
1 every day Mon-Fri 2 11.00 in the morning 3 first episode
"'
'' I Exercise 8
I,
Exercise 8
Fe ddo i draw am bed war. Os na fydd neb o gwmpas. a i adre a
1 school-leavers and adults 2 new full-time students . ffonio Ron. Os na atebith Ron, bydd rhaid i mi aros tan heno. Ond
dewch chi adre crhyn chwech, ffoniwch fi; wedyn fe allwn ni
Lesson 10 3: f drefnu popeth, ac os cawn ni unrhyw broblemau, fe ddaw mrawd i'n
helpu ni.
Exercise 1
,_ Exercise 9
tA2C3C4A5A6A
1 playing Father Christmas 2 Wyn and the children 3 tomorrow
Exercise 2 4 food

1 Allech chi helpu fi? 2 Dylen ni roi gwyhod i'r awdurdodau 3
Gallet ti fod yn iawn 4 Ddylen ni drafod hyn gyda fe? 5 Gal!wn i
drwsio hwnnw i ti os (wyt) ti eisiau 6 Gallen ni ddod yn 61 ar adeg
fwy cyfieus
lt Exercise 10
1 Mae nhad yn bumdeg saith oed 2 Ces i ngeni ym mil naw pedwar
wyth 3 Cafodd hi ei geni ym mil naw saith chwech 4 Mae e'n saith
oed 5 Cafon (!Cawson/Cacthon) nhw eu geni ym mil naw wyth wyth
6 Mae hi'n ugain oed
250 251

lesson 11
Exercise 1 1 Fydda i ddim yn mynd (or A i ddim) onibai fad ti"n addo dad 'da
··t.;J;·. fi 2 Gad inni gadw'n dawel nes bod rhywun yn gofyn 3 Edrych(wch)
1 Dw i'n meddwl ... mod i'n mynd i chwydu 2 ... bod nhw yn ~ yn yr oergell amy caws tra mod i'n torri'r bara 4 Mae e'n gallu deall
y syniad 3 ... bod ni angen mwy o amser 4 bod chi wedi nghaffi"ct-:~~:, " Cymraeg, er fod e ddim yn siarad yn rhugl 5 Rodda i (or Bydda i'n
deal! i 5 ... bad hi'n bwrw eira 6 ... fod e'n aros tu allan rhoi) hwn yn y cwpwrdd rhag ofn bad rhywun yn galw 6 Allwch chi
ddim dod i mewn onibai bad tocyn 'da chi
Exercise 2

1 Dw i ddim yn siwr . .. fod hynny'n iawn 2 ... bad chi i fod i

hynny 3 ... (y) byddwn ni mewn pryd 4 ... (y) dylset ti ddeud . · · 1 correct 2 Mae banana'n ddrutach na chaws 3 correct 4 correct
5 ... fod/bod digon o fwyd ar 616 ... mod i'n gallu dad o hyd :.L-1.:..:·.:1'" 5 Jam ydy'r rhata ohonyn nhw i gyd 6 Mae selsig-a-marmalect yn
nhw nawr ddrutach na chaws a banana

Exercise 3

1 Dw i'n siwr ... fod hynny ddim yn iawn 2 ... bod chi ddim i Alli di siarad yn arafach? Dw i'n siarad yn araf yn barod. We!, ti
wneud hynny 3 ... na fyddwn ni (ddim) mewn pryd 4 ... na ddylsedf: ddim yn siarad yn ddigon araf i mi. !Va i drio arafu, 'te.
ti ddim dcud (or ... na ddylset ti ddeud) wrtho 5 ... fod dim
o fwyd ar 61 6 ... modi ddim yn gallu dodo hyd iddyn nhw nawr Exercise 10

Exercise 4 l mar, an'd 2 'n, na 3 fwy, nag 4 ydy, fwya 5 mor, ag 6 yr, un, mar, a
1 bad, yn 2 bod, ddim 3 dy, fod 4 na, 'da 5 i, mod 6 na, hi Exercise 11

Exercise 5 \) 1 Dw i 'n citha siwr fod y t~ 'ma ar werth 2 Mae'n amlwg fod ti ddim
.\ yn gwybod y ffeithiau 3 Dw i'n clywed fod Ceri'n sgrifennu Uyfr
1 Rhaid cyfadde bod chi'n iawn 2 Mae'n amlwg fod ti ddim yn deal! amy Gymraeg 4 Ond o'n i'n meddwl mai cynllunydd tre oedd e
3 Glywest ti fod y siap Ieo! yn mynd i gau? 4 Gobeithio na fyddan 5 Efallai fod e'n dysgu Cymraeg fel hobi 6 Gobeithio fod e'n
nhw'n grac 5 Dw i'n credu y dylen ni fynd nawr 6 Dw i'n eitha siwr gwybod beth mae'n wneud
fad peth caws ar 61
Lesson 12
Exercise 6
Exercise 1
1 ... achas fod nghocs yn rhoi dolur 2 ... achas mod i'n gor(od trw-
sio'r peiriant golchi llestri 3 ... achos fad y lie ·n llanast 4 ... acho.~ le 2a 3f 4b Sd 6e
bod/fod rhaid i mi ymarfcr Nghymraeg 5 ... achas fod Cymru ar fin
sgorio 0 ... achos fad ti'n feddw gaib yn barod Exercise 2

l Wyt ti wedi gweld Delyth? 2 Ydy'r post wcdi mynd eta? 3 Dych
chi wedi anghofio llofnodi (or arwyddo) 'r siec 4 Mae 'n allweddi
252
wedi diftannu eto! 5 Mae Ronnie a Fifi wedi mynd i Ogledd
am bythefnos 6 Ydyn nhw wcdi mynd §.'u pasbortau Cda
Exercise 3
1 c (wedi) 2e (wedi) 3d 4f (yn) 5b (wedi) 6a
Exercise 4
1 Wyt ti wcdi bod yn tynnu lluniau ar y waliau eto? 2 Mae'r
ddyn 'ma wedi bod yn aros amdanoch chi ers dau o'r gloch 3
wedi hod allan o'r swyddfa trwy'r dydd 4 Gobeithio bod chi i
wedi bod yn ymarfer eich Cymraeg 5 Maen nhw wedi bod yn
dod drawers Nado!ig 6 Dw i'n clywed bod eich hrawd wedi hod
gweithio yng Nghaerdydd ers amser bellach
Exercise 5
1C2C3A4A5A6A
Exercise 6
1 fod, herbyn 2 yw, fl.aen 3 mod, erbyn 4 ei, le 5 a. gyfer 6 blacn,
Exercise 7
1 Mac loan a Iona heb ffonio yn 6! 2 Dych chi heb brynu'r wcync:,- _
nau, 'tc? 3 O'n i heb feddwl am hynny ar y pryd 4 Mae'r llywodraet~-:~--
heb gyhoeddi'r ffigurau 5 Mae'r bws heb ddod 6 Dw i
un gair
Exercise 8
.·-:i
.!":'
t Yn anffodus ... dw i'n dal i olchi'r llestri 2 ... dw i'n dal i dacluso
stafell y plant 3 ... dw i ('n) dal (i fod) yn brysur gyda'r cyfrifoil ~:.
4 ... dw i'n dal i geisio cysylltu a Jeremy Beadle 5 ... dw i ('n) dal .
(i fod) yn y gwely 6 ... dw i'n dal i drwsio'r rccordydd fideo -.;_
Exercise 9
1A2C3C4C5C6A
253
-Exercise 10
Christmas 2 children 3 two 4 Mondays and Thursdays 5 use the
tit room 6 disco rollerskating on Wednesdays
ld 2e 3a 4c 5f6b
·Lesson 13
Exercise 7
J' 1 Gaeth y car ei o\chi gan y plant 2 Gaeth ffenest y gegin ei thorri
y lleidr 3 Gaeth y cyfarfod ei ohirio gan y cadeirydd 4 Bydd y
cae\ eu cyhoeddi gan y trysorydd nes ymlaen 5 Bydd
. _ 'ma'n cael ei chanu gan Eleri yfory 6 Mac'r bwyd yn cael ei
hnnltoi gan Rhodri ar hyn o bryd
Exercise 2
_ 1 Mae'r parse! 'ma wedi'i lapio'n wael 2 Mae tri llythyr heb eu
~ dosbarthu 'da fi fan hyn 3 Mae to'r garcj wedi'i drwsio nawr/bcl\ach
'· 4 Mae'r bil 'ma'n dal (i fod) heb ei dalu 5 Well gen i (or 'da fi)
ddarllen llyfr wedi'i anelu at Gymry Cymraeg 6 Mae'r gwallau i gyd
wedi'u tanlinellu
·<.~-
Exercise 3
1A2A3C4A5A6C
''> Exercise 4
1 Dyma'r bobol sy wedi dod i'ch gweld chi 2 Dyma'r ddynes sy'n
gofalu amy plant bob Nos Wcner 3 Dyma'r fath beth sy'n tueddu
digwydd 4 Dyma'r anifail sy'n s.ftl 5 Dyma'r car sy wedi torri i lawr
_.!
6 Dyma'r tculu sy wedi prynu'r t~ drws nesa
Exercise 5
1 Mae llyfrgell ncwydd wedi cael ei hagor yn y dre 2 Dych chi ar ben
eich hun fan hyn? 3 Mae popeth wedi'i drefnu yn barod 4 Wi'n
254
moyn gwneud y gwaith 'ma ·n hunan 5 Mae'r ddau docyn ·ma yn
hcb eu gwerthu 6 Ydy'ch teledu chi wedi'i drwsio 'to?
Exercise 6
1 Dan ni am weld y dogfenni i gyd cyn penderfynu 2 O'n i'n
gwneud yn siwr fod pawb yma 3 Dych chi am gasg!u'r papurau ar ~- ~""··
ffordd adre? 4 Macn nhw eisiau datblygu eu sgiliau cyfathrebti·:;r;
5 Bydd lslwyn am gyfweld a·r ymgeiswyr yn fuan 6 Dw i am ddilet(f~
'n enw i o'r rhestr
Exercise 7
,:; ~
,_~_,..._
ysgafn-trwm; du-gwyn; poeth-oer; hapus-trist; tlawd-cyfoethog;.{; :~-:
c~yf-gw_an; ne~dd-h~n; crwn-petryal; peryg!us-diogel; golygus-hyl!; __ · ·;
dlflas-d!ddorol, cared1g-cas; da-drwg; syml-cymhleth; anodd-hawdd.
Lesson 14
Exercise 1
1 Byddwn i'n derbyn ... 2 Fyddech chi'n fod!on ... ? 3 Bydden- ·-
nhw'n gwadu ... 4 Fyddai Gwen yn dod ... ? 5 Fydden ni ddim yn
s6n ... 6 Fyddai rhaid i chi ... ?
Exercise 2 ' nhw aros yma ... 4 Pwy ddaru dynnu'r llun 'ma? 5 Faint naethoch
1 'Swn i'n derbyn ... 2 'Sech chi'n fodlon ... ? 3 'Sen nhw'n gwadu
... 4 'Sai Gwen yn dod ... ? 5 'Sen ni ddim yn s6n ... 6 'Sai rhaid i :.
chi ... ?
Exercise 3
1 Pe byddai amscr 'da ni, byddech chi'n cael chwarae ar y sig!enni
2 Pe bydden nhw'n cwyno, bydden ni'n gorfod meddwl am rywbeth
arall3 Pe byddai'r car yn torri lawr, byddai rhaid i mi gerdded 4 Pe
byddwn i'n gweld e, byddwn i'n rhoi gwybod i ti 5 Pe byddai
pethau'n mynd yn chwith, bydden ni'n gallu (or gallen ni) aild-
dechrau 6 Pe byddai hynny'n digwydd, byddai'r teulu i gyd yn
siomedig
-~\
255
·.· Exercise 4
1 Os byddi di'n ymaeiodi a·r clwb sboncen, bydda i'n gallu chwarae
vn d'erbyn di 2 Os bydd ei phlant hithau'n perfformio hcno, bydd
~in plant ninnau'n pcrfformio hefyd 3 Os byddan nhw'n mynd i'r
Eidal, byddwn ni'n mynd i Ffrainc 4 Os byddwn ni'n gallu, byddwn
ni'n dud 5 Os byddwch chi'n cael traffcrth, byddwn ni'n helpu 6 Os
bydd Ad a Vie ar gael, bydda i'n gofyn iddyn nhw
~Exercise 6
1 Wedodd Mrs Williams y byddai hi'n mynd i'r dre 2 Wedodd
, Iestyn y byddai'r siop ar gau 3 Wcdodd Meleri y byd~ai'r ddau
ohonon ni'n hwyr 4 Wedodd Rhys y bydden nhw wed1 mynd yn
barod_ 5 :Wedodd Ale_d na ~yddai bwyd ar 61 6 Wedodd Gwcnith na
_ fvdda1 h1'n gwneud e1 gwmth cartre
Exercise 7
1 gyda'n gilydd 2 efo'ch gilydd 3 efo'n gilydd 4 gyda'i gilydd
5 gyda'ch gilydd 6 efo'i gilydd
Exercise 8
1 Ddaru mi ofyn iddi hi ... 2 Ddaru o golli ei swydd ... 3 Naethon
chi archebu? 6 Nes i ofalu amy plant
Exercise 9
1 Mae'n ymddangos bod ni'n mynd i fod yn hwyr 2 Efallai y dylech
chi ymddiheuro 3 Mae'n debyg bod nhw'n dal i fod yn aros amdani
4 Efallai bad hi'n rhy hwyr 5 Mac'n dcbyg y bydd y gwaith papur
'da chi yfory 6 Mae·n ymddangos fod dim caws ar 61 yn yr ocrgell
Exercise 10
1 Erioed 2 Byth 3 Byth 4 Erioed 5 Erioed 6 Byth 7 Byth 8 Byth
256 ,::
257

Lesson 15 ,~ Exercise 7

Exercise 1 1C2C3A4C5A6A

1 Bydd yr ail gCm yn cael ei threfnu ar gyfer y pumcd 0 Exercise 8

Tachwedd 2 Cafodd dros ugain o gerhydau eu stopio ar y ffordd
Bala 3 CaJodd ymgyrch newydd dros hawliau dynol ei Jansio yu;-{)~"/: -· 1 Dw i ddim yn gwybod fyddan nhw'n barod eto 2 Awn ni i weld
Llundain ddoe 4 Bydd y l!yfrgell newydd yn cael ei hagor yn swyd~~{c?> ydy'r swyddfa docynnau ar agor nawr 3 Dw i eisiau gwybod allwch
-j·
dogol gan y Dywysoges yfory 5 Bydd lluniau o'r digwyddiad yn ca~f~':· .,: chi weld (or ydych chi'n gallu gweld) yr arwydd draw fan·na 4 Alia
eu tynnu gan ein ffotograffydd 6 Cafodd yr adci\ad ei chwalu''i(~ ·-; -~ i ddim dweud yn bendant fydd Aled yn 1\wyddo neu beidio (or
gyfangwbwl gan y taflegryn ;~-:-- ~- ... yn bendant lwyddith Aled neu beidio) 5 Dw i ddim yn siwr ydy'r
.,Y' "tymor wedi dechrau 'to 6 Bydd rhaid inni ddarganfod ydych chi (or
Exercise 2 . tf~; : "wyt ti) 'n dweud y gwir, on' bydd?
'rl:t>
efallai taw yn y gegin maen nhw; Fi agorodd y drws; fi oedd yfi?,_ · Exercise 9
gorfod n61 gweddill y pethau o'r car; ti oedd yn gofa\u am yi:;~
allweddi; ti sy'n coginio hcno. .'_!: 1 Rhaid bod chi o'ch eo! 2 Rhaid fod e gartre erbyn hyn 3 Rhaid
-:,;-:;.
i inni drefnu i fynd a\lan gyda'n gilydd rywbryd 4 Rhaid i mi ffonio'n
Exercise 3
'
'x ._- rhieni erbyn wyth 5 Rhaid bod nhw wedi mynd allan yn barod
' 6 Rhaid inni brynu rhywbeth i'r plant tra bod ni yma
1 Nhw wedodd hynny 2 Gartre bydda i trwy'r dydd 3 Buzz aC
Amanda sy'n byw fan hyn 4 Alun, Lilian ac Osian sy wedi danfon y Exercise 10
cerdyn 'ma 5 Ni fydd yn rhedeg y stondin planhigion eleni 6 Tl
dalodd y bil Annwyl Mr Williams. Diolch am eich llythyr. Dw i'n meddwl y
dylen ni gwrdd i drafod y mater. Allech chi ddod i'n swyddfa i?
Exercise 4 Byddai 10 o'r gloch ddydd Gwcncr yn gyfleus i mi. Rhowch wybod
i mi os na allwch chi ddod. Dw i'n edrych ymlaen at weld chi. Yr
1C2A3A4A5C6A eiddoch yn gywir.
_!f--·
Exercise 5

Nei di olchi'r llestri i mi? Ond fi olchodd nhw neithiwr! We!, gelli di
olchi nhw heno hefyd. Mae pen tost 'da fi.

Exercise 6

1 Beth mae e'n wybod am wleidyddiaeth? 2 O't ti'n gwybod Jod

Sian am fod yn athrawes? 3 Dw i wedi cae! llond bol o'r sothach
'ma, timod 4 Dw i'n gwybod am rywun al!ai helpu chi 5 O'n nhw
ddim yn gwybod dim byd amdani 6 Oedd e·n gwybod yn union beth
oedd angen
 259

Ready-reference
grammar
Word-order
The order of main constituents of the normal sentence in Welsh is:
verb first, then
subject of the sentence, and then
object of the sentence. or other remaining elements.
The only real exception to this arrangement is a focused sentence,
where a particular element is highlighted for attention hy being -'·
placed first; this includes identification sentences.
. Adjectives
Adjectives undergo Soft Mutation when used with a feminine
singular noun. A few common adjectives have different forms for
masculine and feminine nouns, e.g. gwyn/gwen white, trwm/trom
heavy. A very few adjectives have special forms for use with plural
nouns- arall/eraill, ifanc/ifainc.
Comparison of adjectives(' ... er',' ... e~t'; 'more .. .', ·most .. .')
is done in one of two ways:
shorter adjectives add -ach and -a(f): cyflym fast, qflymach
faster, cyflyma Ja~·test.
longer adjectives use IDWJ more and mwya most: gwerthfawr
valuable, mWJ gwerthfawr more valuable. mwya gwerthfawr most
valuable.
·As ... as .. .' is done with mor' ... a (ag before vowels) ... in the
spoken language: mor werthfawr ag auras valuable as gold.
Adjectives follow the noun they describe, with a very few excep-
tions such as hen old. Where an adjective does precede a noun, the
noun undergoes Soft Mutation: hen ddyn an old man.

Gender Pronouns
In Welsh, there is no distinction between subject and object pro-
There are two genders in Welsh- masculine and feminine. Feminin~
nouns:
singular nouns undergo Soft Mutation after the definite article; adjec, ">'
tives undergo Soft Mutation when used after feminine singular nouns._ smg. I i, 6, mi I, me
.j
2 ti, di you
3m e. fe
Definite article o, fo (:'-i) he. him
hi she, her
The definite article ('the') has different forms: pL 1 ni we, us
y used before consonants 2 chi you
yr used before vowels and h- 3 nhw they, them
'r used after vowels There is no pronoun corresponding to 'if in Welsh; hi is used for
'abstract' meanings (as in 'it is raining'). while concrete objects go
The third option 'r has priority where more than one criterion is
fulfilled at the same time: yr ardd the garden but i'r ardd 1o rhe with their grammatical gender.
garden; y siop the shop, but i'r siop to the shop. The different uses for the varianb in the singular pronouns arc
Gender of the noun does not affect the form of the definite article. explained in detail in Modern Welsh: 11 Comprehensive Grammar
There is no indefinite article ('a', 'an') in Welsh. (King: Routledge).
 •

260 -------------------------------------- ------------------------------------261

There is a set of extended pronouns used for emphasis and contrast.;_,~~--~~: The present and imperfect tenses of hod have special question and
negative forms which need to be learnt- see Lessons 2 and 7.
sing. 1 innau. finnan. minnau
Future, preterite and conditional, as well as all other verbs used
2 tithau, dithau
with endings in Colloquial Welsh. use SM to make questions (e.g.
3m yntau, fintau; fothau (N)
Fydda i'! Will I be?) and add ddim after the pronoun (or other sub-
f hi than
ject) to make the negative (Fydda i ddim J won't be). An optional
pi. 1 ninnau
affirmative particle fe" or mi" can be placed in front of statement
2 chithau
forms only: Fe fydda i I will be.
3 nhwthau
Verbs can be used with endings (preterite and future tenses;
also command forms), or in conjunction with hod. Endings are
Verbs added to the stem of the verb, which may or may not be the same as
the VN:
The verb bod 'to be' is used not only as a verb in its own right,
also as an auxiliary in conjunction with the base-form o[ other vcrhs preterite future
(the verb-noun- VN).
sing. 1 ~si -a i
Affirmative (statement) colloquial forms are as follows
2 -est ti -i di
regional variants omitted):
3 -odd e/hi -ith e/hi
pro·ent imperfect future ,~: pi. 1 -on ni -wnni
2 -och chi -web chi
smg. 1 dwiiam o'n i I was bydda i I will be 3 -on nhw -an nhw
2 (wyt) ti you are o't ti you were byddi di you will be
3 mae e/hi he/ oedd e/hi he/ bydd e/hi he/ So, for example, from aros (stem arhos-) wait: arhoses i I waited,
she is she was she will be arhosa i I will wait.
pi. 1 dyn ni we are o'n ni we were byddwn ni we will be Other tenses, including an alternative future, use the simple VN
2 dych chi you are o'ch chi you were byddwch chi you will in conjunction with bod, and joined to it by a link-word yn (ongoing
3 maen nhw they o'n nhw they were byddan nhw they will action) or wedi (completed action). lst person sing. examples with
ace aros:
dw i'n aros I am waiting or I wait
dw i wedi aros I have waited
preterite conditional
o'n i'n aros I was waiting
...; o'n i wedi aros I had waited
sing. 1 hues i byddwn i or baswn i I would be "'
·---, bydda i'n aros I will wait or I will be waiting
(see Lesson 9) ::-. bydda i wedi aros
:; I will have waited
2 buest ti byddet ti or baset ti you would be
byddwn/baswn i'n aros I would wait
3 buodd e/hi byddai fe/hi or basai fe/hi he/
byddwn/baswn i wedi aros I would have waited
she would be
pl. 1 boon ni bydden ni or basen ni we would be s '-' 'li Four verbs- mynd go, dod come, gwneud do, make and cael get -
2 buoch chi byddech chi or basech chi you would be are irregular in the endings-tenses (some regional variants omitted):
3 boon nhw byddcn nhw or basen nhw they would
 •

262 263

prererite Mutations
'went' 'came' 'did' 'go/' The effects of the various mutations are laid out in Lessons 3 and 4.
sing. I es i des i nes i ces i The main circumstances for them arc as follows:
2 est ti dest ti nest ti cest ti Soft Mutation:
3 aeth e/hi daeth e/hi naeth e/hi caeth e/hi
pL L aethon ni daethon ni naethon ni caethon ni After the actual or notional subject of the sentence;
2 aethoch chi daethoch chi naethoch chi caethoch chi 2 After a feminine singular noun or after the feminine singular
3 aethon nhw daethon nhw nacthon nhw caethon nhw definite article;
3 After most simple (monosyllabic) prepositions;
future 4 After the following miscellaneous words:
dauo two (m)
'will go' 'will come' 'will do' 'will ger' dwy' two (f)
sing. 1 a; na i ea i
dyma" here is . .
doi
nci di
dyna' there is.
2 ei di dui di cei di
ceith c/hi dacw' there is . (yonder)
3 eith e/hi daw e/hi neith e/hi
nawn ni cawn ni
dy' your (sing.)
pL 1 awn ni down ni
2 ewch chi dewch chi newch chi cewch chi ei' his
3 an nhw dOn nhw min nhw c:'in nhw fe' affirmative marker
go' fairly, quite(+ adj)
mi' affirmative marker
mor' so(+ adj) (not 11- or rh-)
Adverbs neu' or
pa" ••. ? which. •J
Adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives by yn': araf slow, yn ,
pwy,,,,WIC' h.h ....'(S)
araf slowly; tawel quiet, yn dawel quietly. :;;. pano when (not question)
:[!_;
pur' very
rhy' too
' un' one (f)
Prepositions
yn' before nouns and adjectives (not 11- or rh-)
Most cause SM of the following word. When used with pronouns, 5 On verbs with endings generally in the colloquial language- e.g.
most take verb-like endings, sometimes with an extra element golles i Jlost (alternative for colles i):
inserted. In Colloquial Welsh these endings are: 6 On adverbs of time- e.g. flwyddyn yn 01 a year ago;
7 On the second of two words joined together in a compound:
smg. I -a i
prifddinas capital city (prif -t dinas);
2 -at ti
8 After prefixes like af- un-, di- -less. gwrth- anti-, against, ym-
3m -o fe
self- e.g. aflwyddiannus unsuccessful (af + llwyddiannuo; success-
-i hi
ful), di-Gymracg non-Welsh-speaking (di + Cymraeg Welsh
pL I -on ni
language). gwrthblaid oppositwn party (gwrth + plaid political
2 -och chi
parry), gwrthdaro r:olltde (gwrth + taro hit), ymolchi wash (one-
3 -yn nhw
self) (ym + golchi wash).
264

Aspirate Mutation:
1 In some regions, on a negative inflected verb - chollest ti Welsh-English
byd yor1 didn't miss anything. But SM is very common
instead: gollest ti ddim byd.
2 After the following miscellaneous words:
glossary
a and
a with
chwc six
ei her
gyda with
tri three (m) Nouns are masculine unless indicated (f); plural forms are given in
tua towards, about brackets where appropriate.
Verbs are given in their basic VN form; some unpredictable stems
In many regions the AM is not consistently applied, especially
(see Lesson 5) are given in brackets.
mutation t- to th-.
The alphabetical order is according to the Welsh alphabet as
Nasal Mutation: given on page L
On nouns to indicate 'my', sometimes preceded by 'y: a (ac before agor
and open
mhlant my children; vowels) agored open (adi)
2 After the preposition (not particle) yn, meaning 'in':}'" Nolgellau· a (ag before with agoriad (-au) key ("')
in Dolgellau. This usage is followed only erratically in the colla- __.
vowels) agosa nearest
quia! language.
Abertawe Swansea angeo need
From the above it will be dear that the SM is by far the absennul absent aoghofio forget
frequently occurring of the three mutations. You must master achus because anghyfforddm uncomfortable
effects of this mutation as quickly as possible, so that you will be i achub save anghyffredin unu~ual
able to identify words that you hear. Automatic and unconscious~.;~ adeg (-an) (f) time, occasion anghywir wrong, incorrect
use of the mutations yourself comes only with practice, and is there-~-~ adeilad (-an) building ail second
fore not something you should allow to worry you- just make sure adeiladwr builder ail-law second-hand
you get the practice, and don't worry about mutation errors on your (adeiladwyr) ailagor reopen
part. The main object, as with all languages, is to get the message aderyn (adar) bird ailddechrau start again
across; the trimmings come later, and will quite often fall into place,. adnabod recogmse ailfeddwl think again, have
by themselves, the more Welsh you use in natural conversation. adre (to) home sewnd thoughts
adrodd report (vb) Albanes Scot (f)
add as suitable (-au) (f)
addewid promise (n) Albanwr Scot {m)
addo (addaw-) prom1se (Alhanwyr)
c ~~· addysg (f) education Almaenes German (f)
aelod (-an) member (-au) (f)
aelodaeth (f) membership Almaenwr German (m)
afal (-au) apple (Aimaenwyr)
afon (-ydd) (f) nver allan 001
266 267

allanfa
(alhmfeydd) (f)
~:xit ar bwys
ar fai
beside r awyr iach fresh air bore morning
to blame ~-awyren (-nau) (f) aeroplane braf fioe
aJiwedd (-i) (f) key (S) ru- fin about to ( + braidd rather
':. baban (--od) baby
amo (in exchange) ar frys in a hurry; brawd (brodyr) brother
bach small
for: at (time); urgently hrecwast breakfast
bachgen bo'
want to. ar gael available (bechgyn) brifo hurt
am faint? for how long? ar gau closed bog bron almost
bag (-iau)
ambell waith occasionally ar goll lost brown
balch proud: happy brown
ambiwlans (-ys) ambulance ar gyfartal on average brwd keen.
banc (-iau) bank
Americanes American (f) ar gyfer fm enthusiastic
bant away (SJ
(-au) (f) ar hyd along brwnl dirty
bara bread
Americanwr American (m) ar hyn o bryd bargain brws dannedd toothbrush
bargen (bar-
(Americanwyr) ar 01 after bryn (-iau) hill
geinion) (f)
amgaeedig enclosed ar ran on behalf of hurry
becso worry brysio
amgau (amgae-) enclose ar unwaith at once buan soon
beic (beiciau) b1ke
amgueddfa museum ( ar y) gweill in the pipeline; dirty
bellach oow budr
(amgucdd- planned beth? what? bnsnes (-au) business
feydd) (f) araf slow meddle; be nosy
beth bynnag whatever: all the busnesa
amhosib impossible arafu slow down hwcio book (vb)
same
ami often arall other (sing.) bwrdd (byrddau) table; board
biau own (vb)
amlwg obvious arbennig sptc!al bwriadol deliberate, on
bil (-iau) bill
am~er (-au) time archebu order (goods) bisged (-i) (f) biscuit purpose
amser hamdden leisure llme archfarchnad suptrmarket where? bwriadu intend
ble?
amserlen (-ni) (f) timetable: (--oedd) (f) bwrw eira snow (vb)
blinedig tired
scheduk ardal (-oedd) (f) region, area blodyn (blodau) flower bwrw glaw rain (vb)
anadlu breathe ardderchog excellent bws (bysiau)
blwydd years old b"'
anafu injure arestio arrest blwyddyn year bwthyn cottage
anelu aim arfer used to (with (bythynnod)
(blynyddoedd,
anferth huge imperfect) feed
blynyddau) (f) bwydo
anfon send argyfwng crisis: emergency year (after bwyta
anlfodus unfortunate arhosfa (f) waiting room
blynedd
numbers) bychan (pi. "'
small
aJJhrefnus disorganised arian money bychain)
bob amser every time;
anhygoel incredible aros (arhos-) stay; wait always byd world ., _,
annwyd cold (illness) arwydd (-ion) sign (n) •·' bob dydd every day by< short .. ,; J; _..
annwyl dear arwyddo sign (vb) bys (-edd) finger
bob tro every time;
anrheg (-ion) (f) present
ansawdd quality
apwyntiad (-au) appointment
...
asiantwyr teithiotravel agents
at: to
•
'•
' bob w)·thnos
always
every week
byth ever/never (sey,-,-,'
Lesson r4;),~::_'J·Y~
.,, 00
atgoffa
athrawes (-an)
remind
·i. bocs (-ys) bo' byw live
cake
;-'· ~ed;.>~-w
o.'!!;;;1,fJ.
teacher (f) bodlfod.,. that ... (see cacen (-nau) (f)
ar agor open (adj) athro (athrawon) teacher (m) chair,'<:'")
Lesson 11) cad air
ar ben ... on ... own awnni let's go (cadeiriau) (f)
bodio hitch
bun( an) awyddus keen, eager bodlon satisfied; willing cadw'n beini
268 ---~!$ 269
~~
cae (-au) field cerdyn (cardiau) card _:-.Y~i-
,::···-~,,
cwmni compooy cyfweld a interview
cael (irr.) get, receive; be cerdyn siec cheque-card :·:-,;~;-.: (cwmnlau) cyfforddus comfortable
-<i> •.,'ji;."
allowed cerdded (cerdd-) walk ,___,~1,j:_;~: cwpan (-au) cup qffredinol general
Caerdydd Cardiff l:t!rddoriaeth (f) music . ,t·~~~~- cwpwrdd cupboard cyngerdd concert
caled hard ci (c;t.u) dog .;;Ff:;t'-.- (cypyrddau) cyhoeddi publish
camddeall misunderstand cig meat >4:."
-~-;'i'i't'•
cwrdd (ii) meet cyhuddo accuse: charge
'
camera camera cig eidion beef _,-v:~<;.- ~.--wrw beer cylchgrawn magazme
(camer.!i.u) cig moch pork ·.-,.j·:-K'\*•~ cwympo fall: drop (cylchgronau)
caniatid pennission cinio lunch ·:}·'k'Yt','-·. ~ cwyno complain cyllell (cyllyll) (f) knife
caniahiu allow, permit doe (-iau) clock ,t~\~:> cychwyn start cymaint so much/many
canlyniad (-au) result doe larwm alarm clock ,.1-::'Z:':. cydweithio co-operate cymhleth complicated
canol y dre town centre dust (-iau) ear . •t':'}f, cyfadde admit cymorth help (n)
canolbarth. central region clwb (dybiau) club , ·*~:'·_·- cyfaill(cyfeillion) friend Cymracs Welshwoman
c-.molbwyntJO concentrate coch red ;':'J,;,-,fi?l.4•- qfan whole (-au) (f)
canolfan (f) centre (building) codi get up; raise; .,:[J;}:,. _ cyfarchion greetings Cymro (Cymry) Welshman
canolfan sports centre build . ,>1· -i~{':: ' cyfarwydd familiar Cymru Wale~
chwaraeon coed wood . ,~'"''""";~:-- C)farwyddiadau instructions cymryd ( cymer-) take
canolfan leisure centre coeden (coed) (f) nee _; ~'-;''- :~ (pl.) cymuned community
hamdden coes (-au) (f) leg cyfathrehu communicate (-au) (f)
canran percentage coffi coffee j cyfeillgar friendly cymydog neighbour
canu sing; (bell) ring coginio cook (vb) cyfeiriad {--au) address, (cymdogion)
carchar prison colli lose ·! direction cyn bdore
cariad boy/girlfriend copa top. summit ·1 cyfenw surname cyn bo hir before long
cartre home corff (cyrff) body cyfieithu translate cynlleicd so little/kw
earn love rostus expensive --~· cyfieithydd translator cynllun plan
cas3u hate cownter counter .i cyfle (-oedd) chance, cynnal (cynhali-) hold (meeting)
casglu collect crac angry, cross '-t opportunity cynnar early
cath (-od) (f) cat credo think: believe cyfteus convenient cynnes warm
eau (cae-) close, shut creision (pi.) crisps cyflwyno present; cynta first
cawod (-ydd) shower creision 9d cornflakes introduce cynyddu increa~e
caws cheese crio cry, weep t'Yftym fast, quick cyrraedd arrive: reach
cefn back croesffordd crossroads cyfnewid exchange ( cyrhaedd-)
cefn gwlad countryside croeso welcome (cyfnewidi-) cysgu sleep
cefnogi support crwn (f. cron) round cyfoetbog rich cyson regular
ceffyl (-au) horse crwydro wander cyfrannu contribute cystal so/a~ good
ceg (f) mouth cryf (f. cref) strong cyfreithiwr lawyer cysylltu a contact; get in
cegin (f) kitchen crys (-au) shirt (cyfreithwyr) touch with
ceiniog (-au) (f) penny cuddio hide cyfres (-i} (f) series cytuno agree
ceisio try cui narrow , cyfrif (-on) account cythruddo annoy
celwydd (-au) lie (falsehood) curo knock . "'--'' cyfrifiadur (-on) computer cyw ifu- chicken
cenedlaethol national cwcb (cychod) hoat .~:,: cyfrifol rcspon~ible cywir correct
cerbyd (-au) vehicle cwm (cymoedd) valley _r_-, cyfrifoldeb responsibility cywiro correct (vb)
270 271

chi you defnyddio use dod (irr.) come (d)·dd) Sui Sunday
chimod y'know (S) deffro wake up dod a bring dyddiad (-au) date
chlthau yoo delfrydol ideal dodo hyd i fiod dyddiau gweithio working days
chwaer si~tt:r de nu attract dodyn
0
become dyfodol future
(chwiorydd) (f) derbyn receive: accept dogfen (-ni) (f) document dyffryu valley, dale
chwaith (not) either (derbyni-) Dolig Christmas (dyffrynnoedd)
chwaJu destroy dianc ( dihang-) dolur pam dylwn (i) ought, should
chwarae
chwaraeon
play
sports
dibynnu
didrafferth
doniol
dosbarth
funny. humorous
das~
dyma ..•
,,
here is. .: this

chwerthin laugh problems (dosbarthiadau) dymunol pleasant

chwilio am look for diddordeb (-au) interest dosbarthu deliver; dyn (-ion) moo
eh with left difhmnu disappear "'::~ +'"' distribute dyna ••• there is .
chwydu vomll diHas miserable: borin~<~,:: -~:· draw over (here/there) that is.
,_,#-L· -'.
'da ('dag before with difrifol serious ··-:l::~'L¥. draw fanna over there dysgu learn

da
vowels)

dacw .••
good
(over) there is
dilfodd
digalonni
switch off
get down-
hearted
d
I
>->i-4!~--
\-; :~\'
&: .
.-:~~
'/
dros'
dros y Sui
over: on behalf of
over the week-
ood
ddoe
ddwywaith
yesterday
twice
he, him: it
... ; that is. digon enough
··'}' ,.
_.;1}::::·
: :.:
''
druan poor (thing)
'eang (ehang-) wide, broad
dadl argument: digwydd happen ·; ~~;,:.' drud expensive edrych look
~0"7-'
debate dileu delete --;o_.'}:f;,_.
-.-..:-
drwg bad edrych ar took at
dadlau (dadleu-) argue dilyn follow .-;;,.:~~: drws (drysau) door edrych ymlaen look forward
dangos show dim byd nothing ·1-;jt-.. drws n~a next door at to
(I haven't) a clue' ,~r
,,.
0
dal catch; keep on (dim) clem drwy through efallai perhaps
(see Lesson 12) ('da fi) -.1-i.ir:C;, dull method with (N)
-~"---
damwain accident (dim) ots it doesn't matten.'.:"@'-.; -: dweud, dend say; tell effeithiol effective
(damweiniau) dim ysmygn no smoking -p~,:~.:-- dl\. water eglur clear
(f) dinas (-oedd) (t) citv ij dwsin (-an) dozen egluro explain
dan reolacth under control diniwed ha~mless :· ;~;.- dwy 0
two (f) eglwys (-i) (f) church
-r..);: .
danfon send diod (-ydd) (f) drink ·t.';\t'- -~ dwyffordd two-way (return) ei gilydd each other
dant (dannedd) tooth diogel safe ~~:- dwylo (pi.) hands eiliad ( -au) (f) second
darganfod discover. find out diolch thank you dwyrain east eisiau want
--·:·--
darlledu broadcast dirwy (-on) (f) fine, penalty dychmygu imagine eisiau bwyd hunger
darn (~au) piece disgwyl expect dychrJn frighten eistedd ~it

darparu provide diswyddo sack, fire dychwelyd return eitha quite, fairly
dutblygu devevtop diwcdd ood (dychwel-) eleni this year
datgun declare, diwetha last (most dydd (-iau) doy enfawr enormous
announce recent) (dJdd) Gwener Friday enghruilft example

.,
datrys
dau '

deal!
solve
two (m)
right, south
understand
diwrnod

diwydiant
diwylliant
day (after
numbers)
industry
culture
,;''"'

'
0
(dydd) lau
(dydd} Llun
(dydd) Mawrth
(dydd) Mercher
Thursday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
(enghreilftiau)
(0
ennill ( cnill-)
enw (-an)
win; earn
name
dechrau begin do yes (preterite) \/· (dydd) Sadwrn Saturday en wog famous
'
272 ,...,.,.,....,,
273
er enghraifft
·---
for example ffOn
eraill phone look after gwasiad
erbyn
other (pl.)
by(time)
fforc (ffyrc) (f)
lfordd (fryrdd)
fork
way: road
careful gweddill ""
remainder, rest
erhyn hyn by now north gweiddi shout
(f)
erchyll horribk postpone gweithio work
erioed fforest (-ydd) (f) forest light (n) gweld (gwel-)
ever/never
(see Lesson 14)
ffotograffydd photographer~< gwell "'
better
Ffrances (-au) (f) French woman'-_ light (adj) gwella improve; get
"'
ers tro
since
for ("' since)
Ffrancwr Frenchman
olau
Jcbi wash better
(Ffrancwyr)
quite a while lwg look gwenu smile
ffrind (-iau) friend
esbonio explain (appearance) gwersyllu go camping
ffrwyth (-au) fruit
esgid (sgidiau) (f) shoe mean gwertbfawr valuable
estron ffurflen (-ni) (f) form (paper)
foreign handsome, good- gwerthu sell
ethol ffwdanu (make a) fuss-o
elect looking gwesty (gwestai) hotel
gadael (gadaw-) leave; let
eto again; still ~orau best gweud say; tell (S)
Gaea{t) winter
faint? how much/ )orfod have to gwibdaith trip. excursion
gafael grip
many? jgorffen finish (gwibdeithiau)
fan hyn gair (geiriau) word ·._gorlfennol
here past (f)
gallu can; be able
fan'cw there (in the ;~orlfwys rest (vb) gwin wine
distance) gan
.
galw (galw-) call
hy
.·gorllewin we~t gwisg nofio swimming
fan'ma there '-:gonnod too much/many costume

,,
fauna

,,.
there
he, him; it
gan gynnwys including
gardd (gerddi) (f) garden
garddio
_:-gOrsaf (-oedd)
(f)
station gwisgo
gwlad
wear: put on
country
affirmative garden (vb) ,-_gorwedd lie (repose) (gwledydd) (f)
garej (-ys)
,,, particle
like; as
gartre
garw
garage
(at) home
'j:orwneud
gO!itwng
overdo
reduce; decrease
gwledig
gwlyb
rural
wet
fel arall severe ::gradd degree gwneud (in.) do, make
otherwise geirfa (f)
fel byn like this vocabulary · grisiau (pi.) stairs gwneud y tro do the trick
fel (hyn)ny geiriadur (--on) dictionary gwadu
like that deny gwobr (-au) (f) prize
felly gem (-au) (f) game · gwaelod '
so: in this way bottom gw• husband
finnau I, me geni give birth to _ __gwaeth worse gwraig (f) wife
ffa pob (pi.) baked beans g;torydd goitO<i"' ~ --"' '' gwaot b a worst gwrando ar listen to
ffaitlt (ffeitltiau) fact glan (glannau) (f) shore. bank :: - ,"
__ --:- gwaetba•r modd unfortunately gwregys seatbelt
(f) glan
, clean .. · ·""-
- gw a e thygu worsen
. diogelwcb
1
gas bl uc,•. ( o f .
, · ,· gwaltanol dtfferent
. .
ffatri factory gwreiddiol original
(flatri"oedd) (f) "getotioo , ~ : gwohodd '"''" gwres temperature
ffeindio find green ) .-.-'' ·;--, · gwaitb cartre homework (fever)
ffenest (-ri) (f) window
glaswellt lawn -~\ - .·"r'· gwall (_ au) mistake
. gwrthod refuse
ffenn (-ydd) (f)
ffili
farm gl~n (glynno.dd)
go
""''· nle
fairlv
';~!
'J.-;_.,'-1-
;~ Gwanwyn
gwolll :';:.,
P
gwrtbwynebu
gwybod
oppose
know (fact)
cannot; not be
able (S) go iawn real,• genuine -· \. ·.;"''-~
-!· _ gwano
• spend
. (money) gwybodaeth (r) information;
mat (-iau) (f) go lew OK (health) ·:,;M-·_ " gwa rth us dtsgraceful
_ knowledge
flat. apartment
gobeithio (I) hope .,i;- ~' ,; gwasanaetb (-au) servtce gw')'ch great, marvellous
274 ; li 275

gwydr (-au) gla~s honni claim ·~·'f{:·: isa lowest llonydd peace,
gwydraid glass(ful) honno that (one) (f) . J:.~c_. ise (= eisiau) v,.an((central) tranquillity
Gwyddel (-od) Irishman hosan (sanau) (f) sock isel low llosgi burn
Gwyddeles Irishwoman hufen iii 1ce-cream isio (= eisiau) want (N) llu large number of;
(-au) (f) bun, hunan, ~df Iwerddon Ireland host
gwyliau (pi.) holidays hunain !an up fS) llun (-iau) picture
gwylio watch hunanwasanacth seJf.service lapio wrap Llundain London
gwynt wind hwn this (one) (m) Jedled throughout llwy (-au) (f) spoon
gwyntog windy hwnnw that (one) (m) (country) llwyd grey: pale
gwyrdd green hwyl goodbye: fun lein (f) line (railway) (complexion)
(f_ gwerdd) hwyr late lulfa (f) living room llwyddiant success
gyda ... gilydd together hwyrach perh<tps (N) , ·:-. _ lori (lor'iau) (f) lorry llwyddo succeed
gyda (gydag with hyd (at) up to ·-:~~- lwcus lucky llyfrgell library
before vo>~-·els) hyd yn oed even :,..-.k; llai less: smaller (-oedd) (f)
gyferbyn opposite Hydre(f) autumn ;~·~:>· llanast mess; (place) tip llygad (llygaid) eye
gynnau just now hyn the~e (ones) _..,_q._,· llaw (dwylo) (f) hand llym harsh
gyrru drive hynny those (ones) ''"'" · -- llawer
\~):?:;, much, many; a llyn (llynnoedd) lake
gyrrwr (gyrwyr) driver hynod o"... awfully ... (-'- ·t ·.''.~ - lot llynedd last year
Ha( f) summer adj) -~ -~: llawn full llysiau vegetables
hala send hysbyseb advert J.~ llawn dop full right up llythyr (-au, -on) letter
halen salt (-ion) (f) ··:: llawr (lloriau) lloor; storey llywodraeth (f) government
banes (-ion) history; story i I, me . ~~ . lie (-fydd or place mab (meibion) son
banner (haneri) half f to, for ·t<{~~-- ' -oedd) maes (meysydd) field; flat area
hapus happy i fvny up ,.}f_-.. _ lie'? where'l macs awvr airpmt
hebo without
-
i tTwrdd away
~""'· ~
:·v:~~-:- " llefain cry, weep
-
maes parcio carpark
hedfan fly (vb) i gyd all ~-~~- ;; llefarydd spokesman, mai that ... (focus/
heddiw today (i) lawr down .-,-.t,t.ii,t' · spokeswoman identification)
heddlu police i mewn in (adv) .• C$;i~L: lleidr (lladron) thief mam (f) mother
heddwas policeman i raddau to a certain ·;o;_;%:- llenwi (llenw-) fill (up/in) mam-gu (f) grandmother (S)
(heddweision) extent '1~ ~ lleol local man a man i... . .. might as well
hefyd also i'r dim exactly right; just;:':. . llestri (pi.) cro<.:kery maneg ( menig) glove
heibio past the thing -~z :: llinell (f) line (f)
heno tonight iaith (ieithoedd) language "!.:{ lliw colour mantais advantage
heulog ~unny (f) ·:r::;-!: lliwgar colourful (manteision)
hi she, her; it iawn very: OK }-~:';;:~ Lloegr .England (f)
hinsawdd (f) climate ie yes (focus/ -df' llofnodi sign ('>'b) manylion (pi) details
hithau she; it identification) ;·f;,, ~- llogi hire map (mapiau) map
hofrennydd helicopter iechyd da! cheers! good ~lf:<·
,.-'_,.7.
llong (-au) (f) ship marchnad market
hogydd sharpener health! -~~¥;-~ llongyfarchiadau congratulations (-oedd) (f)
holi ask ifanc (pi. ifainc) young ··V~/.;., llond bol bcllyful. too mas out (S)
boil" all innau I. me '-f~·:..- much of math (-au) kind, sort
hon this (one)(!) is lower ·-:~~~~: llond... -ful mawr big
276 ~~~ 277
--:~-- .,.
medru can; be able (N) :'e:JAi'l";' which ones?
mynychu go to (school); :-..;iJJ~~/ 0" from; of pa rai?
meddw drunk frequent ,~~·. 0 blaid in favour of pabell (pebyll) (f) tent
meddwl think; mean ·• -'""'-·,;!-
mynydd (-oedd) mountain --~_JZ;!f:_ 0 bryd i'w gilydd now and again palm ant pavement,
(meddyli-) na (AM) (nag than •.;.~~- (palmentydd) sidewalk
(o) dan under
--~""·-
meddyg (-on) doctor before vowels) "i.'tt·:_; 0 flaen in front of palu dig
meddygfa surgery why?
know (person) #-~r,_- -· 0 gwbwl
(meddygfeydd)
m.bod
Nadolig Christmas <"i"- 0 gwmpas
at all
around; about
pam?
•••
. when
(f) naddo no (preterite) ~-,·f\1::> 0 gymharu a compared with panaid cup(ful)
me! honey newspaper
nage no (focus/ ;:~~ o hyn ymlaen from now on papur newydd
melyn (f. melen) yellow
melysion
identification) ,·:f?Jif 0 Jeia at least paratoi prepare
(pi) sweets nain (f) grandmother (N):·>t-~: o'r blaen before, parod ready
menyn butter natur (f) nature --_.{~~:- previously parti party
menyw (-od) (f) woman nawr now -;:!'t-.-· o'r diwedd parhau (para) last. continue
at last
merch (--ed) (f) daughter; girl ne~1 no-one -i}~,t~, o'r gorau alright pasio pass
methu cannot~ not be pawb everyone
nets nice ·ifi~/~ . ochor (-au) (f) side
able neithiwr last night -. :h·;,£;:·'- oed years old p< if (closed con-
mewn in (Lesson 6) nesa next; nearest -:it.AW; oedolyn adult ditions - see
mewn golwg in mind neu· or -~~). Lesson 14)
(oedolion)
mewn pryd in time neuadd (-au) (f) hall
"~·-'-
J.'.-'\ oedran ,,, pecyn (-nau) pack( et)
mi" affirmative neuadd y dre town hall 'i/!k
__ ,...,._.,' ~'
cold peidio stop, cease; don't
particle newid (newidi-) change ~id~: .. oergell (-oedd) refrigerator peiriannydd engineer
milltir mile machine
newydd new .J -~\ (f) peiriant
(-oedd) (f)
minmm I, me
newJdd"
something) <f'l:
(have) just (done -, ._,.. ;_":._
'""W-
ofn
ofnadwy
fear
awful
(peiriannau)
peiriant golchi dishwasher
mis (-oedd)
m odd
m Or
month
way
se<'l
newydd -'>bon
newyddion
nhw
brand new
news
thev them
·~,i ··",~
-~1 -~-,
·IJ'
.,.
oherwydd

olew
because
last (in a series)
oil
llestri
pH (peli) (f)
pH-droed
ball
football
mor· ...
n~wthau the~: them .\ --~;,;
mor· ..• a
(AM) •.•
'0.
as. .as ... m we, us ', .,,;.6'(
"
olwyn (-ion) (f)
on'( d) ..• ?
wheel
rag element
pell
p<n '"
head: end
birthday
ni chaniateir... . .. is/are not ' -i~f"~--. ond bm penblwydd
moyn want: fetch allowed -- _;--j:;. orange pendant definite
oren (-au)
mnnud (-au) minute ~1-:' chapter: episode

.,
nifer(-oedd) number oriawr watch pennod
mwy more; bigger ninnau we, us \~}· (timepiece) (penodau) (f)
mwyach (any) more nodiadur (-on) notebo'ok 'Tif:-' if (open condi- pensil (-iau) pencil
mwyafrif majority nodyu note ·fK\ tions- see pentre (pentrefi) village

·~ 1:
mJnd (in.) go nofio swim Lesson 10) penwythnos (-au) weekend
myndii take (accompany) nO I fetch avoid perlfaith perfect
osgoi

mynd yn
.
mynd yn chwith go wrong
become
nos (f)
noson (nos-
night
evening
0
pa ..••
,
which ... ?
what.
.,
p<rt
perthnasau
pretty
(pL) relations
mynedfa entrance weitbiau) (f) ~:. p'un? which one? perthyn belong
(mynedfeydd) nwy gas ·~~~: pa fath o., ,? what kind of ... ? peryglus dangerous
(fj nyrs (-ys) nurse :·.ti:· pa mor ...? how. . ( + adj.)? peswch cough
~'"-'
 \T J
~,, )
278
-,1;1 279

petryal square pw}'lla! watch out! be {~;:·-·:· rhybudd warning; siopa shop (vb)
peth (-au) thing careful! ·J/t': (advance) sir (Welsh) county
:.;;;--
pigog touchy pwys (-au) pound (lb) ·~, notice siwr sure
pisin piece (money) pwysig important ~r rhydd free sleisen (sleisys) slice
planhigyn plant pysgodyn fish ·t· __ rhyddhau release (f)
(planhigion) (pysgod) rhyfedd odd, strange soser lloeren satellite dish
<
plit (platiau) plate pysgota fish (vb) rhyngwladol international sothach rubbish
platfform platform pythefnos fortnight rhywbeth something (figurative)
pleidleisio vote (vb) ., the rhywbeth felly something like stafell fwyta (f) dining room
plentyn (plant) child recordydd Jideo video-recorder -,;_· that stamp (-iau) stamp
pobol (f) people recordydd tap tape recorder }-' rhywun someone stondin (-an) stand, stall
poced (-i) (f) pocket • now (N) Saesnes (-an) (f) Englishwoman stryd (-oedd) (f) street
poeni worry; bother ~··
rygbi rugby safle bysiau bus stop stumog (f) stomach
poeth hot rywbryd sometime ' Sais (Saeson) Englishman sut? how?
pont (-ydd) (f) bridge rywle, yn rhywle somewhere
.
sal ill sut' •.. ? what kind of '
popeth everything rhad cheap saw I ( + sing.)? how ~. noise
popty oven rhaglcn (-ni) (f) programme many ... ? swper supper
posib possible rhagor more sawl un? how many? swydd (-i) (f) job; (English)
potel (-i) (f) bottle rh aid must (see Lesson sbectol glasses, county
pres money (N) R)
'· spectacles swyddfa (swydd· office
presennol present rhan (-nau) (f) part shoncen (f) squash (game) feydd) (f)
prir main rhannu share; divide sebon soap swyddfa bust post office
prifddinas (f) capital city rhedeg (rhed-) mn scdd (-an) gadw reserved scat swyddfa ticket office
pritTordd main road; rheilffordd railway sefyll (se£-, saf-) stand docynnau (f)
(pritTyrdd) (f) motorway (-ffyrdd) (f) sefyllfa (f) situation swyddfa'r post post office
~
prin scarce; hardly rheolwr manager selsig ~ausage swyddog (-ion) official (n)
(see Lesson 13) (rheolwyr) sglodion (pi) chips swyddogol official (adj)
priod married rheswm reason 'sgwni I wonder (N) sych d'Y
priodi get married (rhesymau) sgwrs (sgyn;iau) conversation syched thirst
pris (-iau) price rhesymol reasonable (f) syml simple
pryd (-iau) meal rhewgcll freezer sianel (-i) (f) (TV) channel symud move
pryd? when? (-oedd) (f) siarad ~peak; talk synhwyrol sensible
prydlon punctual rhiant ( rhicni) p<~rent sicr sure syniad idea
p(ry)n(h)awn afternoon rhif (-au) number sicrhau assure; make synnu be surprised
prynu b"y rhoi give; put sure syrthio fall
prysur busy rhoi gwybod i inform; let . siec (-iau) (f) cheque syth straight
punt (punnoedd, pound (£) know silff (-oedd) (f) shelf syth ymlaen straight on/ahead
punnau) (f) rhoi'r gorau i giVe up sillafu spell ta beth whatever; all the
pupur pepper rhugl fluent sinema cinema same
pwll nofio swimming pool rhwng between (sinem§u) (f) tacluso tidy up
pwnio
pwy?
punch, thump
who?
'hwym
rhy"
bound
t=
SiOn Corn
siop (-au) (f)
Father Christmas
shop
•••
tad-cu
father
grandfather (S)

.J '
 IJ
.,
- ~-

280

tafarn ( -au) (f) P"b traeth (-an) beach

i£ tun (-iau) tin wyddoch chi y'know (N)
281

tafeJJ (-'olll) (f) slice trafnidiaeth (f) lr<lffic •• twll hole wyddost ti y'know (N)
o:~~
taflen (-ni) (f) leaflet trafod discuss .~~-- twym wann. hot wyneb face
t..u throw; throw tram or overseas . ,,,.
,;;., house wythnos(-au)(f) week
t9
away tre (trefi) (f) town -:-~;--- t9 bach toilet y th'
taid grandfather (NJ trefniadur (-on) personal tY bwyta restaurant y ••. 'na that . . (see
taith {teithiau) (f) journey
tal
orgamser ':l" .~;:-.-
tybed I wonder
season; term y chwith
Lesson 11)
the left
tall trefnu arrange; organise tymor
tal payment. fee trefnus organised tynnu pull; draw (y) ddannodd toothache
talu P'Y trfn (trenau) train tynnu Huniau take pictures y dde the right
ton until treth (-i) (f) tax '( tywod sand (y) llall the other (one)
tanlinellu underline treulio spend (time) tywydd weather (y) Jleill the other (ones)
taro hit trigolion (pi.) inhabitants tywyll dark y rhain these (ones)
tatws potatoes trio t<y theatr (-au) (f) theatre y rhan fwya(f) the majority,
t•w that ... (focus/ troed (traed) foot ucha highest most part
identificat10n) troi (tro-, trodd-) turn uchel high y rheiny those (ones)
tawel quiet troi ymlaen turn on unffurdd one-way ychydig a little; a bit
tea trosglwyddo transfer uniongyrchol direct yfed (yf-) drink
"
tebyg likely; similar trwm heavy Uno! Daleithiau United States yfory tomorrow
tog anything ynganu pronounce
tegan (-au)
fair
toy trwy
.
trwsio mend
through _[
unrhywbeth
unrhywun anyone ynghylch aboul.
teimlo feel trwy gydol , , , throughout (time- unwaith once concerning
teisen (-nau) (f) cake expression) uwch higher yng!Yn a about concerning
teithiwr trwy'r,,,
:: here
traveller, all . . (time J uwd porridge ym•
(teithwyr)
teledu
passenger
television trwydded
expre~sions)
licence 1:
:l't"·
.~,,._
wal (-iau) (f)
wastad
wail
always
ymadael
(ymadaw-)
kave (intrans.)

tenau thin (-an) (f) :;!~· wats watch (time- ymaelodi ii join (club)
tenis tennis trwyn no~e Z.- piece) ymader practice
._.,_
tenis bwrdd table-tennis try·dan electricity .''- wedi after; past (time ymdopi (ii) cope with
tennyn lead (for dog) trydanol electric expressions) ymddangos appear
teulu (-oedd) family trydanwr electrician wcdi hlino tired ymddiheuro apologise
tow
timod
'"
y'know (S)
trydydd
trysorydd
third
treasurer
:'i-
wcdi torri lawr
wcdyn
broken down
then; later on
ymgeisio
ymgyrch
apply (for job)
campaign
tirlnn landscape tu allan out~idc weithiau sometimes ymlaen on. onward
tithau you tu fas outside well 'da/gan •.. ... would prefer ymlaen !law in advance;
tlawd (tlot-) poor tu fewnimcwn inside well i •.• had better beforehand
'to again; still tu 01 behind wir? really? ymolchi wash (oneself)
tocyn (-nau) ticket tu 01/ccfn behind wrth" by; while . ymosod ar a!tack
toni break; cut tua about (approxi- -ing ymweld visit
torri ar draws interrupt mation) wrth ochor beside (ymwel-) a
torth (-au) (f) loaf tudalen (-nau) page wrth reswm of course ymylon (pi.) outskirts
i
tost sore, painful tueddu tend wy (-au) yn (NM) m
'"
 )

282

yn particle before yntere question wg

VNs ynys (--oedd) (f) island
0
yn particle before Ynysoedd Briti~h Isles
nouns and Prydeinig
adjective\· yt the
yn barod already yr Alban Scotland
yn bendant definitely yr eiddoch yours .
yn henna( I) mainly, chiefly yr hyn ... what(= the
yn ddiweddar recently thing) (that).
yn enwedig especially yr Wyddfa (Mount)
yn erbyn against Snowdon
yn gwmws precisely ysbyty (ysbytai) ho~pital
yn gyfangwbwl completely ysgafn light
yn gywir truly ysgol (-ion) (f) school
yn hytrach na rather than ysgol feithrin (Webh language)
(AM) nursery ~chool
yn lie instead of ysgrifennu write
yn ogystal (.:i) as well, also ysgrifenyddes (f) secretary
yn f1l back; ago (y)sbwriel rubbish
yn union exactly (y)sgrifennu write
yn ymyl beside (y)stafell (f) room
yn ystod during (y )stafell fwyta (f) dining room
yn• there (y ).stafell molchi bathroom
yno there (out of (y).stafell wely bedroom
sight) y~tyried consider
yntau he; it yswiriant insurance