Welsh/Verbs

Introduction to verbs A verb can denote a state or an action. Verbs can be auxiliary like Beː Be Am, Are, is, was, were,been; Have, Has, Had; Do, Does, Did; May, Might, Must , Ought/Should, Could, Would, Will, Can, shall, show either an action being perform e.g. running, skipped and hop e.t.c, a state of being e.g. know, thinking. There are two major "Bod", the English of "Be" is irregular, Pronouns In Welsh, just as in English, pronouns are normally interlinked with verbs; pronouns can be omitted in very formal forms of the verb, "Bod" apart from the 3rd singular of "Bod" to show the different between "He" and "She", with "Fe" as "He" and "Hi" as "She". You There are two you in Welsh, Chi and Ti, "Chi" is polite, can be both singular and plural, this is the equivalent of the English language of "You"; "Ti", and "Chdi" used in North Wales, is familiar and can only be used as singular, this is similar to the Early Modern English of "Thou", "the Second Person Singular and familiar" of "Be". He "E" and "Fe", or "O" and "Fo" in North Wales. "E" or "O" are used with verbs ending in a consonant; "Fe" and "Fo" are normally put after verbs ending in vowels, the only exception to this is "Mae" and "Ydy" which are followed by "E" and "O" e.g. you say, "Mae" "E"/"O" and not "Mae" "Fe"/"Fo", "Fe" and "Fo" are also, independent pronouns. Basic forms of the verbsː Verbs-Nouns/Infinitive verb The basic form of the verb is the, verb-noun in Welsh, infinitive verb in English, they don't tell us who is doing the action or state. The infinitive verb uses the preposition To+verb while The verb-noun in Welsh omits the preposition of i=to. Verb-noun are grammatically nouns in Welsh To conjugate a verb To conjugate a verb in Welsh a word is added before the verb-noun and in English either by putting the suffixes "ing" or an "ed" Welsh Verb Sterm If a verb-noun ends in a consonant the word doesn't change expect those ending in "ed" or "eg" etc Irregular verbs, Bod and Gwybod Aros to Arhos meaning to stay Cymryd to Cymer meaning to take Cyrraedd to Cyrhaedd meaning to arrive Dweud to Dwed meaning to say Ennill to Enill meaning to win Gadael to Gadaw meaning to leave Gweld to Gwel meaning to see Gofyn to Gofynn meaning to leave Meddwl to Meddyli meaning to think Ymgweld to Ymgwel meaning to visit If the verb-noun ends in a vowel, it is removed, some do change their ending apart from Chwarae meaning to play Dechrau to Dechreu meaning Start Gwrando to Gwrandaw meaning to listen Mwynhau to Mwynheu meaning to enjoy. Tenses Tenses in Welsh and English can be simple, continuous, perfect, imperfect and conditional. Present Tense of "Bod" "Rydw", "Rwyt", "Rydych" and "Rydyn" are the present tense of "Bod" can be translated as, "am", "is" or "are" or "do" Past Tense of "Bod" Compound tenses The table below are the following: "I be", "Thou 'be/beest'", "He be", "She be", "We be", "You be" and "They be"; If a Personal pronoun such as my, your e.t.c is in front of "Bod" than this is translate to that, the mutation stay the same, e.g. Rydw i'n gwybod dy fod yn dda = I know that you are good. PersonPersonal Variants iModtiFodo/hiFod/BodniBodchiBodnhwBod Present The present tense is formed from the present tense of bod (to be) as shown in the table below, yn and the infinitive. Welsh has no distinct continuous tenses. This tense translates both as I do and I am doing. To negate sentences, use the negative form of bod, and use the inquisitive form of bod to ask questions. Very formal written language uses independent pronouns which can be used as subject or object. These are: fi; ti(di); fe(S.Wales),fo(N.Wales)/ef; hi; ni; chi/chwi; nhw/hwy. Sy/Sydd can be used for is and are in focus sentences to show that no one else is doing the action. PersonIdentification AffirmativeNegativeInterrogativeVery formal Affirmative(pronoun omitted)Very formal Negative(pronoun omitted)Very formal Interrogative (pronoun omitted)Spoken fi (I)Ydw(Ry)dw i(Dy)dw i ddim(Y)dw i?Yr wyf/RwyfNid WyfA WyfDw iti (you, informal)Wyt tiRwyt tiDwyt ti ddimWyt ti?Yr wyt/RwytNid WytA WytRwyt tio (he) / hi (she)Ydy/Yw o/hiMae o/hiDydy o/hi ddimYdy o/hi?Y mae (ef)/(hi)/mae (ef)/hiNid Yw (ef)/(hi)A Yw (ef)/(hi)Mae o/hini (we)Ydyn niRydyn niDydyn ni ddimYdyn ni?Yr ydym/Rydym Nid YdymA YdymDyn nichi (you, plural/formal)Ydych chiRydych chiDydych chi ddimYdych chi?Yr ydych (chwi)/Ydych (chi) Nid Ydych (chwi)A Ydych (chwi)Dych chinhw (they)Ydyn nhwMaen nhwDydyn nhw ddimYdyn nhw?Y Maent(hwy)/Maent(hwy)Nid Ydynt (hwy)A Ydynt (hwy)Maen nhwAn/Di Rhagenw(Non-Pronouns)(Name(s)(Singular/plural noun(s))(Man/Men, Child/Children, Woman/Women e.t.c)N/AMae'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Dydy'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Ydy'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Y Mae'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural noun(s))Nid Yw'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural noun(s))A Yw'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural noun(s))Mae'r + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s)) Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Sarah ydw i – I am Sarah Sam ydy/yw athro/athrawon – Sam is a teacher Rydw i'n darllen – I read / I am reading Dwyt ti ddim yn bwyta – You don't eat / You are not eating Ydy o'n cerdded? – Does he walk? / Is he walking? Mae'r dyn yn byw yna – The man lives there Mae'r plant yn byw yma – The children live here Jane sy'n/sydd yn darllen – Jane is reading Imperfect The imperfect is formed exactly like the present, but this time using the imperfect forms of bod as listed below. PersonAffirmativeNegativeInterrogativeVery formal Affirmative(pronoun omitted)Very formal Negative(pronoun omitted)Very formal Interrogative (pronoun omitted)Spoken Spoken QuestionfiRoeddwn iDoeddwn i ddimOeddwn i?Yr oeddwn iNac oeddwn i A oeddwn i Ro'n iO'n i?tiRoeddet tiDoeddet ti ddimOeddet ti?Yr oeddet tiNac oeddet tiA oeddet ti Ro't tiO't ti?o/hiRoedd o/hiDoedd o/hi ddimOedd o/hi?Yr oedd ef/hiNac oeddet ef/hi ddim?A oedd ef/hiRo'dd o/hiO'dd o/hi niRoedden niDoedden ni ddimOedden ni?Yr oeddem niNac oeddem niA oeddem ?Ro'n ni O'n nichiRoeddech chiDoeddech chi ddimOeddech chi? Yr oeddechNac oeddechA oeddech?Ro'ch O'ch nhwRoedden nhwDoedden nhw ddimOedden nhw?Yr oeddyntNac oeddynt A oeddynt ?Ro'n O'n An/Di Rhagenw(Non-Pronouns)(Name(s)(Singular/plural noun(s))(Man/Men, Child/Children, Woman/Women e.t.c)Roedd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Doedd ddim + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Oedd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Yr oedd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Nac oeddet ddim?+ (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))A oedd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))Ro'dd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s))O'dd + (singular/plural noun(s))+yn+verb-noun+(singular/plural; noun(s)) Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Roedden ni'n yfed – We were drinking / We used to drink Doeddech chi ddim yn dod – You weren't coming / You didn't used to come Oedden nhw'n mynd? – Were they going? / Did they used to go? Future The future is once again formed using the future forms of bod, in the same way as the present and imperfect tenses. PersonAffirmativeNegativeInterrogativeVery formal Affirmative(pronoun omitted)fiBydda(f) iFydda(f) i ddimFydda(f) i?Byddaf itiByddi diFyddi di ddimFyddi di?Byddi dio/hiBydd o/hiFydd o/hi ddimFydd o/hi?Bydd o/hiniByddwn niFyddwn ni ddimFyddwn ni?Byddwn nichiByddwch chiFyddwch chi ddimFyddwch chi?Byddwch chinhwByddan nhwFyddan nhw ddimFyddan nhw?Byddant hwy Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Bydda i'n siopa – I will shop / I will be shopping Fyddi di ddim yn gwneud – You won't do / You aren't going to do Fydd hi'n aros? – Will she stop/stay? / Will she be stopping/staying? N.B. – Just as in English it is also possible to form a more colloquial future tense by using the present tense of mynd (to go) i and the infinitive. The infinitive must take a soft mutation. Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Rydyn ni'n mynd i hoffi – We're going to like Dydych chi ddim yn mynd i ddod – You're not going to come Conditional Whilst the conditional is strictly not a tense – it is a mood – it is formed in the same way as the three tenses mentioned so far. The conditional forms of bod are below. (You should know the drill by now!) PersonAffirmativeNegativeInterrogativefiB(u)aswn iF(u)aswn i ddimF(u)aswn i?tiB(u)aset tiF(u)aset ti ddimF(u)aset ti?o/hiB(u)asai o/hiF(u)asai o/hi ddimF(u)asai o/hi?niB(u)asen niF(u)asen ni ddimF(u)asen ni?chiB(u)asech chiF(u)asech chi ddimF(u)asech chi?nhwB(u)asen nhwF(u)asen nhw ddimF(u)asen nhw? Subjunctive There are two forms of the subjunctive: present and imperfect. The present subjunctive is barely ever used in spoken Welsh except in certain fixed phrases, and is restricted in most cases to the third person singular. However, it is more likely to be found in literary Welsh, most widely in more old-fashioned registers. The third-person singular is properly used after certain conjunctions and prepositions but in spoken Welsh the present subjunctive is frequently replaced by either the infinitives, the present tense, the conditional, or the future tense (this latter is called the present-future by some grammarians). Present indicative- 'to be' Present indicative- 'bod' Present subjunctive- 'to be' Present subjunctive- 'bod' I am(Ry)dw i/... ydw i(that) I bebwyf, byddwyfThou artRwyt ti/... wyt ti(that) thou be[est]bych, byddychHe isMae e/... ydy e(that) he bebo, byddoOne isYdys(that) one bebydderWe are(Ry)dyn ni/...dyn ni(that) we bebôm, byddomYou are(Ry)dych chi/...dych chi(that) you beboch, byddochThey areMaen nhw/...dyn nhw(that) they bebônt, byddont Literary English Literary Welsh Spoken English Spoken WelshWhen need bePan fo angenWhen there will be needPan fydd angenBefore it beCyn (y) boBefore it isCyn iddi fodIn order that there beFel y boIn order for there to beEr mwyn bodShe left so that she be safeGadawodd hi fel y bo hi'n ddiogelShe left so that she might be safeGadawodd hi fel y byddai hi'n ddiogelIt is time that I goMae'n amser yr elwyfIt is time for me to goMae'n amser imi fynd The imperfect subjunctive, like English, only makes an effect on the verb bod- 'to be' and it is used after pe = 'if' and it must be accompanied with the conditional subjunctive e.g. Pe bawn i'n gyfoethog, teithiwn i trwy'r byd = If I were rich, I would travel throughout the world. Imperfect indicative- 'to be' Imperfect indicative- 'bod' Conditional subjunctive- 'to be' Conditional subjunctive- 'bod' Imperfect subjunctive- 'to be' Imperfect subjunctive- 'bod'I wasyr oeddwn iI would bebyddwn i(that) I werebawn iThou wastyr oeddet tiThou wouldst bebyddet ti(that) thou wertbaet tiHe wasyr oedd eHe would bebyddai fe(that) he werebai feOne wasyr oeddidOne would bebyddid(that) one werebyddidWe wereyr oeddem niWe would bebyddem ni(that) we werebaem niYou wereyr oeddech chiYou would bebyddech chi(that) you werebaech chiThey wereyr oedden nhwThey would bebydden nhwthat) they werebaent hwy For all other verbs in Welsh as in English, the imperfect subjunctive takes the same stems as do the conditional subjunctive and the imperfect indicative. Past Simple or Preterite This form of "Bod" has no exact equivalent in English,the closet translation in English is "did" (or "beed") in turns of action being complete without the suffix "ed", yet this is not "did" true translation; this form of "Bod" only to use "yn" but can't use "wedi". "Marw"="Dead" uses the "third person" of this form of the verbnoun "Bod" and not "Roedd" and "Roedden" "Buodd/Bu Marw = She Died", "Buodd/Bu Farw" = "He Died" and "Buon Marw"=" "They Died" PersonAffirmativeNegativeInterrogativefiBues iFues i ddimFues i?tiBuest tiFuest ti ddimFuest ti?o/hiBuodd/Bu o/hiFuodd/Fu o/hi ddimFuodd/Fu o/hi?niBuon niFuon ni ddimFuon ni?chiBuoch chiFuoch chi ddimFuoch chi?nhwBuon nhwFuon nhw ddimFuon nhw? Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Buodd e yn dawnsio-He danced Bues i yn Abertawe-I went to Swansea/I have been to Swansea Fuest ti ddim - You weren't / didn't go / haven't been Fuest ti ddim yn yr opera - You weren't in / didn't go to the opera. "Preterite form of Bod" is normally translated in dictionaries and grammar books as "have been", although this in English would be consider the "Present Perfect Continuous Tense", "have been" itself can be translated, "Present Tense of Bod" "matching pronoun" "wedi bod" "verbnoun"; the closest the "Preterite form of Bod" in English of being a word and not being the suffix "ed" is "did" but again in dictionaries and grammar books "did" the "Preterite form of Gwneud", will be used. "Ddaru" and "Preterite form of Gwneud" themselves can also be used in Welsh to show an action be completed,"ddaru/"Preterite form of Gwneud" "subject" "verbnoun" the "Preterite form of Gwneud" changes, depending on the pronoun; just as in English, Welsh uses it own suffixes, "es i" "est ti" "odd e/hi" "on ni" "och chi" "on nhw" Perfect tenses (Present) perfect Translating to I have done, this is formed just like the present tense except yn is replaced by wedi. Pluperfect Translating to I had done, this is formed just like the imperfect tense except yn is replaced by wedi. Future perfect Translating to I will have done, this is formed just like the future tense except yn is replaced by wedi. Note that the going to future cannot form a perfect tense. Conditional perfect Translating to I would have done, this is formed just like the present tense except, you guessed it, yn is replaced by wedi. Simple tenses This is where things get ugly; simple tenses require the verb to change. These make use of the verb stem, something that is relatively unpredictable in Welsh. The stem is sometimes formed by removing the last vowel and every consonant afterwards from the infinitive, but more often than not this is not the case; the stem may be the same as the infinitive or include other letters that were not there before. Also note that in continuous tenses the subject pronoun may be included or omitted. Present & Future In Welsh, both the present and future are represented by the same form. The present short form is very rare in spoken Welsh, usually only appearing in writing. The future is the common usage for this form in spoken Welsh, in formal writing it can represent either. The following endings are added to the stem: PersonEndingarbedto savefi -af, -aArbedafI save: I will saveti -iArbediYou save; you will saveo/hi(generally none), -iff, -ithArbed, ArbediffHe/she saves; He/she will saveni -wnArbedwnWe save; We will savechi -wchArbedwchYou save; You will savenhw -ant, -anArbedantThey save; They will save The you forms (arbedi and arbedwch) also serve as the imperative. Preterite This is the most common simple tense in Welsh; it serves a separate purpose to the imperfect, referring to completed actions in the past. This one you will need. to know. Verbnouns such as Marw and Gwybod cannot use these endings. PersonEndingarbedto savefi -aisArbedaisI savedti -aistArbedaistYou savedo/hi -oddArbedoddHe/she savedni -onArbedonWe savedchi -ochArbedochYou savednhw -onArbedonThey saved Notice that arbedon can mean both we saved and they saved, for this reason arbedom is often encountered in the we form. Preterite vs Imperfect form of bod The majority of the time "Buodd" vs "Oedd" are interchangeable, except in these situation Roedd cath gyda fe; not: bu cath gyda fe - he had a cat.* Roedd hi eisiau beic i Nadolig; not: bu hi eisiau beic i Nadolig - She wanted a bike for Christmas. Roeddwn i wybod e; not: bues i wybod e - I knew him. Roedden nhw angen helpu; not: buon nhw angen helpu - They needed help. Possessive "to have" will always use the third person singular of bod. Yes & no Welsh has no specific word for yes or no, instead the main verb in the question must be repeated. To say yes the repeated verb is the interrogative form (minus any pronoun). To say no add na before this verb (nac before a vowel). Cwestiynau ac atebion enghreifftiol – Exemplar questions and answers Wyt ti'n hoffi cerddoriaeth pop? Ydw. – Do you like pop music? (Yes) I do. Fasai o'n mynd i Ffrainc? Na fasai. – Would he go to France? (No) he wouldn't. To Have "To Have" doesn't have a direct translation in Welsh, different words are used depending on the action. "Wedi", with this word "yn" or "newydd" can't be used with the same verb-noun and change the verb-noun to the particle in the English Language. "Gwneud", can indicate the future or the past tense by using the personal from of Gweneud the verbnoun undergoes a soft mutation "Heb" = "ddim wedi" "Have not" if we want to say, that something, "have/has not" happened, we can use "heb" "without" after the affirmative verb (the "verb-noun" undergoes soft mutation after "heb"). Mae e heb ddod = He has not come Maen nhw heb chwarae = They have not played Verb-Nouns Cael "Cael" is the most frequent use of "To Have" here are the usesː receive/get, get something done, be allowed to, food and drink Auxiliaries Past tense of Gwneud Gwnes/Nes I Gwnest/Nest Ti Gwnaeth/Naeth E/Hi Gwnaethon/Naethon Ni Gwnnaethoch/Naethoch Chi Gwnaethom/Naethon Nhw Future tense of Gwneud Gwnaf/ Gwna/Na I Gwnei/Nei Di Gwneith/Gwnaiff/Neith/Naiff E/Hi Gwnawn/Gwnewn/Nawn Ni Gwnewch/Newch Chi Gwnan/Nan Nhw "Ddaru" is a mutated from of "Darfu" = "happened" and is mainly used in North Wales; this expresses the past and the verbnoun undergoes soft mutation, ddaru has no no personal forms. Present PersonPhrasefiMae gen itiMae gen(nyt) tio/hiMae ganddo foMae ganddi hiSiônMae gan SiônniMae gennyn nichiMae gennych chinhwMae ganddyn nhw Imperfect PersonPhrasefiRoedd gen itiRoedd gen(nyt) ti o/hiRoedd ganddo foRoedd ganddi hiSiônRoedd gan SiônniRoedd gennyn nichiRoedd gennych chinhwRoedd ganddyn nhw Future PersonPhrasefiBydd gen itiBydd gen(nyt) tio/hiBydd ganddo foBydd ganddi hiSiônBydd gan SiônniBydd gennyn nichiBydd gennych chinhwBydd ganddyn nhw Incomplete Verb-Nouns and Verbs There are some Verbs in Welsh with no Verb-Nouns and Verb Nouns with no personal forms. Should There are no Verb-Nouns for "should", and only in "imperfect" or "conditional"("conditional" in meaning) in Welsh, so we can not say, "rydw i wedi dylwn i" or "rydw i yn dylwn i" as it is not a verb noun; to say, "should have", we have to use "fod wedi" after "should", to say, "should not" or "should not have", we put ddim, after "should" and before the "verb-noun" and "fod wedi" for should have. Personverb formsvery formal languagefidylwndylaswntidyletdylasitfe,fo/hi/enwdylaidylasainidylendylasemchidylechdylasechnhwdylendylasentAn/Di Rhagenw(Non-Pronouns)(Name(s)(Singular/plural noun(s))(Man/Men, Child/Children, Woman/Women e.t.c)dylai'rdylasai'r(impersonal)dylidn/a Meddaf/To Say Meddaf only has, "present" and "imperfect" and only is in the "third person" "singular" and "plural". PersonPresentImperfecte/himeddmeddainhwmeddanmedden Mordern Welsh Dictionary uses "meddai". "Medd" is sometimes encounted with "nouns", but generally the form is invariable for person in the modern spoken language by Gareth King. The expression "meddai nhw" is used for the doubtful "So they say" in response to a statement. Byw/To Live "Byw" is a verb noun but has no personal forms to be used, so have to be link to the forms of "Bod" Marw/To Die "Marw" is a verb noun but has no personal forms to be used, so have to be link to the forms of "Bod" we cannot say, "Marwodd e" and must say "Buodd e farw" Piau/To Own "Piau" is the only form, and is often mutated, "Biau", this is used in the "Modern Welsh dictionary by Gareth King" which describes it as a "defective verb"ː This "defective verb" is used only in conjunction with the verb "Bod" and does not use the particle "Yn" to link it with "Bod" as would be the case with normal verbnoun. see examples below. It is also unusual in that its "subject" always precedes it, because its function is to identify the possessor of something, it requires identification sentences structure instead of neutral verb-first order, the verb "sy" in the above examples is optional, since "biau" these days has acquired its own verbal force. So, for example, both, Pwy biau...? and Pwy sy biau...? are heard, with no differences in meaning; in the other tenses (last two examples the "oedd" and "fydd"(mutated of "Bydd") must be retained. Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Pwy (sy) biau'r car coch'na ? = Whose is that red car ? Nhw (sy) biau fe = It's theirs/They own it Nhad oedd biau'r siop'ma adeg hynny = My father owned this shop at that time Pwy fydd biau'r hawliau cyhoeddi ? = Who will own the publishing rights Gorfod/To have to or Must We can use "Gorfod" after the forms of "Bod" " Gorfod" has only one singular past tense form, "Gorfu" = "had to". "Gorfod" is equivalent to "rhaid" which is a "noun" = "To have to" or "Must" in its primary meaning only of obligation. unlike "rhaid", however, it is a verbnoun and is used accordingly , while "rhaid" requires a special construction compare the second example above with its "rhaid" equivalent "Oes rhaid iddyn nhw aros ?" Note also that the other main meaning of "rhaid", supposition, is not shared by "gorfod", so, e.g. "you must be mad ǃ" can only be rendered by "rhaid". But for obligation senses, the two are broadly interchangeable(through "rhaid" is statistically more common); "gorfod", however, is preferred in examples such as the third above, where the required "wedi" (for "have/has had to etc) is difficult to accommodate in the "rhaid" construction. PresentPastgorfodgorfu Brawddegau enghreifftiol – Exemplar sentences Pryd dych chi'n gorfod mynd ? = When do you have to go ? Ydyn nhw'n gorfod aros ? = Do they have to stay ? Mae'r pwyllgor wedi gorfod ailhysbysebu'r swydd. = The committee has had to readvertise the position. Gorfu i fi fynd. = I had to go. Geni/ To be born, Birth We can only use "geni" after the forms of "cael"; "geni" only has "impersonal forms" PresentPastgenirganwyeidd/ ganedganeired/ gaining Gwybod/To Know (A Person) Present Gwn i Gwyddost ti Gwyr e/hi Gwyddon ni Gwyddoch chi Gwyddon/Gwyddan nhw Imperfect Gwyddwn I Gwyddet ti Gwyddai fe/hi Gwydden ni Gwyddech chi Gwydden nhw