Welsh/Mynediad/Lesson 2

Goals:

• Ask where someone works.
• Learn when to use 'chi' and 'ti'
• Respond personally to the question 'Where do you work?' using 'mewn' and 'yn y/yr'
• Learn about the definite article 'y/yr'
• Ask what someone likes.
• Talk about your interests.
• Learn how to respond 'Yes, I do' and 'No, I don't'.

Dialogue

Using chi:

A: Lle dach chi'n gweithio?

B: Dw i'n gweithio mewn banc. Lle dach chi'n gweithio?

A: Dw i'n gweithio yn y Brifysgol. Dach chi'n hoffi'r Brifysgol?

B: Ydw. Dw i'n hoffi'r Brifysgol.

Using ti:

A: Lle wyt ti'n gweithio?

B: Dw i'n gweithio mewn banc. Lle wyt ti'n gweithio?

A: Dw i'n gweithio yn y Brifysgol. Wyt ti'n hoffi'r Brifysgol?

B: Ydw. Dw i'n hoffi'r Brifysgol.

Vocabulary

Cymraeg	English
Lle or Ble	Where
Gweithio	To work
Hoffi	To like
Yn	In
Mewn	'In a'
Y	The
'r	The
Y brifysgol	The university
Banc	Bank

The Definite Article

The definite article for an noun (the) has many forms in Welsh. If the noun begins with a consonant, use y. If the noun begins with a vowel, use yr. Directly after a vowel, use 'r.

car

(a) car

y car

the car

afal

(an) apple

yr afal

the apple

Wyt ti'n hoffi sglodion?

Do you like chips?

Wyt ti'n hoffi'r sglodion?

Do you like the chips?

Dw i

In the dialogue, you'll see dw i which translates as 'I do' or 'I am'. We can use this to make present tense sentences for the first person. Just use dw i plus a linking particle yn to connect a verb. Yn has to shorten to 'n, so the form is dw i'n. There are other variations of this patter, such as rydw i and rwy also.

Dw i'n gweithio.

I work OR I am working OR I do work.

Note, how Dw i'n gweithio is equivalent to all three English sentences 'I work', 'I am working', or 'I do work'. Again:

Dw i'n siarad.

I speak OR I am speaking OR I do speak.

Some more verbs to practice with:

Dw i'n hoffi Cymraeg.

I like Welsh. I am liking Welsh. I do like Welsh.

Dw i'n gweithio.

I work. I'm working. I do work.

Dw i'n darllen.

I read. I'm reading. I do read.

Chi v. Ti

Welsh has two words for the pronoun 'you' - Chi and Ti. Chi is used for formal situations, and ti for informal situations and familiar people.

Dach chi'n gweithio?

Do you work? (formal)

Wyt ti'n gweithio?

Do you work? (informal)

Dach chi and wyt ti are the question forms for chi and ti. Like dw i, need the linking yn to connect verbs. Some more examples:

Dach chi'n hoffi sglodion?

Do you like chips?

Wyt ti'n siarad Cymraeg?

Do you speak Welsh?

Dach chi and Rwyt ti are the affirmative forms for chi and ti. That is, they make statements, rather than questions.

Dach chi'n siarad Cymraeg.

You do speak Welsh. (statement)

Rwyt ti'n actio.

You do act. You are acting.

Review

• Use 'chi' for formal situations, and 'ti' for informal situations
• A 'chi' question is 'dach chi' and a 'ti' question is 'wyt ti'
• Using the linking 'yn' to connect the 'to be' verb to another verb-noun. This shortens to 'n after a vowel. Verbs are called 'verb-nouns' in Welsh as they can serve as both a noun and a verb.
• 'Dw i' is the first person for the present tense. It also must be connected with 'n to use verb-nouns.
• In Welsh, you do not answer with a general 'yes' or 'no'. Instead, you answer with 'I do', 'He does', etc. For the first person, 'ydw' and 'nac ydw' are the response words (I do and I don't).
• The definite article (the) takes one of three forms: y/yr/'r. Y is used before consonants. Yr is generally used before vowels. 'r is used after vowels.