Gramadeg Cymraeg Cyfoes

GRAMADEG CYM RAEG CYFOES CONTEMPORARY WELSH GRAMMAR

Gramadeg

Cymraeg C.yfoes Contemporary Welsh Grammar

Paratowyd gan Uned Iaith Genedlaethol Cymru CBAC

Argraffiad newydd, yn cynnwys man newidiadau, 1998

Cyhoeddwyd gyntafyn 1976 gan D. Brown a 'i Feibion Cyj, Y Bont-faen.

ISBN 1

®

85902 672 9

Uned Iaith Genedlaethol Cymru CBAC ©

Cedwir pob hawl. Ni chaniateir atgynhyrchu unrhyw ran o'r cyhoeddiad hwn na'i gadw mewn cyfundrefn adferadwy na'i drosglwyddo mewn unrhyw ddull na thcwy unrhyw gyfrwng electronig, electrostatig, tap magnetig, mecanyddol, ffotogopi"o, recordio nac fel aralI, heb ganiatad ymlaen lIaw gan y cyhoeddwyr, Gwasg Gomer, Llandysul, Ceredigion.

Argraffwyd gan Wasg Gomer, LJandysul, Ceredigion.

MYNEGAI

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INDEX Page

The Alphabet

7

The Article

10

Nouns

11

Adjectives

11

NUfinerals

18

Ordinals

21

Pronouns The Verb "Bod" (To be) The Regular Verb

29 34

Irregular Verbs

42

Defective Verbs

46

The Imperative Mood

48

The Impersonal Forms

50

Prepositions

51

Adverbs

57

Conjunctions

60

The Genitive Case "Bod + Gan /Gyda"

22

(To have, to possess)

Idiomatic Constructions based on the Prepositions "Ar, Gan / Gyda, 1" The Sentence Relative Clauses Adverbial Clauses Noun Clauses Questions and Answers Miscellaneous Table of Mutations Selected Vocabulary and Idioms

62 63 65 68 75 79 87 93 103 113 120

THE ALPHABET

CONSONANTS All consonants have one sound only in Welsh. b

c ch d

dd f If

g ng

h

J I II In

n

p

ph

\'

rh

as in boy as in cat an aspirated "e" whieh does not occur in English. The sound is the same as the "ch" in loch. as in dog as in the as in of as in oft' as in garden as in long as in hang as in jam There is no "k" in Welsh. as in ladder an aspirated "1" which does not occur in English. It is very common in Welsh place names, e.g. Llanelli. as in man as in name as in pet an aspirated "p" (pronounced as "If"). It only occurs as a mutated form of "p'�, e.g. pen (head); ei phen (her head). There is no "q" in Welsh. as in rat an aspirated "r" which does not occur in English. The difference between "rh" and "r" is slight and is similar to the difference between "wh" and "w" e.g. when and went as in sailor (except when followed by the vowel "i" when it is usually pronounced "sh", e.g. siop =shop). as in town as in chips as in think as in wind ("y" is not a consonant in Welsh) There is no "z" in Welsh (but the sound occurs with one or two borrowed words, e.g. "sw" (zoo) usually pronounced "zoo"). .

s t tsh

th w

7

There are two consonants which are sometimes doubled in written Welsh. They are "n" and "r". e.g. "n" tynnu (to pull); y ddannoedd (toothache). "r" torri (to break, cut); gyrru (to drive, send). These words must be learnt as they occur. Note that no other consonant in Welsh is doubled in any circumstances. ("Ll" and "ff" are not doubled letters but different sounds from "1" and "f"). The "f" at the end of words is not usually pronounced, e.g. tref (pr. tre)

araf (pr. ara)

but it is not incorrect to pronounce the "f". Some words end in a combination of consonants and a vowel may be interposed particularly in South Wales. e.g. lIyfr (pr. llyfyr) Ilestr (pr. llester)

cefn (pr. cefen) Note that the "r" in "ffenestr" is not pronounced.

It is, of course, not incorrect to pronounce these words without the vowel. VOWELS The vowels in Welsh are: a, e, i, 0, Uj w, y They may be long or short. Long Short a as in gwlad (country) hard mam (mother) ham e as in hen (old) lane (as in Anglo Welsh pren (wood) then dialect) 1 as in hir (long) tree inc (ink) pink o as in to (roof) toe (as in Anglo Welsh lion (happy) gone dialect) w as in sw (zoo) zoo lwc (luck) look u as in un (one) been These vowels have the tun (tin) tin These vowels y as in dyn (man) seen same sound. cyn (before) pin have the same sound.

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In a relativelY small number of words the circumflex accent (A) is used to denote long vowels:

e.g. mor pel ciin

(sea) (ball) (song)

It is important to learn these words as they arise.

8

In North Wales "y" and "u" in words of one syllable and in words which end in these sounds (e.g. gwely; canu) are pronounced slightly differently. (The sound is produced more in th e throat). Note the vowel "y". It may be long as in It has one sound

"dyn"

in "cyn".

in addition:

In "y(r)", "yn" and "fy," short vowel. Also in borrowed

"

or short as

words,

e.g.

"nyrs" .

_ _

In all words of one syllable except "y(r)", "yn" and "fy", the "y" is as cyn " etc.

In words of more than one syJlable the sound "y" is the same as in "y(r) " all syllables except the last s yl lable . In the last syllable it is the same as in "dyn", when (bed) (pr. gwelee); hynny (that) (pr. h y nee) ; rheiny In the last syllable it is the same as in

"cyn ",

in

"

dyn " or

and

no other letter follows, (those) (pr. rh einee).

"fy" in

e.g. gwely

when followed by a consonant.

the first "y" is the same as in "y(r)", the second "y" is as in "cyn". mynyddoedd (mountains) both "y's" are as in "y(r)" because neither occurs in the last s yllab le .

e.g. mynydd (mountain)

The diaeresis C) is sometimes used to denote that a vowel must be pronounced separately. e.g. gweddio copi"au

(to pray) (copies)

Such words must be learnt as they occur.

DIPHTHONGS ai ae au

as in daiI ( lea ves) as in Maesteg as in haul (sun)

aw eu ei ey

as as as as as as as as as

ew oe oi ou ow

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TheSe all sound they occur in final unaccentuated syllables, when they are pronounced "e" ("a" in certain parts of . North Wales) e.g. cadeiriau--