Cymraeg 'n' Stuff

Hey! It’s great that you’re learning Welsh and that moving to Gwynedd has sparked your interest in the language 😄 Though it’s also important to note that there is no Welsh-Wales and English-Wales (unless there’s Welsh-England and English-England). I’ve actually lived in Monmouthshire since I was 6 myself 😊

Over the year I’ve been running this blog, I’ve had a few messages either from native speakers willing to help me practise (thank you guys, you’re the best! 😄) or from learners wanting to find someone to learn with.

So now I’d quite like to see if I can:

1) Get a WhatsApp group together of learners and native speakers where we speak Welsh

2) Find a few native speakers who - when people come to me asking for people they could talk to in welsh - I can redirect them to (of course asking you native speakers on private message first each time)

If any learners or native speakers are up for either of these ideas, please like/reblog/comment. If this gets enough notes I’ll start work on making whatever people are happy with happen.

                                             Present Tense

• There is only one present tense in Welsh. E.g. I play/am playing/do play are all conjugated as shown below • Present tense is conjugated in “long form” = bod (conj.) + subj. + yn/’n + verbnoun • The focus of this and all my grammar posts is spoken (particularly southern) Welsh • Conjugations in brackets are most likely to be encountered in formal writing

Word order = bod (conj.) + subject + yn/’n + verbnoun                     e.g. Dw + i + ‘n + cysgu = dwi’n cysgu                            This can mean “I sleep”, “I am sleeping” and “I do sleep”

Affirmative - Someone/thing does/is

I am/do                                (ry)dw i*                       You are/do (inf.)                   (rwyt) ti You are/do (pol.)                  (ry)dych chi* He/she/Tom is/does             mae (f)e/hi/Tom The sing. noun is/does        mae’r sing. noun (e.g. plentyn) We are/do                           (ry)dyn ni* You are/do (pl.)                   (ry)dych chi*                  They are/do                         maen nhw The pl. noun are/do             mae’r pl. noun (e.g. plant)

* May also be heard with “d” omitted (where y becomes ŷ) in speech: e.g. wi/ŷch   chi/ŷn ni

Examples - Bethan is singing = Mae Bethan yn canu                    The child stands = Mae’r plentyn yn sefyll                    We wait =  Ŷn ni’n aros

So I’ve started work on a few Welsh Grammar posts but before I begin posting, I think I’d better put up this list of abbreviations I’m going to use. I’ll keep this list updated as I use more of them and tag it “abbreviations” if you want to search it up. It just makes posts a little easier on the eye if I don’t have to type the full words in brackets every time I need to add that information :)

Also - as you can probably tell - this post is meant more as a reference than a thing of beauty :P 

Abbreviations (alphabetical order)

Exams

If you’ve noticed my inactivity this past fortnight, here’s an apology and vocab list to match! 

Os ti ‘di sylwi fy anactifedd i’r pythefnos diwethaf ‘ma, dyma ymddiheuriad a bach o eirfa hefyd!

Verbs:

astudio - to study cramio* - to cram adolygu - to revise pasio, llwyddo - to pass methu - to fail

*Pretty likely you’d just use “cramio”, however you could also use a sentence for the concept such as “adolygu ar frys” (revising in a rush)

Phrases:

sefyll arholiad - to sit an exam gwneud nodiadau - to make notes cymryd egwyl/saib/brêc- to take a break ar frys - in a rush

Nouns:

gwerslyfr(au) - textbook nodiad(au) - note cerdyn fflach - flashcard arholiad(au) - examination gradd(au) (f.) - grade straen - stress

Adjectives:

Sunrise 

Seeing the sunrise today was incredible and cause for a new vocab list! 😄🌄 (Don’t recommend blowing this video up to full size though, recorded on my phone, then compressed by Tumblr)

Dwi’n meddwl bod codiad yr haul y bore ‘ma yn rheswm da i ddysgu mwy o eirfa :)

Verbs:     

edmygu - to admire  codi - to rise  pefrio - to glimmer  symud - to move  recordio - to record  disgleirio - to shine, sparkle

Phrases:

awyr iach - fresh air 

Nouns:  

gwawrio, codiad yr haul, haul yn codi - sunrise  gwawr(iau) - dawn (f.)  gwlith - dew (f.)  gwaun (gweunydd), rhos(ydd) - moor  awyr - sky, air (f.)  niwl - fog  cae(au)- field  awel(on) - breeze (f.) 

Adjectives:   

Cefn Gwlad

I’ve been watching a couple of S4C programmes to pick up some Welsh here and there. Cefn Gwlad (which opens with a lovely poem I’ll make a post about soon), is one of them :)

Dw ‘di bod yn gwylio ychydig o programmes S4C i ddysgu bach o Gymraeg yma ac yno. Cefn Gwlad (byddai’n gwneud post amdanofe nes ymlaen) yw’r un o nhw :)

Verbs:

byw – to live  oena/wyna – to lamb ffermio - to farm gobeithio – to hope      

Phrases:

rhedeg busnes – to run a business  cefn gwlad - [open/the heart of the] countryside

Nouns:

gwlad (gwledydd) (f.)– country[side], nation dafad (defaid) (f.) – sheep fferm(ydd) (f.) – farm  ysbrydoliaeth (f.) – inspiration mamog(iaid) (f.) – ewe 

An Alphabet of Vocabulary: A for Arbennig

Wel, dyna’r diwedd y lefel 3 (nes iddyn nhw gwneud mwy)! Of cwrs so hynny’n meddwl y diwedd y blog ‘ma, dwi dal yn mynd i post yn eitha regularly gyda song lyrics neu bethau similar :) There will be ychydig o changes though. E.g.- Byddai ddechrau use popeth dwi’n gwbod yn Gymraeg i write yn lle only beth nes i ddysgu o’r SSiW (ond pan dwi’n write SSiW posts for lessons newydd, byddai’n use only SSiW stuff eto) - Sai’n meddwl dwi’n mynd i post bob dydd (though probably still at least once bob wythnos) - Mae rhai posts yn mynd i fod yn Saesneg (i esbonio grammar for example) Ond for the most part mae pethau yn mynd i continue fel normal :)

Verbs:

rhedeg - to run cael - to get

Phrases:

mae’n gas ‘da fi - I hate yw hwnna - that one’s fy un i - mine i fi beidio - so that I don’t fy ngadael - left (e.g.I am left [behind])

Nouns:

trwbwl - trouble glaswellt - grass

Other:

Verbs:

chwarae - to play dadlau - to argue troi - to turn

Phrases:

ynoch chi - in you gyda’ch gilydd - together heb ddadlau - without arguing bu bron iddi - she almost mynd ar goll - to get lost i’r chwith - to the left yn lle - instead i’r dde - right

Adjectives: