BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

16 October 2014
the Big Welsh Challenge

BBC Homepage
Wales Home

Contact Us

Helpful Notes

Unit 09: Family And Possessions

1. Here is a list of the patterns which are the focus of this unit:

I've got a car. - Have I got a car? - I haven't got a car.

Mae gen i gar - Oes gen i gar ? - Does gen i ddim car
Mae gen ti gar - Oes gen ti gar? - Does gen ti ddim car
Mae gynno fo gar - Oes gynno fo gar? - Does gynno fo ddim car
Mae gynni hi gar - Oes gynni hi gar? - Does gynni hi ddim car
Mae gynnon ni gar - Oes gynnon ni gar? - Does gynnon ni ddim car
Mae gynnoch chi gar - Oes gynnoch chi gar? - Does gynnoch chi ddim car
Mae gynnyn nhw gar - Oes gynnyn nhw gar? - Does gynnyn nhw ddim car

The answer to a question beginning with Oes... is either Oes, or Nac oes.

2. This pattern is rather different in South Wales. Check out the South Wales version on the website.

3. Why does one person say 'bag coch' in one scene, and later on someone says 'het goch'? What's the difference?
Well, first of all, adjectives come after the noun they describe. So 'bag coch' is literally 'bag red'. However, if the noun is feminine, like 'het', the adjective which comes after has a soft mutation. Therefore 'het goch'. Here are a few more examples:

Dyn tal - Merch dal - (t changes to d)
Man tall - Girl tall -
i.e. a tall man - A tall girl

Crys glas - Ffrog las - (g disappears)
shirt blue - Frock blue
i.e. a blue shirt - a blue frock

4. The same thing happens after 'un'. One + feminine noun, then there's a letter change on the noun. For example:

Un mab (masculine, so no change) - Un ferch (m changes to f)

5. However, after the word for two, then the noun changes regardless of whether it's feminine or not. Remember the different ways of saying two, three and four? Here's a list of possible combinations of sons and daughters:

un mab - un ferch
dau fab - dwy ferch
tri mab - tair merch
pedwar mab - pedair merch

Don't worry if you can't remember all these rules for now. Learn from examples, and you'll be doing it instinctively!


link to unit videoshelpful notes linkvocabulary linkmp3 and downloads link



About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy