ar fin

About to: Ar Fin

Level 3

To say something is about to happen, put ar fin after a form of bod, then a verb-noun: Dw i ar fin mynd (I'm about to go).

How It Works

How it works. Take a normal bod sentence and swap yn for ar fin:

  • Dw i'n mynd (I'm going) → Dw i ar fin mynd (I'm about to go)
  • Mae'r siop yn cau (The shop is closing) → Mae'r siop ar fin cau (The shop is about to close)

Where the words come from. Min means an edge. After ar it takes soft mutation, so ar + min becomes ar fin: "on the edge of". The verb-noun after ar fin does not change: ar fin mynd, ar fin dechrau, ar fin gadael.

The time comes from bod.

  • Mae'r bws ar fin gadael. — The bus is about to leave.
  • Roedd y ffilm ar fin dechrau. — The film was about to start.

Questions and negatives work as usual: Wyt ti ar fin gorffen? (Are you about to finish?), Dw i ddim ar fin rhoi'r gorau iddi (I'm not about to give up).

Always add the verb-noun. Keep a verb-noun after ar fin. On its own after bod, it can carry a rude slang meaning.

Other patterns show time too: newydd (have just) and wedi (have done) take the place of yn. For plans, mynd i (going to) keeps yn: Dw i'n mynd i adael (I'm going to leave).

Examples (6)

  1. Dw i ar fin mynd.

    I'm about to go.

    Word by Word: Am I on edge going.

    Ar fin takes the place of yn.

  2. Roedd y ffilm ar fin dechrau.

    The film was about to start.

    Roedd puts the sentence in the past.

  3. Mae hi ar fin bwrw glaw.

    It's about to rain.

  4. Mae'r siop ar fin cau.

    The shop is about to close.

  5. Ro'n i ar fin dy ffonio di!

    I was just about to phone you!

    Dy ... di (you) wraps around the verb-noun. Ff never mutates, so ffonio stays the same.

  6. Wyt ti ar fin gorffen?

    Are you about to finish?

Common Mistakes

  • Adding yn before ar fin.

    Dw i'n ar fin mynd.
    Dw i ar fin mynd.

    Ar fin does the job of yn, so you don't need both.

  • Mutating the verb-noun after ar fin.

    Mae'r trên ar fin adael.
    Mae'r trên ar fin gadael.

    Only min changes (to fin). The verb-noun after it keeps its dictionary form.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ar finLevel 3About to: Ar Fin

Learn This First

Ar fin takes the place of yn or wedi before a verb-noun.

Words in This Pattern

min