Addressing People: Vocative Mutation
When you call out to or greet people with a noun, that noun takes soft mutation: plant → Bore da, blant!
How It Works
Common examples
- Bore da, blant! — Good morning, children! (plant)
- Dewch yma, fechgyn! — Come here, boys! (bechgyn)
- Diolch, bawb. — Thanks, everyone. (pawb)
- Nos da, gariad. — Good night, love. (cariad)
- Croeso, gyfeillion! — Welcome, friends! (cyfeillion)
- Foneddigion a boneddigesau! — Ladies and gentlemen! (only the first word softens; a does not soften the second)
What stays the same
- Personal names: Helo, Dafydd! Diolch, Mair.
- Words starting with letters that never soften: Helo, ffrindiau! Shwmae, Siân? (a greeting heard especially in the South)
Anywhere in the sentence. The mutation happens at the end too: Wyt ti'n iawn, gariad? — Are you OK, love? Da iawn, ferched! — Well done, girls!
See also Initial Consonant Mutations and pawb.
Examples (6)
- Bore da, blant!
Good morning, children!
- Dewch yma, fechgyn!
Come here, boys!
- Diolch yn fawr, bawb.
Thank you very much, everyone.
- Nos da, gariad.
Good night, love.
- Foneddigion a boneddigesau, croeso i'r cyngerdd!
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the concert!
- Da iawn, ferched!
Well done, girls!
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to soften the noun you are calling to.
Bore da, plant!Bore da, blant!A noun used to address people takes soft mutation: plant becomes blant.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A noun used to address someone softens.
Related Patterns
- Initial Consonant Mutations
An overview of all the mutations.
Level 1 - pawb / popeth / pob / i gydEveryone, Everything, Every, All
Pawb becomes bawb when you address everyone.
Level 2 - Words That Resist Mutation
Words and names that stay unchanged.
Level 5 - Sut mae? / Shwmae?How Are You? Sut Mae and Shwmae
Greetings that often come before a vocative.
Level 1
Practice Addressing People: Vocative Mutation in Bubblegum
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