ar ôl / cyn + Verb-Noun

After and Before + Verb-Noun

Level 3

After eating = ar ôl bwyta. Before going = cyn mynd. Just add the verb-noun.

How It Works

The pattern.

  • ar ôl bwyta — after eating
  • cyn mynd i'r gwely — before going to bed
  • ar ôl gorffen — after finishing
  • cyn cysgu — before sleeping

Any tense. The main verb shows the time:

  • Dw i'n darllen cyn cysgu. — I read before I sleep.
  • Ffoniais i hi ar ôl cyrraedd. — I phoned her after I arrived.
  • Bydda i'n golchi'r llestri ar ôl bwyta. — I'll wash the dishes after eating.

No mutation. The verb-noun keeps its dictionary form: cyn cysgu, ar ôl gadael.

With nouns too. ar ôl y gêm (after the game), cyn cinio (before lunch).

Different subject. When someone else does the other action, add i + the person + a soft-mutated verb-noun: ar ôl i ni gyrraedd, cyn iddi hi fynd. See ar ôl i and cyn i.

Another meaning. Ar ôl also means left over: Oes bara ar ôl? (Is there any bread left?)

Afterwards, on its own, is wedyn: Aethon ni i'r sinema wedyn (We went to the cinema afterwards).

Examples (6)

  1. Dw i'n darllen cyn cysgu.

    I read before I go to sleep.

  2. Ar ôl bwyta, aethon ni am dro.

    After eating, we went for a walk.

  3. Golcha dy ddwylo cyn bwyta!

    Wash your hands before you eat!

    Dy softens dwylo to ddwylo; bwyta stays the same after cyn.

  4. Ffoniais i hi ar ôl cyrraedd.

    I phoned her after I arrived.

    The same person phoned and arrived, so no extra subject is needed.

  5. Cyn mynd i'r gwely, dw i'n brwsio fy nannedd.

    Before going to bed, I brush my teeth.

    Dannedd (teeth) becomes nannedd after fy.

  6. Dw i'n yfed paned cyn dechrau gweithio.

    I have a cuppa before I start work.

    The same person drinks and starts work, so cyn + a verb-noun is enough.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a past form after ar ôl.

    Ar ôl bwytais i, es i allan.
    Ar ôl bwyta, es i allan.

    After ar ôl or cyn, use the verb-noun. The main verb (es i) already shows the past.

  • Softening the verb-noun after cyn.

    cyn fynd
    cyn mynd

    Cyn causes no mutation.

How It Connects

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

ar ôl / cyn + Verb-NounLevel 3After and Before + Verb-Noun

Learn This First

Ar ôl and cyn take a verb-noun directly.

Words in This Pattern

ar ôl