er bod / er gwaethaf

Although and Despite: Er Bod, Er Gwaethaf

Level 4

Er bod + a clause means "although"; er gwaethaf + a noun means "despite" or "in spite of".

How It Works

Er bod: although

  • Er bod hi'n bwrw glaw, aethon ni allan. — Although it was raining, we went out.
  • Er fy mod i wedi blino, es i i'r gwaith. — Although I was tired, I went to work. (see fy mod i)
  • Er bod y bwyd yn ddrud, roedd e'n werth pob ceiniog. — Although the food was expensive, it was worth every penny.

Negative: er nad in careful Welsh, or er bod ... ddim in speech: Er nad oedd hi'n teimlo'n dda / Er bod hi ddim yn teimlo'n dda.

Future and single past events. For "although ... will", use y: er y bydd hi'n anodd. Formal writing reports a single past event with i: Er iddo fe drio'n galed, collodd e. (Although he tried hard, he lost.) Speech often says Er bod e wedi trio'n galed.

Er gwaethaf: despite

  • er gwaetha'r tywydd — despite the weather
  • er gwaethaf popeth — despite everything
  • er gwaethaf hynny — despite that

With a pronoun it takes a possessive: er fy ngwaethaf (in spite of myself), er ei waethaf, er ei gwaethaf.

For "because", see achos and oherwydd; for "since, as", gan fod. Formal writing also has serch hynny (nevertheless).

Examples (6)

  1. Er bod hi'n bwrw glaw, aethon ni allan.

    Although it was raining, we went out.

  2. Er fy mod i wedi blino, es i i'r gwaith.

    Although I was tired, I went to work.

  3. Enillon ni er gwaetha'r tywydd.

    We won despite the weather.

  4. Er bod y bwyd yn ddrud, roedd e'n werth pob ceiniog.

    Although the food was expensive, it was worth every penny.

    South: e. The North says roedd o'n werth pob ceiniog.

  5. Er gwaethaf popeth, dw i'n dal yn hapus yma.

    Despite everything, I'm still happy here.

  6. Er nad oedd hi'n teimlo'n dda, canodd hi'n wych.

    Although she wasn't feeling well, she sang brilliantly.

Common Mistakes

  • Using mae after er.

    Er mae hi'n bwrw glaw, dw i'n mynd allan.
    Er bod hi'n bwrw glaw, dw i'n mynd allan.

    Er is followed by a bod clause, not by mae or roedd.

  • Putting a clause straight after er gwaethaf.

    Er gwaethaf bod hi'n oer, aethon ni i nofio.
    Er bod hi'n oer, aethon ni i nofio.

    Er gwaethaf goes with a noun (er gwaetha'r oerfel). For a whole clause, use er bod. Formal Welsh can also say er gwaethaf y ffaith bod hi'n oer.

How It Connects

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

er bod / er gwaethafLevel 4Although and Despite: Er Bod, Er Gwaethaf

Learn This First

Er bod is 'although' + a bod clause.

Words in This Pattern

erer gwaethaf