Aspirate Mutation

Level 2

Aspirate mutation turns c, p and t into breathy sounds: ch, ph and th. te a choffi (tea and coffee).

How It Works

The three changes

  • c → ch: cath → ei chath hi (her cat)
  • p → ph: pen → ei phen hi (her head)
  • t → th: tad → ei thad hi (her father)

Ch is the throaty sound in bach, ph sounds like English f, and th is the th in thin.

Common triggers

  • ei meaning her: ei char hi (her car)
  • a (and): te a choffi, halen a phupur (salt and pepper)
  • â, gyda, tua and na: Paid â phoeni (Don't worry), tua phump o'r gloch (about five o'clock)
  • tri (three) and chwe (six): tri phlentyn (three children), chwe phunt (six pounds)
  • some negative verbs: Ches i ddim (I didn't get any); see Mixed Mutation

In everyday speech. Speakers keep this change very firmly after ei (her), because it shows whose thing it is: ei gar e (his car) but ei char hi (her car). After a, gyda and tri, many people leave it out in relaxed speech, though set phrases like te a choffi are still common. Use it in writing and careful speech, and expect to hear both.

Before a vowel. Ei (her) adds h to a vowel instead: ei henw hi (her name). That is a separate change; see Adding H Before Vowels.

Examples (6)

  1. Te a choffi, os gwelwch yn dda.

    Tea and coffee, please.

    coffi → choffi after a (and).

  2. Mae ei chath hi'n cysgu.

    Her cat is sleeping.

    cath → chath after ei (her).

  3. Paid â phoeni!

    Don't worry!

    poeni → phoeni after â.

  4. Mae tri phlentyn gyda nhw.

    They have three children.

    plentyn → phlentyn after tri. This way of saying have is Southern.

  5. Bydd hi yma tua phump o'r gloch.

    She'll be here at about five o'clock.

    pump → phump after tua.

  6. Ches i ddim amser.

    I didn't have time.

    ces → ches in a negative sentence, in careful speech and writing. Relaxed speech often says Ges i ddim amser.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing a letter other than c, p or t.

    ei fam hi
    ei mam hi

    Aspirate mutation never touches m. Ei fam is soft mutation and means his mother, so ei fam hi mixes his and her.

  • Using soft mutation instead after ei (her).

    ei gath hi
    ei chath hi

    Ei meaning her causes aspirate mutation: c becomes ch. Ei gath means his cat.

How It Connects

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

Aspirate MutationLevel 2

Learn This First

Aspirate mutation is the third mutation system, changing only c, p and t.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.