-ach Comparative

Comparatives with -ach

Level 3

Add -ach to a short adjective to compare: tal → talach (taller). Use na for than: Mae hi'n dalach na fi (She's taller than me).

How It Works

The ending.

  • tal → talach (taller)
  • cyflym → cyflymach (faster)
  • hir → hirach (longer)

Spelling changes before -ach.

  • b, d, g harden to p, t, c: gwlyb → gwlypach (wetter), drud → drutach (dearer), rhad → rhatach (cheaper), teg → tecach (fairer)
  • some r and n double: byr → byrrach (shorter), gwyn → gwynnach (whiter)
  • some middles change: trwm → trymach (heavier; w becomes y), cynnes → cynhesach (warmer; nn becomes nh)

Than: na and nag. Use na before a consonant and nag before a vowel: yn dalach na fi, yn dalach nag Aled. Na causes aspirate mutation: Mae te'n rhatach na choffi. See aspirate mutation after na.

After yn. In a sentence with bod, the comparative follows yn + soft mutation: tal → yn dalach, cyflym → yn gyflymach, drud → yn ddrutach. Ll and rh stay the same: yn rhatach.

Long adjectives use mwy instead, and a few very common ones are irregular.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae hi'n dalach na fi.

    She's taller than me.

    Talach softens to dalach after yn.

  2. Mae'r trên yn gyflymach na'r bws.

    The train is faster than the bus.

  3. Mae te'n rhatach na choffi.

    Tea is cheaper than coffee.

    Rh does not change after yn; coffi becomes choffi after na.

  4. Mae Siân yn dalach nag Aled.

    Siân is taller than Aled.

    Na becomes nag before a vowel.

  5. Mae hi'n gynhesach heddiw na ddoe.

    It's warmer today than yesterday.

    Cynnes becomes cynhesach, which softens to gynhesach after yn.

  6. Mae'r gorllewin yn wlypach na'r dwyrain.

    The west is wetter than the east.

    Gwlyb becomes gwlypach (b hardens to p), then softens to wlypach after yn.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft mutation after yn.

    Mae hi'n talach na fi.
    Mae hi'n dalach na fi.

    A comparative after yn is a describing word, so it softens: t becomes d.

  • Keeping b, d or g before -ach.

    Mae'r tywydd yn wlybach heddiw.
    Mae'r tywydd yn wlypach heddiw.

    Before -ach, b hardens to p, d to t and g to c.

How It Connects

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-ach ComparativeLevel 3Comparatives with -ach

Learn This First

The -ach comparative uses yn and na 'than'.

Words in This Pattern

-ach