ti / chi

Familiar Ti and Polite Chi

Level 1

Welsh has two words for you: friendly ti for one person you know well, and chi for politeness or for more than one person.

How It Works

Use ti with family, close friends, children and pets, and with anyone who starts using ti with you.

Use chi with someone you do not know, with older people, in shops and offices, and always with two or more people.

Words that go with each:

Are you ...? Wyt ti? / Dych chi? (Dach chi? in the North). See Present Questions With Bod.
How are you? Sut wyt ti? / Sut dych chi?
your: dy ... di / eich ... chi. See dy + soft mutation and ein eich eu.
Commands: Eistedda! / Eisteddwch! (Sit down!). See ti imperatives and chi imperatives.

If you are not sure, use chi. People will switch to ti when they feel the time is right, and you can follow them.

Wyt ti eisiau paned?
Do you want a cuppa?
Ti: to a friend or a family member.
Dych chi eisiau paned?
Do you want a cuppa?
Chi: polite, or to more than one person. North: Dach chi isio paned?
Beth ydy dy enw di?
What's your name?
Dy ... di goes with ti; for example, to a child.
Beth ydy'ch enw chi?
What's your name?
Eich ... chi goes with chi; eich shortens to 'ch after a vowel.
Diolch i ti, Mam!
Thanks, Mum!
Ti to a family member.
Siân ac Aled, dych chi'n barod?
Siân and Aled, are you ready?
Two people, so chi.

Using ti to talk to more than one person.
Siân ac Aled, wyt ti'n barod?
Siân ac Aled, dych chi'n barod?
Ti is only for one person. For two or more people, always use chi, even if they are close friends.

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

ti / chiLevel 1Familiar Ti and Polite Chi

Choosing ti or chi depends on the personal pronouns.

Patterns that build on this one.

chi

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