tri / tair, pedwar / pedair

Feminine Three and Four

Level 2

Like two, three and four have masculine and feminine forms: tri / tair and pedwar / pedair.

How It Works

The forms:

  • masculine: tri (3), pedwar (4) — tri dyn, pedwar ci
  • feminine: tair (3), pedair (4) — tair merch, pedair cath

The other numbers have one form for both genders.

No mutation after tair and pedair: tair cath, pedair punt, tair wythnos.

Aspirate mutation after tri and chwe. In careful speech and writing, c, p and t change after tri (masculine) and chwe (six, both genders):

  • tri chi (ci), tri phlentyn (plentyn), tri thŷ (tŷ)
  • chwe phunt (punt), chwe theisen (teisen)

Everyday speech very often keeps the radical: tri plentyn. Both are heard. See aspirate mutation.

The numbers themselves can mutate. After a soft-mutation trigger, tair becomes dair and pedwar becomes bedwar: am dair wythnos (for three weeks).

You will also hear the feminine forms in ages: Mae hi'n dair oed; see oed for age. For two, see dau and dwy + soft mutation.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae tair merch yn y dosbarth.

    There are three girls in the class.

    Merch is feminine: tair, with no mutation.

  2. Mae pedwar ci gyda nhw.

    They have four dogs.

    South. Ci is masculine: pedwar.

  3. Arhoson ni am dair wythnos.

    We stayed for three weeks.

    Wythnos is feminine: tair. Am softens tair to dair.

  4. Mae'n costio pedair punt.

    It costs four pounds.

    Punt is feminine: pedair, with no mutation.

  5. Mae tri phlentyn gyda Dafydd a Nia.

    Dafydd and Nia have three children.

    South. Careful Welsh: tri + aspirate mutation, plentyn → phlentyn. Many speakers say tri plentyn.

  6. Talais i chwe phunt.

    I paid six pounds.

    Chwe + aspirate mutation: punt → phunt.

Common Mistakes

  • Mutating a noun after tair or pedair.

    tair gath
    tair cath

    Tair and pedair do not cause any mutation.

  • Using the masculine form with a feminine noun.

    tri wythnos
    tair wythnos

    Wythnos is feminine, so it takes tair. (In fast conversation you will still be understood.)

How It Connects

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

tri / tair, pedwar / pedairLevel 2Feminine Three and Four

Learn This First

Tair and pedair are feminine; tri and chwe cause aspirate mutation.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tritairpedwarpedairchwe