ei 'her' + Aspirate Mutation

Her: Ei + Aspirate Mutation

Level 2

ei + noun + hi = her. c p t become ch ph th: cath → ei chath hi (her cat); a vowel gains h: enw → ei henw hi (her name).

How It Works

The changes

  • cath → ei chath hi her cat
  • car → ei char hi her car
  • tad → ei thad hi her father
  • pen → ei phen hi her head
  • enw → ei henw hi her name
  • athro → ei hathro hi her teacher

No change: ei mam hi (her mother), ei brawd hi (her brother), ei gwaith hi (her work), ei llyfr hi (her book).

Her or his? Ei sounds the same for both, so the mutation does the work: ei char hi (her car) but ei gar e or ei gar o (his car); ei henw hi (her name) but ei enw e (his name). See His: Ei + Soft Mutation.

Its. For a feminine thing or animal, ei means its: Mae'r gath yn bwyta ei bwyd (The cat is eating its food).

In speech. The ch, ph and th after ei (her) are kept very steadily in everyday speech, because they carry the meaning. The h before a vowel is sometimes dropped in fast speech, but it is always written. See Aspirate Mutation and Adding H Before Vowels.

Short form. After a vowel, ei is often written 'i and keeps the same changes: a'i chath hi (and her cat). See Short Possessives After Vowels.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae ei chath hi'n ddu.

    Her cat is black.

    cath → chath.

  2. Dyma ei thad hi.

    This is her father.

    tad → thad.

  3. Beth ydy ei henw hi?

    What's her name?

    A vowel gains h after ei (her).

  4. Mae ei mam hi'n athrawes.

    Her mother is a teacher.

    M does not change.

  5. Mae ei phlant hi yn yr ysgol gynradd.

    Her children are at primary school.

    plant → phlant.

  6. Mae'r gath yn bwyta ei bwyd.

    The cat is eating its food.

    Cath is feminine, so its is ei (her form); b does not change.

Common Mistakes

  • Using soft mutation for her.

    ei gar hi
    ei char hi

    Soft mutation after ei means his. For her, c becomes ch: ei char hi.

  • Changing a letter that aspirate mutation leaves alone.

    ei frawd hi
    ei brawd hi

    Aspirate mutation only affects c, p and t. B stays b after ei (her).

How It Connects

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

ei 'her' + Aspirate MutationLevel 2Her: Ei + Aspirate Mutation

Learn This First

Ei 'her' is the same word as ei 'his' but triggers aspirate mutation.

Words in This Pattern