Infixed Pronouns 'm / 'th / 'i

Infixed Object Pronouns (Recognition)

Level 6

Fe'i gwelais means I saw him (or her). In formal Welsh the object pronoun 'i hooks onto the little word fe in front of the verb.

How It Works

Recognition only. These forms appear in literary Welsh, the Bible, formal letters and news reports. In speech, say the pronoun after the verb.

The forms and what they do to the verb.

  • 'm — me: h before a vowel. fe'm gwelodd (he saw me), a'm hachubodd (who saved me)
  • 'th — you (ti): soft mutation. fe'th welais (I saw you), Duw a'th fendithio (God bless you)
  • 'i — him, her, it: no change to a consonant, h before a vowel. fe'i gwelais (I saw him or her), fe'i hanafwyd (he or she was injured)
  • 'n — us: h before a vowel. fe'n gwelodd (he saw us)
  • 'ch — you (chi): no change. fe'ch gwelais (I saw you)
  • 'u — them: h before a vowel. fe'u gwelwyd (they were seen), fe'u hanfonwyd (they were sent)

Which little words? They attach to fe and mi (in positive statements), a (the relative "who" and the question word), ni (not) and y: Ni'th anghofiaf (I will not forget you).

On the news. With impersonal verbs, these forms say who something happened to: Fe'i penodwyd yn brifathro (He was appointed headteacher), Fe'u gwelwyd ddiwethaf nos Sadwrn (They were last seen on Saturday night). See Impersonal Past.

In speech. Put an ordinary pronoun after the verb and its subject: Weles i fe (South) or Welais i o (North) for fe'i gwelais, and Welodd e fi for fe'm gwelodd. For the passive, use cael: Cafodd e ei benodi.

Not the same as short possessives. After prepositions and a (and), the same short forms mean my, his, her and so on: i'm tŷ (to my house). Those are in Short Possessives After Vowels.

Examples (6)

  1. Fe'i gwelais yn y dref.

    I saw him in town.

    'i can mean him, her or it. Spoken: Welais i fe yn y dre (South), Welais i o yn y dre (North).

  2. Fe'm ganwyd yn Abertawe.

    I was born in Swansea.

    Spoken: Ces i fy ngeni yn Abertawe.

  3. Fe'i penodwyd yn brifathro yn 2019.

    He was appointed headteacher in 2019.

    Spoken: Cafodd e (o in the North) ei benodi'n brifathro yn 2019.

  4. Fe'u gwelwyd ddiwethaf nos Sadwrn.

    They were last seen on Saturday night.

  5. Duw a'th fendithio.

    God bless you.

    'th softens the verb: bendithio becomes fendithio.

  6. Ni'th anghofiaf byth.

    I will never forget you.

How It Connects

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Infixed Pronouns 'm / 'th / 'iLevel 6Infixed Object Pronouns (Recognition)

Learn This First

Infixed pronouns attach short possessive forms to particles.

Words in This Pattern

'm'th'ch