Literary bod: yr wyf, y mae
Literary Forms of Bod (Recognition)
Yr wyf yn ddiolchgar means I am grateful; speech says Dw i'n ddiolchgar. The little word yr just marks a positive statement.
How It Works
Present tense.
- yr wyf (yr ydwyf) — I am (spoken: dw i, rydw i)
- yr wyt — you are (rwyt ti)
- y mae — he, she or it is (mae)
- yr ydym — we are (dyn ni; dan ni in the North)
- yr ydych — you are (dych chi; dach chi in the North)
- y maent — they are (maen nhw)
Past tense. yr oeddwn (I was), yr oeddit, yr oedd, yr oeddem, yr oeddech, yr oeddynt (also yr oeddent). Spoken: ro'n i, ro't ti, roedd, ro'n ni, ro'ch chi, ro'n nhw; see Past of Bod.
The particle y, yr. It marks a positive statement and has no English meaning. Speech has worn it down: yr ydwyf → rydw i → dw i, yr oedd → roedd. See Fuller Present Forms.
Negatives and questions. The particle changes:
- negative: nid wyf (I am not), nid yw (he or she is not), nid ydynt (they are not), nid oedd (was not); see Literary Negation
- question: a ydych? (are you?), a yw? (is he or she?); see Literary Questions With A
- existence: y mae becomes oes in questions and negatives: a oes? (is there?), nid oes (there isn't)
No pronoun. Literary Welsh often leaves out the pronoun: Yr wyf yn falch (I am glad). Modern formal writing may keep it: yr wyf i.
Examples (6)
- Yr wyf yn falch iawn o'ch gweld.
I am very glad to see you.
Spoken: Dw i'n falch iawn o'ch gweld chi.
- Y mae hi'n noson oer.
It is a cold night.
Spoken: Mae hi'n noson oer.
- Yr oedd y tŷ yn wag.
The house was empty.
Spoken: Roedd y tŷ'n wag.
- Yr ydym yn ddiolchgar am eich cefnogaeth.
We are grateful for your support.
- Y maent wedi cyrraedd.
They have arrived.
Spoken: Maen nhw wedi cyrraedd.
- Yr oeddynt yn byw yn y wlad.
They lived in the country.
Spoken: Ro'n nhw'n byw yn y wlad.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Literary bod uses the particles y and yr.
Related Patterns
- rydw i / rydyn ni / rydych chiFuller Present Forms: Rydw I
The fuller present forms that standard writing uses.
Level 3 - Present of bodPresent Tense of Bod
The everyday spoken forms of bod.
Level 1 - Literary Negation ni / nidLiterary Negation: Ni and Nid (Recognition)
Literary negatives such as nid wyf and nid oes.
Level 6 - Literary Questions: a + Soft MutationLiterary Questions with a (Recognition)
Literary questions such as a ydych? and a oes?
Level 6 - Fronted Phrase + yLiterary Order: Fronted Phrase + Y (Recognition)
The same particle y follows a phrase moved to the front.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Literary bod: yr wyf, y mae in Bubblegum
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