onid / oni

Literary Negative Questions: Onid (Recognition)

Level 6

Onid yw hi'n brydferth? means Isn't it beautiful? Onid (oni before a consonant) starts a question that expects the answer yes.

How It Works

Recognition only. These questions appear in the Bible, literature, speeches and formal writing.

Oni + mixed mutation.

  • c, p, t → ch, ph, th: oni chlywaist? (didn't you hear?), oni thalodd? (didn't he pay?)
  • b, d, g, ll, m, rh → soft mutation: oni welwch? (don't you see?), oni ddaeth? (didn't she come?)

See Mixed Mutation.

Onid before a vowel. Onid yw hi'n brydferth? (Isn't it beautiful?), Onid oes digon? (Isn't there enough?), Onid oeddech chi yno? (Weren't you there?).

Expecting yes. Like English "Isn't it ...?", the speaker expects agreement. Answer by echoing the verb: Onid yw hi'n brydferth? — Ydy.

In speech. Use a tag question or a plain negative question: Mae hi'n brydferth, on'd yw hi?, Glywaist ti ddim?. The tag on'd is a shortened onid; see Tag Questions.

Other meanings. In older texts oni can also mean "unless" or "until", and it is part of oni bai (unless, if it were not for).

Examples (5)

  1. Onid yw hi'n brydferth?

    Isn't it beautiful?

  2. Oni chlywaist ti'r newyddion?

    Didn't you hear the news?

    Oni causes aspirate mutation of c: clywaist becomes chlywaist.

  3. Oni welwch chi'r perygl?

    Don't you see the danger?

    Oni causes soft mutation of g: gwelwch becomes welwch.

  4. Onid oes digon o fwyd i bawb?

    Isn't there enough food for everyone?

  5. Oni ddywedais i wrthych?

    Didn't I tell you?

How It Connects

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onid / oniLevel 6Literary Negative Questions: Onid (Recognition)

Learn This First

Onid and oni ask negative questions in literary Welsh.

Words in This Pattern

onionid