mo / ddim o

Not Any of: Mo and Ddim O

Level 4

With a short verb, I didn't see the film is Welais i mo'r ffilm. Mo is short for ddim o (none of).

How It Works

Definite objects take mo.

  • the + noun: Welais i mo'r ffilm. (I didn't see the film.) Mo + 'r is written mo'r.
  • a name: Welodd hi mo Aled. (She didn't see Aled.)
  • a possessive phrase: Chlywais i mo dy neges di. (I didn't hear your message.)
  • a pronoun: Chlywais i mohono fe. (I didn't hear him; North: mohono fo.)

Indefinite objects take ddim. Yfais i ddim llaeth (I didn't drink any milk), but Yfais i mo'r llaeth (I didn't drink the milk).

Personal forms (built like ohona i): mohona i, mohonot ti, mohono fe (mohono fo in the North), mohoni hi, mohonon ni, mohonoch chi, mohonyn nhw. Casual speech also says Chlywais i mo ti or Chlywais i ddim o ti.

Only with short verbs. Mo appears with short past, future and would forms: Wela i mo'r ffilm 'na (I won't see that film). With bod + yn, or with wnes i + verb-noun, the object belongs to the verb-noun, so use ddim as usual: Wnes i ddim gweld y ffilm.

The verb's own mutation. Negative short verbs take mixed mutation in careful speech (Chlywais i, Phrynon ni) and often soft mutation in everyday speech. See negatives of short verbs.

Examples (6)

  1. Welais i mo'r ffilm.

    I didn't see the film.

  2. Chlywais i mohono fe.

    I didn't hear him.

    South. In the North: Chlywais i mohono fo.

  3. Yfais i mo'r coffi.

    I didn't drink the coffee.

  4. Welais i mohonyn nhw yn y parti.

    I didn't see them at the party.

  5. Wela i mo'r gêm yfory.

    I won't see the game tomorrow.

    Mo also works with the short future.

  6. Welodd hi mo Aled.

    She didn't see Aled.

    A name is definite, so it takes mo.

Common Mistakes

  • Using mo with an indefinite object.

    Welais i mo car.
    Welais i ddim car.

    Mo is only for definite objects. With a car (indefinite), use ddim.

  • Using mo with wnes i + verb-noun.

    Wnes i mo gweld y ffilm.
    Wnes i ddim gweld y ffilm.

    Mo only goes straight after a short verb and its subject. With wnes i + verb-noun, use ddim.

How It Connects

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

mo / ddim oLevel 4Not Any of: Mo and Ddim O

Learn This First

Mo is ddim o before a definite object, with personal forms from o.

Words in This Pattern

modim