roeddwn i

Past of Bod: Roeddwn I

Level 2

Roedd + subject + yn = was, were: Roedd hi'n oer (It was cold), Ro'n i'n byw ym Mangor (I was living in Bangor, I lived in Bangor).

How It Works

The forms (as taught on the Learn Welsh courses for the North and for the South)

  • roeddwn i, spoken ro'n i in both regions: I was
  • roeddet ti (North course) / ro't ti (South course): you were
  • roedd e / o / hi: he / she / it was
  • roedden ni (North course) / ro'n ni (South course): we were
  • roeddech chi (North course) / ro'ch chi (South course): you were
  • roedden nhw (North course) / ro'n nhw (South course): they were

North and South. Everyone says ro'n i for I was. For the other persons, the North and South courses teach the forms above. In everyday Northern speech you will also often hear oeddan ni or 'ddan ni for we were.

Uses

  • states and descriptions: Roedd y tywydd yn braf. (The weather was fine.)
  • actions in progress: Ro'n i'n gwylio'r teledu pan ffoniodd hi. (I was watching TV when she phoned.)
  • past habits: Roedden ni'n mynd i'r traeth bob haf. (We used to go to the beach every summer.) See also Used To: Arfer.

Finished event or background? Use the simple past for a finished event (Es i i'r traeth, I went to the beach) and roedd for background, states and habits (Roedd hi'n braf, It was fine). See The Simple Past.

Noun subjects take roedd, even when plural: Roedd y plant yn hapus. See Mae With Any Noun Subject.

There was, had. Roedd works in the same patterns as mae: Roedd llawer o bobl yno (There were lots of people there), Roedd gen i gar (North) or Roedd car gyda fi (South) (I had a car).

For questions and negatives, see Past Questions and Negatives of Bod; for had done, see Had Done.

Examples (6)

  1. Roedd hi'n braf yn Sbaen.

    It was fine in Spain.

  2. Ro'n i'n byw ym Mangor.

    I used to live in Bangor.

    Ro'n i is the everyday form of roeddwn i.

  3. Roedd y plant yn chwarae yn yr ardd.

    The children were playing in the garden.

    A plural noun subject still takes roedd.

  4. Ro'n ni'n hapus iawn yno.

    We were very happy there.

    South course form. The North course teaches Roedden ni'n hapus iawn yno, and everyday Northern speech often says Oeddan ni'n hapus iawn yno.

  5. Roeddech chi'n hwyr!

    You were late!

  6. Roedd gen i gi pan o'n i'n blentyn.

    I had a dog when I was a child.

    North way of saying had. South: Roedd ci gyda fi.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural form with a noun subject.

    Roedden y plant yn hapus.
    Roedd y plant yn hapus.

    A noun subject always takes roedd, even when it is plural. Roedden goes only with ni and nhw.

  • Leaving out yn.

    Ro'n i byw yng Nghaerdydd.
    Ro'n i'n byw yng Nghaerdydd.

    Like the present tense, the imperfect needs yn ('n) before a verb-noun.

How It Connects

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

roeddwn iLevel 2Past of Bod: Roeddwn I

Learn This First

The imperfect of bod describes past states and actions with yn.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

o'no'to'ddo'chro'ch