Prepositions With Personal Forms
Before a pronoun, many Welsh prepositions add an ending: ar (on) → arna i (on me), arno fe (on him; arno fo in the North).
How It Works
The pattern. Stem + ending + pronoun:
- fi: -a i (arna i)
- ti: -at ti (arnat ti)
- fe/fo: -o fe South, -o fo North (arno fe, arno fo)
- hi: -i hi (arni hi)
- ni: -on ni (arnon ni)
- chi: -och chi (arnoch chi)
- nhw: -yn nhw (arnyn nhw)
The main stems.
- ar → arn-: arna i
- am → amdan-: amdana i
- at → at-, wrth → wrth-: ata i, wrtho fe
- o → ohon-: ohona i
- dros → drost-, heb → hebdd-, trwy → trwydd-: drosta i, hebddo fe, trwyddo fe
Special cases.
- i (to, for) changes only with fe, hi and nhw: i fi, i ti, iddo fe, iddi hi, i ni, i chi, iddyn nhw (North: i mi, iddo fo). See forms of i.
- gan in the North gives gen i, gynno fo, gynni hi: see mae gen i.
- gyda, efo and â never change: gyda fi (South), efo chi (North), â nhw.
Spoken variety. Speech also has -ot ti beside -at ti, and in some Southern speech the forms for me end in -o, as in amdano i and ato i. Literary Welsh drops the pronoun and uses full endings such as arnaf: see literary forms.
Examples (6)
- Edrycha arna i!
Look at me!
Ar + fi becomes arna i.
- Beth amdanat ti?
What about you?
Am + ti becomes amdanat ti.
- Anfonais i neges atyn nhw.
I sent them a message.
At + nhw becomes atyn nhw.
- Paid â dweud wrthi hi!
Don't tell her!
Wrth + hi becomes wrthi hi.
- Mae rhai ohonyn nhw'n byw yn y dref.
Some of them live in town.
O + nhw becomes ohonyn nhw.
- Tyrd efo fi!
Come with me!
North. Efo never changes before a pronoun. In the South: Dere gyda fi!
Common Mistakes
Using the plain preposition before a pronoun.
Edrycha ar fi!Edrycha arna i!Before a pronoun, ar takes its personal form: arna i.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Conjugated prepositions generalise the personal forms of i.
Related Patterns
- arna i / arnat ti / arno feForms of Ar and Feelings
The forms of ar, used for feelings.
Level 3 - amdana i / amdanat ti / amdano feForms of Am
The forms of am.
Level 3 - ata i / wrtho feForms of at and Wrth
The forms of at and wrth.
Level 3 - ohona i / ohono feOf Me, Of It: Forms of O
The forms of o.
Level 4 - arnaf / gennyfLiterary Personal Prepositions (Recognition)
The literary forms you may meet in writing.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Prepositions With Personal Forms in Bubblegum
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