bod + yn + Verb-Noun
Present Tense: Bod + Yn + Verb-Noun
To say what someone does or is doing, use bod + yn + verb-noun: Dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg (I learn Welsh / I'm learning Welsh).
How It Works
Build it in three parts: a form of bod + yn + a verb-noun, then anything else.
- Dw i + 'n + dysgu + Cymraeg = I'm learning Welsh.
- Mae Siân + yn + gweithio + heddiw = Siân is working today.
Yn or 'n? Use 'n after a vowel (Dw i'n, Mae hi'n, Maen nhw'n) and yn after a consonant (Mae Siân yn, Mae'r plant yn). They mean the same.
No mutation. This yn never changes the verb-noun: canu, prynu, bwyta, darllen and gweld keep their first letters. That is different from yn before a describing word, which does cause soft mutation, and from yn meaning "in". See three kinds of yn. A noun after the verb-noun does not change either: Dw i'n prynu car.
Meaning. The pattern covers habits and things happening now. Dw i'n gweithio yn Aberystwyth can mean "I work in Aberystwyth" or "I'm working in Aberystwyth"; the situation tells you which.
Swap yn for wedi and the meaning becomes "have done": Dw i wedi bwyta; see bod + wedi + verb-noun. For the verb-noun itself, see The Verb-Noun.
Examples (6)
- Dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg.
I'm learning Welsh.
'n after i, which ends in a vowel.
- Mae hi'n gweithio yn y dref.
She works in town.
- Mae Tom yn canu yn y côr.
Tom sings in the choir.
Yn after Tom, which ends in a consonant; canu keeps its c.
- Dyn ni'n bwyta am saith.
We eat at seven.
South: dyn ni. North: Dan ni'n bwyta am saith.
- Maen nhw'n prynu tŷ.
They're buying a house.
Neither prynu nor tŷ changes its first letter.
- Mae'r babi'n cysgu.
The baby is sleeping.
'n after babi, which ends in a vowel.
Common Mistakes
Softening the verb-noun after yn.
Mae hi'n ganu.Mae hi'n canu.The yn before a verb-noun never causes a mutation. Only the yn before a describing word does.
Leaving out the linking yn.
Dw i dysgu Cymraeg.Dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg.Bod and the verb-noun are joined by yn ('n after a vowel). Without it the sentence is incomplete.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The periphrastic present joins bod, yn and a verb-noun.
Related Patterns
- Three Kinds of yn
Tell this yn apart from the other two.
Level 3 - Predicative yn + Soft MutationDescribing with Yn + Soft Mutation
The yn before describing words does cause mutation.
Level 1 - bod + wedi + Verb-NounHave Done: Bod + Wedi
Swap yn for wedi to say what has happened.
Level 2 - Present Questions With bod
Ask questions with the same pattern.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- Dw i'n hoffiLiking: Dw I'n HoffiLevel 1
- eisiau / isioWanting: Dw I Eisiau (Isio in the North)Level 1
- mynd i / dod oGoing to and Coming fromLevel 1
- bydda i / byddi di / byddFuture of Bod: Bydda ILevel 2
- gallu / medruCan: Gallu and Medru (North)Level 2
- gwybod / nabodKnowing: Gwybod and NabodLevel 2
- roeddwn iPast of Bod: Roeddwn ILevel 2
- ersSince and for: ErsLevel 3
And 3 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice bod + yn + Verb-Noun in Bubblegum
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