llawer o + Soft Mutation

Quantity Words + O + Soft Mutation

Level 2

Quantity words are followed by o (of), and o softens the next word: llawer o bobl (lots of people), digon o fwyd (enough food).

How It Works

The quantity words

  • llawer o a lot of, many, much: llawer o bobl
  • digon o enough: digon o fwyd
  • gormod o too much, too many: gormod o geir
  • tipyn o a bit of: tipyn o waith
  • ychydig o a little, a few: ychydig o laeth, ychydig o ddyddiau

Why it softens. O (of, from) is one of the prepositions that cause soft mutation; see Soft Mutation After Prepositions.

Very many. Add iawn: llawer iawn o bobl (a great many people).

Not much. Does dim llawer o amser (There isn't much time).

In casual speech you will also hear lot o: lot o bobl.

On their own. These words can stand without a noun: Mae hynny'n ddigon (That's enough), Dim gormod, diolch! (Not too much, thanks!).

How many? The question is faint o: Faint o bobl? See How Many? Faint o and Sawl.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae llawer o bobl yn dysgu Cymraeg.

    Lots of people are learning Welsh.

    pobl → bobl after o.

  2. Oes digon o fwyd i bawb?

    Is there enough food for everyone?

    bwyd → fwyd after o.

  3. Mae gormod o geir yn y dref.

    There are too many cars in town.

    ceir → geir after o.

  4. Mae tipyn o waith gyda fi heddiw.

    I've got a bit of work today.

    gwaith → waith. This way of saying have is Southern; the North says Mae gen i dipyn o waith.

  5. Hoffwn i ychydig o laeth, os gwelwch yn dda.

    I'd like a little milk, please.

    llaeth → laeth after o.

  6. Does dim llawer o amser.

    There isn't much time.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft mutation after o.

    llawer o pobl
    llawer o bobl

    O causes soft mutation: p becomes b.

  • Leaving out o.

    Mae llawer pobl yma.
    Mae llawer o bobl yma.

    Before a noun, quantity words need o. (A few set phrases, such as llawer gwaith, many times, have no o.)

How It Connects

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

llawer o + Soft MutationLevel 2Quantity Words + O + Soft Mutation

Learn This First

Quantity words use o, a softening preposition.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

digondigongormodgormodtipynychydigychydig