Ces i fy ngeni

Saying Where You Were Born

Level 2

Ces i fy ngeni yn Abertawe = I was born in Swansea. Ask Ble cest ti dy eni? or Ble cawsoch chi eich geni? (Where were you born?)

How It Works

All the persons

  • Ces i fy ngeni I was born (fy: g → ng)
  • Cest ti dy eni you were born (dy: g drops)
  • Cafodd e ei eni he was born (ei, his: g drops)
  • Cafodd hi ei geni she was born (ei, her: g stays)
  • Cawson ni ein geni we were born
  • Cawsoch chi eich geni you were born
  • Cawson nhw eu geni they were born

The mutations are the ones you already know from fy, dy and ei (his).

In speech ces and cest are usually softened, and fy is often shortened: Ges i 'y ngeni ym Mangor. The North uses lle for where: Lle gest ti dy eni?

The place. After yn (in), a place name takes nasal mutation: yng Nghaerdydd, ym Mangor. See In: Yn + Nasal Mutation.

Formal writing also uses ganwyd: Ganwyd hi yng Nghaerdydd (She was born in Cardiff). See Impersonal Past.

The bigger pattern. Cael + possessive + verb-noun makes other passive sentences too: Cafodd y car ei ddwyn (The car was stolen). See The Passive With Cael.

Examples (6)

  1. Ces i fy ngeni yn Abertawe.

    I was born in Swansea.

  2. Ble cest ti dy eni?

    Where were you born?

    To someone you call ti.

  3. Ble cawsoch chi eich geni?

    Where were you born?

    To someone you call chi, or to more than one person.

  4. Cafodd hi ei geni yng Nghaerdydd.

    She was born in Cardiff.

    Ei (her) does not change g.

  5. Cafodd e ei eni yn Llundain.

    He was born in London.

    Ei (his) softens geni to eni. South: e. In the North: Cafodd o ei eni yn Llundain.

  6. Ges i 'y ngeni ym Mangor.

    I was born in Bangor.

    Everyday speech: ges i and 'y.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the possessive.

    Ces i geni yn Abertawe.
    Ces i fy ngeni yn Abertawe.

    The pattern needs a possessive that matches the person: fy ngeni for I.

  • Using the wrong possessive mutation.

    Cafodd e ei geni yn Llundain.
    Cafodd e ei eni yn Llundain.

    Ei meaning his causes soft mutation, so geni becomes eni. Ei geni means her birth.

How It Connects

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

Ces i fy ngeniLevel 2Saying Where You Were Born

Learn This First

Ces i fy ngeni uses the past of cael with the possessive fy.

Words in This Pattern

geni