-a i / -i di / -ith o / -iff e

Short Future: Gwela I

Level 3

Welsh can say "I will" with one word: the verb stem + an ending. Gwela i means "I'll see" and Bryna i means "I'll buy".

How It Works

The endings on gwel- (see):

  • gwela i — I'll see
  • gweli di — you'll see
  • gwelith o (North) / gweliff e (South) — he'll see; also with hi
  • gwelwn ni — we'll see
  • gwelwch chi — you'll see
  • gwelan nhw — they'll see

Some stems change a to e before -i: talu → teli di (you'll pay).

In use. Bryna i'r bara, Taliff e'r bil (South), Arhoswn ni yma. A positive short verb is often softened in speech, with or without mi or fe: Wela i chi yfory! (See you tomorrow!). See mi and fe + soft mutation.

Questions and negatives. Questions soften: Weli di hi yfory?. Negatives take mixed mutation and ddim: Wela i ddim, Phryna i ddim. Answer yes or no with gwneud: Gwnaf / Na wnaf. See questions and negatives of inflected verbs and wnei di and wnewch chi.

Other ways to say "will". You can also use the future of bod (Bydda i'n gweld; see bydda i byddi di bydd) or gwneud + verb-noun (Gwna i weld). Mynd, dod, cael and gwneud have their own irregular forms; see af i do i ca i gwna i.

Examples (6)

  1. Bryna i'r bara.

    I'll buy the bread.

    Pryn- + a i.

  2. Gwela i'r ffilm yfory.

    I'll see the film tomorrow.

    Gwel- + a i.

  3. Taliff e'r bil.

    He'll pay the bill.

    South: -iff. North: Talith o'r bil.

  4. Gwelith o'r gêm heno.

    He'll see the match tonight.

    North and mid Wales: -ith.

  5. Arhoswn ni yma.

    We'll wait here.

    Arhos- + wn ni.

  6. Weli di hi yfory?

    Will you see her tomorrow?

    Questions soften the verb: gweli → weli.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a past ending for a future action.

    Prynais i'r bara yfory.
    Bryna i'r bara yfory.

    -ais is the past ending (I bought). For "I'll buy", use -a: pryna i, often softened in speech to bryna i.

  • Forgetting to soften the object.

    Bryna i car newydd.
    Bryna i gar newydd.

    The object straight after a short verb and its subject softens: car → gar.

How It Connects

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

-a i / -i di / -ith o / -iff eLevel 3Short Future: Gwela I

Learn This First

The short future adds endings to the stem and means the same as the future of bod + yn.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-a-i-ith-iff-wn-wch-an