sa i / smo fi (South)

South Wales Negatives: Sa I and Smo Fi

Level 5

In the South you will hear Sa i'n gwybod for Dw i ddim yn gwybod (I don't know), and Smo fi'n hoffi te for Dw i ddim yn hoffi te (I don't like tea).

How It Works

The Southern short negatives. They replace the full present negative of bod (Dw i ddim, Dyw e ddim):

  • Sa i'n = Dw i ddim yn (I'm not, I don't)
  • So ti'n or Smo ti'n = Dwyt ti ddim yn
  • So fe'n or Smo fe'n = Dyw e ddim yn
  • So hi'n or Smo hi'n = Dyw hi ddim yn
  • So ni'n, So chi'n, So nhw'n (or smo) = Dyn ni, Dych chi, Dyn nhw ddim yn

Some areas use smo for every person, including smo fi. Very casual speech sometimes adds ddim after smo (smo fe ddim), but not after sa i or so. The forms vary a little from place to place; all of them are ordinary Southern speech.

No ddim after sa i or so. The "not" is already built in, so do not add ddim: Sa i'n gwybod, not Sa i ddim yn gwybod.

Sdim. Sdim (also written 'sdim) is short for does dim (there isn't, there's no). It is common in the South and heard elsewhere too: Sdim ots (It doesn't matter). See Oes and Does dim.

Where to use them. These are informal spoken forms. You will see them in dialogue and casual messages, but standard writing uses the full forms. The North has its own short forms, such as sgen i.

Examples (6)

  1. Sa i'n gwybod.

    I don't know.

    Full form: Dw i ddim yn gwybod.

  2. Smo fi'n hoffi te.

    I don't like tea.

    Full form: Dw i ddim yn hoffi te.

  3. Smo ti'n dod?

    Aren't you coming?

    Full form: Dwyt ti ddim yn dod?

  4. So fe'n gweithio heddi.

    He isn't working today.

    Heddi is the Southern spoken form of heddiw. Full form: Dyw e ddim yn gweithio heddiw.

  5. Sdim ots.

    It doesn't matter.

    Full form: Does dim ots.

  6. Sa i'n credu.

    I don't think so.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ddim after sa i or so.

    Sa i ddim yn gwybod.
    Sa i'n gwybod.

    Sa i and so already mean "not", so ddim is not added after them. Use either Sa i'n gwybod or the full Dw i ddim yn gwybod. Very casual smo can occur with ddim.

How It Connects

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

sa i / smo fi (South)Level 5South Wales Negatives: Sa I and Smo Fi

Learn This First

Southern shortenings of present negatives.

Words in This Pattern

sasdim