dal i

Still: Dal I + Verb-Noun

Level 4

Dal means "to hold, keep". Dw i'n dal i fyw yma is literally "I'm keeping on living here": I still live here.

How It Works

Still doing: dal i + verb-noun

  • Dw i'n dal i fyw yma. — I still live here.
  • Mae hi'n dal i fwrw glaw. — It's still raining.
  • Roedd hi'n dal i weithio am naw o'r gloch. — She was still working at nine o'clock.
  • Wyt ti'n dal i chwarae rygbi? — Do you still play rugby?

Still + a description: dal yn

  • Mae hi'n dal yn sâl. — She's still ill. (yn + soft mutation, see Describing With Yn)
  • Mae'r siop yn dal ar agor. — The shop is still open.
  • Dw i'n dal yma. — I'm still here.

Not any more: use ddim ... rhagor or ddim ... bellach: Dw i ddim yn byw yma rhagor. — I don't live here any more.

Keep going! Dal ati! — Keep at it! Southern speech also has dala as a form of the verb dal.

Examples (6)

  1. Dw i'n dal i fyw yn yr un tŷ.

    I still live in the same house.

    I softens byw to fyw.

  2. Mae hi'n dal i fwrw glaw.

    It's still raining.

  3. Wyt ti'n dal i chwarae rygbi?

    Do you still play rugby?

  4. Roedd hi'n dal i weithio am naw o'r gloch.

    She was still working at nine o'clock.

  5. Mae'r babi'n dal yn sâl.

    The baby is still ill.

  6. Dal ati!

    Keep at it!

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft mutation after dal i.

    Dw i'n dal i byw yma.
    Dw i'n dal i fyw yma.

    I causes soft mutation, so byw becomes fyw.

  • Using i before a place or description.

    Dw i'n dal i yma.
    Dw i'n dal yma.

    Dal i is only for actions (verb-nouns). For a place use dal on its own; for a description use dal yn.

How It Connects

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

dal iLevel 4Still: Dal I + Verb-Noun

Learn This First

Dal i + softened verb-noun follows the mynd i + verb-noun model.

Words in This Pattern

dal