Mae hi'n + Weather

Talking About the Weather

Level 1

Weather sentences start with Mae hi'n (It is), often shortened to Mae'n: Mae hi'n oer (It's cold). Ask Sut mae'r tywydd? (What's the weather like?).

How It Works

Describing words take soft mutation after 'n, as in Describing With Yn:

  • oer → Mae hi'n oer (cold)
  • gwyntog → Mae hi'n wyntog (windy)
  • cymylog → Mae hi'n gymylog (cloudy)
  • poeth → Mae hi'n boeth (hot)
  • twym → Mae hi'n dwym (warm, hot; South)
  • gwlyb → Mae hi'n wlyb (wet)
  • heulog → Mae hi'n heulog (sunny)
  • stormus → Mae hi'n stormus (stormy)

Words beginning with a vowel, h, n or s do not change.

Braf does not change. Braf (fine, nice) keeps its b: Mae hi'n braf. This is the standard form everywhere; only a few South Wales dialects soften it. See Words That Resist Mutation.

Weather doing words. Rain and snow use bwrw (literally throw): Mae hi'n bwrw glaw (It's raining), Mae hi'n bwrw eira (It's snowing). These are verb-nouns, and 'n before a verb-noun causes no change; see Bod + Yn + Verb-Noun.

Short form. In speech, Mae hi'n is often just Mae'n: Mae'n braf heddiw.

Other times. Keep hi in every tense: Roedd hi'n braf ddoe (It was fine yesterday), Bydd hi'n oer yfory (It will be cold tomorrow). Questions work the same way: Ydy hi'n oer? Ydy. (North: Ydi hi'n oer? Ydi.)

Examples (6)

  1. Sut mae'r tywydd? Mae hi'n braf.

    What's the weather like? It's fine.

    Braf does not mutate.

  2. Mae hi'n wyntog iawn heddiw.

    It's very windy today.

    Gwyntog softens to wyntog.

  3. Mae hi'n bwrw glaw eto!

    It's raining again!

    Bwrw is a verb-noun, so it does not change.

  4. Mae'n gymylog ond mae'n sych.

    It's cloudy but it's dry.

    Mae'n is a short way of saying Mae hi'n.

  5. Roedd hi'n oer iawn neithiwr.

    It was very cold last night.

  6. Bydd hi'n bwrw eira yfory.

    It will snow tomorrow.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft mutation on a describing word.

    Mae hi'n gwyntog.
    Mae hi'n wyntog.

    After the linking word 'n, a describing word softens: gwyntog → wyntog.

  • Mutating the weather verb-noun.

    Mae hi'n fwrw glaw.
    Mae hi'n bwrw glaw.

    Bwrw glaw is a doing word (verb-noun). The 'n before a verb-noun causes no mutation.

How It Connects

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Mae hi'n + WeatherLevel 1Talking About the Weather

Learn This First

Weather sentences use hi with predicative yn.

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