oni bai

Unless, But for: Oni Bai

Level 5

Oni bai am + a noun means "if it weren't for" or "apart from": oni bai am y glaw. Oni bai + a bod clause means "unless": oni bai bod y trên yn hwyr.

How It Works

1. Oni bai am + noun: if it weren't for, apart from

  • Oni bai am y glaw, basen ni wedi ennill. — If it hadn't been for the rain, we'd have won.
  • Oni bai amdanat ti, baswn i ar goll. — If it weren't for you, I'd be lost. (see amdana i, amdanat ti)
  • Roedd y tŷ'n dawel, oni bai am sŵn y cloc. — The house was quiet, apart from the sound of the clock.

2. Oni bai + bod clause: unless

  • Bydda i yno am saith, oni bai bod y trên yn hwyr. — I'll be there at seven, unless the train is late.
  • With pronouns, careful Welsh uses the possessive forms: oni bai ei bod hi'n bwrw glaw, oni bai eich bod chi'n brysur.

Other ways to say it. Os ... ddim or os na / os nad also give "unless": Awn ni allan os nad ydy hi'n bwrw glaw. — We'll go out if it isn't raining. For "if I were", see taswn i and pe bawn i.

Examples (6)

  1. Oni bai am y glaw, basen ni wedi ennill.

    If it hadn't been for the rain, we'd have won.

  2. Oni bai amdanat ti, baswn i ar goll.

    If it weren't for you, I'd be lost.

  3. Bydda i yno am saith, oni bai bod y trên yn hwyr.

    I'll be there at seven, unless the train is late.

  4. Roedd y tŷ'n dawel, oni bai am sŵn y cloc.

    The house was quiet, apart from the sound of the clock.

  5. Awn ni i'r traeth yfory, oni bai ei bod hi'n bwrw glaw.

    We'll go to the beach tomorrow, unless it's raining.

  6. Oni bai bod y bws yn hwyr, baswn i yno erbyn hyn.

    If the bus weren't late, I'd be there by now.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out am before a noun.

    oni bai y glaw
    oni bai am y glaw

    Before a noun or pronoun, use oni bai am (or its personal forms, such as amdanat ti).

  • Using mae after oni bai.

    oni bai mae'r trên yn hwyr
    oni bai bod y trên yn hwyr

    Oni bai is followed by a bod clause, not by mae.

How It Connects

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

oni baiLevel 5Unless, But for: Oni Bai

Learn This First

Oni bai builds on unreal conditions and takes a bod clause.

Words in This Pattern

oni