bues i

Was, Have Been: Bues I

Level 4

Roeddwn i describes a past situation as it was going on. Bues i sums up a past period or visit as finished: Bues i yn Sbaen y llynedd — I was in Spain last year.

How It Works

The forms

  • bues i — I was / I've been
  • buest ti
  • buodd e (buodd o in the North), buodd hi
  • buon ni, buoch chi, buon nhw

In the North these usually follow mi, which softens them: Mi fues i, Mi fuodd o. Questions and negatives soften too: Fuest ti ...? Fues i ddim. Answer with Do / Naddo.

When to use it

  • Visits: Bues i yn Iwerddon unwaith. — I've been to Ireland once.
  • A finished period: Buodd hi'n sâl am wythnos. — She was ill for a week.
  • A finished activity: Buon ni'n siopa drwy'r bore. — We spent the morning shopping.

Bues i or roeddwn i? Roedd hi'n sâl paints a picture of that time (she was ill then). Buodd hi'n sâl am wythnos tells the whole story from start to end. See roeddwn i. Bues i yn Sbaen is also a common way to say "I've been to Spain", alongside Dw i wedi bod yn Sbaen.

Written Welsh has older forms such as bûm, buost and bu; bu lives on in bu farw (died).

Examples (6)

  1. Bues i yn Sbaen y llynedd.

    I was in Spain last year.

  2. Buodd hi'n sâl am wythnos.

    She was ill for a week.

  3. Buon ni'n siopa drwy'r bore.

    We spent the whole morning shopping.

  4. Mi fues i yng Nghaernarfon ddoe.

    I was in Caernarfon yesterday.

    Northern speech: mi before the verb softens bues to fues.

  5. Fuoch chi erioed yn Iwerddon? Naddo.

    Have you ever been to Ireland? No.

  6. Buon nhw'n byw yn Awstralia am ddeng mlynedd.

    They lived in Australia for ten years.

Common Mistakes

  • Answering with ydw.

    Fuest ti yn y parti? Ydw.
    Fuest ti yn y parti? Do.

    Bues i is a past form, so the answer is do (yes) or naddo (no).

  • Using the singular form with nhw.

    Buodd nhw yn Llundain.
    Buon nhw yn Llundain.

    With nhw use buon. Buodd goes with e, o, hi and with noun subjects: Buodd y plant yn Llundain.

How It Connects

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

bues iLevel 4Was, Have Been: Bues I

Learn This First

Bues i is the preterite of bod.

Words in This Pattern