Relative lle

Where: Lle in Relative Clauses

Level 4

After a place, lle means "where": y dref lle dw i'n gweithio — the town where I work.

How It Works

How it works. Put lle after the place, then say the rest just as you would on its own:

  • Ces i fy magu yn y pentref. → y pentref lle ces i fy magu — the village where I was brought up
  • Mae fy mam yn gweithio yn yr ysgol. → yr ysgol lle mae fy mam yn gweithio — the school where my mother works
  • Wnaethon ni gwrdd yn y caffi. → y caffi lle wnaethon ni gwrdd — the café where we met

Tenses. In the present use mae (or dw i, dyn ni and so on), not sy: y siop lle mae'r bara'n rhad. Other tenses use their normal forms: lle roedd, lle bydd, lle basen ni.

Lle or ble? In questions the South says ble and the North often says lle (see Basic Question Words). As a linking word after a place noun, lle is the usual choice all over Wales. Formal writing sometimes adds y after it (lle y).

When not to use lle. If the place itself does the action, it is the subject, so use sy or a + soft mutation: y siop sy'n gwerthu bara (the shop that sells bread).

Examples (5)

  1. Dyma'r pentref lle ces i fy magu.

    This is the village where I grew up.

  2. Aethon ni'n ôl i'r caffi lle wnaethon ni gwrdd.

    We went back to the café where we met.

    Cwrdd softens to gwrdd after wnaethon ni.

  3. Dyna'r ysgol lle mae fy mam yn gweithio.

    That's the school where my mother works.

  4. Mae'r traeth lle roedden ni'n chwarae yn blant wedi newid.

    The beach where we used to play as children has changed.

    Roedden ni is the written form and the Learn Welsh course form in the North; the South says ro'n ni, and everyday Northern speech oeddan ni.

  5. Dw i'n chwilio am westy lle bydd y ci'n cael aros.

    I'm looking for a hotel where the dog will be allowed to stay.

Common Mistakes

  • Using lle and a pointing-back preposition together.

    y tŷ lle mae hi'n byw ynddo
    y tŷ lle mae hi'n byw

    Lle already means "where" ("in which"). Use either lle or y ... ynddo, not both.

  • Using lle when the place is the subject.

    y siop lle sy'n gwerthu bara
    y siop sy'n gwerthu bara

    The shop does the selling, so it is the subject: use sy, not lle.

How It Connects

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Relative lleLevel 4Where: Lle in Relative Clauses

Learn This First

Lle joins a place to a relative clause.

Words in This Pattern

lle