pwy bynnag / beth bynnag

Whoever, Whatever: Bynnag

Level 5

Bynnag is the Welsh "-ever". Put it after a question word: pwy bynnag (whoever), beth bynnag (whatever), ble bynnag (wherever).

How It Works

The -ever words.

  • pwy bynnag — whoever
  • beth bynnag — whatever
  • ble bynnag (lle bynnag in the North) — wherever
  • pryd bynnag — whenever
  • sut bynnag — however, in whatever way
  • faint bynnag — however much, however many
  • pa + noun + bynnag — whichever: pa ffordd bynnag (whichever way)

What comes next. An -ever word joins its clause the way a relative word does. When it is the subject of a present-tense verb, use sy, not mae: pwy bynnag sy'n dod (whoever is coming); see Sy and Sydd. With a future or past form, the verb takes soft mutation: pwy bynnag fydd yn ennill (whoever wins), beth bynnag ddigwyddodd (whatever happened). Formal Welsh writes the little word a before that verb: pwy bynnag a ddaw; see Relative A. With times and ways, careful Welsh puts y before the verb: pryd bynnag y byddi di'n barod.

Beth bynnag = anyway. On its own, usually at the start of a sentence, beth bynnag means anyway or in any case: Beth bynnag, rhaid i ni fynd.

Fodd bynnag is built the same way from modd (way), but it means however in the sense of "but". It is a formal linking word; see Formal Connectors.

Examples (6)

  1. Pwy bynnag fydd yn ennill, bydd hi'n gêm dda.

    Whoever wins, it'll be a good game.

    Fydd is the soft-mutated future of bod, used after the -ever word.

  2. Beth bynnag sy'n digwydd, dw i yma i ti.

    Whatever happens, I'm here for you.

    Beth bynnag is the subject here, so it takes sy.

  3. Ble bynnag ei di, cofia ffonio adref.

    Wherever you go, remember to phone home.

  4. Pryd bynnag y byddi di'n barod, ffonia fi.

    Whenever you're ready, phone me.

  5. Sut bynnag dych chi'n teithio, gadewch ddigon o amser.

    However you travel, leave plenty of time.

  6. Beth bynnag, rhaid i ni fynd.

    Anyway, we have to go.

    Here beth bynnag stands alone and means anyway.

Common Mistakes

  • Using mae after an -ever word that is the subject.

    Pwy bynnag mae'n dod, mae croeso iddyn nhw.
    Pwy bynnag sy'n dod, mae croeso iddyn nhw.

    When pwy bynnag or beth bynnag is the subject of a present-tense verb, the verb is sy, just as in Pwy sy'n dod?

How It Connects

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

pwy bynnag / beth bynnagLevel 5Whoever, Whatever: Bynnag

Learn This First

Bynnag after a question word gives -ever forms, often followed by a relative clause.

Words in This Pattern

bynnagbeth bynnagbeth bynnag