Ie / Nage

Yes and No to Focused Questions: Ie and Nage

Level 3

Most Welsh questions start with a verb, and you answer by echoing it. If a question starts with something else, answer Ie (yes) or Nage (no): Coffi wyt ti eisiau? — Nage, te.

How It Works

Which questions? Ones that put a noun, pronoun, adjective or phrase first:

  • Ai Siân sy'n canu? — Is it Siân who's singing? — Ie.
  • Coffi wyt ti eisiau? — Is it coffee you want? — Nage, te.
  • Nyrs ydy hi? — Is she a nurse? — Ie.
  • Ffred aeth? — Was it Ffred who went? — Nage.
  • Yn y dre oedd e? (North: Yn y dre oedd o?) — Was it in town he was? — Ie.

Compare verb-first questions. Wyt ti'n nyrs? is answered Ydw; Aeth Ffred? is answered Do. Move a word to the front and the answer becomes ie or nage.

North and South. Ie and nage are standard and Southern. The North usually says ia and naci. All four are correct.

Ai, or just the voice. Careful Welsh starts these questions with ai: Ai hwn ydy'r bws i Fangor? In speech the voice alone can make the question: Hwn ydy'r bws i Fangor?

See emphasis by fronting for how these sentences are built, and echo answers for verb-first questions.

Examples (6)

  1. Ai Siân sy'n canu? Ie.

    Is it Siân who's singing? Yes.

  2. Coffi wyt ti eisiau? Nage, te.

    Is it coffee you want? No, tea.

  3. Nyrs ydy hi? Ie.

    Is she a nurse? Yes.

    The noun nyrs comes first, so the answer is ie. In the South: Nyrs yw hi?

  4. Fo ydy dy dad di? Ia.

    Is he your dad? Yes.

    North: fo and ia. In the South: Fe yw dy dad di? Ie.

  5. Ti oedd yn y dre ddoe? Naci.

    Was it you in town yesterday? No.

    North. In the South: Nage.

  6. Hwn ydy'r bws i Fangor? Ie.

    Is this the bus to Bangor? Yes.

Common Mistakes

  • Echoing the verb when the question starts with something else.

    Coffi wyt ti eisiau? Ydw.
    Coffi wyt ti eisiau? Ie.

    The question starts with coffi, not a verb, so answer ie or nage.

How It Connects

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

Ie / NageLevel 3Yes and No to Focused Questions: Ie and Nage

Learn This First

Ie and nage answer questions that begin with a noun.

Words in This Pattern

ienageianaciai