Course 2: The Past Lesson Four / Gwers Pedwar
Croeso yn ôl i Groeseiriau Cymraeg .
This week we will be going over the two forms of the past tense that we have covered so far on the course . Thus far we have covered two past tenses in Welsh: yr amser gorffennol (the past tense) and yr amser amherffaith ( the past imperfect or literally: the imperfect time). To recap:
...
In Welsh as in English you can form the past tense by using an auxiliary verb - gwneud - to do. This is the 'long form' of the past tense in Welsh.
Gwneud - To Do, To Make
gwnes i I did
gwnest ti (familiar) You did
gwnaethoch chi (formal, plural) You did
gwnaeth e/hi He/She did
gwnaethon ni We did
gwnaethon nhw They did
e.g. Gwnes i chwilio ar y we . - I searched on the web, or more correctly - I did search on the web.
The 'g' at the beginning of the verb is also dropped in commonly spoken Welsh although it is not incorrect to pronounce it. Other formulations of the 'long form' past tense that you might encounter include:- Fe wnes i (southern dialect), Mi wnes i (northern dialect), Gwnes i
The past imperfect affirmative and abbreviated forms are listed below. There is more information on this page:- The Past Tense And More
Roeddwn i'n siarad I was talking
Roeddet ti'n siarad (familiar) You were talking
Roeddech chi'n siarad (formal) You were talking
Roedd e/hi'n siarad He/She/It was talking
Roedden ni'n siarad We were talking
Roedden nhw'n siarad They were talking
...
Ro'n i'n siarad I was talking
Ro't ti'n siarad (familiar) You were talking
Ro'ch chi'n siarad (formal) You were talking
Roedd e/hi siarad He/She was talking
Ro'n ni'n siarad We were talking
Ro'n nhw 'n siarad They were talking
...
Take some time to ensure that you have fully mastered these two vital tenses.There are some translation exercises below and, of course , the weekly crossword.
Whatever you do....enjoy / mwynhewch.
...
Translate the following conversation into English:
"Roedden ni'n mynd i'r llyfrgell pan wnaethon ni weld y ddamwain."
"Wnaethoch chi ffonio'r heddlu?"
"Do wnes i."
"Wnaethon nhw gyrraedd yn gyflym? "
"Do wnethon nhw."
"Dwi'n hapus i glywed hynny."
The solution can be found here: Solutions
...
Translate the following conversation into Welsh:
"I went to the station this morning.
Have you been to Aberystwyth before?"
"Yes I went there on holiday when i was a child.
It rained all week."
The solution can be found here: Solutions
...
5. How to use the crosswords & Croeseiriau Cymraeg
And so to our weekly crossword. The theme is - 'Yr Amser Gorffennol (Revision)'
- Click through the slides below and learn the words as you go.
- Optional: If you want help with pronunciation or wish to check out other vocabulary entries on the wordcard, click the pic or text below to be taken to the appropriate Geiriadur listing page.
Be aware that you will encounter the past tense short form in a number of the sample sentences. We will be covering this tense next week.
That's it for week four. We hope that you have enjoyed the fourth instalment of the course and that your knowledge of the Welsh language has improved. Next week we will be covering the past tense (long form) in Welsh.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------------------
* Don't worry if some of the sample sentences are at a more advanced level. Concentrate on the simpler ones unless of course you are feeling adventurous and want to read ahead.
