Croeso yn ôl i Groeseiriau  Cymraeg .

This week we will be introducing the pluperfect tense and practicing the past tense short form. 

In order to express the Pluperfect Tense in Welsh ( i.e. I, you, he/she, we, they  had  done something ) - we use the Imperfect tense substituting 'wedi' for 'yn'. For example:-

Roedden nhw'n cerdded  - They were walking
Roedden nhw wedi cerdded  - They had walked

Affirmative

Roeddwn i wedi -  I had
Roeddet ti wedi  (familiar) - You had
Roeddech chi wedi  (formal)  - You had
Roedd e/hi wedi  - He/She had
Roedden ni wedi - We had
Roedden nhw wedi  - They had

For practice purposes this weeks' crossword provides a number of sample sentences which employ the pluperfect tense. There are also some practice translation sentences below:-

If there are is any vocabulary you need to look up go here:  Geiriadur You will find the answers at the bottom of the page.

Roeddwn i wedi rhedeg yr holl ffordd.  = I had ran all the way.

Roeddwn i wedi meddwl hynny.  =  I had thought so.

Roeddwn i wedi ymweld â'r castell o'r blaen.  =  I had visited the castle before.

They had walked there. =  Roedden nhw wedi cerdded yno.

...

For more on the Pluperfect please go here:-  Yr Amser Gorberffaith - The Pluperfect Tense

You will recall from last weeks'  email  that the past tense (short form) is constructed as follows:- 

In order to form the past tense short form we add the relevant endings to the stem of the verb. To find the stem of a verb in Welsh:-

• For verbs ending with a vowel we drop the vowel and add the appropriate ending ( Welsh vowels = a e i o u w y) e.g   gwrando  (to listen) - gwrandais i = I listened

• For verbs ending with  -io we drop the o. e.g   chwilio  (to search) - chwiliais i = I searched

• For verbs ending  in -eg / -ed we drop the final syllable. e.g.  rhedeg  (to run) -  rhedais i.  cerdded  (to walk) -  cerddais i...
  
  

For more on the past tense short form please go here  Yr Amser Gorffennol / The Past Tense . There are some practice translation exercises below.

Translate the following conversation into English:

"Aethon ni i Caerffili ddoe a
phrynais gar newydd."
"Fe ymwelon ni â'r castell hefyd."
"Ble cawsoch chi'r arian?"
"Dechreuais weithio ddeuddydd yn ôl."
"Llongyfarchiadau!"

The solution can be found here:  Solutions

...

Translate the following conversation into Welsh:

"I read the book yesterday. It was good.
I saw the film a year ago.
I heard the radio play as well."

The solution can be found here:  Solutions

And so to our weekly crossword. The theme is -  'Yr Amser Gorberffaith (Pluperfect)'

• 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. 

• Attempt the crossword puzzle here  Cymraeg - Vocabulary Crossword 18  (interactive) or if you prefer to do it the old fashioned way you can download a hard copy of  the grid here Crossword 18 Print Version  (.pdf)
  
  

That's it for week seven. We hope that you have enjoyed the fifth instalment of the course  and that your knowledge of the Welsh language has improved. 
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* 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.

Roeddwn i wedi rhedeg yr holl ffordd.  = I had ran all the way.

Roeddwn i wedi meddwl hynny.  = I had thought so.

Roeddwn i wedi ymweld â'r castell o'r blaen.  = I had visited the castle before.

They had walked there. = Roedden nhw wedi cerdded yno.

AmeriCymru is committed to doing everything it can to assist its members and readers to acquire a working knowledge of the Welsh language. Whether your goal is fluency or merely the ability to order a pizza and beer when on vacation in Caernarfon you will find helpful resources on this site....  

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