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Session 11

Language notes

Impersonal tenses

Most sentences use active verb tenses, in which the subject carrying out an action is specified, for example:

Our neighbours will be having a party. action by 'our neighbours'

The school teacher bought the house. action by 'the school teacher'

In an impersonal tense, we are not told who or what is carrying out the action, for example:

A meeting will be held on Monday. by whom?

The factory was built in 1880. by whom?

As with most other verb tenses in Welsh, the impersonal tenses can use either a short (cryno) form or a long (cwmpasog) form.

The short form present/future impersonal uses the ending -ir, with slight changes replacing 'a' by 'e' in some verb stems. For example:

siaredir Cymraeg yma siarad

Welsh is spoken here

cynhelir cynhadledd ym mis Ionawr cynnal

a conference will be held in January

The short form past impersonal uses the ending -wyd. For example:

gwelwyd llawer o dwristiaid yn y pentref gweld

many tourists were seen in the village

dymchwelwyd y tŷ pan adeiladwyd y ffordd dymchwel

the house was demolished when the road was built

Some common verbs have irregular past impersonal forms:

dod - daethpwyd

mynd - aethpwyd

gwneud - gwnaethpwyd

These are heard fairly frequently in news announcements:

daethpwyd o hyd i gar yn yr afon

a car was found in the river

aethpwyd � dyn i'r ysbyty

a man was taken to hospital

The long form present/future impersonal uses mae and cael, or the present/future tense ceith, with the verb noun, for example:

mae tocynnau yn cael eu gwerthu yma

or ceith tocynnau eu gwerthu yma

tickets are sold here

mae'r cadeirydd yn cael ei hethol wythnos nesaf

or ceith y cadeirydd ei hethol wythnos nesaf

the chairperson will be elected next week

The long form past impersonal uses the past tense of cael with the verb noun:

cafodd yr ysgol ei hagor yn 1990

the school was opened in 1990

cafodd y ras ei cwblhau mewn amser record

the race was completed in record time

Although not often heard in everyday speech, the impersonal tenses are fairly commonly used in written documents. Examples are: minutes of meetings, and announcements of forthcoming events.

Treigladau

In previous sessions we looked at a variety of situations in which a treiglad meddal is applied. It would be useful to review some of these again:

After the article 'y' in the case of singular feminine nouns:

Dringodd i'r graig i weld yr olygfa. craig (f) golygfa (f)

He climbed to the rock to see the view.

A treiglad is not applied after 'y' for masculine singular nor any plural nouns:

Fe wnaethon ni fwydo'r ci a'r cathod. ci (m) cath (f)

We fed the dog and the cats.

Adjectives following feminine singular nouns:

Fe ymwelon ni �'r arddangosfa fawr ddiddorol. mawr diddorol

We visited the large interesting exhibition.

A treiglad is not applied to adjectives following masculine singular nor any plural nouns:

Gwnaethon ni brynu cadeiriau bach a bwrdd rhad. cadair (f) bwrdd (m)

We bought small chairs and a cheap table.

Nouns which are preceded by an adjective:

Mae gan yr hen ddyn wir wybodaeth. dyn (m) gwybodaeth (f)

The old man has true knowledge.

The numbers 'un' (feminine only) and 'dau/dwy' cause a treiglad:

Mae gan un orsaf ddwy fynedfa a dau faes parcio. gorsaf (f) myneddfa (f)

One station has two entrances and two car parks. maes parcio (m)

A verb at the start of a negative sentence has a treiglad:

Fydd y siop ddim ar agor yfory. bydd

The shop will not be open tomorrow.

Similarly, a verb at the start of a question has a treiglad:

Ddarllenodd e'r llyfr? darllen

Did he read the book?

The word 'fe' or 'mi' at the start of a positive statement causes a treiglad:

Fe gerddodd i mewn i'r dref. cerdded

He walked into the town.

A treiglad meddal occurs after the second person singular pronoun 'dy':

Hoffwn i deithio yn dy gar gyda dy fam. car (m) mam (f)

I would like to travel in your car with your mother.

A treiglad meddal occurs after the third person singular pronoun 'ei' when the pronoun replaces a masculine noun:

Roedd ei llyfr hi yn fwy diddorol nac ei lyfr fe. llyfr

Her book was more interesting than his book.

A treiglad meddal occurs after many prepositions: am, ar, at, dan, dros, gan, heb, hyd, i, o, tan, trwy, wrth

Cerddais trwy goedwig i lyn heb weld neb. coedwig llyn

I walked through a forest to a lake without seeing anyone. gweld

Idioms

The word 'wrth' can have several meanings in sentences:

Gwelais ddyfrgi wrth gerdded ar hyd glan yr afon.

I saw an otter while walking along the river bank.

to, in the context of expressing an emotion towards someone

Roedd yr athrawes yn garedig wrth ei disgyblion.

The teacher was kind to her pupils.

at, in the context of carrying out an activity

Dechreuon nhw'r daith gyda Dafydd wrth y llyw.

They began the journey with Dafydd at the wheel.

'wrth' occurs in a number of common phrases and idioms:

wrth eu bodd - in their element, delighted

Roedd y c�r wrth eu bodd yn yr eisteddfod.

The choir loved the eisteddfod.

wrth law - near at hand

Fe symudon nhw i'r ardal oherwydd bod yr ysgol wrth law.

They moved to the area because the school was near at hand.

wrth gwrs - of course

Bydd yn rhaid i chi brynu tocyn, wrth gwrs.

You will have to buy a ticket, of course.

wrth reswm - obviously

Mae'n cymryd amser hir, wrth reswm, i yrru o Fangor i Gaerdydd.

It takes a long time, obviously, to drive from Bangor to Cardiff.

wrth cefn - in reserve

Mae ganddyn nhw arian wrth gefn ar gyfer unrhyw argyfwng.

They have got money in reserve for any emergency.

wrth reddf - instinctively

Sylweddolodd wrth reddf fod nam ar yr injan car.

He realised instinctively that the car engine was faulty.

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Sentences

Sentence 1 of 20: The crockery was sold in the market.

You are invited to translate this article into Welsh.

Vocabulary

career gyrfa noun (f); coal miner gl�wr noun (m);

working conditions amodau gwaith; dismiss diswyddo verb;

suffragette swffrag�t noun (f); rights hawliau noun (pl);

Kier Hardie

James Keir Hardie is remembered as the first leader of the Labour Party.
Originally from Scotland, he had a close connection with south Wales.
He was the Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil.
Keir Hardie started working as a miner when he was eleven, spending twelve hours a day down the mine.
He taught himself to read and write.
He began his career in politics by establishing a workers` union in his coal mine.
Workers were trying to improve their wages and working conditions.
In 1881 he led the first miners` strike, and was dismissed as a result.
Keir Hardie was elected Member of Parliament for West Ham in London in 1892.
He fought for women`s rights, free education, pensions, and self-rule for India.
He lost his seat at the next election, but was re-elected Member of Parliament for Merthyr Tydfil in 1900.
Keir Hardie was elected as leader of the newly formed Labour Party in the House of Commons.
By 1910, forty Labour Members had been elected to Parliament.
Hardie led a protest in the House of Commons against the cruel treatment of suffragettes at Holloway Prison.
At the start of the First World War, Keir Hardie was a fervent pacifist.
The Labour Party continued with the work of Kier Hardie, supporting the rights of workers in the coal mines, factories and other industries.

Translate the sentence:

James Keir Hardie is remembered as the first leader of the Labour Party.

Suggested translation: (a number of alternatives acceptable)

Story

The set of icons below was randomly selected, and has been used to write a story.

You are invited to translate the story into Welsh.

Vocabulary

checkpoint rheolfan noun (m/f); maze drysfa noun (f);

raft rafft noun (f); mansion plasty noun (m);

advertisement hysbyseb noun (f); based on seiliedig ar;

remote anghysbell adjective; drop gollwng verb;

terrifying dychrynllyd adjective; finish diwedd noun (m);

Aled and Hugh are members of the village rugby team.
They keep fit by training every week.
One day, Aled was reading a newspaper and saw an advertisement by a television company.
They wanted teams of two competitors for a game show based on army training.
The teams would have to race across a remote area of mid Wales, carrying out challenges along the way.
`We can do this, Hugh`, said Aled in the pub that evening.
They applied, and a few months later found themselves at the old mansion which was the headquarters for the film crew.
`You will be dropped on a mountain top, then follow the route shown on your maps`.
`Not by parachute!` said one competitor.
`No, we have a helicopter`.
Aled and Hugh were the second of the four teams to be taken to the start point.
They found their way down from the mountain to the first check point in the forest.
Here they had to climb a rope ladder to the top of a horribly high tree, then cross a rope bridge to another tree.
`Well, that was terrifying` said Aled.
They ran on through the forest to reach the second check point at a lake.
Here they had to build a raft out of oil drums and paddle across the lake.
They continued through the forest, but it began to rain heavily and they became tired and slow.
They finally reached the third checkpoint at an old army camp.
They then had to find their way through a maze of underground tunnels which had been built during the Second World War.
They now needed to reach the finish at the mansion.
When they arrived, they saw that the other teams were already there.
`I guess that we didn`t win`, said Aled.
`No, but we won`t need to do any fitness training before next weekend`s rugby game`.

Translate the sentence:

Aled and Hugh are members of the village rugby team.

Suggested translation: (a number of alternatives acceptable)

Create your own story in Welsh

Click the button to randomly select a set of story icons:

Use of Welsh

Four Waterfalls Walk

Vocabulary

cavern ceudwll noun (m); limestone calchfaen noun (m);

meadow d�l noun (f); rapids dyfroedd gwyllt noun (pl);

below islaw preposition; fence ffens noun (f);

impressive trawiadol adjective;

A highlight of the Brecon Beacons National Park is the area of spectacular waterfalls near the village of Ystradfellte.

A leaflet is being prepared to guide visitors on a walk to four of the waterfalls, beginning at the car park at Cwm Porth. You are invited to translate the leaflet into Welsh.

Translate the sentence:

After arriving at the car park at Cwm Porth, take the footpath which descends to Porth yr Ogof.

Suggested translation: (a number of alternatives acceptable)

Description

Write four or five sentences in Welsh to describe the picture:

Y Cymro dreuliodd ei fywyd yn helpu carcharorion

Mab i weinidog oedd Merfyn Turner a bu`n byw mewn gwahanol ardaloedd o Gymru oherwydd gwaith ei dad, cyn iddo adael cartref, mynd i`r coleg a dechrau gweithio yn Llundain.

Pan ddechreuodd yr Ail Ryfel Byd fe wrthododd ymuno �`r fyddin oherwydd ei ddaliadau heddychol a chafodd ei ddedfrydu i dri mis o lafur caled yng ngharchar Abertawe - profiad fyddai`n newid ei fywyd.

Ar ddiwedd y rhyfel, ar �l cyfnodau fel gweithiwr cymdeithasol yn Tiger Bay a gweithio gyda phobl ddigartref yn Llundain, dechreuodd ymweld � charcharorion yn Pentonville.

O`i brofiad personol roedd e wedi gweld bod bod yn y carchar yn dadbersonoli`r unigolyn, oedd yn ei sgil yn achosi lot o broblemau i rywun unwaith oedden nhw wedi gadael y carchar, i`r graddau bod bywyd tu allan i`r carchar yn anodd iawn ac yn arwain pobl yn aml iawn i ddilyn yr un patrwm a dychwelyd i`r carchar yn eitha` buan.

Roedd Merfyn Turner yn dadlau bod angen newid holl ethos y system gosb ac yn beirniadu`r diffyg cymorth i garcharorion oedd yn cael eu rhyddhau, yn enwedig o ystyried bod canran uchel o`r bobl oedd yn aildroseddu yn ddigartref.

Dadl Merfyn Turner ac eraill oedd bod angen creu llety safonol oedd yn ddiogel ac yn l�n a fyddai hefyd yn noddfa i roi cefnogaeth i gyn-garcharorion.

Gyda chymorth elusen, yn 1954 fe agorodd Norman House yn Llundain - y tŷ hanner ffordd cyntaf ym Mhrydain. Roedd carcharorion yn cael eu gyrru yno ar �l eu rhyddhau ac yn byw mewn criw bychan o hyd at 15 mewn awyrgylch teuluol - gyda Merfyn Turner yn `ben teulu`.

Oherwydd llwyddiant y tŷ, fe gafodd canolfannau ar draws Prydain eu modelu ar Norman House ac fe agorodd Merfyn Turner ail dŷ yn 1962 lle`r oedd y preswylwyr yn cael mwy o gyfrifoldebau.

Doedd pobl ddim yn gweld o fel gweithiwr cymdeithasol dosbarth canol arferol roedd yn cael ei dderbyn fel un ohonyn nhw mewn ffordd.

Dros y degawdau, gyda newid gwleidyddol, fe symudodd y pwyslais i ffwrdd o ganolfannau fel Norman House a thuag at garchardai mwy a chosbau llymach.

Mae`n bwysig cofio`r dyn, fu farw yn 1991 yn 75 oed, mewn cyfnod pan mai sefydliadau enfawr fel Carchar y Berwyn sy`n cael eu hadeiladu.

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