Commands and Imperatives in Welsh

In Brief

Welsh normally distinguishes a command to one familiar person from a command to several people or to one person addressed formally. The familiar singular often uses a short verb stem, while the plural or formal form usually ends in -wch: Tyrd! “Come!” but Dewch! “Come!” To say “don't,” use paid â in the singular and peidiwch â in the plural or formal form, followed by the verb-noun: Paid â phoeni! “Don't worry!”

Overview

A command uses the imperative mood—a verb form used to tell, invite, warn, or encourage someone to do something. Welsh imperatives appear constantly in directions, recipes, classroom instructions, signs, software buttons, and everyday requests. You will hear forms such as edrych “look,” gwrandewch “listen,” and arhoswch “wait.”

The core pattern is introduced at A2. It builds on the verb-noun (berfenw), the dictionary form that names an action, such as siarad “speaking/to speak” or poeni “worrying/to worry.” A Welsh command is not always identical to that dictionary form, so it is useful to learn the singular and plural forms alongside each common verb.

English usually uses the same bare verb for one person and several people: “Come in!” Welsh makes the distinction visible. The -wch form also matches respectful chi “you,” so it may address one person politely as well as a group. This number-and-register distinction is the most important habit for an English-speaking learner to develop.

How It Works

1. Choose who you are addressing

Use	Welsh form	Meaning	Note
One familiar person	Tyrd yma!	Come here!	Singular, informal
More than one person	Dewch yma!	Come here!	Plural
One person addressed respectfully	Eisteddwch, os gwelwch yn dda.	Sit down, please.	Formal singular; uses the same -wch form as the plural

The subject pronoun is normally unnecessary because the command form already signals the addressee. Ti “you, familiar singular” or chi “you, plural/formal” can be added for contrast or emphasis, but beginners can usually leave it out.

2. Form positive commands

For many verbs, the familiar singular is a short stem. Some verbs use the unchanged verb-noun, while many common singular forms add -a or show another stem change. The plural/formal form normally uses a stem plus -wch. There is no single mechanical rule that predicts every stem correctly, especially for frequent verbs.

Verb-noun	Meaning	Familiar singular	Plural or formal	Note
agor	open	agora	agorwch	Singular adds -a
cerdded	walk	cerdda	cerddwch	The endings differ
darllen	read	darllena	darllenwch	A useful classroom pair
dysgu	learn	dysga	dysgwch	Do not simply attach -wch to the whole verb-noun
edrych	look	edrych	edrychwch	Singular matches the verb-noun
siarad	speak	siarada	siaradwch	Singular adds -a
ysgrifennu	write	ysgrifenna	ysgrifennwch	The stem changes

Treat these as vocabulary pairs: when learning darllen, learn darllena / darllenwch with it. This is more reliable than trying to strip letters from every verb-noun.

Several of the most useful commands are irregular or have regional variants.

Verb-noun	Meaning	Familiar singular	Plural or formal	Note
bod	be	bydd	byddwch	Common in warnings: “be careful”
dod	come	tyrd / dere	dewch	Tyrd is especially associated with the north; dere with the south
mynd	go	cer / dos	ewch	Singular variants differ by region; plural is irregular
gwneud	do, make	gwna	gwnewch	Very common irregular pair
rhoi	give, put	rho	rhowch	Note the spelling change

Regional labels describe broad tendencies, not rigid borders. Recognising both tyrd and dere, or cer and dos, is more important than forcing yourself to use every variant.

3. Form negative commands with paid â

A negative command does not normally put “not” in front of the positive imperative. Instead, use this frame:

• paid â + verb-noun for one familiar person
• peidiwch â + verb-noun for several people or one person addressed formally

Pattern	Welsh	Meaning
Singular	Paid â siarad.	Don't talk.
Plural/formal	Peidiwch â siarad.	Don't talk.
Singular	Paid â phoeni.	Don't worry.
Plural/formal	Peidiwch â phoeni.	Don't worry.

Here paid and peidiwch are command forms of peidio, “to refrain/stop.” The following verb stays a verb-noun, rather than changing into its own positive command form. Compare Siarada! “Speak!” with Paid â siarad! “Don't speak!”

The word â triggers aspirate mutation—a change to the first consonant—when the following verb begins with c, p, or t:

Unmutated verb	After â	Welsh command	Meaning
colli	cholli	Paid â cholli'r tocyn.	Don't lose the ticket.
poeni	phoeni	Paid â phoeni.	Don't worry.
troi	throi	Peidiwch â throi i'r chwith.	Don't turn left.

This is aspirate mutation, not the more widespread soft mutation. Other initial consonants generally remain unchanged in this construction: Paid â mynd has mynd, not fynd, and Peidiwch â siarad keeps siarad.

4. Add objects and directions normally

The rest of the instruction follows the command in the usual way. An object is the person or thing affected by the action: in Agorwch y llyfr, “the book” is what is opened.

• Agorwch y llyfr. — Open the book.
• Rho'r allwedd i mi. — Give me the key.
• Edrychwch ar y sgrin. — Look at the screen.
• Ewch yn syth ymlaen. — Go straight ahead.

Welsh often uses a preposition where English does too, but not always the same one. Learn common combinations as units, such as edrych ar “look at” and gwrando ar “listen to.”

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Dere yma! / Tyrd yma!	Come here!	Familiar singular; regional alternatives
Dewch yma!	Come here!	Plural or formal
Dewch i mewn.	Come in.	Plural/formal invitation
Agora'r ffenest, os gweli di'n dda.	Open the window, please.	Familiar singular; an informal “please” phrase
Agorwch eich llyfrau.	Open your books.	Group instruction
Gwranda arna i.	Listen to me.	Familiar singular
Gwrandewch yn ofalus.	Listen carefully.	Plural/formal
Dos adref nawr.	Go home now.	Familiar singular regional form
Ewch yn syth ymlaen.	Go straight ahead.	Directions to a group or polite addressee
Gwna baned o de.	Make a cup of tea.	Familiar singular
Eisteddwch i lawr.	Sit down.	Plural or formal
Bydd yn ofalus!	Be careful!	Familiar singular
Paid â phoeni!	Don't worry!	Familiar singular; p → ph
Peidiwch â siarad!	Don't talk!	Plural or formal; no visible mutation
Peidiwch â throi i'r chwith.	Don't turn left.	Plural/formal; t → th

Common Mistakes

Using a singular command for a group

• Wrong: Tyrd yma, bawb! — intended: “Come here, everyone!”
• Right: Dewch yma, bawb!
• Why: Tyrd addresses one familiar person. A group requires the plural -wch-type form, which is irregular here: dewch.

Building every singular command by removing an ending

• Wrong: Darllen y neges! — intended as a familiar singular command
• Right: Darllena'r neges!
• Why: Singular formation is not completely predictable from the verb-noun. Learn darllena / darllenwch as a pair.

Using the positive imperative after paid â

• Wrong: Paid â siarada!
• Right: Paid â siarad!
• Why: After paid â or peidiwch â, use the verb-noun siarad, not the positive singular command siarada.

Forgetting aspirate mutation after â

• Wrong: Paid â poeni!
• Right: Paid â phoeni!
• Why: After â, initial p becomes ph. In the same position, c becomes ch and t becomes th.

Applying soft mutation instead

• Wrong: Paid â fynd!
• Right: Paid â mynd!
• Why: This construction calls for aspirate mutation of c, p, t, not general soft mutation. Since mynd begins with m, it remains unchanged.

Treating -wch as plural only

• Wrong: Avoiding Eisteddwch when speaking politely to one person
• Right: Eisteddwch, os gwelwch yn dda.
• Why: The -wch form serves both plural chi and respectful singular chi.

Usage Notes

A bare imperative can sound efficient, warm, urgent, or abrupt depending on voice and situation—just as in English. Os gwelwch yn dda is the standard polite phrase used with plural/formal chi. With familiar ti, os gweli di'n dda is possible. Plis is also common in informal speech. Politeness comes from the whole phrase and tone, not from -wch alone.

Recipes, public notices, interfaces, and written instructions often use -wch forms because they address a general audience: Ychwanegwch y dŵr “Add the water,” Cliciwch yma “Click here,” or Arhoswch “Wait.” In conversation, choose between singular and plural/formal according to whether you would naturally address the listener as ti or chi.

Spoken Welsh varies considerably by region. Forms such as tyrd/dere and cer/dos are normal alternatives rather than evidence that one speaker is “wrong.” Follow the variety used by your course or community for active speaking, but learn to recognise the other frequent forms.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A2, but they explain forms you may meet later.

Welsh has more of an imperative system than the two second-person forms taught first. Traditional and literary language can use forms for “let him/her…,” “let us…,” and “let them…,” with endings such as -ed, -wn, and -ent. Their stems and modern frequency vary, so they are best learned from real examples rather than generated from a beginner rule. Everyday Welsh often prefers a paraphrase or a fixed expression instead.

Suggestions involving the speaker are also commonly phrased differently from direct commands. Dewch i ni ddechrau means “Let's begin” and literally invites the listener or listeners to come with the speaker into the action. Expressions such as awn ni? “shall we go?” turn the suggestion into a question and can sound less commanding.

Pronouns may follow an imperative for emphasis: Ewch chi ymlaen can mean “You go ahead.” This does not change chi into a separate formal ending; the verb and pronoun work together. At a more advanced level, notice how speakers choose between a direct imperative, a question such as “Could you…?”, and a statement of need. Welsh, like English, often softens requests when authority, distance, or inconvenience makes a bare command too strong.

Finally, positive commands can produce other mutation patterns inside the rest of the sentence because of articles, possessives, prepositions, or syntax. Those mutations do not come from the imperative itself. Keep that wider mutation system separate from the specific â + c/p/t rule in negative commands.

Practice Tips

1. Learn commands in three-part sets. For each useful verb, record the verb-noun, familiar singular, and plural/formal forms: gwneud — gwna — gwnewch. Add an audio model if possible.
2. Transform positive commands into negative ones. Start with Siarada! and produce Paid â siarad! Then change the addressee: Siaradwch! → Peidiwch â siarad! Include verbs beginning with c, p, and t so that mutation becomes automatic.
3. Use real instruction language. Read a Welsh recipe, set of directions, or website interface. Highlight every -wch form, identify its verb-noun, and decide whether it addresses a group, one polite listener, or a general audience.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Verb-Nouns — negative commands require the verb-noun after paid â or peidiwch â.
• Useful support: Soft Mutation — helps distinguish general soft mutation from the aspirate mutation specifically triggered by â here.
• Useful support: Aspirate Mutation — explains the c → ch, p → ph, t → th changes in negative commands.