Complex Conditionals in Welsh

In Brief

Welsh uses pe to introduce imagined or contrary-to-fact conditions. A second conditional commonly pairs pe + a conditional form of bod with another conditional: Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio (“If I were rich, I would travel”). For an unreal past, use pe + bawn-series form + wedi, followed by baswn + wedi in the result: Pe bawn i wedi gwybod, faswn i wedi dod (“If I had known, I would have come”).

Overview

Complex conditionals let you talk about situations that are imagined rather than presented as straightforward facts. The second conditional describes an unreal, unlikely, or purely hypothetical present or future: “If I were rich, I would travel.” The third conditional looks back at a past that did not happen: “If I had known, I would have come.” A mixed conditional combines different times, such as a past event with a present consequence.

This is a B2 topic because you must coordinate two clauses and keep their time references clear. A clause is simply a group of words built around a verb. The clause beginning with pe states the condition; the other clause states the imagined result. You already need the basic conditional forms of bod (“to be”), such as baswn i and basai hi.

English often marks the two halves with different auxiliaries: “if … were/had” and “would ….” Welsh makes a similar distinction, but builds it with forms of bod plus yn or wedi. The key is to learn whole two-clause frames rather than translating one word at a time.

How It Works

The two-clause structure

The condition may come first or second:

• Condition first: Pe basai hi'n braf, basen ni'n mynd. — “If it were fine, we would go.”
• Result first: Basen ni'n mynd pe basai hi'n braf. — “We would go if it were fine.”

Use a comma when the pe clause comes first. No comma is normally needed when it follows the result.

Pe differs from os. Os usually introduces an open condition—something treated as genuinely possible: Os bydd hi'n braf, awn ni (“If it is fine, we will go”). Pe moves the idea into an imagined or counterfactual world: Pe basai hi'n braf, basen ni'n mynd (“If it were fine, we would go”). Counterfactual means that the speaker presents the situation as contrary to fact, or at least as remote from reality.

Conditional forms used in the result

The following spoken forms of bod carry the meaning “would be.” With yn + verb-noun, they mean “would do.” A verb-noun is the Welsh base form used where English often uses an infinitive, such as mynd (“to go”) or teithio (“to travel”).

Person	Conditional form	With a verb-noun	Meaning
I	baswn i	baswn i'n mynd	I would go
you, singular	baset ti	baset ti'n mynd	you would go
he / she / it	basai e / hi	basai e / hi'n mynd	he / she / it would go
we	basen ni	basen ni'n mynd	we would go
you, plural or polite	basech chi	basech chi'n mynd	you would go
they	basen nhw	basen nhw'n mynd	they would go

The same forms can link the subject to an adjective or noun phrase: baswn i'n hapus (“I would be happy”), basai hi'n athrawes dda (“she would be a good teacher”). The linking yn contracts after a vowel: i'n, hi'n.

You will also hear an initial soft-mutated form, especially faswn i instead of baswn i. Soft mutation changes initial b to f. This does not change the time or meaning: Baswn i wedi dod and Faswn i wedi dod both express “I would have come,” though preferences vary by region and sentence pattern.

Second conditional: an unreal present or future

The core frame in this concept is:

pe + conditional form + present-state/action phrase, conditional form + present-state/action phrase

• Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio mwy.
• Literally by parts: “if + I-would-be + rich, I-would-be + travelling more.”
• Natural English: “If I were rich, I would travel more.”

Both clauses use the conditional series because neither is asserted as reality. With an action, place yn before the verb-noun:

• Pe baset ti'n byw'n agosach, basen ni'n gweld ein gilydd yn amlach.
• “If you lived closer, we would see each other more often.”

With a state or identity, yn still links the form of bod to the description:

• Pe basai'r swydd yn haws, baswn i'n llai blinedig.
• “If the job were easier, I would be less tired.”

Third conditional: an unreal past

For an event completed before a past reference point, Welsh uses a pluperfect construction—the form corresponding to English “had done.” In the pe clause, use the bawn series plus wedi + verb-noun:

Person	Form before wedi	Example	Meaning
I	bawn i	pe bawn i wedi gweld	if I had seen
you, singular	baet ti	pe baet ti wedi gweld	if you had seen
he / she / it	bai e / hi	pe bai e / hi wedi gweld	if he / she / it had seen
we	baen ni	pe baen ni wedi gweld	if we had seen
you, plural or polite	baech chi	pe baech chi wedi gweld	if you had seen
they	baen nhw	pe baen nhw wedi gweld	if they had seen

The imagined past result uses the ordinary conditional form plus wedi + verb-noun:

pe + bawn-series + wedi + verb-noun, baswn-series + wedi + verb-noun

• Pe bawn i wedi gwybod, faswn i wedi dod.
• “If I had known, I would have come.”

Notice that wedi replaces yn before the verb-noun. Compare:

Time and meaning	Welsh	English
present/future imagined result	Baswn i'n dod.	I would come.
past imagined result	Baswn i wedi dod.	I would have come.

Do not insert yn between wedi and the verb-noun: it is wedi dod, not wedi yn dod.

Negatives

Put ddim after the subject expression and before yn or wedi:

• Pe baswn i ddim yn gweithio, baswn i'n teithio mwy. — “If I were not working, I would travel more.”
• Pe bawn i ddim wedi colli'r trên, faswn i ddim wedi bod yn hwyr. — “If I had not missed the train, I would not have been late.”

The result can be negative even when the condition is positive, and vice versa. Keep ddim in the clause it negates.

Questions about imagined results

A whole conditional can be turned into a question. In speech, the initial consonant of the result form is often mutated:

• Faset ti'n symud pe baset ti'n cael swydd well? — “Would you move if you got a better job?”
• Fasech chi wedi aros pe baech chi wedi gwybod? — “Would you have stayed if you had known?”

The question asks about the result; the pe clause keeps its role as the condition.

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio o gwmpas y byd.	If I were rich, I would travel around the world.	Unreal present situation
Pe basai hi'n braf, basen ni'n mynd am dro.	If it were fine, we would go for a walk.	Hypothetical weather and result
Pe baset ti'n byw'n agosach, baswn i'n ymweld yn amlach.	If you lived closer, I would visit more often.	Present distance, imagined alternative
Basen nhw'n prynu'r tŷ pe basai e'n rhatach.	They would buy the house if it were cheaper.	Result clause comes first
Pe basech chi'n cael mwy o amser, fasech chi'n dysgu iaith arall?	If you had more time, would you learn another language?	Hypothetical question
Pe baswn i ddim mor brysur, baswn i'n dy helpu di.	If I were not so busy, I would help you.	Negative condition
Pe bawn i wedi gwybod, faswn i wedi dod.	If I had known, I would have come.	Unreal past condition and result
Pe baet ti wedi ffonio, baswn i wedi ateb.	If you had phoned, I would have answered.	Singular informal “you”
Pe bai hi wedi gadael yn gynharach, basai hi wedi dal y bws.	If she had left earlier, she would have caught the bus.	Two unreal past events
Pe baen ni wedi archebu bwrdd, fasen ni ddim wedi gorfod aros.	If we had booked a table, we would not have had to wait.	Negative past result
Fasech chi wedi prynu'r car pe baech chi wedi gweld y broblem?	Would you have bought the car if you had seen the problem?	Result-first question
Pe bawn i wedi gwrando arnat ti, baswn i'n teimlo'n well nawr.	If I had listened to you, I would feel better now.	Past condition, present result

Common Mistakes

Using os for every kind of “if”

• Wrong for the intended remote meaning: Os byddwn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio.
• Right: Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio.
• Why: English uses “if” for both open and unreal conditions. In the core pattern taught here, Welsh contrasts open os with hypothetical pe. Choose according to meaning, not by translating “if” automatically.

Putting “would” into only one half of a second conditional

• Wrong: Pe dw i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio.
• Right: Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio.
• Why: Dw i states a present fact. The pe clause needs the hypothetical form in this pattern.

Using yn in a perfect construction

• Wrong: Pe bawn i wedi yn gwybod, faswn i wedi yn dod.
• Right: Pe bawn i wedi gwybod, faswn i wedi dod.
• Why: Wedi links directly to the verb-noun. It already marks the completed action, so no linking yn is added.

Using the second conditional for a missed past event

• Wrong for a past regret: Pe baswn i'n gwybod ddoe, baswn i'n dod.
• Right: Pe bawn i wedi gwybod, faswn i wedi dod.
• Why: A third conditional looks back at something that did not happen. Both clauses therefore need wedi when both refer to completed past events.

Misplacing ddim

• Wrong: Pe bawn i wedi ddim gweld y neges...
• Right: Pe bawn i ddim wedi gweld y neges...
• Why: In these spoken patterns, ddim follows the subject and comes before wedi or yn.

Usage Notes

Welsh varies considerably by region, register, and teaching tradition. Alongside the forms used here, you may encounter hypothetical if-forms such as taswn i and petawn i, as well as other conditional variants. Treat them first as members of the same broad unreal-conditional system. Follow the pattern used by the speakers or course you are learning from rather than mixing pieces of several paradigms in one sentence.

The difference between os and pe is about how the speaker frames the possibility, not only about objective probability. A speaker can use a remote conditional politely or cautiously: “If you had time, would you look at this?” does not claim that you have no time. Conversely, os can introduce an event that is uncertain but still treated as a real possibility.

In conversation, context often makes the omitted consequence obvious. A speaker may say only Pe bawn i wedi gwybod!—“If only I had known!” The unfinished result is understood, perhaps “I would have acted differently.” Such shortened clauses are natural in reactions and expressions of regret.

Beyond the Basics: Mixed and Alternative Conditionals

Mixed time reference

Not every condition and result belongs to the same time. A past choice can have a present consequence:

• Pe bawn i wedi derbyn y swydd, baswn i'n byw yng Nghaerdydd nawr.
• “If I had accepted the job, I would be living in Cardiff now.”

Here bawn i wedi derbyn points to an unreal past decision, while baswn i'n byw describes the imagined present result.

The reverse combination is also possible when a continuing characteristic explains an unreal past outcome:

• Pe baswn i'n fwy trefnus, baswn i wedi cofio'r cyfarfod.
• “If I were more organised, I would have remembered the meeting.”

Ask two separate questions: When is the condition located? When is the result located? Choose yn + verb-noun for an ongoing or non-completed imagined situation and wedi + verb-noun for an imagined completed event.

Pe bawn is not limited to “had”

The bawn series does not itself contain the meaning “had done.” That past-completed meaning comes from wedi + verb-noun. Without wedi, pe bawn i... can describe an unreal state, especially in forms and registers where it is the preferred equivalent of “if I were.” This is why learning the sequence as a whole matters:

• pe bawn i wedi mynd — if I had gone
• pe bawn i yno — if I were there

The core second-conditional examples in this article use the baswn series because that is the paradigm specified for this concept, but authentic Welsh offers overlapping alternatives.

Wishes and regret

A pe clause can stand alone as an emotional wish, often with ond (“only”):

• Pe bawn i ond wedi gwrando! — “If only I had listened!”
• Pe basai hi ond yn haws! — “If only it were easier!”

These are not incomplete by accident. The missing result is deliberately left for the listener to infer, which gives the sentence more emotional force.

Practice Tips

1. Build paired transformations. Start with a real statement—Dw i ddim yn gyfoethog, felly dw i ddim yn teithio llawer (“I am not rich, so I do not travel much”)—and turn it into Pe baswn i'n gyfoethog, baswn i'n teithio mwy. This connects form with meaning.
2. Use a two-column time check. Label the condition and result as “present/future” or “completed past.” This immediately tells you whether each clause needs yn or wedi.
3. Drill complete person pairs aloud. Say pe baset ti..., baset ti... and pe baech chi wedi..., basech chi wedi.... Practising both halves prevents you from switching person midway and helps the contracted forms sound natural.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Conditional Mood — learn the baswn, baset, basai, basen, and basech forms before combining two conditional clauses.