Conjugated Prepositions in Welsh

In Brief

Many Welsh prepositions change form when their object is a pronoun: ar y bwrdd means “on the table,” but arna i means “on me” and arnyn nhw means “on them.” Learn each preposition with its personal forms rather than simply putting fi, ti, fe/fo, hi, ni, chi, nhw after the basic preposition. These forms also occur in everyday expressions such as Mae arna i eisiau coffi (“I want coffee”) and Mae gen i gar (“I have a car”).

Overview

A preposition is a short word that expresses a relationship such as “on,” “to,” “from,” or “with.” In English, the preposition itself normally stays unchanged: “on me,” “on her,” “on them.” Welsh often combines a preposition with its personal object, producing forms such as arna i, arni hi, and arnyn nhw. This process is traditionally called conjugating or inflecting a preposition: the ending changes to show the person concerned.

Conjugated prepositions are introduced around A2, after basic prepositions such as ar, i, o, and am. They matter far beyond literal ideas of place. Welsh uses them after common verbs—edrych ar (“look at”), dweud wrth (“tell”), and anfon at (“send to”)—and in expressions that English builds with a verb, including possession and wanting.

The first goal is not to memorise every literary form at once. Begin with a few frequent spoken patterns, especially ar, i, wrth, and gan. Notice that spoken forms vary across Wales: fe is especially associated with the south, fo with the north, and some endings also have regional variants. The underlying person and meaning remain the same.

How It Works

A noun keeps the ordinary preposition

Before a noun or noun phrase, use the basic preposition:

• ar y bwrdd — on the table
• at y meddyg — to the doctor
• am y ffilm — about the film
• wrth y drws — by the door

When a personal pronoun replaces that noun phrase, many prepositions take a special ending:

• ar + fi → arna i — on me
• ar + hi → arni hi — on her
• ar + nhw → arnyn nhw — on them

Forms such as arna and arni already mark person. In everyday spoken Welsh, however, a following pronoun such as i, hi, or nhw is normal and makes the person clear. It is useful to learn the whole unit: arna i, not just arna.

The core pattern with ar

The preposition ar can mean “on,” “at,” or, after certain verbs, something corresponding to English “at” or no separate word at all. Its standard written forms and widespread spoken forms show the main pattern clearly.

Person	Standard/reference form	Common spoken form	English
first singular	arnaf i	arna i	on me
second singular	arnat ti	arnat ti	on you
third singular masculine	arno ef	arno fe / arno fo	on him/it
third singular feminine	arni hi	arni hi	on her/it
first plural	arnom ni	arnon ni	on us
second plural or polite	arnoch chi	arnoch chi	on you
third plural	arnynt hwy	arnyn nhw	on them

Do not try to create these forms by adding one universal set of endings. The stem and endings differ from one preposition to another. For example, “to him” is iddo fe/fo, while “from him” is ohono fe/fo and “without him” is hebddo fe/fo.

The very common forms of i

The preposition i means “to” or “for.” It is especially important for recipients and indirect objects (the person who receives or benefits from something).

Person	Formal or traditional form	Common modern form	English
first singular	imi	i mi / i fi	to/for me
second singular	iti	i ti	to/for you
third singular masculine	iddo ef	iddo fe / iddo fo	to/for him
third singular feminine	iddi hi	iddi hi	to/for her
first plural	inni	i ni	to/for us
second plural or polite	ichwi	i chi	to/for you
third plural	iddynt hwy	iddyn nhw	to/for them

Not every person is equally likely to show an obviously conjugated form in conversation. Learners will often hear i mi, i ti, i ni, and i chi, alongside the unmistakably inflected iddo, iddi, and iddyn nhw. Treat all of these as parts of the same personal system.

Useful families to recognise

The following table gives high-frequency third-person forms. The masculine and feminine forms can refer to people or to singular things; Welsh chooses them according to the grammatical gender of the noun being replaced.

Basic preposition	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural	Typical meaning
am	amdano fe/fo	amdani hi	amdanyn nhw	about; for; waiting for
ar	arno fe/fo	arni hi	arnyn nhw	on; at
at	ato fe/fo	ati hi	atyn nhw	to; towards
gan	ganddo fe/fo	ganddi hi	ganddyn nhw	by; with; possession
heb	hebddo fe/fo	hebddi hi	hebddyn nhw	without
o	ohono fe/fo	ohoni hi	ohonyn nhw	from; of
wrth	wrtho fe/fo	wrthi hi	wrthyn nhw	by; to; against
yn	ynddo fe/fo	ynddi hi	ynddyn nhw	in

These are best learned through phrases. Compare edrych ar y plant (“look at the children”) with edrych arnyn nhw (“look at them”), or siarad am y rhaglen (“talk about the programme”) with siarad amdani hi (“talk about it,” where rhaglen is feminine).

Person, gender, and forms of “you”

Welsh distinguishes singular familiar ti from chi, used for more than one person and also as a polite singular. The preposition follows that choice:

• arnat ti — on you, one familiar person
• arnoch chi — on you, several people or one politely addressed person

In the third person, masculine fe/fo and feminine hi have different prepositional forms: arno versus arni, iddo versus iddi, and ganddo versus ganddi. English “it” therefore does not point to one automatic Welsh form; the gender of the Welsh noun decides.

Everyday constructions that use these forms

Some of the most useful patterns are not translated word for word into English.

Wanting: mae ar ... eisiau

Mae arna i eisiau coffi literally presents the need or want as being “on me,” but natural English simply says “I want coffee.” This pattern can change person:

• Mae arni hi eisiau gorffwys. — She wants to rest.
• Mae arnyn nhw eisiau mynd adref. — They want to go home.

You will also hear Dw i eisiau coffi and, especially in southern speech, Dw i'n moyn coffi. All are useful; the conjugated-preposition pattern remains common and helps explain why learning ar matters.

Possession: gan and gyda

Welsh normally expresses possession with a construction meaning roughly “there is ... with me,” rather than with a direct equivalent of English “have.” A common northern pattern uses forms related to gan:

• Mae gen i gar. — I have a car.
• Mae ganddi hi ddau gi. — She has two dogs.
• Oes gynnoch chi amser? — Do you have time?

In southern Welsh, gyda plus a pronoun is widespread:

• Mae gyda fi gar. — I have a car.
• Mae dau gi gyda hi. — She has two dogs.

Because region and course conventions differ, it is sensible to use the pattern taught in your area while learning to recognise both. Gyda fi is a preposition followed directly by a pronoun, not the same visible ending pattern as ganddi hi.

Verbs that select a preposition

A verb may routinely require a particular preposition. Learn the verb and preposition together:

• edrych ar — to look at
• gwrando ar — to listen to
• meddwl am — to think about
• aros am — to wait for
• dweud wrth — to tell, literally “say to”
• dod at — to come to

English is not a safe guide here. English says “listen to her,” but Welsh says gwrando arni hi, using a form of ar.

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Mae arna i eisiau coffi.	I want coffee.	Spoken form of ar in a want construction
Mae arni hi eisiau gorffwys.	She wants to rest.	Feminine third person
Mae gen i gar.	I have a car.	Common northern possession pattern
Mae gyda fi gar.	I have a car.	Common southern possession pattern
Dwedwch wrtho fe.	Tell him.	Polite/plural command with wrth
Mae hi'n edrych arnyn nhw.	She is looking at them.	ar y bobl becomes arnyn nhw
Gwrandewch arni hi.	Listen to her.	Welsh uses ar after gwrando
Dw i'n meddwl amdana i fy hun.	I am thinking about myself.	amdana i plus fy hun, “myself”
Mae'r plant yn aros amdanoch chi.	The children are waiting for you.	chi may be plural or polite singular
Anfonais i neges ati hi.	I sent a message to her.	Direction or recipient with at
Daethon nhw atom ni ar ôl gwaith.	They came to us after work.	First-person plural form of at
Paid â mynd hebddi hi.	Don't go without her.	Feminine form of heb
Mae tri ohonyn nhw'n dysgu Cymraeg.	Three of them are learning Welsh.	Partitive use of o, meaning “of”
Mae popeth yn dibynnu arnat ti.	Everything depends on you.	Singular familiar “you”

Common Mistakes

Keeping the basic preposition before every pronoun

• Wrong: Mae hi'n edrych ar nhw.
• Right: Mae hi'n edrych arnyn nhw.
• Why: Personal nhw requires the personal form arnyn nhw after ar. Learn it as one unit.

Using English prepositions as a word-for-word template

• Wrong: Gwrandewch iddi hi.
• Right: Gwrandewch arni hi.
• Why: English has “listen to,” but Welsh uses gwrando ar. The correct conjugated form is therefore arni hi, not iddi hi.

Ignoring gender in the third person

• Wrong: Anfonais i neges iddo hi.
• Right: Anfonais i neges iddi hi.
• Why: iddo is masculine; iddi is feminine. The following hi confirms that the feminine form is needed.

Mixing singular ti with a chi ending

• Wrong: Mae popeth yn dibynnu arnoch ti.
• Right: Mae popeth yn dibynnu arnat ti.
• Why: arnat belongs with singular familiar ti. Use arnoch chi for plural or polite “you.”

Treating possession as a direct copy of English “have”

• Wrong: Dw i'n cael car when you mean that you own a car.
• Right: Mae gen i gar or Mae gyda fi gar.
• Why: cael often means “get,” “receive,” or “be allowed.” Ordinary possession is commonly expressed with gan or gyda, with regional variation.

Combining registers without noticing

• Awkward for a consistent style: arnynt nhw
• Consistent spoken form: arnyn nhw
• Consistent formal form: arnynt hwy
• Why: Real speakers may mix forms, but learners write more confidently when they recognise which endings and pronouns belong to a broadly spoken or formal pattern.

Usage Notes

Modern spoken Welsh normally includes the reinforcing pronoun: arna i, wrtho fe, iddi hi, arnyn nhw. In more formal writing, forms such as arnaf, wrthynt, and iddynt may stand without an added pronoun when the person is already clear. When emphasis or contrast is required, the pronoun is especially useful: arna i, nid arno fe (“on me, not on him”).

Northern and southern speech differ in both pronouns and possession patterns. You may hear arno fo and ganddo fo in the north, but arno fe and ganddo fe in the south. Forms with first-person plural ni may also vary, such as standard arnom ni and common spoken arnon ni. These are not different meanings.

Prepositions can also refer to objects. If llyfr (“book”) has been mentioned, ynddo fe/fo can mean “in it”; with feminine ystafell (“room”), use ynddi hi. In casual English, gender disappears into “it,” so English-speaking learners need to keep track of the Welsh noun.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master the following points at A2, but they explain forms you will meet in formal writing and more complex sentences.

Welsh has fuller literary paradigms, including endings such as -f, -m, and -nt: arnaf, arnom, arnynt; gennyf, gennym, ganddynt; ohono, ohonom, ohonynt. Spoken forms often reduce or reshape these endings. For this reason, a dictionary may list a form that looks different from the one used in your conversation course. Both belong to the same system.

Conjugated prepositions also play an important role in indirect relative clauses—clauses that add information about a noun when the relationship involves a preposition. Welsh often keeps a personal prepositional form inside the clause:

• y tŷ y buon ni'n byw ynddo — the house that we lived in
• y bobl roeddwn i'n siarad â nhw — the people I was speaking with

The first example contains ynddo, literally something like “in it,” referring back to y tŷ. This is sometimes called a resumptive form: a pronoun-like element inside the clause points back to the earlier noun. English commonly leaves its preposition at the end instead: “the house we lived in.”

Finally, many idioms preserve a preposition even when English uses no preposition at all. Besides mae arna i eisiau, learners will meet expressions built with gan, ar, o, and other prepositions whose natural translation is a verb or adjective. Translate the whole expression, not each word separately.

Practice Tips

1. Build seven-person chains. Say one useful pattern aloud across the persons: arna i, arnat ti, arno fe/fo, arni hi, arnon ni, arnoch chi, arnyn nhw. Then put each form into the same short sentence.
2. Learn verb and preposition as one vocabulary item. Record edrych ar, gwrando ar, meddwl am, and dweud wrth, then practise replacing a noun with hi, fe/fo, and nhw.
3. Choose a spoken model, but recognise alternatives. Follow the northern or southern forms used by your teacher, course, or local community. Keep a second “recognition” column for forms such as gen i / gyda fi and fe / fo rather than treating one regional form as an error.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Simple Prepositions — learn the basic meanings and noun phrases before replacing them with personal forms.
• Later development: Idiomatic Expressions — many advanced Welsh expressions use prepositions in ways that cannot be translated word for word.