Negation and Questions in Welsh

In Brief

In everyday Welsh, put ddim after the subject to make a sentence negative: Dw i ddim yn deall (“I don’t understand”). For a yes/no question, use a question form of bod (“to be”), such as Wyt ti…? or Ydy hi…? Welsh normally answers by repeating the appropriate verb form—Ydw or Nac ydw, for example—rather than relying on one universal pair equivalent to English “yes” and “no.”

Overview

Negatives and questions in Welsh are closely tied to bod, the verb meaning “to be.” Welsh uses bod not only in sentences such as “I am tired,” but also as an auxiliary (a helping verb) before a verb-noun, the basic dictionary form used for an action. Thus Dw i’n gweithio can mean “I work” or “I am working.” To negate the whole construction, add ddim: Dw i ddim yn gweithio.

Yes/no questions—questions that expect an answer such as “yes” or “no”—do not normally add an equivalent of English do or does. Instead, the form of bod changes: Mae hi’n gweithio (“She is working”) becomes Ydy hi’n gweithio? (“Is she working?”). The same pattern also gives English-style present-tense questions: Ydy hi’n gweithio yma? can mean “Does she work here?”

This is an A1 pattern and one of the most useful building blocks in spoken Welsh. First learn the short everyday forms and their word order. Formal written forms and regional variants are worth recognising, but they do not need to get in the way of the beginner rule.

How It Works

Start from the affirmative pattern

A common present-tense sentence has three parts:

form of bod + subject + yn + description or verb-noun

The linking word yn is normally shortened to ’n after a vowel: Dw i’n dysgu and Mae hi’n oer. In a negative, however, ddim comes between the subject and yn. Because ddim ends in a consonant, the full form remains: Dw i ddim yn dysgu.

Person	Everyday affirmative form	English
I	Dw i’n barod.	I am ready.
you (singular, familiar)	Rwyt ti’n barod.	You are ready.
he	Mae e’n barod.	He is ready.
she	Mae hi’n barod.	She is ready.
we	Dyn ni’n barod.	We are ready.
you (plural or polite)	Dych chi’n barod.	You are ready.
they	Maen nhw’n barod.	They are ready.

These are useful reference forms, but you will also meet regional forms such as mae o, dan ni, and dach chi. The regional differences are discussed under Usage Notes.

Make a negative with ddim

For the beginner pattern, place ddim immediately after the subject:

form of bod + subject + ddim + yn + description or verb-noun

Person	Common negative form	English
I	Dw i ddim yn barod.	I am not ready.
you (singular, familiar)	Dwyt ti ddim yn barod.	You are not ready.
he	Dyw e ddim yn barod.	He is not ready.
she	Dyw hi ddim yn barod.	She is not ready.
we	Dyn ni ddim yn barod.	We are not ready.
you (plural or polite)	Dych chi ddim yn barod.	You are not ready.
they	Dyn nhw ddim yn barod.	They are not ready.

The initial dd in ddim is one Welsh sound, like the th in English “this,” not the sound in “thin.” Historically and grammatically, ddim is a mutated form associated with dim, but at this level it is best to learn the negative frame as a complete unit: Dw i ddim yn…, Dyw hi ddim yn…, and so on.

The word after yn may itself appear in a changed form because predicative yn—the linking yn used before a description—usually causes soft mutation. A mutation is a regular change to the beginning of a Welsh word. For example, parod becomes barod: Dw i’n barod and Dw i ddim yn barod. Negation does not remove that yn or its mutation.

Not every complement needs linking yn. Place words such as yma (“here”) stand directly after the subject, while yn meaning “in” remains a preposition:

• Dyw hi ddim yma. — She is not here.
• Dyw e ddim yn y swyddfa. — He is not in the office.
• Dyw hi ddim yn athrawes. — She is not a teacher.

The last two both contain yn, but they do different jobs: the first means “in,” while the second links the subject to the noun athrawes (“teacher”).

Form a yes/no question

Move neither the subject nor the main action word. Instead, choose the interrogative form—the form used for asking a question—of bod.

Person asked about	Question opening	Example meaning
I	Ydw i…?	Am I…?
you (singular, familiar)	Wyt ti…?	Are you…? / Do you…?
he	Ydy e…?	Is he…? / Does he…?
she	Ydy hi…?	Is she…? / Does she…?
we	Ydyn ni…?	Are we…? / Do we…?
you (plural or polite)	Ydych chi…?	Are you…? / Do you…?
they	Ydyn nhw…?	Are they…? / Do they…?

Compare the three basic sentence types:

Type	Welsh	English
Statement	Mae hi’n gweithio heddiw.	She is working today. / She works today.
Question	Ydy hi’n gweithio heddiw?	Is she working today? / Does she work today?
Negative	Dyw hi ddim yn gweithio heddiw.	She is not working today. / She does not work today.

English learners often look for separate words corresponding to do and does. Welsh does not need them here. The opening form—wyt, ydy, ydyn, or ydych—already marks the clause as a question.

Ask a negative question

A negative question uses the negative form plus ddim, with questioning intonation and a question mark in writing:

negative form of bod + subject + ddim + yn + description or verb-noun?

• Dyw hi ddim yn dod? — Isn’t she coming?
• Dwyt ti ddim yn gweithio heddiw? — Aren’t you working today?
• Dych chi ddim yn barod? — Aren’t you ready?

The word order is the same as in the corresponding negative statement. In speech, intonation and context signal that it is a question; in writing, the question mark does that job.

A negative question often suggests that the speaker expected the positive situation to be true. Dyw hi ddim yn dod? may therefore express surprise: “Isn’t she coming?” That expectation comes from the context and tone, not from a different grammatical pattern.

Answer by echoing the verb

Welsh traditionally answers many yes/no questions with an echo answer: the answer repeats the verb form appropriate to the person answering. For these present-tense bod questions, put nac before the echoed form for a negative answer.

Question	Positive answer	Negative answer	Why this form?
Wyt ti’n barod?	Ydw.	Nac ydw.	The answer means “I am / I am not.”
Ydy e yma?	Ydy.	Nac ydy.	The answer is about “he.”
Ydych chi’n gweithio yma?	Ydw.	Nac ydw.	One person replies “I do / I don’t.”
Ydych chi’n barod?	Ydyn.	Nac ydyn.	A group replies “We are / we aren’t.”
Ydyn nhw’n dod?	Ydyn.	Nac ydyn.	The answer is about “they.”

Notice that the answer does not always copy the opening of the question mechanically. If someone asks Wyt ti…?, you answer from your own point of view: Ydw, not Wyt. A fuller answer is always possible and can be easier while you are learning: Ydw, dw i’n barod or Nac ydw, dw i ddim yn barod.

Welsh does have the words ie and na, and everyday speakers use several answering strategies. However, they are not a universal drop-in pair for every kind of Welsh question. Echoing the relevant verb is the clearest basic habit for questions built with bod.

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Dw i ddim yn deall.	I don’t understand.	First-person negative
Dw i ddim yn siŵr.	I’m not sure.	siŵr is a description
Wyt ti’n barod?	Are you ready?	Familiar singular “you”
Wyt ti’n siarad Cymraeg?	Do you speak Welsh?	No equivalent of English “do”
Ydy e’n gweithio heddiw?	Is he working today?	Third-person question
Ydy hi’n byw yng Nghaerdydd?	Does she live in Cardiff?	The same Welsh pattern can express a general present
Dyw hi ddim yn dod.	She is not coming.	ddim precedes yn dod
Dyw e ddim yma.	He isn’t here.	No linking yn before yma
Ydyn ni’n hwyr?	Are we late?	First-person plural question
Dyn ni ddim yn hwyr.	We aren’t late.	Common southern-style spoken form
Ydych chi’n gallu helpu?	Can you help?	Polite or plural chi
Dych chi ddim yn y swyddfa heddiw?	Aren’t you in the office today?	Negative question
Ydyn nhw’n hoffi coffi?	Do they like coffee?	Plural question
Nac ydyn, dyn nhw ddim yn yfed coffi.	No, they don’t drink coffee.	Echo answer plus a full explanation
Ydw, dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg.	Yes, I’m learning Welsh.	Ydw answers a question about “you” from the speaker’s viewpoint

Common Mistakes

Putting ddim after yn

• Wrong: Dw i’n ddim deall.
• Right: Dw i ddim yn deall.
• Why: In this negative frame, ddim comes before yn + verb-noun. Keep ddim yn together when rehearsing the pattern.

Keeping mae in a yes/no question

• Wrong: Mae hi’n gweithio heddiw? as the neutral beginner question
• Right: Ydy hi’n gweithio heddiw?
• Why: A statement normally begins with mae, but a direct yes/no question about “he,” “she,” or “it” uses ydy. Rising intonation on a statement can occur conversationally, but ydy is the dependable form to learn.

Adding an English-style auxiliary

• Wrong: trying to translate “Does she work?” word by word with an extra verb meaning “do”
• Right: Ydy hi’n gweithio?
• Why: The form ydy already makes the present construction a question. Welsh gwneud (“do/make”) has other uses, but it is not inserted into this basic present question merely because English uses “does.”

Dropping yn after ddim

• Wrong: Dyw e ddim gweithio yma.
• Right: Dyw e ddim yn gweithio yma.
• Why: In the normal bod + yn + verb-noun construction, negation does not remove yn.

Answering from the questioner’s viewpoint

• Wrong: Wyt as the answer to Wyt ti’n barod?
• Right: Ydw or Nac ydw.
• Why: The person answering says, in effect, “I am” or “I am not,” so the answer uses the first-person form.

Treating every spelling difference as a mistake

• Misleading assumption: only Ydy e?, Dyn ni, and Dych chi are correct.
• Also natural: Ydy o?, Dan ni, and Dach chi in northern speech and learning materials.
• Why: Spoken Welsh has established regional varieties. Choose one course variety for active practice, but learn to recognise the most frequent alternatives.

Usage Notes

Familiar ti and polite or plural chi

Use ti for one person in familiar settings and chi for more than one person or for polite singular address. The matching questions are Wyt ti…? and Ydych chi…? The social boundary is not identical to the English boundary because modern English uses “you” for all of these meanings. Follow the usage of the people and course community around you; chi is the safer choice when politeness matters.

North and South

There is no single spoken Welsh pronunciation and paradigm used everywhere. Common southern-oriented materials often teach e, dyn ni, and dych chi, while northern-oriented materials commonly use o, dan ni, and dach chi. You may also hear or see ydi where another source writes ydy.

These differences do not change the central pattern. A question still begins with a question form of bod, and a negative still contains ddim. Mixing varieties occasionally will not prevent understanding, but consistency makes your own speech easier to build.

Welsh present versus English present

Wyt ti’n gweithio? may be “Are you working?” or “Do you work?” Welsh does not always make the same grammatical division that English makes between an action happening now and a regular activity. Time expressions and context usually settle the meaning:

• Wyt ti’n gweithio nawr? — Are you working now?
• Wyt ti’n gweithio bob dydd Sadwrn? — Do you work every Saturday?

Pronunciation and contractions

The apostrophe in i’n, ti’n, e’n, and similar forms marks the contraction of yn. Say the phrase as one smooth unit rather than pausing at the apostrophe. In ddim yn, both words remain visible because there is no preceding vowel directly before yn to produce the same written contraction.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce the following forms at A1, but you will meet them in edited prose, public notices, literature, and more formal speech.

Formal Welsh can use forms such as nid yw for “is not” and nid wyf for “I am not,” rather than the everyday frames with dyw or dw i ddim. For example, Nid yw hyn yn wir means “This is not true,” and Nid wyf yn cytuno means “I do not agree.” Traditional literary negation may still include ddim in some constructions—Ni wn i ddim (“I do not know”) is a familiar example—so formal negation is not simply a matter of deleting ddim from every sentence.

Formal question structures may include the interrogative particle a, a small word that marks a question, as in A ydych chi’n barod? Everyday speech normally uses the shorter Ydych chi’n barod? Recognising a ydych will help with forms, official language, and older writing without changing what you should practise first.

Questions with a question word add another layer. Forms such as Beth ydy hyn? (“What is this?”), Ble dych chi’n byw? (“Where do you live?”), and Pwy sy’n dod? (“Who is coming?”) do not all follow one identical template. In particular, pwy sy…? uses sy when “who” is the subject—the person doing the action. Study these patterns as the next step rather than forcing every question word into the yes/no frame.

You will also encounter echo answers based on verbs other than bod. The exact positive and negative answer depends on the tense, verb, and type of question. The principle remains useful: listen for the verb and answer with a matching form instead of translating English “yes” or “no” in isolation.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-line sets. Take one everyday sentence and say the statement, question, and negative in sequence: Mae hi’n gweithio. Ydy hi’n gweithio? Dyw hi ddim yn gweithio. Repeat with each person until the opening forms become automatic.
2. Answer from the respondent’s viewpoint. Ask yourself Wyt ti’n barod?, Wyt ti’n dysgu Cymraeg?, and Wyt ti’n gweithio heddiw? Answer each with Ydw or Nac ydw, then add a full sentence.
3. Listen for anchors rather than every word. In spoken Welsh, identify wyt, ydy/ydi, ydych/ydach, and ddim. These small forms quickly tell you whether you are hearing a question or a negative, even when the remaining vocabulary is new.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Bod – Present Tense — provides the affirmative present forms and the bod + yn construction used here.
• Next step: Question Words — extends yes/no questions with beth, pwy, ble/lle, pryd, sut, pam, and faint.