Basic Adjectives in Welsh

Overview

Adjectives in Welsh work quite differently from English adjectives, and understanding their placement and mutation rules is an important A1 skill. The most striking difference is that Welsh adjectives usually come after the noun they describe, not before it as in English.

Additionally, adjectives undergo soft mutation when they follow a feminine singular noun. This means that to use adjectives correctly, you need to know the gender of the noun — another reason why learning gender early pays dividends.

A small number of common adjectives break the usual rule and come before the noun. These pre-positioned adjectives often trigger soft mutation of the noun itself. Learning which adjectives precede the noun is a matter of memorization, but the list is short.

How It Works

Standard Position: After the Noun

Pattern	Example	Meaning
Masculine noun + adjective	ci mawr	a big dog
Feminine noun + mutated adjective	cath fawr	a big cat

Adjective Mutation After Feminine Singular Nouns

Base adjective	After feminine noun	Example
mawr (big)	fawr	cath fawr
bach (small)	fach	cath fach
du (black)	ddu	cath ddu
coch (red)	goch	cadair goch
gwyn (white)	wen	cath wen
da (good)	dda	stori dda

Pre-positioned Adjectives

A few adjectives come before the noun and trigger soft mutation:

Adjective	Example	Meaning
hen (old)	hen dŷ	an old house
prif (main, chief)	prif ddinas	main city
hoff (favourite)	hoff lyfr	favourite book
unig (only/lonely)	unig blentyn	only child
gwir (true)	gwir ffrind	true friend

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
ci mawr	a big dog	Masculine: no mutation
cath fach	a small cat	Feminine: bach → fach
hen dŷ	an old house	Pre-positioned: tŷ → dŷ
y llyfr coch	the red book	Masculine with article
y gadair goch	the red chair	Feminine: cadair → gadair, coch → goch
merch dal	a tall girl	Feminine: tal → dal
bachgen ifanc	a young boy	Masculine: no mutation
hen ffrind da	a good old friend	"Hen" precedes; "da" follows
prif ddinas Cymru	the capital city of Wales	Pre-positioned: dinas → ddinas
y stori dda	the good story	Feminine: da → dda

Common Mistakes

Placing adjectives before the noun

• Wrong: mawr ci
• Right: ci mawr
• Why: Most adjectives in Welsh follow the noun. Only a handful like "hen," "prif," and "hoff" precede it.

Forgetting to mutate after feminine nouns

• Wrong: cath bach
• Right: cath fach
• Why: Adjectives undergo soft mutation after feminine singular nouns. This is a fundamental rule.

Mutating adjectives after masculine nouns

• Wrong: ci fawr
• Right: ci mawr
• Why: Adjectives do NOT mutate after masculine nouns. Mutation only applies after feminine singular nouns.

Forgetting that pre-positioned adjectives mutate the noun

• Wrong: hen tŷ
• Right: hen dŷ
• Why: Pre-positioned adjectives like "hen" trigger soft mutation of the following noun.

Practice Tips

1. Pair nouns with adjectives: Choose five masculine and five feminine nouns. Add the same adjective to each and practice the mutation pattern. This builds automatic awareness of gender effects.

2. Memorize the pre-positioned adjectives: There are only about six common ones (hen, prif, hoff, unig, gwir, ambell). Make flashcards for these exceptions.

3. Describe your surroundings: Look around and describe what you see using noun + adjective combinations: "bwrdd mawr" (big table), "cadair fach" (small chair).

Related Concepts

• Gender of Nouns
• Colours
• Describing People and Appearance
• Comparatives and Superlatives