Inflected Verb Forms in Welsh

Overview

While spoken Welsh primarily uses periphrastic constructions (bod + yn + verb-noun), Welsh also has inflected (short-form) verbs where person and tense are marked by endings attached directly to the verb stem. At the B1 level, understanding inflected forms is important because they appear frequently in written Welsh, formal speech, and in the past tense of several common verbs.

Inflected forms are sometimes called "short-form" verbs because they express the action in a single word rather than using "bod" as an auxiliary. Some inflected past tenses — like "es i" (I went), "gwelais i" (I saw) — are common even in casual speech.

How It Works

Past Tense Inflected Endings

Person	Ending	Example (gweld = see)
I	-ais / -es	Gwelais i
You (sg)	-aist / -est	Gwelaist ti
He/She	-odd	Gwelodd e/hi
We	-on ni	Gwelon ni
You (pl)	-och chi	Gweloch chi
They	-on nhw	Gwelon nhw

Common Inflected Past Tenses in Speech

Verb-noun	Past (I)	Past (he/she)	Meaning
mynd	es i	aeth e	go/went
dod	des i	daeth e	come/came
gwneud	gwnes i	gwnaeth e	do/did
gweld	gwelais i	gwelodd e	see/saw
clywed	clywais i	clywodd e	hear/heard
rhoddi/rhoi	rhoddais i	rhoddodd e	give/gave

Mutation of Direct Objects

After inflected verbs, direct objects undergo soft mutation:

• Gwelais i gar. (I saw a car. car → gar)
• Prynais i lyfr. (I bought a book. llyfr → lyfr)

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Es i i'r siop.	I went to the shop.	Common irregular
Gwelodd hi'r ffilm.	She saw the film.	Regular inflected
Daethon nhw adre'n hwyr.	They came home late.	Irregular
Rhoddodd e'r llyfr i fi.	He gave the book to me.	Regular
Prynais i gar newydd.	I bought a new car.	Object mutation
Clywais i'r newyddion.	I heard the news.	Regular
Ysgrifennodd hi lythyr.	She wrote a letter.	Object mutation
Canais i gân.	I sang a song.	Object mutation
Talodd e'r bil.	He paid the bill.	Regular
Dywedodd hi'r gwir.	She told the truth.	Regular

Common Mistakes

Forgetting object mutation after inflected verbs

• Wrong: Gwelais i car.
• Right: Gwelais i gar.
• Why: Direct objects undergo soft mutation after inflected (short-form) verbs.

Mixing inflected and periphrastic forms

• Wrong: Es i'n mynd.
• Right: Either Es i (inflected) or Wnes i fynd (periphrastic)
• Why: You use one system or the other, not both together.

Using literary forms in casual speech

• Wrong: Gwelais y bachgen. (very formal, dropping pronoun)
• Right: Gwelais i'r bachgen. (spoken, with pronoun)
• Why: In spoken Welsh, the pronoun is usually retained even with inflected verbs.

Usage Notes

Inflected verb forms sit on a spectrum from very spoken (es i, des i) to very literary (canasai, gwelasid). At B1, focus on the past tense inflected forms of common verbs that are used in everyday speech. The full literary conjugation system is covered at C1.

In formal written Welsh, inflected forms are standard. In spoken Welsh, they coexist with periphrastic forms, with some verbs (mynd, dod, cael, gwneud) almost always using their short forms.

Practice Tips

1. Start with the four irregulars: Master the inflected past of mynd, dod, gwneud, and cael first — these are the most commonly used.

2. Read Welsh literature: Short stories and news articles use inflected forms extensively. Reading them builds recognition.

3. Practice object mutation: After each inflected verb, practice adding objects with the correct soft mutation.

Related Concepts

• Verb-Nouns
• Impersonal Forms
• Passive Voice
• Literary Verb Forms
• Formal Register and Syntax
• Middle Welsh and Archaic Forms
• Official and Legal Welsh