Personal Pronouns in Welsh

Overview

Personal pronouns are the foundation of Welsh sentence construction and one of the first things you will learn at the A1 level. Welsh has a complete set of personal pronouns that are used with the verb "bod" (to be) and throughout many other grammatical structures, from possessive forms to conjugated prepositions.

Unlike English, Welsh pronouns interact heavily with the mutation system. For example, possessive pronouns trigger different mutations depending on the person: "fy" (my) triggers nasal mutation, "dy" (your) triggers soft mutation, and "ei" (his/her) triggers either soft or aspirate mutation. Mastering the pronouns early will make these later patterns much easier to absorb.

Welsh also distinguishes between formal and informal address through "ti" (you singular/informal) and "chi" (you plural/formal), a distinction that is socially important in Welsh-speaking communities.

How It Works

The basic personal pronouns in Welsh are:

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	fi / i (I)	ni (we)
2nd	ti (you, informal)	chi (you, formal/plural)
3rd masculine	fe / fo / e / o (he)	nhw (they)
3rd feminine	hi (she)	nhw (they)

Key Rules

1. Two forms for "I": "Fi" is used for emphasis or after prepositions, while "i" appears in shorter constructions. In speech you will hear both: "Dw i" and "Fi sy'n mynd" (It's me who is going).

2. Regional variation in "he": Northern Welsh tends to use "fo" and "o", while Southern Welsh prefers "fe" and "e". Both are correct.

3. Chi for politeness: When addressing someone you do not know well, an elder, or in formal situations, use "chi" rather than "ti". This mirrors the French "vous" distinction.

4. No neuter "it": Welsh has no neuter pronoun. "It" is either "fe/fo" (masculine) or "hi" (feminine) depending on the grammatical gender of the noun. Weather and time expressions always use "hi": "Mae hi'n braf" (It is fine).

5. Pronouns rarely dropped: Unlike some languages, Welsh almost always requires the pronoun to be present, especially with forms of "bod".

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Fi yw Siân.	I am Siân.	Emphatic identification
Wyt ti'n hapus?	Are you happy?	Informal "you"
Mae hi'n dod.	She is coming.	Feminine third person
Mae e'n gweithio.	He is working.	Southern form
Dyn ni'n mynd.	We are going.	First person plural
Dych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?	Do you speak Welsh?	Formal/plural "you"
Maen nhw'n byw yma.	They live here.	Third person plural
Pwy wyt ti?	Who are you?	Informal question
Mae fo'n barod.	He is ready.	Northern form
Fi sy'n coginio heno.	It's me who is cooking tonight.	Emphatic with "sy'n"

Common Mistakes

Mixing Northern and Southern forms

• Wrong: Mae fo'n moyn (mixing Northern pronoun with Southern "moyn")
• Right: Mae fo eisiau (Northern) or Mae e'n moyn (Southern)
• Why: While people will understand you, mixing registers sounds unnatural. Pick one regional variety and stick with it.

Using "ti" in formal contexts

• Wrong: Wyt ti eisiau coffi, Mr Jones?
• Right: Dych chi eisiau coffi, Mr Jones?
• Why: Using "ti" with someone you should address formally is considered rude in Welsh culture.

Forgetting the pronoun with "bod"

• Wrong: Mae'n mynd (when meaning "He is going" without context)
• Right: Mae e'n mynd.
• Why: Welsh requires the pronoun for clarity, especially in the third person where the verb form does not indicate who is acting.

Confusing "hi" for weather with feminine "hi"

• Wrong: Thinking "Mae hi'n braf" refers to a specific woman
• Right: Recognise that "hi" in weather expressions is impersonal
• Why: Weather and time always use "hi" regardless of context, a convention learners must memorize.

Practice Tips

1. Drill with "bod": Practice saying all the present tense forms of "bod" with each pronoun until they become automatic: "Dw i, wyt ti, mae e/hi, dyn ni, dych chi, maen nhw."

2. Choose your dialect: Decide early whether to follow Northern or Southern Welsh and consistently use the matching pronoun forms. Listen to S4C programs or podcasts from your chosen region.

3. Label your world: Point to people and objects around you and identify the correct pronoun. This builds the habit of gender awareness that will be essential for mutations later.

Related Concepts

• Bod - Present Tense