Question Words in Welsh

Overview

Question words are essential tools for gathering information at the A1 level. Welsh question words include "beth" (what), "pwy" (who), "ble/lle" (where), "pryd" (when), "sut" (how), "pam" (why), and "faint" (how much/many). These words open up your ability to have real conversations and ask about the world around you.

Many Welsh question words trigger soft mutation of the verb or word that follows them, which is an important pattern to learn. Additionally, some question words interact with special forms of "bod" — for instance, "pwy" (who) often uses "sy'n" rather than "mae'n."

Learning these question words will allow you to navigate practical situations like asking for directions, enquiring about prices, and getting to know people.

How It Works

Core Question Words

Question word	Meaning	Example
Beth	What	Beth ydy hyn? (What is this?)
Pwy	Who	Pwy sy'n dod? (Who is coming?)
Ble / Lle	Where	Ble dych chi'n byw? (Where do you live?)
Pryd	When	Pryd mae'r trên? (When is the train?)
Sut	How	Sut dych chi? (How are you?)
Pam	Why	Pam wyt ti'n mynd? (Why are you going?)
Faint	How much/many	Faint ydy e? (How much is it?)

Question Words with "Bod"

Pattern	Example	Note
Beth + ydy/yw	Beth ydy hyn?	Identifying
Pwy + sy'n	Pwy sy'n dod?	Subject question
Ble + mae	Ble mae'r siop?	Location
Sut + mae	Sut mae?	How is / How are
Faint + ydy	Faint ydy'r pris?	Price/quantity
Pam + mae/wyt	Pam wyt ti yma?	Reason

Mutation After Question Words

Most question words trigger soft mutation of the following verb:

• Pam fyddi di'n mynd? (Why will you go?)
• Beth wnest ti? (What did you do?)

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Beth ydy hyn?	What is this?	Identifying
Pwy sy'n dod?	Who is coming?	"Sy'n" for subject
Ble dych chi'n byw?	Where do you live?	Location
Faint ydy e?	How much is it?	Price
Pryd mae'r bws yn dod?	When is the bus coming?	Time
Sut dych chi heddiw?	How are you today?	Greeting
Pam dych chi'n hwyr?	Why are you late?	Reason
Beth ydy enw'r lle yma?	What is the name of this place?	Identification
Pwy ydy'r dyn yna?	Who is that man?	Person
Faint o blant sy gyda chi?	How many children do you have?	Quantity

Common Mistakes

Using "mae" instead of "sy'n" with "pwy"

• Wrong: Pwy mae'n dod?
• Right: Pwy sy'n dod?
• Why: When the question word is the subject of the sentence, you use "sy'n" (a relative form), not "mae."

Forgetting soft mutation after question words

• Wrong: Beth gwnaethoch chi?
• Right: Beth wnaethoch chi?
• Why: Question words generally trigger soft mutation of the following verb.

Confusing "ble" and "lle"

• Wrong: Neither is wrong — both mean "where"
• Right: "Ble" is more common in Southern Welsh, "lle" in Northern Welsh
• Why: This is a dialectal variation. Both are understood everywhere.

Practice Tips

1. Question-answer pairs: For each question word, write three questions and practise answering them. This builds both asking and answering skills.

2. Use in real situations: When you are in a Welsh-speaking environment, challenge yourself to ask one question using a different question word each time.

3. Listen for "sy'n": Pay special attention to how native speakers use "pwy sy'n" vs "pwy ydy." This distinction becomes natural with exposure.

Related Concepts

• Negation and Questions