Reported Speech in Welsh

In Brief

Welsh reported speech usually rebuilds a speaker's words as a noun clause (a group of words that functions as the content of “said,” “asked,” or “thought”). Use a form of bod for many statements—Dwedodd e ei fod e'n mynd (“He said he was going”)—but use patterns such as y byddai for an inflected future or conditional and a oedd... for an indirect yes/no question. Pronouns, time words, and tense may also change to match the reporter's point of view.

Overview

Reported or indirect speech tells us the content of someone else's words without presenting those words as an exact quotation. Compare direct “Dw i'n flinedig,” meddai Alys (“‘I'm tired,’ said Alys”) with indirect Dywedodd Alys ei bod hi'n flinedig (“Alys said she was tired”). The second version has no quotation marks: Alys's first-person i has become third-person hi, and her statement is now part of a larger sentence.

At B2, the challenge is not simply learning one Welsh word for English that. Welsh chooses a structure according to what follows. Periphrastic verb phrases (verb phrases built with bod, such as mae'n gweithio) are commonly reported with bod or a person-marked form such as ei fod. Finite or inflected forms (verbs that carry tense and person themselves) can be introduced by y/yr, while indirect yes/no questions use a and negative clauses often use na/nad.

English speakers will recognise some familiar changes: “I” can become “he” or “she,” “tomorrow” may need a new reference point, and “will” often becomes “would.” The important difference is structural. English can place plain that before almost any statement, whereas Welsh often makes the relationship between subjects explicit through fy mod, dy fod, ei fod/bod, and related forms.

How It Works

Start with the reporting frame

Common reporting verbs include:

• dweud — to say or tell
• gofyn — to ask
• esbonio — to explain
• adrodd — to report or relate
• honni — to claim

A past report often begins with Dywedodd/Dwedodd... (“said”), Gofynnodd... (“asked”), or Esboniodd... (“explained”). The spelling dywedodd is a standard full form; dwedodd is also extremely common and appears in the core examples for this topic.

English distinguishes “say something” from “tell someone.” Welsh normally expresses the person addressed with wrth after dweud:

• Dwedodd hi wrtha i fod y drws ar glo. — “She told me that the door was locked.”
• Dwedodd y rheolwr wrthon ni am aros. — “The manager told us to wait.”

Reporting statements with bod

When the original statement uses a form of bod (“to be”) plus a complement or verb-noun, Welsh usually turns it into a subordinate bod clause. A subordinate clause is a clause that depends on the larger reporting sentence.

Direct statement:

• Mae Rhys yn gweithio. — “Rhys is working.”

Reported statement:

• Dwedodd Ceri fod Rhys yn gweithio. — “Ceri said Rhys was working.”

When the subject of the reported clause is a pronoun, the linker before bod often marks that subject. This is one reason that copying English that + pronoun word for word does not work reliably.

Reported subject	Form before/with bod	Example	Meaning
I	fy mod i	Mae hi'n gwybod fy mod i yma.	She knows that I am here.
you, singular familiar	dy fod di	Dwedodd e dy fod di'n barod.	He said that you were ready.
he	ei fod e/o	Dwedodd hi ei fod e'n brysur.	She said that he was busy.
she	ei bod hi	Dwedodd e ei bod hi'n brysur.	He said that she was busy.
we	ein bod ni	Dwedon nhw ein bod ni'n hwyr.	They said that we were late.
you, plural or polite	eich bod chi	Dwedodd hi eich bod chi'n iawn.	She said that you were right.
they	eu bod nhw	Clywais eu bod nhw'n symud.	I heard that they were moving.

The changes in mod/fod/bod are initial mutations (regular changes to the first sound or letter of a Welsh word). Learn each row as a complete chunk rather than trying to insert unchanged bod everywhere. With a noun subject, plain mutated fod is common: Dwedodd Siôn fod y siop ar gau (“Siôn said the shop was closed”).

The material after bod follows familiar patterns:

Meaning	Pattern	Example
action in progress or general activity	bod + subject + yn + verb-noun	ei fod e'n gweithio — that he was working
state or description	bod + subject + yn + adjective/noun	ei bod hi'n hapus — that she was happy
completed action	bod + subject + wedi + verb-noun	ei bod hi wedi gorffen — that she had finished
possession or existence	bod clause with the appropriate Welsh pattern	fod car ganddo fe — that he had a car

Reporting finite clauses with y/yr

Some reported content keeps an inflected verb rather than being recast with bod. In standard Welsh, y (and yr before a vowel in relevant formal patterns) can introduce an affirmative finite clause. The most useful B2 pattern is y byddai..., often corresponding to English “that ... would”:

• Direct: Bydd hi'n dod yfory. — “She will come tomorrow.”
• Reported: Dwedodd e y byddai hi'n dod yfory. — “He said she would come tomorrow.”

Do not treat y here as the definite article “the.” It is a clause-linking particle. In speech it may be light and easy to miss, but it is visible in careful writing.

Negative finite content commonly uses na before a consonant and nad before a vowel:

• Dwedodd hi na fyddai hi'n aros. — “She said she would not stay.”
• Esboniodd e nad oedd y swyddfa ar agor. — “He explained that the office was not open.”

These forms package the negative meaning into the clause link. Simply placing ddim where English has “not” may produce an unnatural subordinate structure.

Tense and viewpoint

A tense backshift means moving the reported event one step further into the past because the reporting verb is past. Welsh often makes the same viewpoint change as English, but not by a single automatic conversion table.

Original words	Typical past report	What changed
Dw i'n aros. — I am waiting.	Dwedodd hi ei bod hi'n aros.	i becomes hi; the past reporting frame supplies “was” in English.
Byddaf i'n ffonio. — I will phone.	Dwedodd hi y byddai hi'n ffonio.	future byddaf shifts to conditional byddai.
Dw i wedi gorffen. — I have finished.	Dwedodd hi ei bod hi wedi gorffen.	wedi keeps the completed meaning; English commonly uses “had finished.”
Roeddwn i'n aros. — I was waiting.	Dwedodd hi ei bod hi wedi bod yn aros.	wedi bod yn can make the earlier ongoing period explicit.

Welsh does not always need a visible new tense inside an ei fod... clause. Context and the tense of dwedodd can establish the past viewpoint. Conversely, if the information is still true or still future at the moment of reporting, a speaker may keep a present or future viewpoint. Choose the form for the intended timeline, not just because an English exercise demands a mechanical shift.

Changing pronouns, place, and time

Report the meaning from the current speaker's position:

• direct i (“I”) may become e/o (“he”) or hi (“she”)
• direct fy (“my”) may become ei (“his/her”)
• yma (“here”) may become yno (“there”)
• yfory (“tomorrow”) may remain yfory if it is still tomorrow, or become drannoeth (“the following day”) in a later narrative
• ddoe (“yesterday”) may become y diwrnod cynt (“the previous day”)

These are meaning changes, not compulsory word substitutions. If you report the words immediately from the same place, yma and yfory may still be exactly right.

Reporting questions

An indirect question reports what was asked but is grammatically part of a statement. It therefore has no quotation marks, and normally no question mark unless the whole sentence itself is a question.

For a yes/no question, use a (“whether/if”):

• Direct: Wyt ti'n dod? — “Are you coming?”
• Reported: Gofynnodd hi a oeddwn i'n dod. — “She asked if I was coming.”

For an information question, keep the question word and adjust the rest of the clause:

• ble — where: Gofynnodd ble roeddwn i'n byw.
• pryd — when: Gofynnodd pryd y byddai'r trên yn cyrraedd.
• pam — why: Gofynnodd pam roedd hi'n gadael.
• pwy — who: Gofynnodd pwy oedd wedi ffonio.

As in English “She asked where I lived,” the indirect version is not presented as an independent question. Build the Welsh clause after the question word instead of preserving the direct question unchanged.

Reporting requests and commands

Commands are often reported with an infinitive-like verb-noun (the basic dictionary form used after particles and auxiliaries), rather than with bod:

• Dwedodd y rheolwr wrthon ni am aros. — “The manager told us to wait.”
• Gofynnodd hi i mi agor y ffenestr. — “She asked me to open the window.”
• Dwedodd e wrtha i am beidio â phoeni. — “He told me not to worry.”

The person receiving the instruction is normally stated with wrth after dweud or with i after gofyn. For a negative instruction, peidio â + verb-noun expresses “not to.”

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Dwedodd e ei fod e'n mynd.	He said he was going.	Masculine ei fod e.
Gofynnodd hi a oeddwn i'n dod.	She asked if I was coming.	Yes/no question with a.
Dwedodd y byddai'n dod yfory.	He said he would come tomorrow.	Future shifts to byddai; the subject is understood.
Dywedodd Mari ei bod hi wedi gorffen y gwaith.	Mari said she had finished the work.	Feminine ei bod hi + completed action.
Dwedodd Siôn fod y siop ar gau.	Siôn said the shop was closed.	Noun subject after fod.
Dwedodd hi nad oedd hi'n sâl.	She said she was not ill.	Negative finite clause with nad oedd.
Dwedodd y gyrrwr na fyddai'r bws yn stopio yma.	The driver said the bus would not stop here.	Na fyddai introduces negative future-in-the-past content.
Gofynnodd e ble roedd y cyfarfod.	He asked where the meeting was.	Question word retained.
Gofynnodd y meddyg pryd roedd y boen wedi dechrau.	The doctor asked when the pain had started.	Earlier completed event with wedi.
Gofynnodd hi pwy oedd wedi ffonio.	She asked who had phoned.	Pwy introduces the reported question.
Dwedodd y rheolwr wrthon ni am aros y tu allan.	The manager told us to wait outside.	Addressee with wrth; command with am.
Gofynnodd hi i mi agor y ffenestr.	She asked me to open the window.	Polite request with gofyn i.
Dwedodd e wrtha i am beidio â phoeni.	He told me not to worry.	Negative instruction with peidio â.
Mae hi'n dweud y bydd hi'n hwyr.	She says she will be late.	Present reporting viewpoint, so bydd remains future.

Common Mistakes

Using unchanged bod with every pronoun

• Wrong: Dwedodd hi bod e'n brysur.
• Better standard form: Dwedodd hi ei fod e'n brysur.
• Why: A pronominal subject is normally linked to bod through a person-marked form. Learn fy mod i, dy fod di, ei fod e, and the rest as units.

Mixing up masculine and feminine ei

• Wrong: Dwedodd e ei fod hi'n barod.
• Right: Dwedodd e ei bod hi'n barod.
• Why: Both forms begin with written ei, but a masculine subject causes soft mutation (bod → fod), while a feminine subject leaves bod unchanged.

Omitting a from an indirect yes/no question

• Wrong: Gofynnodd hi oeddwn i'n dod.
• Right: Gofynnodd hi a oeddwn i'n dod.
• Why: A marks the clause as the content of a yes/no question: “whether/if I was coming.”

Keeping the future when the story has moved into the past

• Misleading in a past narrative: Dwedodd e y bydd e'n dod drannoeth.
• Expected past viewpoint: Dwedodd e y byddai e'n dod drannoeth.
• Why: When the promised arrival was future from a past moment, byddai expresses “would.” Keeping bydd can be valid only if the reporter deliberately anchors the event in the current future.

Copying pronouns and time words from the quotation

• Wrong viewpoint: Alys said “Bydda i yma yfory,” then much later you report Dwedodd Alys y byddwn i yma yfory.
• Right for a later narrator: Dwedodd Alys y byddai hi yno drannoeth.
• Why: The original speaker's i, yma, and yfory no longer point to the same person, place, or day.

Reporting an instruction as though it were a statement

• Wrong: Dwedodd y rheolwr ein bod ni aros.
• Right: Dwedodd y rheolwr wrthon ni am aros.
• Why: A reported command normally identifies the addressee and uses am + verb-noun, not a bod clause missing yn.

Usage Notes

Everyday Welsh varies by region and speaker. You will hear dwedodd, fuller dywedodd, and other colloquial pronunciations; subject pronouns also vary, especially e/fe in much of the south and o/fo in much of the north. Keep the system internally consistent in your own sentence: ei fod e and ei fod o are both recognisable regional choices.

Spoken Welsh often includes the pronoun after the linker—ei fod e, ei bod hi, eu bod nhw—because it makes the subject clear. More compact formal writing may omit a repeated pronoun when there is no ambiguity: Dywedodd ei fod yn barod. In that sentence, context must reveal who “he” is.

Dweud is the usual modern verb-noun “to say.” You may also encounter dywedyd, especially in more literary or formal language. Similarly, meddai is common as an attribution attached to quoted words, roughly “said he/she,” but it is not the most useful starting frame for building the indirect patterns in this article.

Tense shift depends on perspective. A news report written while a prediction is still pending may preserve a current future; a narrative looking back on the same prediction is more likely to use byddai. Time expressions behave in the same way. Do not replace yfory with drannoeth unless the reporting date has actually changed.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

At a more advanced level, reported speech becomes a matter of stance as well as grammar. The reporting verb tells the reader how strongly to accept the information. Dywedodd is comparatively neutral, esboniodd presents something as an explanation, and honnodd (“claimed”) can signal distance or doubt. Choosing the verb carefully is especially important in journalism and formal writing.

Longer reports can combine several clause types:

• Esboniodd y rheolwr fod y system wedi methu ac y byddai'r tîm yn rhoi cynnig arall arni. — “The manager explained that the system had failed and that the team would try again.”
• Dwedodd hi nad oedd hi'n siŵr a fyddai'r trên yn cyrraedd mewn pryd. — “She said she was not sure whether the train would arrive on time.”

The first sentence coordinates a bod clause with an inflected y byddai clause. The second places an indirect yes/no question, a fyddai..., inside a negative report. When sentences become this layered, identify each clause separately: reporting frame, reported statement, then any question or prediction inside it.

You will also meet reports that deliberately preserve the original speaker's tense because the claim remains true: Dwedodd y gwyddonydd fod dŵr yn berwi ar gant gradd Celsius (“The scientist said that water boils at one hundred degrees Celsius”). Backshifting a timeless fact is unnecessary. This is why timeline and intended meaning matter more than a rigid “past reporting verb equals past tense everywhere” rule.

Finally, indirect speech is a paraphrase, not a promise to reproduce exact wording. If exact words, tone, or a disputed phrase matter, direct quotation is usually safer. In careful writing, avoid sliding halfway from an indirect clause into an unmarked direct quotation; either maintain the reported structure or introduce and punctuate the quotation clearly.

Practice Tips

1. Transform one sentence in stages. Underline the original speaker, tense, place word, and time word. Then choose the reporting frame, change the person, and only then decide between bod, y/yr, a, or na/nad.
2. Memorise the bod series aloud. Recite fy mod i, dy fod di, ei fod e/o, ei bod hi, ein bod ni, eich bod chi, eu bod nhw. Follow each with the same ending, such as yn barod, so that the mutations become automatic.
3. Build three versions of one message. For example, turn Bydd hi'n dod into a direct quote, a present report (Mae e'n dweud y bydd hi'n dod), and a past report (Dwedodd e y byddai hi'n dod). This trains viewpoint rather than word-for-word substitution.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Clauses — practise bod clauses after verbs of saying, thinking, and knowing before adding tense shifts and indirect questions.