Week 76 - Main grammatical points

Jac's home from the hospital at last and has discovered that life is not as easy as it was now that he's in a wheelchair. He concedes that he will have to make changes to the house to accommodate his new disability.

Agnes has tried her best to avoid Jac all week - she's uneasy about letting him move in with her and the kids. Things aren't really going her way - she's still furious with Brian for having gone to Spain without telling her or the children and they end up fighting when they meet each other after Rhodri's football match.

Brian - Pam ydw i'n codi'n llais? Bob tro dw i'n siarad hefo chdi dw i'n ....dw i'n teimlo mor "tense."
Agnes - Brian -
Brian - Beth ydyn ni'n mynd i'w wneud dros 'Dolig?
Agnes - Plis! Nid dyma'r lle na'r amser i ddechrau trafod y Nadolig...

The word for "since" or "for" in Welsh is "ers" or sometimes "er". Contrary to English, we simply use the present tense with "ers" in Welsh.

When Arwyn refers to Steve the builder as having been working since half past eight in the morning, he says:

Mae fe mas yna ers hanner awr wedi wyth bore yma
He's been out there since half past eight this morning
But literally translated it means:
He IS out there since half past eight this morning

Other examples are:
Rydyn ni'n briod ers pum mlynedd ar hugain
We've been married for 25 years

Mae John yn byw yn Aberystwyth ers blynyddau
John's been living in Aberystwyth for years

Rydych chi'n gweithio yma ers mis
You've been working here for a month

You already know the meaning of the word 'pam' meaning 'why'. But what if you want to say 'why not'?

When you want to know exactly why someone hasn't done something, you simply say 'pam ddim'?

-Wnaeth Jac ddim mynd allan neithiwr.
-O? Pam ddim?

-Jac didn't go out last night.
-Oh? Why not?

To this question, you'd expect an answer - for instance maybe he didn't go out because he was too tired, not well or didn't want to.

If, however, you agree with someone's statement or question and reply with the rhetorical question "why not", then you use the

construction "Pam lai?" -Wyt ti eisiau mynd allan heno?
-Do you want to go out tonight?
-Why not?
-Pam lai?

Brian's rushed off his feet and exclaims, "Am fore prysur!" - "what a busy morning!" - "am fore prysur!". Here are some other examples of this construction:

Am job! - What a job!
Am dywydd ofnadwy! - What awful weather!
Am olwg! - What a sight!
Am bishyn! - What a babe!

Remember that "am" is one of the prepositions that must be followed by a soft mutation.