Language/Welsh/Grammar/Adjectives

Welsh Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Welsh learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on adjectives in Welsh. Adjectives are important because they help us to describe nouns and to add detail to our conversations. We will cover the basics of adjectives and provide you with some examples to help you understand how they work.

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Plurals, Negation, The article & How to Use Be.

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. In Welsh, adjectives usually come after the noun, but there are some exceptions. Adjectives can describe many things, including color, size, shape, and personality.

Types of adjectives

There are two main types of adjectives: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative adjectives describe the quality of a noun, while quantitative adjectives describe the quantity of a noun.

Qualitative adjectives

Qualitative adjectives describe the qualities of a noun. They are used to describe the characteristics of a person, place, or thing. Here are some examples:

Welsh	Pronunciation	English
tlawd	/tlau̯d/	poor
da	/da/	good
hyfryd	/ˈhəvrɨd/	lovely
gwyn	/ɡwɪn/	white

Dialogues:

• Person 1: Mae'r tŷ hwn yn brin o offer. (This house is lacking in equipment.)
• Person 2: Oedd y tŷ hwn wastad yn dlawd. (This house was always poor.)

• Person 1: Dw i'n hoff iawn o'r ardd. Mae hi'n hyfryd. (I really like the garden. It's beautiful.)
• Person 2: Mae hi'n hyfryd iawn. (It's really lovely.)

Quantitative adjectives

Quantitative adjectives describe the quantity of a noun. They are used to describe how many, how much, or how few of something there are. Here are some examples:

Welsh	Pronunciation	English
un	/ɪn/	one
dau	/daɪ/	two
llawer	/ˈɬa.wer/	many
afreolus	/avrɛolɪs/	delicious

Dialogues:

• Person 1: Sut mae'r bwyd? (How is the food?)
• Person 2: Mae hi'n afreolus iawn. (It's really delicious.)

• Person 1: Oedd lot o bobl yno? (Were there a lot of people there?)
• Person 2: Oedd, roedd llawer ohonynt. (Yes, there were many of them.)

Comparison of adjectives

In Welsh, adjectives can be compared to show degrees of comparison, like in English. There are three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative. To make the comparative form of an adjective, you add the suffix -ach to the end of the word. To make the superlative form, you add the word mwy (more) before the comparative form. Here are some examples:

Welsh	Pronunciation	English
mawr	/maʊr/	big
tlawd	/tlau̯d/	poor
tebyg	/ˈtɛbɪɡ/	similar
cystadleuol	/kəsˈtadlɛɨ̯ɔl/	competitive

Dialogues:

• Person 1: Mae'r ci yn fwy na'r gath. (The dog is bigger than the cat.)
• Person 2: Mae'r ci'n fwy cystadleuol hefyd. (The dog is more competitive too.)

• Person 1: Ble mae'r arian? (Where is the money?)
• Person 2: Mae'r arian yn llawer tlawdach nag y meddech chi. (The money is much poorer than you think.)

Mutation of adjectives

In Welsh, some adjectives undergo mutations depending on the word they are describing. There are two types of mutations: soft mutations and aspirate mutations. We use soft mutation after the definite article, after the possessive pronouns, and in some cases after the prepositions. We use aspirate mutations after the negative particle 'ddim' and after the relative particle 'a'. Here are some examples:

Welsh	Mutation type	English
tŷ bach	Soft mutation	Small house
fy nhaith	Soft mutation	My journey
saeth las	Aspirate mutation	Blue arrow
dim byd da	Aspirate mutation	Nothing good

Dialogues:

• Person 1: Dw i'n hoffi'r ci bach. (I like the small dog.)
• Person 2: Mae hi'n ci da iawn yn ogystal. (It's also a very good dog.)

• Person 1: Un o fy hoff lefydd yn y byd yw fy nheulu. (One of my favorite places in the world is my family.)
• Person 2: Mae llygaid las ar fy nghi. (I have blue eyes.)

Conclusion

Learning adjectives is an important part of improving your Welsh Welsh language skills. By using adjectives, you can make your conversations more vibrant and descriptive. Don't forget to use mutation when appropriate! If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Future Tense, Questions & How to Use Have.

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• Plurals
• Questions
• Future Tense
• How to Use Have
• Give your Opinion
• Pronouns
• The article

Sources

• 0918e Welsh Course. Adjective before a noun.
• Welsh/Grammar/Adjectives - Wikibooks, open books for an open world