# Welsh: mae vs. yw/ydy



## Gavril

Hello,

What is the semantic difference between the following pairs of sentences? Can they be synonymous in some cases?

1)
_Cymraes yw fy mamgu_ ("My grandmother is a Welsh woman")
_Serth yw'r mynydd_ ("The mountain is steep")

2)
_Mae fy mamgu yn Gymraes_
_Mae'r mynydd yn serth_

Thanks


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## Stoggler

Gavril said:


> Hello,
> 
> What is the semantic difference between the following pairs of sentences? Can they be synonymous in some cases?
> 
> 1)
> _Cymraes yw fy mamgu_ ("My grandmother is a Welsh woman")
> _Serth yw'r mynydd_ ("The mountain is steep")
> 
> 2)
> _Mae fy mamgu yn Gymraes_
> _Mae'r mynydd yn serth_
> 
> Thanks



That's something I've wondered too, Gavril.  Hopefully there is a native speaker on here who can help.

However, for adjectives like in your second example (the mountain is steep), I always thought that bringing the adjective to the beginning of the sentence (serth ydy'r mynydd) places emphasis on that adjective, whereas "mae'r mynydd yn serth" is neutral.  That was my understanding anyway and hope someone better versed in _iaith y nefoedd _can help.


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## rhitagawr

Although Welsh isn't my native language, I think Stoggler's right. I'd say _Cymraes yw fy mamgu_ is more likely than _Mae fy mamgu'n Gymraes_, which sounds English. If the other person doesn't know your grandmother, you probably want to emphasise the fact that she's Welsh.


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## Tegs

C_ymraes yw fy mamgu_ - you'd use this in reply to a question, such as where is your grandmother from (un o le yw dy famgu?), or is your grandmother English (ai Saesnes yw dy famgu?). So, it seems to be a reply to a question and it emphasizes the fact that she is Welsh, rather than any other nationality. 

_Mae fy mamgu yn Gymraes _has no such "extra" information as it were. It doesn't sound like the answer to a previously asked question, nor a pointed statement that she is _not _from some other country. It doesn't however, sound remotely English, despite the fact that the sentence structure happens to be the same in both languages 

_Serth yw'r mynydd_ sounds very poetic, unlike the previous "Cymraes yw fy mamgu". Putting adjectives in this position can often have a poetic effect. It depends on the sentence. Serth yw'r mynydd, tal yw'r ferch, melyn yw'r haul all sound strange in regular spoken and written contexts, but sound fine in poetic, flowery contexts (much like in English, where "the mountain is steep" is ok in all contexts but "steep is the mountain" only works in some specific contexts and language registers, e.g. steep is the mountain which leadeth to ... whatever  ). _Mae'r mynydd yn serth_ has no poetic connotations and you could use that in regular conversation, unlike serth yw'r mynydd. 

Hope that helps


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## Gavril

Tegs said:


> Hope that helps



It does, thanks.


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