Hello everyone, I am at course three and grinding my way through it. I am confused with how to use tense in a sentence that begins in the past. For example, wedon ni (we said). The two sentences are, Wedon ni bod hi’n myndi newid ar gyfer sioe. In this one the tense is present. The other one is, Wedon ni beth o’n i’n moyn gwneud. This sentence stays in the past. Does it have something to do with bod? I’ve noticed this happening in many instances but can’t figure out where. To use which tense. I’ll be grateful for help. Thanks in advance.
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If you think of the first sentence as “she said that she is going to change for the show”, does that help?
It is what she said - at the time, she said ‘she is’, not that ‘she was’, if you see what I mean. It’s the way that Welsh seems to look at it in this particular construction.
If that doesn’t help, you can think of “bod” as not being in the past, present or future (which it isn’t really, being sort of a bit like an infinitive), and is just used in this particular construction.
If that doesn’t help, you can just think of it as the way to say this particular sort of sentence 
Hope that helps a bit, but hopefully someone will be along to give you better alternatives!
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I usually go with owainlurch’s second option. I work on the basis (i.e. this is just how it works in my mind - I’ve no idea how much of ‘correct’ grammar it is!) that anything following the ‘bod’ construction is said in the present tense, and the time period of when the thing happened is implied by the tense of the first part (here, the ‘wedon ni’ bit).
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Thanks owainlurch, I had thought it may be like that but the whole bod think still trips me up. Just when I think I’ve got it it does something different. I do see what you are saying. So, I’ll go with that.
Thanks Sarah. Everything is helpful.
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Heh! Yes, it does that! But as you know, It’ll just settle into place the more you use it - well, as much as it should, anyway! Stuff like this is often as honoured in the breach as much as in the observance! 
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I found this a confusing sentence structure too, at first. I think it’s one of those things you get used to the more you use it. I now just think of ‘bod’ in this context as more of a linking word, rather than directly trying to translate it to anything.
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@lynne_freudigmann - If you are on Course 3, then I think it’s not too soon to be looking at grammar books, if you are the sort of person who enjoys looking at grammar books.
There are some fairly clear explanations of this sort of thing in “Intermediate Welsh: A Grammar and Workbook” by Gareth King, in the chapters on subordinate clauses. (It might even be in Google books…some of his books are there).
.
(Grammar books by other authors are available 
I just don’t happen to know them so well).
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Thanks mikeellwood, I’ve ordered it. I’m looking forward to being in Wales for Bootcamp and Eisteddfod so that I can track down some welsh material. I can’t understand why Australian shops don’t stock them!!! Haha!
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Thanks Karla. It’s kind of like a dream that’s fading, it just seems to elude complete understanding, but I’ll get there. I really need to spend extended time with welsh speakers. Looking forward, no, literally can’t wait for Bootcamp and Eisteddfod!!
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That is the best thing you can do - I just came back from a similar experience - sort of a self imposed bootcamp in a way, and it does absolute wonders!
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Whereabouts are you Lynne? There are bookshops in Sydney at least that stock Welsh grammar books - although I always find it cheaper to order online.
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Hi Louise, I’m in Brisbane. To be fair I haven’t looked very hard. I may stand a better chance in the city but I never go there. I ordered one today from book depository to keep me going until I get to Wales in July. I’m hoping there will be book stands at the Eisteddfod. I will be there for nine weeks so I’m hoping to come back a fully fledged welsh speaker. (Smile and giggle with glee!).
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There will be!
You might go to the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells (mid Wales) a fortnight before the Eisteddfod. I like to think of it as “The Welsh at play”. Welsh books, animals (it is an agricultural show, at heart), tractors, newspapers, charities, toys, food, universities and colleges, bees, women’s groups, lots and lots of stuff. Bigger than the Eisteddfod, but not all Welsh language, probably, to be honest, not a lot of Welsh language. Lots of people and companies come from England as well.
There are trains running directly from Swansea to Builth Road, with (usually) an additional train each day of the Show, and buses meet the train to go to the Show Ground. You can even buy entry tickets on the train.
All of which is a bit of a diversion from tense differentiation, but I’m reasonably good at going off at a tangent.
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All of which is a bit of a diversion from tense differentiation, but I’m reasonably good at going off at a tangent.
Ron i wedi mynd i’r sioe…
Es i i’r sioe…
Dw i wedi mynd i’r sioe…
Dw i’n mynd i’r sioe…
Af i i’r sioe…
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Sara,
Apparently and I have heard this occasionally, particularly on Radio Cymru - there are times when you should use Taw (Mai yn gogleddol), instead of Bod - I don’t think it quite works for this example, but I haven’t really got a handle on it anyway. I understand when the bit after the normal bod is quite an emphatic statement - perhaps something like - that she was the champion (or something like that), then taw is the one to use?.
I’m throwing this one in, but others on here might have experience of actually using this or hearing it and understand it a lot better than me.
You know how with some sentences you put the noun at the beginning, to emphasise it? Like
Cymro ydw i (I’m a Welshman)
Well if this is going to be the second part of your sentence, that’s when you want taw/mai rather than bod:
Oedd e’n meddwl mai Cymro ydw i (He was thinking that I was a Welshman)
Without the emphasis, that would be:
Oedd e’n meddwl fy mod i’n Cymro (He was thinking that I was a Welshman - no emphasis)
But having in retrospect realised I should have used this construction (and failed) a couple of times recently, I can confirm that you will be perfectly well understood without it
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Aha - Thanks I think I get it at last. I really didn’t before.
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Thanks for the tangent, I haven’t booked my flight yet so I’m going to try to fit this in.
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There will be plenty of books at the Eisteddfod!
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