I have completed the three Southern Welsh “old” courses. I am now going through he new material. I am on lesson 21 of the first course.
Do I understand correctly that “I’d rather” and “I’d better” are the same thing? “Buthin well gidavee” pardon my phonetic spellings.
I think they are kind of the same in Welsh as it’s: “Byddwn well gyda fi” = It would be better with [for] me. I would use this phrase to mean both better and rather. For a more preferential rather I would simply make it present tense ’ Mae’n well gyda fi’ = it’s better for [with] me and make it a general case.
I’d better is Well i mi…
I’d rather is Well gen i… (or 'da fi, of course)
Diolch yn fawr! One of the things I’d sort of known for years, but didn’t trust my memory enough to use!
I understood well to mean better. Just wasn’t sure of the understanding of it as “rather” also. Diolch
Byddai’n well gyda fi - ‘it would be better with me’ i.e. I’d rather / I’d prefer
Diolch!
Hi found this confusing (doesn’t take a lot).
Do I understand this correctly, that I can use both “well 'da fy” and “bydden well da fy” to mean I’d rather and there is no or little difference?
you sort of could compare the difference to that between “I’d rather” and “I would rather”
In practice I think there is no difference. However, the “would” part of it is only (I think) in the “bydden” version. This introduces a tone of uncertainty.
Whereas the other version (which in full would have the verb “mae’n” in it) is a bit more definite.
So it’s the difference (I think) between e.g.
“I prefer” ( to go tomorrow or whatever ) and
“I would rather” ( go tomorrow or whatever )
so (as you said) little or no difference at all.
Thanks. I wonder if a sliding scale for some of these phrases would help us confused learners. May be like Michelin stars on how positive they? Ha ha!
(deleted double entry; internet connection problems)
Gosh that’s useful to me…
There are some real gems/pearls lurking in the dark recesses of this forum…
Talking of which, this came up on Y Wenhyseg Twitter account yesterday: The young couple who run it found this phrase:
‘nabyddsat ti ddim o hi’ for You would not recognise her
Admittedly “nabyddsat” looks very Gwentian/Wehwhyseg but I wonder if a toned down **Nabyddet ti * might be used for “You would recognise/know” (based on nabod). It has a similar inflected ending to hoffet ti for you would like.
Gareth King (Modern Welsh p.201) has the following intriguing snippet about (ad)nabod and other verbs based on -bod:
“…usually have stems in -bydd-/-bu- … There is considerable uncertainty about these among native speakers, and periphrastic forms are often preferred in speech.”
Sounds like a license to kill to me 
Thanks Louis
I thought it might have fallen out of use in mainstream Welsh. Although a couple of respondants remembered similar variations from days gone by as far afield as Cwmtawe and Ynys Mon.
Some remote parts of which are guarded by dancing dragons…but it’s ok, they don’t bite.
Intriguing snippets - it’s what I do!
I checked with my “native” Cwmtawe friend. He confirmed that he wouldn’t use the inflected “short” forms nabyddsat or nabyddet, but would go for the full phrase.
Also he said that it would be wise to be careful not to mix up adnabod (recognise) with nabod (know), to avoid any awkwardness.
wedi’w gydnabod 