Negative questions. Why don't you etc

Welsh General / Questions
#1

I am studying a Welsh intensive course, “Mynediad Dwys” in evening classes and we are taught colloquial Welsh forms. I have ‘O’ level Welsh from many years ago.

At school, we were taught the negative forms of ‘bod’ using ‘ddim’ eg (Dy)Dw I ddim yn mynd, (Dy)dych chi ddim etc. On this course it is ‘Sa i’n mynd’ and ‘So chi’n mynd’.

The affirmative question form is the same, ‘Dych chi’n mynd?’ But for the negative question this course again uses ‘So’ i.e. ‘So chi’n mynd?’ - aren’t you going?’ Pam so ni’n mynd? - why aren’t we going?’

I am trying to remember the way I was taught. Is it correct to say, ‘Dych chi ddim yn mynd?’ or ‘Pam dyn ni ddim yn mynd?’

The course book translates ‘Why don’t you bring them over sometime?’ as ‘Pam so chi’n dod a nhw draw rhywbryd?’ Can you say, ‘Pam dych chi ddim yn dod a nhw draw rhybryd?’ or is that grammatically incorrect? It is long, maybe there is a shorter way?

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#2

bIrish I am trying to reactivate in my head right now (challenged by a beginners course online Irish 102)
Irish: Is /Tá - Welsh : Mae - English : …is, there is…
Irish: Ní/Níl - Welsh : Does - English : (there) isn’t
Irish An/An bhfuil - Welsh - Oes/Ydy English : Is (there)…?
Irish Nach/Nach bhfuil - Welsh ? English : Isn’t (there)…?

That last line looks wrong for me in the Irish and the Welsh. And the single word affirmative or negative responses are not clear in my ceann/pen wedi cawlio either…

#3

Technically you should have a ‘that’ construction after pam, but it’s often not taught these days, I’ve noticed.

So you’d say Pam bo chi’n mynd? for Why are you going?, and Pam bo chi ddim yn mynd? for Why aren’t you going?

Then Why don’t you…? is Pam na + short future (the shorter way you were asking about):

Pam na ddoi di â nhw draw wedyn? - Why don’t you bring them round later?

Similarly:

Pam na ffoniwch chi nhw? - Why don’t you phone them?
Pam na ei di yn ei lle hi? - Why don’t you go instead of her?
Pam na arhoswn ni tan wythnos nesa? - Why don’t we wait till next week?

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#4

You’ve got the definitive answer from the King, so I’m just going to add that you’d be understood fine with both your offering, and would often hear them in the wild… :slight_smile:

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