Helo ffrindiau,
Are these interchangeable, as in:
‘Dw i’n meddwl ohono fe’, or ‘dw i’n meddwl amdano fe’?
Is there a subtle difference, or even a major difference in meaning and usages?
Also, more correctly should both of these read ‘Dw i’n (ei) feddwl…’?
Any guidance would be much appreciated because I am pulling my hair out on this one.
Diolch yn fawr,
Mari
These prepositions are pesky things aren’t they?
I’d say that ‘o’ and ‘ohono’ generally mean ‘from’ and I can see why ‘of’ could arise, in translation. Dw i’n dod o Nottingham. I come from Nottingham could be, loosely, I’m of Nottingham.
But if I wanted to say I’m thinking ‘about’ him I’d go for ‘am’ and ‘amdano’.
So, and I’m ready to be corrected, ‘amdano fe’
I understand that the feeling of ‘thinking of him’ (in his time of trouble) is different from ‘thinking about him’. Prepositions just don’t translate neatly from one language to another.
Thank you for such a prompt, succinct and helpful answer Margaret. I agree—so far, so good.
Just to pick your brains a little more if I may please, what do you understand by the following:
‘Beth dych chi’n (ei) feddwl ohono fe?’ That is what started me down this rabbit hole having read it and thought I would have used amdano fe.
What do you think of him?
But I’d run the sentence, and the whole context, by a native speaker to be more certain.
Some good advice from Margaret here. My own 2p-worth: “meddwl ohono” would be think of him as in have an opinion about him; “meddwl amdano” would be think of him in terms of feelings (e.g. you might write “dw i’n meddwl amdanat ti” on a condolences card).
Ah, a nice easy distinction, thank you Sara. This helps me remember the distinction.
Hwyl,
Mari