When would you use ‘os’ as opposed to ‘pe’ for ‘if’.
Thanks in anticipation of a reply.
pe is used for hypothetical or non-real situations and is mainly used with the conditional tense.
os is a more open ‘may or may not’ and is used with present and future tense.
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Exactly as Siaron has summarised it.
Os ydy e gartre - If he is at home (may be true at the present moment, or may not)
Os bydd y bws yn hwyr - If the bus is late (may happen in the future, or may not)
Pe bawn i’n gyfoethog - If I were rich (but I am not)
And remember that taswn etc = pe bawn etc
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Thanks Gareth.Is pe bawn a Northern way of saying this and tawsn the southern equivallent? I’ve not seen pe or pe bawn to nmy recollection and I’ve mainly been exposed to DeCymraeg
pe bawn is a more formal version, so you’re more likely to see it written than hear it in everyday conversation.
I love this song by Al Lewis Band though that uses pe cawn - ‘If I could’ or ‘If I were able to’
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