Tag questions

The tag Do fe? and O’nd do fe Did he? and Didn’t he? Are they peculiar to SW and what exactly is ‘do’. Sorry if this has been covered before but my search didn’t seem to find anything
Llefelys

You really need an answer from @Iestyn on this one - but in the meantime, I wouldn’t say they’re hugely geographically restricted, so don’t worry about using them outside the south-west, you’ll certainly be understood :sunny:

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What we’re saying in the tags is a slurred version of “isn’t it?” – and these tags exist in other tenses/persons, too. The “do” you’re hearing isn’t really there…it’s the leftover impact of the “on’d…” on the start of the next word. So, for instance, suppose you were saying “we’re really loud, aren’t we?” There “weren’t we” would be “on’d ydyn.” And if the “on” gets left off, sometimes, well that’s just Welsh, do fe?

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Thank you, that would explain why I cannot find it in any grammar book, it is evidently used only in the spoken language. I’ll just have to note when and how it is used by native speakers in order to understand it better
Allan

Do fe is an interesting one. It’s an interrogation on it’s own. “I saw your sister last night.” “Do fe? (Did you)”, It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about - “She saw them with you” - “Do fe?” (despite there not being a “fe” anywhere near the sentence being questioned!). It’s a common thing to hear me ask the boys when they’re telling tall stories - “Do fe wir?” - “Really?

I have no idea where the do comes from, or why it’s always “fe” - I’ve never even considered it before.

In the more general “isn’t it” sense, I think I woud only use “on’d do fe” for something in the past - “You went to Oxford, on’d do fe?”, with the “do” taking the place of “yw”. Again, I don’t know if that is a genuine grammatical form, or whether it’s a combination of similar sounds leading to a “do in the past” reaction.

I’ve just checked my “bible” on spoken Welsh - Dweud eich Dweud by Ceri Jones - and he agrees with me on “do fe?” as an interrogative, but doesn’t mention “on’d do fe?” as a tag. I’ll have to think about who else I can ask…

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Thank you Iestyn, for an interesting response. No wonder I was confused!! Discovering this sort of thing is what makes learning Welsh so interesting. My wife ( a Welsh speaker) uses it frequently but was unable to help me figure it out. When unable to offer an explanation she always resorts to “it sounds right!” Other words she has used and which took me a long time to work out were ‘hwre’ and ‘sbo or is it spo’
Allan

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I find this “Do fe” and “On’d do fe” by use quite similar to Slovene “ane da” which could be roughly translated as “isn’t it” or whatever subject you have. It’s always “ane da” no matter what time, what’s the question and who’s the subject and it’s also used only in colloquial language although it might have some gramar grounds I don’t know though.

So this might explain why I can understand this “Do fe” and “on’d do fe” without ever questioning where this comes from.

“a ne da” (or “ane da”) and “On’d do fe” hmmmm … isn’t this a bit similar? :slight_smile:

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Is do fe? particularly a Southern expression Iestyn?

Hwyl,

Stu

Honestly, I don;t know, but “Dweud eich dweud” appears to think so, but I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. Aran’s response above makes me think that he’s unfamiliar with it, but I may be wrong there.

Diolch Iestyn. I thought that I remembered Aran using naddo for this in a lesson, but cannot recall which one.

Hwyl,

Stu

Round these parts, people seem to say ‘yndefe?’ (I don’t quite know how that breaks up into constituent words!), and I’ve heard that on things like Pobol y Cwm as well. Is that a Cardiff thing or the south generally? Not sure.

Yeah, definitely. Southern as a southern cat wearing southern boots made out of southern leather. In other words, a bit like Iestyn…:wink:

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My aunty says yndefe after almost every sentence, even when she’s speaking English. :wink:

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Now, I often sign myself off (rather self importantly) as “the southern voice of SSiW”. Can I now officially sign myself off as “the Southern Cat”, or will that cause unneccessary confusion between myself and the other southern Cat…

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I think that’s yes, and yes :sunny:

[Although in full, it should be The Southern Leather Boot-Wearing Cat’.]