I wonder what I’m missing, because I can’t understand what it means in either language!
I hear something like:
Mae’n syniad da i adael i fi anadlu - It’s a good idea to leave at a breathe
note: it’s in Level 3 South, Challenge 23, around min 21:11
Mae’n syniad da i adael i fi anadlu - It’s a good idea to let me breathe (lit. to leave me to breathe)
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Ah, thanks!
Now I know what it means, I think the one in the challenge might actually be:
Mae’n syniad da i adael iddi anadlu - It’s a good idea to leave her to breathe
Recognizing f and dd is still often tricky for me. And like this, also the English translation seems to match and make sense (unlike what I was hearing!).
However this also reminds me of a question I’ve had in mind for a while:
Are fel hynny and fel ma both translations for like this?
First more abstract, and second about some object in front of me, for example?
I’m sure I’ve heard the first from first language speaker, not too sure about the second.
no, “fel hynny” = “like that”. “fel hyn” = “like this”.
Otherwise, yes, the fel hyn is more abstract and the fel ma is more “like this here”
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Awww…even though I’ve been asking here, and taking notes and following every single thread about this and that (including the one active right now, called Use of 'that' in Welsh )…I’m still confused. Someday…!
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Fi hefyd/me too. Obviously the thread is partly tongue in cheek. Showing the many meanings of "That’ in English.
Perhaps the main thing is to understand the Welsh. One way might be to look up the Welsh word in a dictionary giving a choice of English synonyms. Or perhaps just this once use Google Translate straight into Italian
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Well understanding the Welsh is not really a problem - it’s thinking/making sentences in Welsh that is complicated!
Sometimes figuring a way to avoid English completely does help. But Google Translate, besides being quite unreliable (as we know) is often even more confusing because:
- Many expressions are totally different from those I would use.
I want = dw i’n moyn = rydw i eisiau (for google)
- Upper or lower case of first letter sometimes changes the whole translation!
-
- I don’t see the differences I’d expect to see, anyway.
Examples, in case any of the polyglots here enjoys checking them out
bici (bike) = feminine in italian, masculine in Welsh
cane (dog) = masculine in italian and Welsh
gatto (cat) = m in Italian, f in Welsh
ragazza (girl) = f in Italian and Welsh
p.s. and I didn’t even consider all the possible uses of
that!!!
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Yeah, knowing words is one thing, putting them together in a sentence is another. And with learning another language, you often have to learn new grammar rules, too. Then there’s forgetting words, how to phrase something, etc.
The thing about Google Translate is that it’s better for individual words or short, commonly used phrases. Sentences where it actually has to think about it, not so much. I still remember “Gower’s son is endless”. I don’t know if the proper noun messed it up, or if my plan to translate the sentence was doomed from the beginning.
But even small things can occasionally be a pain. Like when you give it a word, and see the drop-down for “86 more translations”. Even with synonyms, consonant mutations, singulars and plurals, tenses, and other aspects, I don’t see how the numbers get so huge sometimes. That’s when I start to imagine someone making up words and putting them into the database.
I mean, Google Translate is a useful feature, but there are occasions when it can be a tad annoying. I sometimes double-check things on Wiktionary or put them in the search engine to make sure it’s accurate.
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Possibly a stupid question, but “The kettle has boiled…”. Is it:
Mae’r tegell wedi berwi
or
Mae’r tegell wedi’i berwi
It was one I thought I knew, and then I started questioning it this morning while walking the dogs. And yet I’m fairly sure “The kettle is boiling” is a straightforward “Mae’r tegell yn berwi”. And if both sentences are valid Welsh, what’s the difference between them?
Sorry, not an answer, just a question!
Since also i has lots of meanings, what would it stand for in your example?
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yes - when you’re saying things like “the xxx has boiled” (insert kettle/saucepan/etc), you don’t need the 'i because this is a statement where ‘boiled’ is used as a verb.
(@gisella-albertini the 'i here stands in for ei)
but if you are using ‘boiled’ as an adjective (e.g. boiled water, boiled egg. etc), you need the 'i…
dŵr wedi ei berwi / dŵr wedi’i berwi (lit. water after its boiling)
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Brilliant Siaron, thanks! Not only which is right, but why and when to use each.
Diolch yn fawr iawn!
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And, I suppose following on:
“Mae’r tegell newydd ferwi” - The kettle has just boiled?
“Mae’r tegell wedi bod yn berwi” - The kettle has been boiled?
“Ydy’r tegell wedi berwi?” - Has the kettle boiled? ?
I’m not sure why I’m obsessed with kettles… I think it’s one of those things where something pops into your head and you keep asking “Ah, but what about…”!
The others are fine, but this one is not quite -
“wedi bod yn berwi” = “has been boiling”
“has been boiled” = “wedi cael ei berwi”
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Rest assured everyone, I will be buying @siaronjames a drink in the party off all of us for these amazing answers.
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No, make her a paned… mae’r tegell newydd ferwi!
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Well thank you very much - anything without alcohol will be fine (which includes dŵr wedi’i berwi )
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Wahoo! I’ve been listening to a lot of Welsh music and the various song lyrics left me with the impression that “fel hyn” would be "like this… " I’m not quite finished with Level 1 so I’ve only been introduced to hynny so far. Thanks for confirming my suspicion - no more forgetting to look up the answer. You rock @siaronjames!
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cymeradwyo vs argymell
Is there a difference? I occasionally try to draft some stuff for work in Welsh for practice, and the wonderful translators here indulge me by checking and correcting all the mistakes. The latest document from the translators had altered the verb in “books recommended for your course” from “cymeradwyo” to “argymell”. I’d like to understand why so I can get it right next time. Diolch yn fawr, bawb!
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