Thanks for the tip Emma! x
With SSiW I had learnt to use “byddwn” for sentences with English “would” (or sometimes would be directly the verb like “hoffwn”, “triwn”
And (ba? ta?)swn for sentences when I’d have Italian subjunctive.
It usually seemed to work and be understood alright.
Until today, when I reached conditional on Duolingo (which I tried again during lockdown) and “would” is…baswn. 
I’m confused now. What am I missing here? 
byddwn i and baswn i are the same thing in Welsh - they both mean ‘would’, and which one to use is personal/regional preference. baswn i is often shortened to 'swn i, but pe taswn and pe byddwn are the ‘if’ forms that go with these ‘would’ forms (they are in pairs - (pe)taswn always pairs with baswn and pe byddwn always pairs with byddwn).
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Oh this was part was easier than I thought then! 
And yes, I actually do remember this.
However…
I don’t think I understand what this means. Could you maybe write an example of a full sentence maybe?
I remember there’s a song I quite like “Pe Tawn I” by a band called Gwallter. But I haven’t really figured out what they say! When I want to have fun singing along, I just do like in the beginning with Datblygu just sorta copying the sounds! 
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(ba)swn i’n mynd (pe) taset ti’n mynd hefyd
I would go…if you went too, or…
I would go…if you would go too, or…
I would go…if you were to go too
Rich 
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Oh these are probably the ones I had found way easier to avoid English and think of Italian subjunctive instead.
In fact with Engish I’m still a bit confused.
Is this example from SSiW in the same style?
Just with the simplified spelling and minus the (ba), (pe) and (ta)? 
I wouldn't do that again if I were you - Fydden i ddim yn gneud hynny eto sen i'n ti
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Yes!..I think there has been a post by Aran before because there is a mixture of the two variations in these sentences 
bit of an unplanned / accidental situation I think.
Whilst I have gone with southern vocab pretty much entirely, I have chosen to use baswn/ taswn myself to get my head straight on it and avoid mixing it up with the future tense…I might be able to relax this now without confusing myself i must try it! 
Rich
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me too! As long as you’re aware of the alternative so it doesn’t stump you when you hear it, I find the baswn/taswn pair much easier to remember.
Because we are using the conditional tense here, the ‘if’ is a kind of hypothetical ‘if’. Rich has already given some sentences as examples.
As for the SSiW example, whilst it’s “better Welsh” not to mix the two forms, it’s often done anyway!
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Hi Emma, couple more recommendations I thought I’d share . . .
If you like Gareth Malone, can I suggest Rhys Meirion? He’s currently got two choir programmes on S4C. They are very heart-warming!
Also, there’s a nice programme about Llareggub brass band going on a trip to New Orleans.
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Lovely, thanks Sarah, I’ll check them out xx
Please could someone check these sentences for me: (Some words are missing accents)
Dwi yn briod gyda y gwr a merch.
Mae fy march yn blywdd ar ac yn mynd i’r ysgol.
Gwraig ty dwi i, a mae fy gwr wedi ymddoel.
DIOLCH !
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Hi Claire - my version of these would be:
Dw i’n briod gyda gwr a merch
Mae fy merch yn [number fem. form] (blwydd) oed ac yn mynd i’r ysgol
Gwraig tŷ dw i ac mae fy ngwr wedi ymddeol if you want to emphasise that you’re gwraig tŷ,
otherwise just to state as a simple fact: Dw i’n gwraig ty ac mae fy ngwr wedi ymddeol
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Thank you very much John. I want to have some practice sentences ready for our next Zoom meet up.
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Yes - if your daughter is one year old, you just say Mae fy merch yn flwydd oed.
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Siamae Pawb,
The more I learn the more I realise there are a few words in Welsh that mean the same thing. Is it a matter of personal choice or do the words change with the context of the sentence ?
Could you look at the words I have come across and explain why one is used and not the other.
For … am Neu Ar gyfer
Promise… addo Neu Addewid
Make … creu Neu Gwneud
Tell me… adrodd I fi Neu Ddweud with I fi
Finally, I hear people on radio Cymru use the phrase, “ iawn iawn iawn”
What does that mean
Diolch yn fair.
The central piece of advice here is, don’t try to map one language to another on a word-by-word basis. And of course words can mean different things in different contexts, this is true for every language, you just usually don’t consciously notice it in your native language.
- Yes both am and ar gyfer can be translated as “for”, but especially prepositions are hard to map one-on-one:
I am looking for a present for my mother -> Dw i’n chwilo am anrheg ar gyfer fy mam. - addo is the verb to promise, addewid is a noun, a promise
- gwneud = to make and to do, but creu is to create and to make, so they have an overlap.
- adrodd is to tell in the sense of telling a story, the other is the everyday “Please tell me what you did last night.”
- iawn after an adjectice means very. Repeating the word just adds more emphasis: Oedd y dyn yn dal iawn iawn iawn. - The man was very, very, very tall.
Hope that helps.
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That’s a great help.
Thanks Hendrik
Am generally only means for in the sense of ‘in exchange for’, while ar gyfer is these days the default choice (even above i) for the more common and general sense of ‘for the benefit of’. All covered in the new book!!
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Thanks Gareth, that’s now clear in my mind.
What’s the new book called and where is it available?
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It’s called Working Welsh, and it’s out in just about four weeks from now.
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