Hi, quick question
Something which I’m finding difficult is soft mutations. Is it important to learn these as a beginner?
With all the mutations, it’s important as a learner not to overthink or let them panic you. Yes, they are important to learn, but they can also be overwhelming. So don’t worry about it if you leave them out or get the wrong one - that’s perfectly natural. You will, over time, come to feel when something sounds right because you’ve heard it said so often.
The biggest problem they tend to cause is when you try to find words in a dictionary, because most dictionaries will only list original, unmutated forms. So my advice would be to find a mutations table to keep handy so that you can ‘reverse’ the mutations when using a dictionary.
It’s important not to ignore them completely, but it’s also important not to let them get in the way while you’re learning 
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Thanks for another fantastic reply as ever! Is there any threads or videos on soft mutations your aware of please? I understand what letters change but I’m unsure of when this happens
I can’t remember if there are any threads dedicated solely to mutations (but you can always use the search function to check), but perhaps the BBC Bitesize guides will be a good starting place.
The problem with when they change is that it is a fairly big list and there are always exceptions! Some will be easy to pick up because they are very common, others (because they might be rarer or more specialised) won’t, but as I said, don’t get too wrapped up in the whens and whys to begin with - you can always delve deeper into the grammar at a later stage.
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That’s great I’ll have a good look at that now. Thank you as always
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Not a video but I found this very useful.
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That’s great, I’ll order a copy now.
Will come in useful for my 3 year old who’s just started to learn Welsh at school
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A couple of little thoughts from me, in addition to all the useful advice above:
- You’ll find that SSiW teaches mutations, without teaching mutations. That is, you’ll get used to what sounds right (which is exactly how most first-language Welsh speakers learn them - most people don’t know the rules, they just do them instinctively!)
- There are all sorts of great Welsh dictionaries available, but I find the Bangor Uni one really good, because it recognises a mutated word and takes you to the root word and its definition: https://geiriadur.bangor.ac.uk/ (also available as an app on your phone)
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It took me awhile to find it but I knew there was definitely something. the closest I found would be:
Mae pobl fel “moch yn y winllan.”
- like pigs in the vineyard (spoiling everything because they don’t realise how lucky they are with what they’ve got)
I’ve come across “ddigon i yfed/fwyta” before in the courses and never gave it much thought… however, I’ve only just noticed that it should be “ddigon i’w fwyta” (but not “ddigon i’w yfed”)? Could anyone please enlighten me why the w is suddenly there in one case and not the other? Diolch
In both cases, the full version would be “[Mae gen i] ddigon i’w yfed” and “[Mae gen i] ddigon i’w fwyta”. The Welsh way of expressing this is “[I have] enough to eat/drink it”. (There is a grammatical reason/explanation, but I’ve never really bothered to learn about it in great detail - I’ve just learned the “this is how you say it” reason…)
But often the w is missed out in speech (and that would be considered a perfectly natural thing to do). If it is, though, the mutation remains to show that it was once there. (Perhaps not relevant in this case because of the i but useful to know for other similar structures.)
Perhaps the reason you’re hearing it dropped next to “yfed” is to do with the confluence of vowels, whereas the consonant at the beginning of “fwyta” makes it more audible or more likely to be voiced?
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I have just double checked, and the text version does say ddigon i yfed but ddigon i’w fwyta ,so it wasn’t just my hearing 
My understanding of @sara-peacock-1’s point was not that she thought that you’d misheard, but that it was more likely to be dropped by the speaker. The text shows that you’ve heard correctly, but Sara’s suggestion is a possible explanation as to why that’s what you hear.
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Exactly this - thanks, Richard. And apologies if I wasn’t very clear! (It made sense in my head… 
)
Maybe I should have made it cleaner that the source of this material was automagic. At first, I thought I just misheard, then I thought the two might be equivalent versions that may be swapped around, but now I’m pretty sure it’s always used as “i yfed” and “i’w fwyta”. However, at the stage I’m in, an i’w construction has not yet been introduced so I’m trying to put the pieces together myself at the moment, without much success 
Not to worry. You are always very helpful and that is very much appreciated 
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I’ve a feeling that you’re absolutely right, and that it was the same on the older challenges - and that it perhaps leads people trying to make sense of it into thinking that it’s some essential difference between eating and drinking. But it isn’t. What it is, is that the full, formal structure is rhywbeth i’w yfed/fwyta (“something, for the drinking/eating of it”), which can turn into the slightly simpler rhywbeth i yfed/fwyta. The things that might affect this are that the first might sound more formal (“better”, or “posher”, or more learnt, less natural - “better” isn’t always better), but it’s also a bit harder to actually say; the second is easier, maybe more natural (possibly influenced by sounding more like the English construction, so maybe a bit lazy and less Welsh - “easier” isn’t always better, either). Both are possible, with both verbs; in terms of communication, it really doesn’t matter which you choose; if you find yourself speaking more Welsh with native speakers, don’t worry, because you’ll probably wind up slotting into whatever they say anyway.
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There’s a post making its way around social media at the moment saying that the Welsh say “Dod yn ôl at fy nghoed,” to mean returning to a balanced state of mind.
Is that true? Is it something commonly heard, or only in a very specific context?
This is a common saying, although the usually stated meaning is “to come (back) to one’s senses”. The thing with the balanced state of mind can be read into this, but this is taking the saying a bit too narrowly, in my opinion. (And of course, with “fy” you have the saying in 1st person singular.)
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Diolch, Hendrik. Yes, there was a literal translation too - “return to my trees”.
I like the saying, but I know how easily people can latch onto a thing, misunderstand or barely understand it, and enthusiastically spread confusion around the interwebs before anyone has time to correct them.
Maybe that’s just my cynicism talking, but I wasn’t going to take as Gospel truth without checking.
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