Ways to say yes and no

Welsh General / Questions
#1

So I know in Welsh there are many ways to say yes and no depending on the context, but is there a word for yes or no that people use for everything even though it is incorrect. Did a regular word for yes or no develop from influence of English in casual speech by any chance?

#2

Well, Welsh has ie for yes and na for no, but strictly speaking the correct use of those is only to answer questions that don’t begin with a verb. However, if you are stuck, you can use ie and na to keep the conversation flowing.
In order to get a feel for how Welsh yes and no works, try answering English questions avoiding yes and no, like this:
Do you live here? I do/don’t. :slight_smile:

4 Likes
#3

Thank you very much. That is a really great tip.

1 Like
#4

Great explanation @Hendrik. I wish I had thought/known about that sooner.

#5

I have just twigged that is a helpful way to get your head round it - though I still get flustered in real conversations. I think I talk better Welsh in my own head!

#6

Thanks for that! Great tip!