Welsh doesn’t have a single word to use every time for yes and no questions. The word used depends on the form of the question. You must generally answer using the relevant form of the verb used in the question, or in questions where the verb is not the first element you use either ‘ie’ / ‘nage’. “Ie” is often pronounced “ia” in northern dialects of Welsh.
| Cymraeg | English |
|---|---|
| Ie / Ia | Yes |
| Na | No |
| Oes | There is / are |
| Nac oes | There is / are not |
| Ydy | It is |
| Nac ydy | It isn’t |
| Ydw | I am |
| Nac ydw | I am not |
Oes and Nac oes are used to answer questions regarding a quantity or existance of an object (i.e. the 3rd person, present indicative of the existential verb).
Ydy and Nac ydy are the 3rd person, present indicative of the substantive verb ‘to be’ used, e.g., where the sentence involves a predicate.
Ydw and Nac ydw are the 1st person, present indicative of the substantive verb, used either existentially or in the case of predicates.
Examples
| Cwestiwn ac Ateb | Question and Answer | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| Oes ci gennych? | Do you have a dog? | Is there a dog with you? |
| Oes | Yes | There is |
| Nac oes | No | There is not |
| Ydy hi’n oer? | Is it cold? | Is it (fem.) cold? |
| Ydy | Yes | It is |
| Nac ydy | No | It is not |
| Ydych chi’n hoffi siocled? | Do you like chocolate? | Are you liking chocolate? |
| Ydw | Yes | I am |
| Nac ydw | No | I’m not |
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