Ask Dr Gramadeg: Mae, Oes & Ydy

Mae

Mae dwy ffurf ar y gair 'mae' os byddwch chi eisiau gofyn cwestiwn - ‘ydy’ ac ‘oes’.

Mae'r gair 'mae' yn bendant - pan fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio gyda'r rhagenwau ('pronouns') ‘e’ or ‘hi’, neu pan fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio gydag enw pendant (e.e., Ffred/Sandra), neu pan fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio gyda'r fannod ('y, 'r, yr'). Yna, mae'n golygu 'is' neu 'are' (e.e., 'mae’r plant' – 'the children are'). Pan fydd 'mae' yn bendant, byddwn ni'n defnyddio'r ffurf ‘ydy' i ofyn cwestiwn. e.e:
Ydy Ffred yn mynd? = Is Fred going?
Ydy hi’n mynd? = Is she going?
Ydy’r plant yn mynd? = Are the children going?

Mae

There are 2 question forms for ‘mae’ - ‘ydy’ and ‘oes’.

When ‘mae’ is used with ‘e’ or ‘hi’ or a name e.g. Ffred/Sandra, or with ‘y’ - ‘the’ (e.g. mae’r plant – the children are) -then it means ‘is’ or ‘are’ . It is definite and the question form is ‘ydy’, e.g:
Ydy Ffred yn mynd? = Is Fred going?
Ydy hi’n mynd? = Is she going?
Ydy’r plant yn mynd? = Are the children going?

Ond, mae'n bosibl hefyd fod y gair ‘mae’ yn amhendant, gyda'r ystyr 'there is’ neu ‘there are’, e.e:

‘Mae car ’da fe’ - Yn llythrennol, 'There is a car with him' – 'He has a car'. Dylech chi sylwi ar y ffaith ein bod ni wedi talfyrru '(gy)da' yn ' 'da ' yma

But, ‘Mae’ can also mean ‘there is’ or ‘there are’ e.g:

‘Mae car ’da fe’ - Lit. There is a car with him – He has a car. Note that ’da is short for (gy)da

Pan fydd 'mae' yn amhendant, bydddwn ni'n defnyddio'r ffurf 'oes' i ofyn cwestiwn, e.e:
Oes car ’da fe? = Is there a car with him? (Has he got a car?)

The question form for this indefinite ‘Mae’ is ‘Oes’.
Is there a car with him? = Oes car ’da fe? (Has he got a car?)

Oes car ’da fe? = Is there a car with him?- Has he got a car?
(h.y., I don’t know whether he has a car or not) – indefinite.

Oes car ’da fe? = Is there a car with him?- Has he got a car?
(i.e. I don’t know whether he has a car or not) – indefinite.

Ydy’r car ’da fe? = Is the car with him? – Has he got the car?
(h.y., Is the car (which I know he has), with him now?) – definite.

Ydy’r car ’da fe? = Is the car with him? – Has he got the car?
i.e. Is the car (which I know he has), with him now? – definite.

 


 

* Rhagor o Enghreifftiau / More Examples

1. Ydy Sandra'n dod i'r parti heno?
Is Sandra coming to the party tonight?

2. Ydy e'n cymryd rhan yn y dathliadau?
Is he taking part in the celebrations?

3. Ydy'r teulu'n mynd i'r sinema heno?
Is the family going to the cinema tonight?

4. Mae fan wen 'da fi, ond mae Porsche 'da chi!
I've got a white van, but you've got a Porsche!

5. Oes Lamborghini 'da fe?
Does he have a Lamborghini?

6. Ydy'r Lamborghini 'da fe yng nghanol y dre' ar hyn o bryd?
Does he have the Lamborghini in the town center at the moment?