In English, we have things pretty easy. If you want to confirm a statement, you say “Yes!” and if you want to negate a statement, you say “No!” It doesn’t get much more straightforward than that!
In Welsh however, the type of yes or no you need to use ultimately depends on the tense of the question. Thankfully choosing the right yes/no is often just a matter of repeating back the relevant verb.
Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of the Yes/No answers you’ll encounter most frequently in the Welsh language. There are many more but we would need an entire book to cover them all! 😉
Note: In colloquial Welsh, you will hear people using Ie/Na for Yes/No, so if you have trouble remembering any of the responses below, don’t let that stop you from talking: just use Ie/Na until the proper response sinks in!
Yes/No Response – Present Tense (Bod)
Question
Ydw i’n hapus?
(Am I happy?)
Wyt ti’n hapus?
(Are you happy?)
Ydy o’n hapus?
(Is he happy?)
Ydy hi’n hapus?
(Is she happy?)
Ydyn ni’n hapus?
(Are we happy?)
Ydych chi’n hapus?
(Are you happy?)
Ydyn nhw’n hapus?
(Are they happy?)
Response (Yes)
Wyt.
(Yes, you are.)
Ydw.
(Yes, I am.)
Ydy.
(Yes, he is.)
Ydy.
(Yes, she is.)
Ydych.
(Yes, you are.)
Ydyn.
(Yes, we are.)
Ydyn.
(Yes, they are.)
Response (No)
Nac wyt.
(No, you aren’t.)
Nac ydw.
(No, I’m not.)
Nac ydy.
(No, he isn’t.)
Nac ydy.
(No, she isn’t.)
Nac ydych.
(No, you aren’t.)
Nac ydyn.
(No, we aren’t.)
Nac ydyn.
(No, they aren’t.)
Yes/No Response – Imperfect Tense (Bod)
Question
Oeddwn i’n hapus?
(Was I happy?)
Oeddet ti’n hapus?
(Were you happy?)
Oedd o’n hapus?
(Was he happy?)
Oedd hi’n hapus?
(Was she happy?)
Oedden ni’n hapus?
(Were we happy?)
Oeddech chi’n hapus?
(Were you happy?)
Oedden nhw’n hapus?
(Were they happy?)
Response (Yes)
Oeddet.
(Yes, you were.)
Oeddwn.
(Yes, I was.)
Oedd.
(Yes, he was.)
Oedd.
(Yes, she was.)
Oeddech.
(Yes, you were.)
Oedden.
(Yes, we were.)
Oedden.
(Yes, they were.)
Response (No)
Nac oeddet.
(No, you weren’t.)
Nac oeddwn.
(No, I wasn’t.)
Nac oedd.
(No, he wasn’t.)
Nac oedd.
(No, she wasn’t.)
Nac oeddech.
(No, you weren’t.)
Nac oedden.
(No, we weren’t.)
Nac oedden.
(No, they weren’t.)
Yes/No Response – Future Tense (Bod)
Question
Fydda i’n hapus?
(Will I be happy?)
Fyddi di’n hapus?
(Will you be happy?)
Fydd o’n hapus?
(Will he be happy?)
Fydd hi’n hapus?
(Will she be happy?)
Fyddwn ni’n hapus?
(Will we be happy?)
Fyddwch chi’n hapus?
(Will you be happy?)
Fyddan nhw’n hapus?
(Will they be happy?)
Response (Yes)
Byddi.
(Yes, you will be.)
Bydda.
(Yes, I will be.)
Bydd.
(Yes, he will be.)
Bydd.
(Yes, she will be.)
Byddwch.
(Yes, you will be.)
Byddwn.
(Yes, we will be.)
Byddan.
(Yes, they will be.)
Response (No)
Na fyddi.
(No, you won’t be.)
Na fydda.
(No, I won’t be.)
Na fydd.
(No, he won’t be.)
Na fydd.
(No, she won’t be.)
Na fyddwch.
(No, you won’t be.)
Na fyddwn.
(No, we won’t be.)
Na fyddan.
(No, they won’t be.)
Yes/No Response – Conditional Tense (Bod)
*Based on northern Welsh dialect.
Question
Baswn i’n hapus?
(Would I be happy?)
Baset ti’n hapus?
(Would you be happy?)
Basai o’n hapus?
(Would he be happy?)
Basai hi’n hapus?
(Would she be happy?)
Basen ni’n hapus?
(Would we be happy?)
Basech chi’n hapus?
(Would you be happy?)
Basen nhw’n hapus?
(Would they be happy?)
Response (Yes)
Baset.
(Yes, you would be.)
Baswn.
(Yes, I would be.)
Basai.
(Yes, he would be.)
Basai.
(Yes, she would be.)
Basech.
(Yes, you would be.)
Basen.
(Yes, we would be.)
Basen.
(Yes, they would be.)
Response (No)
Na faset.
(No, you wouldn’t be.)
Na faswn.
(No, I wouldn’t be.)
Na fasai.
(No, he wouldn’t be.)
Na fasai.
(No, she wouldn’t be.)
Na fasech.
(No, you wouldn’t be.)
Na fasen.
(No, we wouldn’t be.)
Na fasen.
(No, they wouldn’t be.)
Yes/No Response – Perfect Tense (Bod)
*In the northern dialect, you can respond to all these questions using Do / Naddo.
Question
Ydw i wedi bwyta?
(Have I eaten?)
Wyt ti wedi bwyta?
(Have you eaten?)
Ydy o wedi bwyta?
(Has he eaten?)
Ydy hi wedi bwyta?
(Has she eaten?)
Ydyn ni wedi bwyta?
(Have we eaten?)
Ydych chi wedi bwyta?
(Have you eaten?)
Ydyn nhw wedi bwyta?
(Have they eaten?)
Response (Yes)
Wyt.
(Yes, you have.)
Ydw.
(Yes, I have.)
Ydy.
(Yes, he has.)
Ydy.
(Yes, she has.)
Ydych.
(Yes, you have.)
Ydyn.
(Yes, we have.)
Ydyn.
(Yes, they have.)
Response (No)
Nac wyt.
(No, you haven’t.)
Nac ydw.
(No, I haven’t.)
Nac ydy.
(No, he hasn’t.)
Nac ydy.
(No, she hasn’t.)
Nac ydych.
(No, you haven’t.)
Nac ydyn.
(No, we haven’t.)
Nac ydyn.
(No, they haven’t.)
Yes/No Response – Indefinite
Helpful hint: The response to any question containing Oes is always Oes / Nac Oes.
Question
Oes ‘na gar yma?
(Is there a car here?)
Response (Yes)
Oes.
(Yes, there is.)
Response (No)
Nac oes.
(No, there isn’t.)
Yes/No Response – Emphatic
Helpful hint: The response to any question that doesn’t start with a verb is Ia / Naci.
Question
Ti sy’n byw yma?
(Are you the one who lives here?)
Response (Yes)
Ia.
(Yes, I am.)
Response (No)
Naci. / Nage.
(No, I’m not.)
Plismon ydy o?
(Is he a policeman?)
Ia.
(Yes, he is.)
Naci. / Nage.
(No, he isn’t.)
Yes/No Response – Past Tense
Helpful hint: The response to any past tense question is Do / Naddo. This makes it one of the easiest Yes/Nos to remember.
Question
‘Wnest ti dy waith?
(Did you do your job?)
Response (Yes)
Do.
(Yes, I did.)
Response (No)
Naddo.
(No, I didn’t.)
Ffoniodd John ddoe? (Did John phone yesterday?)
Do.
(Yes, he did.)
Naddo.
(No, he didn’t.)
Est ti i’r sinema?
(Did you go to the cinema?)
Do.
(Yes, I did.)
Naddo.
(No, I didn’t.)
Yes/No Response – Future Tense
Helpful hint: The response always matches the verb used.
Question
‘Na i helpu?
(Will I help?)
‘Nei di helpu?
(Will you help?)
‘Naiff o helpu?
(Will he help?)
‘Naiff hi helpu?
(Will she help?)
‘Nawn ni helpu?
(Will we help?)
‘Newch chi helpu?
(Will you help?)
‘Nan nhw helpu?
(Will they help?)
Response (Yes)
Gwnei.
(Yes, you will.)
Gwnaf.
(Yes, I will.)
Gwnaiff.
(Yes, he will.)
Gwnaiff.
(Yes, she will.)
Gwnewch.
(Yes, you will.)
Gwnawn.
(Yes, we will.)
Gwnân.
(Yes, they will.)
Response (No)
Na wnei.
(No, you won’t.)
Na wnaf.
(No, I won’t.)
Na wnaiff.
(No, he won’t.)
Na wnaiff.
(No, she won’t.)
Na wnewch.
(No, you won’t.)
Na wnawn.
(No, we won’t.)
Na wnân.
(No, they won’t.)
