How to Say “To Go” in Welsh – Mynd

“To go” in Welsh is best expressed with the verb mynd (literary form: myned). It is a verb-noun that originates from Middle Welsh mynet and can be traced back to the Proto-Brythonic form *moned.

Here is how mynd is conjugated in the present tense. Blue indicates the northern variety of Welsh while red indicates the southern variety.

Mynd is most frequently used to describe the physical or figurative movement of someone or something from one place to another. For example:

• Dan ni’n mynd i’r ysgol bob dydd. = We go to school every day.
  
• Byddi di’n mynd yn bell. = You will go far.

In colloquial Welsh, it is common for mynd to describe something that has passed into a specific (usually undesirable) state. When this is the meaning, the best translation is often “to become”.

As could only be expected from a common verb, mynd has a number of additional meanings beyond “to go.” When combined with the preposition â, it acquires the sense of “to take” (literally “to go with“). Conversely, “to bring” is expressed as “dwad / dod â” (literally “to come with“).

Similar to the English verb “to go,” the Welsh word mynd can describe the passage of time, the act of leaving, and the conclusion of something. In certain contexts, it serves as a euphemistic expression, implying “to die.”

• Lle mae’r amser wedi mynd? = Where has the time gone?
  
• Aeth o yn sydyn. = He went (died) quickly.
  
• Ydy hi wedi mynd yn barod? = Has she already gone (left)?

Another similarity Welsh shares with English is that it makes use of the so-called “going-to future” form, where “to be going to” refers to a future occurrence. In Welsh, this form would be mynd + i (a preposition meaning “to” or “for”). For this reason, a phrase like Dw i’n mynd i fynd… (I am going to go…), where mynd is repeated two times, makes perfect sense in both languages!

Expressions featuring the verb ‘mynd’: