Reason as a noun in Welsh is rheswm. The plural form of it is rhesymau (reasons), and the verb form is rhesymu (to reason). Then there’s also direswm (without reason, gratuitous), rhesymol (reasonable), and its antonym afresymol (unreasonable).
rheswm
tongue
rhesymau
reasons
The word can also sometimes be used more broadly – as in to mean sense, logic, or intelligence – just as it can be in English. However, properly speaking, the Welsh word for logic is rhesymeg.
Now, the rheswm that rheswm looks so much like the English word reason is that it’s a loanword, albeit a pretty old one. It’s a borrowing from the Middle English form resoun adopted in the 15th century.
Rheswm is a masculine noun which is subject only to the soft mutation:
Soft mutation
reswm
Nasal mutation
N/A
Aspirate mutation
N/A
And even this causes only a subtle change. As you may know, both r and rh are rolled in Welsh, and the difference is that when you pronounce rh, you breathe out at the same time. It’s as if you’re speaking the letters h and r simultaneously.
So, how do you actually use the word rheswm? Well, the first thing you need to know is that the reason for is y rheswm dros. This is important because we use am for for in a lot of contexts, and in this particular one, that is technically incorrect – though it is becoming more common in informal speech.
This is different if you use rheswm’s main synonym, which is achos. When using achos (a cause, also because) you don’t need a connecting word at all. So if you wanted to say the reason for my sickness you could go for either y rheswm dros fy salwch or achos fy salwch. They mean the same thing, but the latter is a bit more formal – it sounds more like the cause of my sickness.
Beth yw’r prif reswm dros y dirywiad yn eich barn chi?
What’s the main reason for the decline in your opinion?
There’s another good rheswm-related use of achos: it means because. When someone asks you pam? (why?) or am ba reswm? (why? / for what reason?) you did something in Welsh, you’ll need to give them a rheswm for your action. Here, the words oherwydd and achos can be your best friends.
We have more information about how to use these connectors here, but basically, there are two ways to use oherwydd. Firstly, you can use it as a preposition, literally meaning because of. Then it would be followed by a noun or a phrase that functions as a noun.
Secondly, you can use it as a conjunction, meaning only because, and identical to the use of this word in English. When doing this you follow it with a full statement.
Here’s an example of the difference:
Rydyn ni’n aros gartref heddiw oherwydd y tywydd gwael.
We’re staying at home today because of the bad weather.
Rydyn ni’n aros gartref heddiw oherwydd bod y tywydd yn wael.
We’re staying at home today because the weather is bad.
You can only use achos in the second way. If you want to use it in the first way, you pair it with o to make o achos.
And we also use rheswm to mean the faculty of reason. This comes up in some interesting ways, like the phrase wrth reswm, which is a polite and slightly posh way of saying of course or naturally. It’s basically like you’re saying of course, that’s reasonable.
In this sense, rheswm is also a functional synonym for synnwyr (sense). That means there are plenty of phrases where the words are interchangeable, like gwrando ar reswm / gwrando ar synnwyr (to listen to reason), collodd ei rheswm / collodd ei synnwyr (she lost her senses), or gweld rheswm / gweld synnwyr (to see reason).
My favourite phrase in which rheswm and synnwyr are exchangeable is sadly archaic now, though. This is yn enw pob rheswm! / yn enw pob synnwyr! It means in the name of all reason / in the name of all sense, and would have been used in a similar way to for goodness’ sake!
Rhaid i ti weld rheswm. Mae hyn yn wallgof.
You have to see reason. This is crazy.
So, to recap: rheswm in Welsh means reason, in the same capacities as does the English word. It pairs with dros instead of with am to explain the reason for something. If someone asks you for a rheswm for something, you can use the word oherwydd or achos to explain, and if you want to ask them, you can use the question word pam.
I’ll leave you with a quick list of some really useful phrases for talking about rhesymau in Welsh.
- o fewn rheswm = within reason
- prif reswm = main reason
- rheswm ychwanegol dros… = all the more reason to…
- heb reswm o gwbl / allan o bob rheswm = for no reason at all
- nid heb reswm = for good reason
- mae’n sefyll i reswm / mae rheswm yn dweud = it stands to reason
- heb (na) rheol na rheswm = without rhyme or reason
Have a go at using one during your next Welsh conversation!
