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- "Cyn i'r petrol orffen."
"Cyn i'r petrol orffen."
Translation:Before the petrol runs out.
13 Comments
This is the first time the verb after cyn i is translated in the past tense. Why?
I don't understand what you mean, in both languages the verbs are in the present tense.
I tranlated “Before the petrol runs out” and it was corrected to “… ran out.”
Hmm, yeah sorry the sentence it was showing me used "finishes". It should definitely be runs out.
Couldn't it be either?
The verb is not marked for tense, as far as I can see -- I would expect the Welsh sentence to be ambiguous between "... runs out" (present/future) and "... ran out" (past).
Or is this construction only used for present/future events?
Hmmm, after looking at the sentence again it is ambiguous. Either way the answer given by the other person should also be accepted.
What does this sentence mean? Before the petrol finishes what? Pumping? Runs out?
It means "before the petrol runs out," I read it as "before the petrol is finished," which makes sense too
Again, its sounds as if the pronunciation of the r here (in petrol) is neither trilled or tapped but closer to the 'English r (as in 'train) and is easier to pronounce thus. I have noticed it seems to occur on 'trowsus' and 'adre' amonst other examples that fail me now. It is easier and I know that sense will not be lost but is it something we should do? Apologies for raising this again but I needed an example and am a stickler fir trying to perfect my pronunciation.
I see what you're saying. This computer voice isn't the best here. It's not exactly like English "tr", where the the tongue tends to curl back on the "t" in anticipation of the "r". In Welsh, since the tongue tip taps the ridge when it articulates both the t and the r, for tr it taps it for both t and r at the same time but rather than release in the shape it makes for normal t (flattish), it releases in an r-shape (hollowed or curved up slightly as it releases). So in essence, the t and r combine somewhat.
(What I've described there is how it happens in a southern accent. In the north, the tongue is further towards the teeth for t so the r combines less with it in tr and so sounds more rolled.)
Remember this is a computer voice, which is at best an approximation. The only way you're going to get good pronunciation is to listen to native speakers. Could watch these too.
