"Wales is a fine country."
Translation:Gwlad braf ydy Cymru.
May 1, 2016
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This discussion is locked.
No, ydy/yw is used in other patterns as well.
Here, the sentence is an emphatic one, so the thing being emphasised - gwlad braf - is moved to the front of the sentence, just as we do with people's names or jobs and so on. If the sentence is started with a noun (including a name or a job title) or an adjective, then the verb-form is ydy/yw rather than mae:
- Sioned yw hi - She is Sioned.
- Meddyg yw hi - She is a doctor.
- Meddyg da yw Sioned - Sioned is a good doctor.
- Menyw dal ydy Sioned, nid un fer - Sioned is a tall woman, not a short one. (Emphasising the fact)
But:
- Mae'r tywydd yn braf - The weather is fine. (No emphasis)
- Mae Cymru'n wlad braf - Wales is a fine country. (But not emphasising it)
- Mae Sioned yn dal - Sioned's tall. (But not emphatically so)
Emphasis is used much more often in Welsh than in English.