prepositions - part 1


It's never easy getting your head round all the prepositions, especially as usage isn't always identical as in English. Here we take a look at the more common prepositions that you're likely to meet in everyday conversation. Note that some prepositions cause mutation of the following word - this will be denoted by [sm] for Soft Mutation, [nm] for Nasal Mutation, and [am] for Aspirate Mutation. 

By the way, an easy way to remember which prepositions take Soft Mutations is to memorise this little poem, but remember dan = tan:

am ar at gan
heb i o dan
dros trwy wrth hyd


about
- approximately	 = tua [am]
- concerning 	= am [sm]
	= yngly^n â [sm]
	= ynghylch
- around	= o gwmpas
	= o angylch
- about to (do something)	= ar fin
	= ar


as
- beings something	= fel
e.g. as a teacher, fel arthrawes
- descriptive	= yn
e.g. as a present, yn anrheg; as a child, yn blentyn.

at
- location	= yn [nm] cf. 'in'
- beside	= wrth
- time	= am [sm]
- age	= yn [sm]

by
- location	= wrth
	= wrth ochor
	= wrth ochr
	= wrth ymyl
- past	= heibio
- by (someone or something)	= gan
- by means of	= â [nm]
- author, etc.	= gan
- method 	= drwy [sm]
	= tryw [sm]
- transportation	= ar [sm]
	= gyda [nm]
- time	= erbyn

for
- general usage	= i [sm] (in the sense of something received)
	= ar gyfer (in the sense of 'for the benefit of')

- in favour of	= o blaid
- on behalf of 	= dros [sm]
- at a future time	= am [sm]
- at some past time	= ers
-in exchange for 	= am [sm]
- in preparation for	= at [ sm]
	= ar gyfer

from
- direction 	= o [sm]
- in letters	= oddi wrth [sm]
	= oddiwrth [sm]
- from on top of something	= oddiar [sm]
	= oddi ar [sm]
- receipt of money, etc	= gan
- with words like 'prevent', 'stop'	= rhag

in
- specific 	= yn [nm]
- non-specific	= mewn 
- at the end of a period of time	= ymhen

of
- genitive phrases, e.g. top of the mountain 	= not translated
- quantity	= o [sm]
- in singling something out	= o [sm]
- about, concerning	= am

on 
- location	= ar [sm]
- talking about transport	= ar [sm]
- in media, e.g. television	= ar [sm]
- about	= am [sm]
- time	= ar [sm]

over
- location or motion	= dros
- in excess of	= dros
- during	= yn ystod
	= dros
- above	= uwchben
- covering	= dros

to 
- general usages	= i [sm]
- in telling the time	= i [sm]
- writing or sending something to someone = at [sm]
- with some verbs/adjectives	= wrth
- towards	= tua [nm]
- with verbnouns implying purpose 	= i [sm]
- in order to	= er mwyn
- with verbnouns implying instruction	= am [sm]
- with infinitives	= not translated

under
- location	= dan [sm]
	= o dan [sm]
- less than 	= llai na [nm]

with
- general usage	= gyda (= 'da) [am]
	= efo (Northern variant)
- by means of	= â [am]
- because of 	= gan [sm]
- against	= yn erbyn
- to be ... with someone	= wrth [sm]