meddai

Welsh

Pronunciation

(North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛðai̯/
- (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛðɛ/, /ˈmɛða/
(South Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈmeːðai̯/, /ˈmɛðai̯/
- (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈmeːðɛ/, /ˈmɛðɛ/

Verb

meddai (defective)

says, say, said
Synonyms: ebe, ebra, dweud
- 2014 July 11, “Gwasanaeth pasport yn 'siomi' pobl meddai AS”, in BBC Cymru Fyw‎:
  Mae'r gwasanaeth pasport wedi 'siomi pobl' ac mae angen i Lywodraeth Prydain daclo'r broblem meddai Aelod Seneddol Ceidwadol.
  The passport service has 'let people down' and the UK government must tackle the problem, a Conservative Assembly Member says [or has said].
- 2013 May 21, Vaughan Roderick, “Dy iaith ar ein hysgwyddau megis pwn”, in BBC Cymru Fyw‎:
  "Gormod o ddim nid yw'n dda" meddai nhw, ond ydy hynny'n wir am lyfrau?
  "Too much of anything is not good," they say, but is that true for books?
- 2012 August 9, “'Dyfodol S4C yn gyffrous' meddai Prif Weithredwr y sianel”, in BBC Cymru Fyw‎:
  "Dim ond gwasanaeth cyflawn fedr adlewyrchu a dathlu bywyd y genedl," meddai.
  "Only a complete service can reflect and celebrate the life of the nation," he said.

Usage notes

This verb, used to report quoted speech, has no verbnoun. The form meddai acts as the third-person singular and plural present and preterite.
In the colloquial language, the following forms are found:
- meddwn i (“I say/said”)
- medd e/o/hi (“he/she says/said”)
- medden nhw (“they say/said”)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
meddai	feddai	unchanged	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

King, Gareth (1993) Modern Welsh: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Grammars), London and New York: Routledge, →ISBN, § 392, pages 230–31

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