Choosing chi or ti at a first meeting
You are a 19-year-old learner at a community centre in Aberystwyth. You have ten minutes before a volunteering interview. In the corridor you meet Rhys, a 22-year-old volunteer who will sit on the panel as a peer, and Mrs Evans, the 58-year-old centre manager. You have rehearsed two openings: 'Shwmae, sut wyt ti?' and 'Helo, sut ydych chi?'. Rhys says 'Shwmae!' and immediately asks 'Sut wyt ti?' Mrs Evans arrives, offers her hand and says 'Bore da, sut ydych chi?' You must greet both, ask Rhys where he lives, and ask Mrs Evans whether the interview is in Room 3. You want to sound friendly but not over-familiar. The centre's bilingual policy says Welsh is used in first greetings, but learners may switch to English if stuck. Your mind goes blank on the Welsh for 'interview'.
1. Which greeting do you use with Rhys and which with Mrs Evans, and why? Give the Welsh you would say to each.
Read the worked answer
Use Shwmae, Rhys, sut wyt ti? with Rhys. He is 22, you are 19, he is a peer on the panel and he has already used ti to you. Mirroring ti signals friendliness without disrespect.
Use Bore da, Mrs Evans, sut ydych chi? with Mrs Evans. It is a first meeting, she is older and is the manager, and she used chi first. Chi is the safe default with a stranger in a formal setting.
Do not mix them: Sut ydych chi, Rhys? would sound stiff or sarcastic with a peer; Sut wyt ti, Mrs Evans? would sound over-familiar. The judgement is about relationship and reciprocity, not just vocabulary.
2. Ask Rhys where he lives and ask Mrs Evans whether the interview is in Room 3. Give both questions and explain one adjustment you make.
Read the worked answer
To Rhys: Ble wyt ti'n byw, Rhys? This uses the ti form wyt ti.
To Mrs Evans: Ydy'r cyfweliad yn Rhif 3, Mrs Evans? This avoids a direct chi verb form by using a yes/no question; if you want to be more formal, Ydy eich cyfweliad chi yn Rhif 3? adds the possessive eich ... chi.
Adjustment: I say Rhif 3, not Room 3, because the centre uses Welsh for rooms. If I blank on cyfweliad, I can point to my letter and say Sori, ble mae'r cyfweliad? - asking for repetition is better than switching to English immediately.
3. Mrs Evans says 'Sut wyt ti?' by mistake. Do you mirror her or keep chi? Explain.
Read the worked answer
Keep chi unless she explicitly invites ti. She is the manager and this is a first meeting; one slip does not change the relationship. Mirroring the slip could make you look as if you are mocking her or claiming familiarity you have not been offered. A safe reply is Da iawn, diolch, a chi? - the a chi? politely returns the question without correcting her. If she says Galw fi'n Gaynor or dere di i 'ngalw i'n ti, then switch. The exam tests whether you can read the relationship, not whether you can copy the last pronoun you heard.