Writing a short informal invitation
You live in Bangor and turn 26 next Saturday. You have booked a table for six at 7:30pm at Yr Hen Orsaf, a steakhouse near the station. Your friend Tom is vegetarian; the restaurant offers one meat-free dish but only if it is ordered 48 hours ahead. You need to write a short Welsh text (40–50 words) inviting Tom, giving the day, time and place, and asking him to reply by Friday with his choice. You have learned 'dim cig' but not the word for 'vegetarian'. You also want to say 'no need to bring a present' because Tom lost his job last month. You must use informal 'ti' because you have known Tom since school. You have 20 minutes and a dictionary that does not include 'vegetarian'.
1. Write the invitation in Welsh in 40–50 words. Explain how you handled the vegetarian problem without the word 'vegetarian'.
Read the worked answer
Helo Tom, dw i'n troi 26 ddydd Sadwrn. Wyt ti eisiau dod i Yr Hen Orsaf am 7:30? Mae bwyd dim cig yna. Plis dweud wrtha i erbyn dydd Gwener pa fwyd wyt ti eisiau. Dim angen anrheg. Wela i ti, Sam. (44 words)
I used bwyd dim cig ('meat-free food') instead of 'vegetarian'. I asked pa fwyd wyt ti eisiau so Tom chooses by Friday, which fits the 48-hour rule. I used ti forms: Wyt ti eisiau, wrtha i, wela i ti. Dim angen anrheg is softer than mentioning his job. The message gives day, time, place and deadline without over-explaining.
2. Why is 'Ydych chi eisiau dod?' wrong here, and what would you change if Tom were your new boss?
Read the worked answer
Ydych chi eisiau dod? is not wrong Welsh, but it is wrong for Tom. Chi is formal or plural; Tom is a close friend you have known since school, and the rest of the text uses ti. Mixing chi would sound distant or as if you were joking. For a new boss, switch the whole frame: Ydych chi eisiau dod i Yr Hen Orsaf am 7:30? and use eich for possessives. Do not use Wela i ti; use Wela i chi. The judgement is consistency of register, not just one pronoun.
3. Tom replies 'Dw i ddim yn bwyta cig, ond dw i'n hoffi pysgod.' Does that affect your plan? Answer in English and one Welsh sentence.
Read the worked answer
Yes. Dim cig may mean no meat but still allow fish, so the restaurant's meat-free dish may not be suitable. Ask Oes dysgl pysgod gyda chi? or Oes bwyd heb gig a heb bysgod? before Friday. If there is no fish dish, ask for the vegetarian option and check its ingredients. Do not assume dim cig equals Tom's diet. The Welsh sentence Mae Tom yn bwyta pysgod, ond ddim yn bwyta cig shows the distinction. The judgement is to check, not to order for him.