fy
/və/
The Welsh word for my is fy.
fy is a possessive determiner used to indicate that something belongs to me.
Meaning: belonging to me (det)
Which one should you use?
While fy is a possessive determiner, Welsh often expresses 'my' by placing the personal pronoun i (me) after the noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many modern contexts, especially in spoken Welsh, the word i is used after the noun to indicate possession (e.g., enw i for 'my name') instead of using fy before the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/və/
Did you know?
- If you use fy, the noun that follows it will often undergo a 'soft mutation', meaning its first letter might change. For example, the word for 'dog', ci, might change its spelling to reflect this connection.
- In many parts of Wales, using the word fy in a coffee shop might make you sound like a character from a Victorian novel. Most people simply place the word i after the noun to sound natural.
- The word fy descends from the Proto-Celtic root *mene.
Examples in context
- Sasha yw fy enw i.My name is Sasha.Tatoeba #3138743 by SteCymru14, translation #567334 by Manfredo
- Arabeg yw fy mamiaith.Arabic is my mother tongue.Tatoeba #1978884 by Sisial, translation #1807927 by Ameer
- Mae fy llygaid yn las.My eyes are blue.Tatoeba #1980050 by Sisial, translation #422356 by CK
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rhys and Rhiannon are talking about their pets.
- RhysMae fy gath yn fach.My cat is small.
- RhiannonMae fy cŵn yn fawr iawn.My dog is very big.
- RhysBle mae fy gaelen?Where is my glove?
- RhiannonMae hi ar fy fudu.It is on my table.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my” translations and entries fy, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
