dy oed
/də oːɨ̯d/word by word
The Welsh phrase for "your age" is dy oed.
The phrase is used to refer to the number of years a person has lived. In Welsh, the term oed is also used to express the concept of being "years old" and is placed immediately after a number when stating an age.
What does it mean word for word?
dy means "your" (singular/informal) and oed means "age".
Which one should you use?
Use eich oed to refer to "your age" when addressing more than one person or when using a formal/polite form of "you".
How do you pronounce it?
/də oːɨ̯d/
Did you know?
- Because Welsh has a distinct formal 'you', using dy oed with a stranger or a superior can be perceived as unexpectedly blunt or overly familiar.
- While dy oed refers to chronological years, Welsh speakers may use the word oed idiomatically to describe a person's maturity or wisdom.
- The word dy originates from the Proto-Celtic root *towe, which also produced the Irish word do meaning 'your'.
Examples in context
- Eich oedran chi?How old are you?
Example conversation
Catrin and Rhys are filling out a form together.
- CatrinBeth yw dy oed, Rhys?What is your age, Rhys?
- RhysDw i'n deg a phymtheg.I am fifteen.
- CatrinDa, byddaf yn ysgrifennu dy oed yma.Good, I will write your age here.
- RhysDiolch, Catrin.Thanks, Catrin.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (dy, oed) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dy, oed, CC BY-SA 4.0.
