gwneud

Welsh

Alternative forms

• gwneuthur

Etymology

Back-formation from gwneuthud, gwneuthur, from Middle Welsh gwneithur, altered from *gwreithur with -n- from gwnïo (“to sew”), from Proto-Brythonic *gwrėɣɨd, from Proto-Celtic *wregeti, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-.

See also Cornish gwra (“he does, makes”), Breton gra (“he does, makes”), Old Irish fairged (“they made”); also English work.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ɡwneɨ̯d/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɡneɨ̯d/, /neɨ̯d/
• (South Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɡwnei̯d/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ɡnei̯d/, /nei̯d/
• Rhymes: -eɨ̯d

Verb

gwneud (first-person singular present gwnaf)

1. to do; to make

   Dw i'n gwneud e heddiw. ― I am doing it today.

   Wyt ti'n gwneud y brecwast y bore 'ma? ― Are you making breakfast this morning?

2. auxiliary verb used to form the past or future tenses.

   Wnes i anghofio. ― I forgot. (literally, “I did forget.”)

   Wnest ti gofio'r ateb. ― You remembered the answer. (literally, “You did remember the answer.”)

   Wnaethoch chi ei gweld hi? ― Did you see her?

   Wnaeth o fwyta'r brechdan? ― Did he eat the sandwich?

   Wnaeth hi dy weld di. ― She saw you. (literally, “She did see you.”)

   Wnaeth y ci ddim bwyta'r cig. ― The dog didn't eat the meat.

   Wnaethon ni ddod adref. ― We came home. (literally, “We did come home.”)

   Wnaethon nhw ddim mynd i Fangor. ― They didn't go to Bangor.

Conjugation

Conjugation

Literary forms	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	gwnaf, gwnelaf	gwnei, gwneli	gwna, gwnelir	gwnawn, gwnelwn	gwnewch, gwnelwch	gwnânt, gwnelant	gwneir, gwnelir
imperfect indicative/conditional	gwnawn	gwnait	gwnâi	gwnaem	gwnaech	gwnaent	gwneid
preterite	gwneuthum	gwnaethost	gwnaeth	gwnaethom	gwnaethoch	gwnaethant	gwnaethpwyd, gwnaed, gwnawd
pluperfect	gwnaethwn	gwnaethit	gwnaethai	gwnaethem	gwnaethech	gwnaethent	gwnaethid, gwnelsid
present subjunctive	gwnelwyf	gwnelych	gwnêl, gwnelo	gwnelom	gwneloch	gwnelont	gwneler, gwnaer
imperfect subjunctive	gwnelwn	gwnelit	gwnelai	gwnelem	gwnelech	gwnelent	gwnelid
imperative	—	gwna	gwnaed	gwnawn	gwnewch	gwnaent	gwnaer, gwneler
verbal noun	gwneud, gwneuthur
verbal adjectives	gwneuthuredig, gwneuthuriedig gwneuthuradwy

Inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
preterite	gwnes i gnes i nes i	gwnest ti gnest ti nest ti	gwnaeth o/e/hi gnaeth o/e/hi naeth o/e/hi	gwnaethon ni gnaethon ni naethon ni nethon ni	gwnaethoch chi gnaethoch chi naethoch chi nethoch chi	gwnaethon nhw gnaethon nhw naethon nhw nethon nhw
future	gwnaf i gnaf i naf i gwna i gna i na i	gwnei di gnei di nei di	gwneith o/e/hi gneith o/e/hi neith o/e/hi gwnaiff o/e/hi gnaiff o/e/hi naiff o/e/hi	gwnawn ni gnawn ni nawn ni gwnewn ni gnewn ni newn ni	gwnewch chi gnewch chi newch chi	gwnân nhw gnân nhw nân nhw gwnewn nhw gnewn nhw newn nhw
conditional	gwnawn i gnawn i nawn i gwnelwn i gnelwn i nelwn i gwnelen i gnelen i nelen i	gwnaet ti gnaet ti naet ti gwnelet ti gnelet ti nelet ti	gwnâi o/e/hi gnâi o/e/hi nâi o/e/hi gwnelai fe/hi gnelai fe/hi nelai fe/hi	gwnaen ni gnaen ni naen ni gwnelen ni gnelen ni nelen ni	gwnaech chi gnaech chi naech chi gwnelech chi gnelech chi nelech chi	gwnaen nhw gnaen nhw naen nhw gwnelen nhw gnelen nhw nelen nhw
imperative	—	gwna	—	—	gwnewch	—
verbal noun	gwneud, gneud, neud
Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Derived terms

• dad-wneud (“to undo, to redo”)
• gwneud môr a mynydd (“to make a mountain out of a molehill”)
• ymwneud (“to do (with)”)

Related terms

• gweithred

Mutation

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

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “gwneud”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies