cael
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Alternative forms
- caffael, caffel
Etymology
A complex, suppletive merger of two separate Celtic verbs into one paradigm.
- The forms outside of the present first-person singular that contain an -f- or -ff-, and also cas, come from Middle Welsh caffael, from Old Welsh cephitor (pres. impersonal) and cepi (pres. 2sg.), from Proto-Celtic *gabyeti (“to take”). Compare Cornish kavos and Breton kavout.
- The other forms without an -f- or -ff- (and pres. 1sg. caf) are from Middle Welsh cael, from Old Welsh ci (pres. 2sg.), from Proto-Celtic *kageti (“to get”), a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *kagʰ- (“to hold”).
Pronunciation
- (North Wales) IPA(key): (standard) /kaːɨ̯l/, (colloquial) /kaːl/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): (standard) /kai̯l/, (colloquial) /kaːl/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -aːɨ̯l, -aːl
Verb
cael (first-person singular present caf)
- to get, receive; to have (experience)
- cael anrheg ― to get a present
- cael brecwast ― to have breakfast, to get breakfast
- cael gair ― to have a word
- (chiefly future or conditional tense) to get to, be allowed to, may (with a verbal noun)
- Gawn ni weld y ffilm hwyr heno?
- Will we get to see/May we see the late film tonight?
- Cewch.
- Yes (you may).
- Gaen ni fynd allan pe tasen ni'n gorffen ein gwaith cartre?
- Might we go out/Would we be allowed to go out if we finished our homework?
- to be allowed to have, may have (with a noun)
- Cei di ddiod.
- You may have a drink.
- Ga i docyn i Gaerdydd?
- May I have a ticket to Cardiff?
- (chiefly informal, colloquial) used with a possessive determiner (agreeing with the subject) and a verbal noun to form a construction with passive meaning
- Mae’r tŷ’n cael ei godi.
- The house is being built.
- (literally, “The house is having its building.”)
- Gaeth Terry ei tharo gan bêl eira.
- Terry was hit (got hit) by a snowball.
Usage notes
In more formal Welsh, the passive voice is formed using the impersonal verb forms:
- Codir y tŷ. ― The house is being built. (literally, “[One] builds the house.”)
Conjugation
| Literary forms | singular | plural | impersonal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| present indicative/future | caf | cei | caiff | cawn | cewch | cânt | ceir |
| imperfect indicative/conditional | cawn | cait, caet | câi | caem | caech | caent | ceid |
| preterite | cefais, ces | cefaist, cest | cafodd, cas, cafas (obsolete), cadd (poetic) |
cawsom | cawsoch | cawsant | cafwyd, caed, cad |
| pluperfect | cawswn | cawsit | cawsai | cawsem | cawsech | cawsent | cawsid |
| present subjunctive | caffwyf | ceffych | caffo | caffom | caffoch | caffont | caffer |
| imperfect subjunctive | caffwn, cawn | caffit, cait | caffai, câi | caffem, caem | caffech, caech | caffent, caent | ceffid |
| imperative | — | — | caffed, caed | — | — | caffent, caent | caffer, caer |
| verbal noun | cael, caffael, caffel | ||||||
| verbal adjectives | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | ||||||
| Inflected colloquial forms | singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | second | third | first | second | third | |
| preterite | ces i, cetho i | cest ti | caeth o/e/hi cafodd o/e/hi cas e/hi |
caethon ni cafon ni cawson ni ceson ni |
caethoch chi cafoch chi cawsoch chi cesoch chi |
caethon nhw cafon nhw cawson nhw ceson nhw |
| future | caf i, ca i | cei di | ceith o/e/hi caiff e/hi |
cawn ni cewn ni |
cewch chi | cân nhw, cewn nhw |
| conditional | cawn i celwn i celen i |
caet ti celet ti |
câi fo/fe/hi celai fe/hi |
caen ni celen ni |
caech chi celech chi |
caen nhw celen nhw |
| imperative | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh. | ||||||
Conjugation
Derived terms
- cael i
- cael a chael (“touch and go”)
- cael allan, cael mas (“to find out”)
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “cael”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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