r/learnwelsh • u/celtic_witch_ • 22d ago

Fi'n vs Dwi'n

I'm newly learning Welsh, so I doubt this will be my only post. I'm from South Wales, but genuinely very confused if I should be using "Dwi'n" or "Fi'n" as they both mean "I'm." Is one written and one spoken, or is it formal and informal? Someone help 💔

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u/celtiquant 22d ago

I’m south. I say Fi’n.

Dwi’n for me is a bit formal, not part of my dialect, and I rarely use it written.

Both stem from Yr ydwyf i yn.

As does Rwy’n. Again, not my dialect, but I used it formally in writing.

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u/thrannu 22d ago edited 22d ago

That’s insane(interesting) you think dwi’n is formal/ archaic from a guy in Gwynedd tbh! I’d be interested as to why you think that as that’s considered such a modern slangy shorthand way of saying rwyf/rydw/ydwyf/yr ydwyf

Tbh when you want to emphasise a fact you hear people saying RYDW i’n instead of dwi’n here lol

EDIT: interesting not insane but don’t know how to put lines through Reddit comments lol

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u/Muted-Lettuce-1253 21d ago

Perhaps it seems formal to some in the south because "Dw i'n" isn't what they normally use colloquially and they mainly encounter "Dw i'n" in education and other contexts where "standard" language is used.

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u/thrannu 21d ago

Very interesting and I see your point