ddaru

Welsh

Etymology

From Literary Welsh darfu (i) (“it happened (to)”), third-person singular preterite of darfod (“to happen”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈðarɨ̞/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈða(ː)ri/
• Rhymes: -arɨ

Verb

ddaru (defective; invariable)

1. (North Wales, colloquial) Auxiliary verb used to form a periphrastic preterite.
   • 22/29 December 1989, Y Faner, p. 18:

     Ddaru chi ganu?

     Did you sing?

   • 1991, Angharad Tomos, Si Hei Lwli, Talybont: Gwasg y Lolfa, p. 58:

     Chwerthin a chwerthin ddaru ni.

     We laughed and laughed.

Usage notes

Exceptionally this verb form may use the unmutated first-person singular pronoun mi instead of the usual i; this is a relic of the original literary construction which would use i mi (“to me”).