ffaelu

Welsh

Alternative forms

• ffili

Etymology

From English fail +‎ -u.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈfeɨ̯lɨ̞/
• (South Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈfei̯li/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈfiːli/, /ˈfɪli/
• Rhymes: -eɨ̯lɨ̞

Verb

ffaelu (first-person singular present ffaelaf, not mutable)

1. (South Wales) (informal) to fail

   Synonym: methu

   Antonyms: llwyddo, pasio

   Ffaeles i'r prawf.

   I failed the test.

2. (South Wales) (informal) to be unable, cannot

   Synonym: methu

   Antonyms: gallu, medru

   Fi'n ffaelu gweld.

   I can't see.

   (literally, “I fail to see.”)

Conjugation

Conjugation (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	ffaelaf	ffaeli	ffaela	ffaelwn	ffaelwch	ffaelant	ffaelir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	ffaelwn	ffaelit	ffaelai	ffaelem	ffaelech	ffaelent	ffaelid
preterite	ffaelais	ffaelaist	ffaelodd	ffaelasom	ffaelasoch	ffaelasant	ffaelwyd
pluperfect	ffaelaswn	ffaelasit	ffaelasai	ffaelasem	ffaelasech	ffaelasent	ffaelasid, ffaelesid
present subjunctive	ffaelwyf	ffaelych	ffaelo	ffaelom	ffaeloch	ffaelont	ffaeler
imperative	—	ffaela	ffaeled	ffaelwn	ffaelwch	ffaelent	ffaeler
verbal noun	ffaelu
verbal adjectives	ffaeledig ffaeladwy

Conjugation (colloquial)

inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	ffaela i, ffaelaf i	ffaeli di	ffaelith o/e/hi, ffaeliff e/hi	ffaelwn ni	ffaelwch chi	ffaelan nhw
conditional	ffaelwn i, ffaelswn i	ffaelet ti, ffaelset ti	ffaelai fo/fe/hi, ffaelsai fo/fe/hi	ffaelen ni, ffaelsen ni	ffaelech chi, ffaelsech chi	ffaelen nhw, ffaelsen nhw
preterite	ffaelais i, ffaeles i	ffaelaist ti, ffaelest ti	ffaelodd o/e/hi	ffaelon ni	ffaeloch chi	ffaelon nhw
imperative	—	ffaela	—	—	ffaelwch	—

Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Derived terms

• ffaeledig (“feeble”)
• ffaeledd (“failing, defect”)

References

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