Some prepositions decline to denote person and number. 'Gan' is one of them. Here are the declined forms of 'gan':
| gennyf i | gennym ni |
| gennyt ti | gennych chi |
| ganddo fe | ganddyn nhw |
| ganddi hi |
In some dialects of North Wales you will hear:
| gen i | gynnon ni |
| gen ti | gynnoch chi |
| ganddo fe | gynnyn nhw |
| ganddi hi |
The different meanings of 'gan''
Most prepositions have more than one meaning. Here are some of the most common meanings of 'gan':
|
Mae car newydd ganddi hi
|
She has a new car
|
1. To denote possession
| Cyfieithwyd y Beibl gan William Morgan | The Bible was translated by William Morgan |
3. A preposition corresponding to 'while, as' in English. It is used to refer to something which is happening at the same time as someone else.
| Aeth e, gan feddwl dychwelyd nes ymlaen | He went, thinking about returning later on |
4. 'Gan' is used in some expressions in North Wales.
| Beth sydd orau ganddo fe? | What does he prefer? |
| Mae'n edifar ganddi hi | She regrets |
| Mae'n flin gen i | I'm sorry |
| 'waeth gen i | I don't mind |
| Mae'n well gen i | I prefer |
| Mae'n dda gen i | I'm glad/I'm pleased |
5. To describe illness.
| mae cur pen gen i | I have a headache |
| Mae pigyn clust ganddo fe | He has earache |
| mae cefn tost ganddi hi | She has a bad back/sore back |
6. Gan can mean 'because, since':
| Awn ni i'r traeth gan fod y tywydd yn braf | We will go to the beach since the weather is fine |
7. Gan can also mean 'from'
| Cafodd e gar newydd gan ei dad | He got a new car from his dad |
Some sayings containing the preposition 'gan'
| gan amlaf | usually |
| gan bwyll | carefully; watch it! |
| gan hynny | because of that |
| gan mwyaf | on the whole |