methu

See also: μέθυ

Welsh

Etymology

meth (“failure”) +‎ -u. Cf. Old Irish methaid. Ultimately from *mettom, a geminate form of Proto-Celtic *metom.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmɛθɨ̞/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈmeːθi/, /ˈmɛθi/
• Rhymes: -ɛθɨ̞

Verb

methu (first-person singular present methaf)

1. to fail

   Synonym: ffaelu

   Antonyms: llwyddo, pasio

   Fe fethais i'r prawf.

   I failed the test.

2. to be unable, cannot

   Synonym: ffaelu

   Antonyms: gallu, medru

   Rydw i'n methu canu.

   I cannot sing.

   (literally, “I fail to sing.”)

Conjugation

Conjugation (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	methaf	methi	metha	methwn	methwch	methant	methir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	methwn	methit	methai	methem	methech	methent	methid
preterite	methais	methaist	methodd	methasom	methasoch	methasant	methwyd
pluperfect	methaswn	methasit	methasai	methasem	methasech	methasent	methasid, methesid
present subjunctive	methwyf	methych	metho	methom	methoch	methont	mether
imperative	—	metha	methed	methwn	methwch	methent	mether
verbal noun	methu
verbal adjectives	methedig methadwy

Conjugation (colloquial)

Inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	metha i, methaf i	methi di	methith o/e/hi, methiff e/hi	methwn ni	methwch chi	methan nhw
conditional	methwn i, methswn i	methet ti, methset ti	methai fo/fe/hi, methsai fo/fe/hi	methen ni, methsen ni	methech chi, methsech chi	methen nhw, methsen nhw
preterite	methais i, methes i	methaist ti, methest ti	methodd o/e/hi	methon ni	methoch chi	methon nhw
imperative	—	metha	—	—	methwch	—
Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Antonyms

• gallu
• medru

Derived terms

• methiant

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
methu	fethu	unchanged	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “methu”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN