eisiau

Welsh

Alternative forms

• isio (North Wales)
• isie (South Wales)

Etymology

From Middle Welsh eisseu, from Proto-Brythonic *eisɨɣu, related to the laterLatin exiguus (“having required”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯ʃaɨ̯/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈɪʃɔ/
• (South Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈei̯sjai̯/, /ˈei̯ʃai̯/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈiːʃɛ/, /ˈɪʃɛ/, /ˈiːsɛ/, /ˈɪsɛ/
• Rhymes: -ei̯sjaɨ̯

Noun

eisiau m (uncountable)

1. (with bod and a preceding subject; functioning as a verbnoun) want

   Dw i eisiau diod.

   I want a drink.

   Dw i eisiau yfed.

   I want to drink.

   Mae hi eisiau diod hefyd.

   She wants a drink too.

2. (with bod, a noun, pronoun or numeral and the preposition ar) need

   Mae eisiau diod arna i.

   I need a drink.

   Mae eisiau diod arni hi hefyd.

   She needs a drink too.

3. (with bod and an i-content clause) need

   Mae eisiau i mi yfed.

   I need to drink.

4. (literary) want (with bod and preposition ar)
   • 1588, Y Beibl cyssegr-lan, Salm 23:1:

     Yr Arglwydd yw fy Mugail; ni bydd eisiau arnaf.

     The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Usage notes

• In sense 1, because eisiau is a noun, it does not use yn with bod and has no stem, meaning it must be used periphrastically. See angen (“need”) and ofn (“be afraid of”) for similar examples.

Synonyms

• (want): bod am (verb)
• (want): moyn (South Wales) (verb)
• (need): angen

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
eisiau	unchanged	unchanged	heisiau
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.