Formal and written Welsh avoids naming a doer by adding '-ir' (present/future) or '-wyd' (past) to the verb stem: 'cyhoeddir' (is published), 'cyhoeddwyd' (was published). It carries no person at all, so it is far more formal than the everyday 'cael' passive ('cafodd y llyfr ei gyhoeddi').
Examples
- Cyhoeddwyd y gyfrol gyntaf ym 1990.
- The first volume was published in 1990.
- Gwelir problemau tebyg ledled Cymru.
- Similar problems are seen throughout Wales.
- Cafodd y llyfr ei gyhoeddi gan wasg fach.
- The book was published by a small press.
The mistake to avoid
Adding a subject pronoun — 'gwelir' already means 'one sees / is seen', so 'gwelir e' for 'it is seen' is wrong.
Where this fits in
Mynegiant a naws, Welsh C1: Master register, idiomatic expression, and emotional nuance.