To report an opinion, Welsh does not use a word for 'that': it swaps 'mae' for 'bod' after verbs like 'credu', 'meddwl' and 'gwybod'. With a pronoun subject, 'bod' takes a possessive: 'ei fod e' (that he is), 'ei bod hi' (that she is), 'eu bod nhw' (that they are).
Examples
- Dw i'n credu bod y broblem yn ddifrifol iawn.
- I think that the problem is very serious.
- Mae'n amlwg ei bod hi'n iawn.
- It's obvious that she's right.
- Dw i'n cytuno i raddau, ond dw i'n meddwl eu bod nhw'n gorliwio.
- I agree to an extent, but I think they're exaggerating.
The mistake to avoid
Keeping 'mae' after 'credu' — 'Dw i'n credu mae...' is wrong; it must be 'Dw i'n credu bod...'.
Where this fits in
Cymdeithas a barn, Welsh B2: Discuss social issues, debate for and against, and talk about media.