# cael
## Welsh
### Alternative forms

* caffael, caffel

### Etymology

A complex, suppletive merger of two separate Celtic verbs into one paradigm.
* The forms outside of the present first-person singular that contain an -f- or -ff-, and also cas, come from Middle Welsh caffael, from Old Welsh cephitor (pres. impersonal) and cepi (pres. 2sg.), from Proto-Brythonic *kėβɨd, from Proto-Celtic *gabyeti (“to take”). Compare Cornish kavos and Breton kavout.
* The other forms without an -f- or -ff- (and pres. 1sg. caf) are from Middle Welsh cael, from Old Welsh ci (pres. 2sg.), from Proto-Brythonic *kėɣɨd, from Proto-Celtic *kageti (“to get”), a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *kagʰ- (“to hold”).

### Pronunciation

* (North Wales) IPA: (standard) /kaːɨ̯l/, (colloquial) /kaːl/
* (South Wales) IPA: (standard) /kai̯l/, (colloquial) /kaːl/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -aːɨ̯l, -aːl

### Verb

cael (first-person singular present caf)
* to get, receive; to have (experience)
    cael anrheg ― to get a present
    cael brecwast ― to have breakfast, to get breakfast
    cael gair ― to have a word
* (chiefly future or conditional tense) to get to, be allowed to, may (with a verbal noun)
    Gawn ni weld y ffilm hwyr heno?Will we get to see/May we see the late film tonight?
    Cewch.Yes (you may).
    Gaen ni fynd allan pe tasen ni'n gorffen ein gwaith cartre?Might we go out/Would we be allowed to go out if we finished our homework?
** to be allowed to have, may have (with a noun)
    Cei di ddiod.You may have a drink.
    Ga i docyn i Gaerdydd?May I have a ticket to Cardiff?
* (chiefly informal, colloquial) used with a possessive determiner (agreeing with the subject) and a verbal noun to form a construction with passive meaning
    Mae’r tŷ’n cael ei godi.The house is being built.(literally, “The house is having its building.”)
    Gaeth Terry ei tharo gan bêl eira.Terry was hit (got hit) by a snowball.

#### Usage notes

In more formal Welsh, the passive voice is formed using the impersonal verb forms:
    Codir y tŷ. ― The house is being built. (literally, “[One] builds the house.”)

#### Conjugation

| Literary forms | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural | impersonal |
| Literary forms | first | second | third | first | second | third | impersonal |
| present indicative/future | caf | cei | caiff | cawn | cewch | cânt | ceir |
| imperfect indicative/conditional | cawn | cait, caet | câi | caem | caech | caent | ceid |
| preterite | cefais, ces | cefaist, cest | cafodd, cas, cafas (obsolete), cadd (poetic) | cawsom | cawsoch | cawsant | cafwyd, caed, cad |
| pluperfect | cawswn | cawsit | cawsai | cawsem | cawsech | cawsent | cawsid |
| present subjunctive | caffwyf | ceffych | caffo | caffom | caffoch | caffont | caffer |
| imperfect subjunctive | caffwn, cawn | caffit, cait | caffai, câi | caffem, caem | caffech, caech | caffent, caent | ceffid |
| imperative | — | — | caffed, caed | — | — | caffent, caent | caffer, caer |
| verbal noun | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel | cael, caffael, caffel |
| verbal adjectives | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy | caffaeledig caffaeladwy |
| Inflected colloquial forms | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural |
| Inflected colloquial forms | first | second | third | first | second | third |
| preterite | ces i, cetho i | cest ti | caeth o/e/hi cafodd o/e/hi cas e/hi | caethon ni cafon ni cawson ni ceson ni | caethoch chi cafoch chi cawsoch chi cesoch chi | caethon nhw cafon nhw cawson nhw ceson nhw |
| future | caf i, ca i | cei di | ceith o/e/hi caiff e/hi | cawn ni cewn ni | cewch chi | cân nhw, cewn nhw |
| conditional | cawn i celwn i celen i | caet ti celet ti | câi fo/fe/hi celai fe/hi | caen ni celen ni | caech chi celech chi | caen nhw celen nhw |
| imperative | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh. |||||||

#### Derived terms

* cael i
* cael a chael (“touch and go”)
* cael allan, cael mas (“to find out”)

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “cael”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies