"You must not swim."
Translation:Mae rhaid i chi beidio â nofio.
I put 'mae rhaid i chi ddim nofio' and was wrong. What did I actually say?
Use of the "y" particle is a part of the formal/literary langauge which we do not aim to teach on the course. A sign for "You must not swim" would be "Mae rhaid i chi beidio â nofio" (The â can be dropped in colloquial speech, but signs are often written in more formal language), although a more likely alternative would be "Ni chanieteir nofio" (Swimming is not allowed/forbidden- although this is very formal language). "Pediwch (â) nofio would be "Do not swim".
I understand the omission of "Y" for the sake of teaching a less formal/literary version of the language. HoweverI would suggest that "Peidiwch nofio" without the a carries a far stronger sense of the 2nd person impersonal imperative - literally, "(You) Don't Swim"- is not therefore colloquial, is far more likely to be used as a prohibitive sign and should at least be recognised by Duolingo (which by the way I think is excellent) under " you could also say"
As stated on Gweiadur.com "'peidio â’ sy’n fanwl gywir." ( It is 'Peidio â' which is precicelsy correct). "Peidiwch â nofio" and "Peidiwch nofio" both translate the same and carry the same meanings, "Peidiwch â" is simply considered to be the more correct form and is what would be seen on any official sign, with the "â" only being dropped in informal/colloquial language. However dropping the "â" is included in the course. Also it's worth noting that "Peidiwch" is the second person imperative (no impersonal in there), the impersonal imperative is "Peidier" but this is rarely used.
Hawlfraint © Gwerin (www.gwerin.com) 2005 - 2018. Cedwir pob hawl.
@EllisVaughan is spot on here.
Peidiwch â + aspirate mutation = formal
Peidiwch â + no mutation = informal, usually northern
Peidiwch + no mutation = informal, usually southern
Hence, "Don't walk" would be:
Peidiwch â cherdded on a sign
Peidiwch â cerdded when a northerner is speaking
Peidiwch cerdded when a southerner is speaking