The Welsh Language

Wales / Cymru

The Welsh Language

It is estimated that a quarter of the population of Wales speak Welsh as naturally as they do English - and there are a few thousand people who speak Welsh only. The basic vocabulary of present-day Welsh is Celtic, but it includes a sprinkling of Latin and English. It is a lyrical-sounding language, but very tongue-twisting for outsiders. The Welsh alphabet omits the consonants j, k, q, v, x, and z. It has the one 'f' (pronounced 'v') and adds a double 'ff' (pronounced as the ordinary English 'f'); a double 'dd' (pronounced as 'th' in 'then'); a double 'll' (almost impossible for an outsider pronounce correctly; to get near to the sound, put the tongue at the back of the roof of the mouth and say 'hl').

Saying Hello
The first thing you should know how to say in Welsh is "Hello".

Helo! - this is how you say "Hello" to your friends.
Bore da. - this is how you say "Good morning" to someone.
Noswaith dda. - this is how you say "Good evening" to someone.
Croeso. - "Welcome"

Saying Goodbye

Hwyl or Hwyl fawr - means "Goodbye, have fun".
Da boch - is another way of saying "Goodbye".
Diolch - "Thank you"

Saying Goodnight

Nos da - you only say this last thing at night.

How are you?

Helo, sut wyt ti? - this is how you greet someone and ask how they are.

This list shows the different ways of saying how you are.

yn dda iawn - very well
yn dda - well
yn weddol - fairly well
dim yn dda - not well
yn wael - poorly
yn ofnadwy - terrible

Numbers

1 = un	2 = dau/dwy	3 = tri/tair	4 = pedwar/pedair	5 = pump
6 = chwech	7 = saith	8 = wyth	9 = naw	10 = deg
11 = undeg un	12 = undeg dau	13 = undeg tri	14 = undeg pedwar	15 = undeg pump
16 = undeg chwech	17 = undeg saith	18 = undeg wyth	19 = undeg naw	20 = dauddeg
21 = dauddeg un	22 = dauddeg dau	23 = dauddeg tri	24 = dauddeg pedwar	25 = dauddeg pump
26 = dauddeg chwech	27 = dauddeg saith	28 = dauddeg wyth	29 = dauddeg naw	30 = trideg
40 = pedwardeg	50 = pumdeg	60 = chwedeg	70 = saithdeg	80 = wythdeg
90 = nawdeg	100 = cant

You count the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's in the same way as 20-29

Place Names

Welsh place names, often mystifying at first, become easier to understand when it is realised that they are often made up by joining together a number of separate word elements. When the word 'bryn', for exaple, appears in a place-name it usually denotes a hill; 'llyn' a lake; and 'ynys' an island.

Other meanings of elements in Welsh place names are:

aber, estuary	cwm or dyffryn, valley	pen, headland
afon, river	dit, village	pistyll, waterfall
bach or fach, small	dol, meadow	pwll, pit or pool
bont, bridge	fawr or mawr, large	rhiw, slope
bwlch, pass	glan or lan, shore	rhos, moor or marsh
caer or gaer, fort	gwyn, white	traws, cross
capel, chapel	llan, church	tre, town
coed, wood	maen, boulder	ty, house
coch or goch, red	munydd, mountain	ystwyth, winding