St. Dwynwen’s Day, which takes place on January 25th, is what is known as the Welsh Valentine’s Day, although it celebrates a very different saint!
St. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and a princess who is said to have lived during the 5th century. According to legend, she fell deeply in love with a man named Maelon Dafodrill but because her father, king Brychan Brycheiniog, had already promised her to another man, she was not allowed to marry him.
Dwynwen was so distraught that she asked God to make her forget about her beloved. She was later visited by an angel who granted her wish – and turned poor Maelon into a block of ice in the process!
God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. Her first was that Maelon be thawed. The second was that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers. And the third was that she should never marry.
Having devoted herself to God’s service, Dwynwen founded a covenant on Llanddwyn where the ruins of her church can still be seen today. Today Llanddwyn has become a place of pilgrimage for those in search of love and happiness.
If you want to surprise your beloved on St. Dwynwen this year, why not learn a few romantic Welsh phrases that will make his or her heart flutter? We’ve come up with ten good examples below – let us know in the comments if you can think of any more! ❤️
1. Dw i’n dy garu di.
English translation: I love you.
Let’s begin with the most important romantic phrase of them all: I love you!
In Welsh, the standard way to say I love you is Dw i’n dy garu di. It breaks down as follows: dw i’n (I am), caru (to love), dy…di (you).
However most people tend to shorten this to caru ti in conversation as its shorter, sweeter and not quite as overwhelming.
Find out more about the word for ‘love’ in Welsh in our dedicated article!
2. Dw i wedi syrthio mewn cariad efo ti.
English translation: I’ve fallen in love with you.
If you’re planning to reveal your feelings to someone for the first time, you might want to say that you’ve fallen in love with them.
In Welsh, you can choose between three different verbs for to fall: syrthio, disgyn and cwympo. Syrthio and disgyn are heard more in the north whereas cwympo is used a lot in the south.
Likewise there are different ways to say with in Welsh: gyda, efo and â. The first is heard predominantly in the south, the second is northern, and the third is more formal and can be heard across the country.
Dw i wedi disgyn mewn cariad â ti.
Dw i wedi cwympo mewn cariad gyda ti.
3. Dw i’n dwli arnat ti.
English meaning: I am crazy about you.
A more emphatic way of saying that you love someone is to say that you are crazy about them.
Once again, there are variations on this phrase. The one in the title is very southern whereas the two below are used a lot in the north.
Dw i wedi gwirioni efo ti / arnat ti.
Dw i wedi mopio efo ti / arnat ti.
4. Dw i ar goll yn dy lygaid.
English meaning: I’m lost in your eyes.
Now we’re getting into really soppy territory! The expression ar goll means to be lost whereas the verb colli on its own means to lose or to miss.
5. Ti ydy’r peth gorau a ddigwyddodd i mi.
English meaning: You are the best thing that has happened to me.
You can be sure that this romantic expression will make your beloved blush from head to toe!
Note that in the south, you are more likely to hear yw instead of ydy.
Ti yw’r peth gorau a ddigwyddodd i mi.
6. Aros ‘da fi am byth.
English translation: Stay with me forever.
Here we have an expression that is very appropriate for a marriage proposal.
Increasingly Welsh speakers are using the verb aros on its own to express the imperative, whereas traditionally it is conjugated to arhosa. Both are acceptable imperative forms in spoken Welsh.
In the north, it is more common to hear efo (with) instead of ‘da or gyda.
Aros efo fi am byth.
7. Cusana fi.
English meaning: Kiss me!
Could you be any more direct? 😉
8. Dw i eisiau treulio gweddill fy oes efo ti.
English meaning: I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Here is a second romantic phrase that would fit nicely into a marriage proposal.
The example in the title is what people would tend to say in the north. The southern alternative would replace eisiau (to want) with moyn and efo with gyda or just ‘da.
Dw i’n moyn treulio gweddill fy oes ‘da ti.
9. Dw i’n methu byw hebddot ti.
English meaning: I can’t live without you.
Here we have the one phrase on this list that can either sound very romantic or extremely desperate – it all comes down to how you say it!
In the north, the word methu is used a lot to mean to be unable or to fail. In the south, the equivalent word is ffaelu, which sounds a lot like the word fail in English.
Dw i’n ffaelu byw hebddot ti.
10. Byddwn i’n gwneud unrhyw beth drostat ti.
English meaning: I would do anything for you.
Our final phrase will certainly make your beloved’s heart flutter but be careful – he or she might just take you up on your offer! 😉
In the north, you may hear byddwn replaced by baswn or simply ‘swn.
‘Swn i’n gwneud unrhyw beth drostat ti.
