Nia is an aspiring writer from Powys, Wales. She attended Welsh-medium primary and secondary school, and is passionate about preserving the beautiful Welsh language and culture. She speaks some French, and is currently learning Arabic.
Today’s Welsh word of the day is parchus. It can be a little confusing, as it carries the dual meaning of both respectable and respectful. Which interpretation a native speaker naturally leans toward often depends on where in Wales they’re from. parchus respectable / respectful Those who primarily use parchus to mean respectful will often …
My parents’ house is surrounded by porfeydd (grazing fields). I’m quite fond of stopping to converse with the defaid (sheep) that occupy them any time of year – but it’s hard not to be biased towards gwanwyn (springtime), when the ŵyn (lambs) are at their liveliest. There’s this specific little naid (jump) I’ve noticed ŵyn …
The Welsh word for flying or to fly is the verb-noun hedfan. Any time I’ve taught someone this word I’ve told them to remember it by using the name of Harry Potter’s owl, Hedwig! hedfan to fly Sadly, there’s no etymological relationship between these two words! While Hedwig is an old German women’s name, hedfan …
The harsh, hissing sound of the Welsh word hyll has always struck me as a great representation of what it actually means: ugly. hyll ugly You can use hyll to describe masculine, feminine and plural nouns. Although hell is technically the feminine form, it’s not common at all. Hyllion is a bit more familiar, but …
Today’s Welsh word of the day is heddwch, which means peace. It’s hard to think of a more pleasant concept to discuss, so let’s dive right in! heddwch peace If you’re interested in pre-modern Welsh poetry and music, you may well have come across the word hedd, a synonym. In fact, hedd is the older …
Are you fascinated by the wonders of the human corff (body), or the mysteries of gronynnau isatomig (sub-atomic particles)? If it stretches the ymennydd (brain) to talk about gwyddoniaeth (science) in English, let’s kick it up a notch and try discussing this worthy intellectual pursuit in Welsh! gwyddoniaeth science This is a feminine noun, and …
Way back in the day before cyfrifiaduron (computers), I would have had to ysgrifennu (writing) this erthygl (article) with papur (paper), ysgrifbin (pen) and a geiriadur (dictionary). Now that I have a cyfrifiadur (computer) for ysgrifennu and ymchwilio (researching), things are much more convenient! cyfrifiadur a computer cyfrifiaduron computers Cyfrifiadur is a masculine noun. It …
Today’s Welsh word of the day is allwedd, meaning key. It’s as useful a word as the object it describes! It’s a feminine noun, and the plural form is allweddi or allweddau, depending on context, region, and personal preference. allwedd key Until I started writing this article, I hadn’t even realised that it’s largely dialectal. …
Today’s word of the day is the simple cryf, meaning strong. It’s an adjective, although historically it has been sometimes used as a noun to mean a very strong man. cryf strong As with many old Welsh words, the meaning can be more flexible and fluid than you might expect. In every day conversation, it’s …
The Welsh word estyn is used in a variety of ways, to mean reach, stretch, give, or pass. But its most basic meaning, covering the majority of ways in which it’s used in everyday Welsh, is to extend. estyn extend Did you spot a similarity between this word and its English translation? If so, you’d …
