Conversational phrases that are entirely different in North and South Wales
It’s completely natural for different regions within a country to develop their own accents and unique pronunciations of the same word. For example, the word “but” is spoken differently in the North and South of England – and Wales is no exception to this linguistic diversity.
But if you’re learning Welsh, you may have noticed that the North and South use entirely different words for certain things – some of which bear no resemblance whatsoever to each other.
In fact, it’s debated that if it wasn’t for the invention of the television, with shows such as Pobl y Cwm exposing Northerners to a completely different accent and vocabulary, that the Welsh language would have actually split in two, leading the Welsh language as we know it today to die in the wake of these two new regional dialects/languages.
So whilst you may be familiar with differences such as ‘lan’ and ‘fyny’ (up), here are some more informal examples that you may commonly hear in conversation.
T’mo? – South / T’go? – North
Meaning: Y’know?
Commonly used in the North as T’go?, if you’re in conversation with a Southerner and they end the sentence with t’mo?, they’re simply saying ‘y’know’? The ‘mo’ has likely merged as a result of shortening ti’n gwybod? (you know?), with the ‘n’ turning into an ‘m’, and dropping everything else apart from the ‘t’ and ‘o’. And it’s almost exactly the same for the Northern version – the ‘t’ remains, with everything else dropped apart from the remaining ‘g’ and ‘o’. Both will sound different, especially considering the accents and tone, but it’s interesting to know that they mean the same thing and essentially derive from the same phrase.
Oedd hi’n ddiwrnod caled, t’mo?
It was a tough day, you know?
Oedd hi’n ddiwrnod caled, t’mo?
It was a tough day, you know?
Moyn / Isho
Meaning: To want
Both moyn and isho are informal versions of the word eisiau (want). Whilst we can see that isho is a direct derivative from the word eisiau (and you’ll sometimes hear Southerners use ishe), it seems that moyn comes from the Old Standard Welsh verb of ymofyn, meaning ‘to search for’ or ‘to seek’. Whilst ymofyn itself isn’t used in modern day Welsh, it’s a testament to the development of the language and is lovely to know that it’s being used alongside its modernised version.
Fi moyn hwn.
I want this.
Dwi isio hwn.
I want this.
‘Co / Fana
Meaning: There
Deriving from the word dacw (if you’re learning Welsh with your young children, you may be familiar with this in the lullaby dacw Mam yn dwad) you’ll likely hear co fe being used in the South as ‘there it is’. Up North, this would be phrased, and therefore sound, pretty different. You may hear fana mae o or mae o’n fana, literally meaning ‘there it is’ or ‘it is there’. Again, if you’re learning Welsh in one region, hearing one of these in conversation may make you question what you’ve learned – but don’t worry, now you know it’s simply a regional difference!
Co’ fe!
There it is!
Fana mae o!
There it is!
Fi / Dwi
Meaning: I am
Strictly speaking, the correct present tense form of bod in the first person singular is Dw i (often written as dwi in everyday use). You’ll also know that fi is the first-person singular pronoun in Welsh. However, in the South you’ll often hear phrases like fi wedi blino, fi ishe, or fi’n mynd tu fas, whereas in the North people would typically say dwi wedi blino, and so on. The forms are clearly related, but it’s worth noting that the South still uses fi in a way that differs from the standard dwi. For learners, this variation can feel confusing, but it’s simply another example of how the North and South of Wales do things a little differently.
Fi ‘di blino
I’m tired
Dwi ‘di blino
I’m tired
Sa’i ‘mo / Mbo
Meaning: Dunno
In writing, it may be clear where these two phrases meet in the middle. They’re both shortened versions of Dw i ddim yn gwybod, with the North version having dropped everything apart from three letters (the ‘m’ signifying the negative and representing the m in dim, the bo representing gwybod), and the South having added sa’i (I don’t) and the ‘mo’ representing the same as the North bo.
The most important thing for any Welsh learner is to immerse yourself in the different varieties of the language. This could mean watching programmes like Rownd a Rownd or Pobol y Cwm (depending on where you are), travelling across our beautiful country, or even attending the National Eisteddfod, where Welsh speakers from every corner of Wales come together. Exploring different accents, dialects, and expressions is one of the best ways to deepen your understanding of both the language and the culture it represents.
