How to Say “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” in the Welsh Language

Things are certainly starting to feel Christmassy here in Tywyn. The festive street lights have been lit, the high street shops are decorated to the nines with colourful lights and decorations, and our local Father Christmas has paid a visit to most of the villages in the area on his sleigh. Unusually for this time of year, the temperature has fallen below zero, giving the rolling hills of the Dysynni valley a frosty silver sheen in the early hours of the morning. It certainly is a magical time of year! 🙂

One of the most important phrases you can learn this Christmas is of course, how to say “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” in Welsh. Let’s break it down into smaller bite-sized bits, shall we?

Merry Christmas (or Happy Christmas) in Welsh is Nadolig Llawen with Nadolig meaning Christmas and Llawen meaning joyful.

Now, don’t let the spelling of these words scare you: indeed the only sound that’s a bit tricky for English learners is the double L. It is made by preparing your mouth to make a normal L sound and blowing air out of the gaps on either side. Have a listen to the video recording below to hear the correct pronunciation!

Now what about Happy New Year? This translates as Blwyddyn Newydd Dda in Welsh. Once again, the spelling makes it look harder to pronounce than it actually is. Just remember that the double D is pronounced in the same way as the th in the word those. The video below will help you practise.

To connect the two expressions, simply use the word a (meaning “and“). The whole thing can be heard in the popular song Dymunwn Nadolig Llawen (We Wish You a Merry Christmas).