Sydd can be a tricky concept to explain, and it takes a bit of practice to get really skilled at using it. The key facts are: The present tense nature of sydd is important to remember. In other tenses, rather than sydd, we simply use the appropriate form of ‘bod’ in the required tense. So …
Everyone knows that modern Welsh is full of English loan words. This is definitely expected given that Wales and England sit next to each other, and it’s almost inescapable when you consider the history of the Welsh language’s endangerment under English linguistic dominance. For better or for worse, English loanwords are part of the fabric …
Since the dawn of time, the moon has always been a point of interest for people andcivilisations all over the world. From tales about werewolves, stories about cheese and old wives tales relating to health issues, us humans have always been fascinated with the connection we have with the moon, and the role it plays …
If you’ve only just started learning Welsh, its pronunciation may seem somewhat daunting at first due to its many double consonants, Ys and Ws. However once you’ve learned the basics, you’ll realise that many of the words are easier to pronounce than you might have expected! How to pronounce DD in Welsh IPA Symbol: /ð/ …
While Welsh is in many ways more regular than English (for example, in its spelling system), lluosogion, or plurals are unfortunately an area in which Welsh is very irregular indeed! In Welsh, there are several ways of forming plurals, which are often used in combination with each other. BBC Bitesize provides a helpful list, which …
Are you at that point in your Welsh-learning journey where you’re confident in the words and phrases you do know, but you’d like to liven things up a bit? One good way to do that is by varying the amount of emphasis you place on different elements of speech. Or maybe you’re just starting out …
There are two kinds of Welsh learners – those who anxiously memorise mutation charts and the gender of nouns, and those who sit back, relax, and hope it will come to them in time. Honestly, there are merits to both approaches. Learning as an adult, it’ll probably take a while for you to get enough …
The genitive or y genidol is the term for words and grammatical structures that denote possession. In Welsh, possession works quite differently from in English. For instance, take a look at these two English phrases: How would you translate these into Welsh? In my experience, most learners have an easier time translating the first phrase …
This year, for the very first time, my son took part in our two local Eisteddfods, singing the beautiful song O Lili Wen Fach—one of the Welsh names for the snowdrop. In fact, every child in Wales aged six and under is learning this song in class, though not all of them go on to …
As with many other languages, the type of Welsh you use in conversation depends on who you’re speaking to. This mainly comes down to the distinction between formal and informal speech. Formal speech is typically used when addressing someone older than you, someone you don’t know personally, or someone in a professional or service role. …