One of the most universal experiences when learning a new language – or, to be honest, speaking in any language! – is baglu [dros eich] geiriau (tripping over words). Baglu means to trip or to stumble. It can be very literal, as in baglu dros eich traed (tripping over your feet), or metaphorical, as in …
Recently, I’ve been looking forward to visiting my parents’ house even more than normal, since they recently got a ci bach. Ci bach means puppy, but it is also literally a small dog. In reality Penny (that’s her name) is going to be a very big ci indeed, because she’s a ci Labrador (Labrador). Specifically, …
Do you have any Welsh words you’ve learnt that you think are particularly hyfryd (lovely)? If so, we’d love to hear about them – and you never know, maybe one will be our next word of the day! But today’s word of the day is hyfryd itself, an adjective that’s pronounced like this: hyfryd lovely …
Llipa is a word that to me really sounds like what it means – limp, flaccid, or floppy. It can also be used in a non-literal sense to mean that something is weak or feeble, as in the phrase esgus llipa (a feeble excuse). Antonyms for llipa could include caled (hard) and cryf (strong), since …
I’ve always loved the Welsh word clustog, meaning cushion or pillow, because I find it so unique, with the first part of the word clust meaning ear. You’d think that naming pillows after ears wouldn’t be that common, but in actuality I was wrong – clustog’s not unique because French has the very same construction …
Our Welsh word of the day today is gwag. This is an adjective which means empty – including empty-headed! It can also, for some contexts, mean vain. The antonym is llawn or llond (full), depending on the context. gwag empty Gwag has been a Welsh word for a very long time, appearing in Old Welsh …
Our Welsh word of the day today is helynt (trouble). This noun can mean trouble as in difficulty or bother, and it can also mean trouble more as in a specifically trafferthus (troublesome) situation, like a predicament. It doesn’t mean trouble as in someone’s worries or things that are troubling them; this would be pryderon …
If you’ve been learning Welsh for a while, you may have already encountered our word of the day today, which is afon (river). The plural is afonydd (rivers). This –ydd is a fairly common plural ending in Welsh; for example, it’s used in chwiorydd (sisters). Many, but not all, nouns that are pluralised with –ydd …
The past two months, I’ve been suffering with what seems like a never-ending peswch, the Welsh word for cough. I’ve been given a cwrs o wrthfiotigau (course of antibiotics), so now it’s just a matter of waiting for them to kick in! peswch cough The plural of this masculine noun is pesychiadau. Notice how the …
How do you like to cadw’n heini (keep fit / stay active)? Heinifrwydd or, more commonly, ffitrwydd (physical fitness) is a complex subject since there are many factors – personal and societal – that influence someone’s level of iechyd (health) and abledd (ability). And the word heini is a complex word, too, since though it’s …