Cymru (Wales) isn’t exactly known for extreme tywydd (weather), unless you count an inordinate amount of days of glaw (rain). That’s probably why many of our words for extreme weather phenomena are actually loan words from English or further afield. One example is tswnami, sometimes spelt swnami… our version of tsunami, if you hadn’t guessed! …
Perhaps the first Welsh word I ever taught fy ngwraig (my wife) was just that – gwraig (wife or woman), the subject of this article. She had a lot of fun trying to pronounce it; it can be difficult condensing the first part, gwr, into one syllable. Here’s my rendition below, along with the plural, …
We all have hopes and dreams for the future. Some of us may aspire to fame, while others are content with the idea of a simple life, surrounded by family, close friends, a home, and a fulfilling job. In Welsh, the word for hope is gobaith, which refers to the desire for something to happen …
How often do we find ourselves in situations that bring a sigh of sadness, anger, or despair, or perhaps a groan of pain, distress, or disapproval? (Too often, I’m afraid!) In Welsh, the verb-noun ochneidio perfectly captures the act of expressing these emotions through such sounds. ochneidio to sigh / to groan Etymologically speaking, it …
Yes, I know what you’re thinking – before we dive in, you’re probably wondering, isn’t “now” in Welsh just nawr or rŵan? Well, it turns out there’s actually a third option – bellach – and its meaning isn’t quite as straightforward as those familiar four-letter words! bellach now / any more But let me backtrack …
When learning a new language, the numbers one to ten are definitely some of the most useful words to have in your arsenal! Today we’re going to talk about the Welsh number pump, which means five. pump five In old Welsh writings, this word was more likely to appear as pymp or pimp, but pump …
The word ennill is a good example of how languages can’t always be easily mapped onto each other, as there’s no one English word that sums up all of its meanings. Ennill means to earn, to win, or to gain. ennill to earn / to win / to gain We don’t know what the exact …
Wouldn’t it be nice if the English word for Cymru, Wales, had something to do with whales? In fact, it comes from an old German word meaning foreigner, and Cymru means just the opposite – compatriot. Neither has anything to do with the large marine mammals that in Cymraeg (Welsh) we call morfilod (whales). morfil …
Did you know that there are a whopping 40,000 churches in the United Kingdom? They’re buildings that are important to many of us, whether that’s for religious reasons, or simply because they’re a space to engage with community, admire beautiful architecture, and take time to reflect. The same is true in Wales, which is home …
There are two words for to wake up in Welsh: deffro and dihuno. As is often the case with common alternatives, the difference comes down to regional dialects—one is more common in the North, and the other in the South. Admittedly, I have a soft spot for the way I speak, and in this case, …