Few animals have had such a great impact on British civilisation as the humble horse. The domestication of horses began in Britain by the 25th century BC and over the years, they have been used for warfare, agriculture and transportation. Today horses are kept mostly for recreational purposes but they remain a much-loved animal across the British Isles and the world.
Have you ever wanted to apologise to somebody in Welsh but weren’t quite sure how? Well, you’ve come to the right place! 🙂
There is a popular saying in Wales: “Anyone can cuddle but only the Welsh can cwtsh!”
‘Cwtsh’ – or cwtch / cwts / cwtsi as it is alternatively spelt – can be loosely translated as “hug” or “cuddle” in English and is pronounced like the word “butch”. It is so popular that the Welsh sometimes use it even when they are speaking in English!
Whether your child passes his exam with flying colours, or your best friend manages to get that long-desired promotion, there are many situations where it’s appropriate to praise someone for a job well done. In English, we have a range of encouraging phrases to choose between but what about in Welsh? Well, it turns out that there are plenty!
If you speak or have ever studied French, you will surely have noticed the many lexical similarities it shares with Welsh. I can remember visiting Wales for the first time as an adult and being in disbelief at how much I could already pick out from the street signs, all thanks to my high school French.
Now, this isn’t because French had a direct influence on Welsh but because French descends primarily from Latin, which was the language of the Romans who conquered Britain in 43 AD.
If you stop and think about how many ways there are of saying “goodbye” in English – from the standard “bye” and “see you later” to the more niche expressions like “cheerio” to “toodle-loo” – it should come as no surprise that Welsh has a wide range of phrases too. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones now! 🙂
The Welsh word for congratulations is … a long one! 😉
I remember it took me ages to learn how to pronounce this word without getting my tongue tied, so don’t worry if it takes you a while for you to master it as well. Let’s break it down into small bite-sized syllables, shall we?
When you sign up for a Welsh course, one of the very first survival phrases you’ll learn is “How are you?”. This “cyfarchiad” (greeting) can be expressed in two different ways:
Depending on where you live in Wales, there are different ways of saying “grandmother” in Welsh.
As you cross the border from England into Wales, you will be greeted by the expression “Welcome to Wales” or “Croeso i Gymru” on most signs.