In my experience, Cymru (Wales) is no different to the rest of Ewrop (Europe) when it comes to caws (cheese) – we love it! This word behaves a bit weirdly when it comes to plurals. Many people simply say cawsiau to mean cheeses, but this is a bit of a modern innovation. caws cheese Technically, …
Any good linguist will tell you that languages aren’t isolated, scientific phenomena—they are deeply woven into the history and culture of the people who speak them. With that in mind, learning Welsh isn’t just about mastering vocabulary and grammar; it’s about immersing yourself in the country’s rich traditions. Perhaps the most iconic of these is …
The Welsh word for long is hir. I know what you’re thinking – it’s a very short word for such a long concept! hir long The word hir existed in both Middle and Old Welsh, and even in Brittonic, which was the parent language of Old Welsh, Old Cornish, Old Breton, and the now sadly …
Today’s Welsh word of the day is the simple cyllell (knife), the plural of which is cyllyll (knives). This can be used to describe a llafn (blade) for combat, hunting, or craftsmanship, but in most people’s lives, cyllyll most often come in handy in the cegin (kitchen). cyllell knife If you’re a new Welsh speaker …
Whether it’s on the way to the swyddfa (office), or in a desperate hurry to catch a trên (train), we’ve all been in a situation where we need to rush. The word rush in English generally conveys two things – that we’re under time pressure to do something, and that we’re moving very fast in …
The word gwyn (white) crops up a lot in Welsh poetry, proverbs, and folklore. This is because, as well as being the simple word for a common lliw (colour), it carries religious and mythical undertones relating to blessings and sacredness. gwyn white Its etymology, on the other hand, is fairly mundane. It comes directly from …
Do you have a favourite kind of mwyar / aeron (berries)? I have to admit I find it pretty hard to choose, especially living in the UK where we have so many wonderful options right on our doorstep! One particularly delicious kind of mwyaren (berry) is the sweet and nutritious mafonen (raspberry). Mafon (raspberries) is …
Today’s Welsh Word of the Day is cwmwl (cloud). Along with glaw (rain), clouds are probably the most consistent feature of Welsh weather. Growing up, awyr las (a blue sky) was a rare sight, but it never bothered me; I remember going to the traeth (beach) on grey overcast days and having a great time …
In modern Welsh, the most commonly used word for witch is probably gwrach. Its plural is gwrachod. gwrach witch The etymology of gwrach is uncertain. It seems to come from the Celtic *urakka, but prior to that, the derivation is unclear. An interesting comparison is the word gwraig, which means wife or sometimes woman, and …
Today’s word of the day is sebon, meaning soap. It’s a masculine noun, and the plural form is sebonau, or sometimes, though much more rarely, sebons. You’re more likely to need the plural of bar sebon (a bar of soap), though – which is barrau sebon. sebon soap You might have noticed how similar sebon …