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.
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!
llongyfarchiadau
congratulations
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?
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.
The Welsh word for “blue” is glas or las in its mutated form following feminine nouns.
Dark blue is glas tywyll or dulas, whereas light blue is glas golau or goleulas.
glas
blue
Washed-up jellyfish on the beach are a very common sight in Wales, especially during the summer months. Despite their fearsome reputation, most species are actually quite harmless, inflicting just a mild sting. That said, there are a vicious few such as the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish that can do plenty of damage, even posthumously, so unless you know your jellyfish really well, it’s probably best to avoid touching them!
The Welsh word for dog is ci, or cŵn in the plural form. Because it is a masculine noun, it never mutates after the definite pronoun ‘y’. (e.g. Y ci du – The black dog)
ci
dog
You simply cannot visit Wales without encountering “Y Ddraig Goch” – the iconic red dragon that adorns the Welsh flag, as well as most souvenirs you’ll end up buying in Wales.
draig
dragon
Did you know that the most searched-for Welsh word on the web is microwave? (With the possible exception of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, of course!)
The widely accepted word is for microwave in Welsh is popty microdon (or just microdon) with popty meaning oven and microdon meaning microwave.
popty microdon
microwave