How do you celebrate Dydd Gŵyl Dewi (Saint David’s Day)? As a child, I often went into school dressed in traditional Welsh costume, and we’d have a special assembly to sing songs and talk about lessons from the life of Dewi Sant (Saint David). Of course, I don’t do that anymore, but it’s still nice …
As adults, and especially as parents, we find ourselves spending much of our time washing something—whether it’s laundry, dishes, or our children’s dirty hands. That’s why the Welsh word golchi (to wash) is one of the first we tend to learn and frequently use. In fact, the very first phrase I ever learned in Welsh …
Eisiau is a very important Welsh word, used in a wide range of situations. It can be most simply translated as want, but in reality, it covers a variety of meanings, from desire, to need or lack. Although eisiau is technically a noun, it functions as a verbnoun in everyday speech, so we can translate …
Rabbits are ubiquitous in popular culture, entertaining us for decades through the zany antics of Bugs Bunny, the endearing charm of Peter Rabbit, and the tardy, pompous nature of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. But what do the Welsh call this adorably fluffy creature, which ranks fourth as the most popular pet after …
Bread in Welsh is bara (plural: bara), and it’s as much of a staple in Wales as anywhere else. Plenty of classic Welsh dishes rely on bara – from bara brith, a dried fruit loaf flavoured with tea and spices, to caws pobi, the melted cheese-on-toast dish known across the border as Welsh rarebit, to …
The Welsh flag famously features a red dragon (draig goch), but you could argue that the green field it’s standing on is just as important. There are plenty of words for grass in Wales, which makes sense, because the country is well-known for being full of glaswelltiroedd (grassy pastures)and bryniau gwyrddlas gwelltog (grassy green hills). …
One of my favourite facts to tell people about Welsh is that there isn’t really a word for mind. The word meddwl (to think) might be used sometimes, and there is a word for brain (ymenydd). However, the word that is closest in usage to the English mind is probably cof (pl: cofion), which would …
Few books are as useful as a dictionary, whether you are learning a brand new language or trying to improve your knowledge of your mother tongue. In Welsh, this useful tool is known as a geiriadur. geiriadur dictionary Geiriadur is the combination of the plural form of gair, meaning word in Welsh, and the suffix …
If you’ve ever admired Tom Jones’ unique croon, Cerys Matthews’ poetic lyrics, or the lilting melody of a traditional Welsh folk tune, you’ll understand how Wales came to be known as Gwlad y Gân (the Land of Song). Cerddoriaeth (music) is a huge part of Welsh culture, and so it’s definitely worth being able to …
The Welsh word for soft or tender is meddal. The synonym esmwyth is also common, especially when discussing something that is silky or smooth to the touch, such as soft hair (gwallt esmwyth). Both words can be used to describe something that is physically soft, as well as someone’s attitude or personality. Meddal can also …