As a child, my siblings and I really enjoyed taking part in eisteddfodau (Eisteddfods), a traditional Welsh arts festival based around a series of contests. There’s an organisation, Urdd Gobaith Cymru (The League of Welsh Hope) that organises eisteddfodau for young people, often high-school students. One of my favourite competitions was the ymgom, which in …
I have a bit of a soft spot for words about words – so it’s no surprise that I’m so fond of the Welsh adjective llafar. The Welsh word llafar is best translated as spoken and can refer to something done orally, vocally, or verbally. When describing speech, it often means colloquial. In older usage, …
One fascinating feature of the Welsh language is the use of reflexive verbs, which are formed by adding the prefix ym– to the beginning of a verb. This prefix indicates that the subject of the action is also its recipient, making the verb reflexive in nature. Of course, words change over time, and some words …
One of my favourite walks as a child was to Water-Break-Its-Neck in Warren Wood, near New Radnor. I loved to watch the fierce white dŵr (water) cascade over the cerrig (rocks), amidst thick green mwsogl (moss). Water-Breaks-Its-Neck, of course, is an example of a rhaeadr (waterfall). It’s far from the only one worth visiting in Wales …
When I was about eight or nine, one of my friends from England came to stay with my family and me during the school term, and she even came into school with me for one day. It was definitely a very confusing day for her, as all our lessons were in Welsh! I’m not sure …
Today’s word of the day is mislif (plural: mislifoedd), which means period or menstruation. The menstrual period is also commonly referred to as misglwyf (plural: misglwyfau), so keep an eye out for both of these variations. mislif period Mislif is a masculine noun and is only susceptible to the soft mutation. Soft mutationfislif Nasal mutationN/A …
Cymru (Wales) is famous for its miles and miles of arfordir (coast) – 1680 to be exact. In fact, aside from the land border with Lloegr (England), this small country is surrounded entirely by moroedd (seas). Môr Iwerddon (the Irish Sea), Môr Celtaidd (the Celtic Sea), Môr Cymru (St George’s Channel / Welsh Sea), and …
Do you have a hoff liw (favourite colour)? A lot of people go for porffor (purple). In Welsh as in English, this word functions mainly as an adjective, though it can also be used as a masculine noun. porffor purple It’s no coincidence that porffor starts with the letter p, just like the English translation. …
What’s the single best thing you can do to improve your skills and confidence when speaking a new language? The answer, without a doubt, is sgwrsio (chatting). sgwrsio chatting Since this word comes from sgwrs (a conversation), you might initially be temped to translate it as conversing. This is a fine translation, but I think …
The Welsh word hudol can be used in a variety of ways. Most simply, it means magical, a synonym of dewinol. But it’s also very often used to mean enchanting / bewitching, either in a literal way or to describe attractiveness. As an extension of this, people historically might have also translated it along the …