When we’ve asked learners in the past for words they think are fun in Welsh, archfarchnad (supermarket) has come up more than once. It is a fun one, despite being hard to pronounce!
And it’s also very relevant in most people’s daily lives – so let’s get into it and discuss all things to do with archfarchnadoedd (supermarkets).
archfarchnad
supermarket
archfarchnadoedd
supermarkets
Archfarchnad is made up of two components. The first is arch, a prefix in Welsh which means super or above. It may have actually been borrowed from the English arch, as in archangel, or it could be that the two words just come from the same Latin root, archi.
The second component is marchnad, meaning market. The etymology of marchnad is unclear, but there’s a really interesting possibility that it might actually be a borrowing from Old Norse, specifically the word marknaðr, which is the forefather of marknad in Swedish and Norwegian. This makes for a change when it comes to Welsh etymologies – the vast majority of Welsh words originated either as indigenous Celtic words, borrowings from Latin, or borrowings from English.
So, putting it together, archfarchnad is a very literal equivalent of supermarket, probably at least in part copied from it. It’s just a very fun coincidence that the Welsh version of this compound word happens to rhyme!
Does dim archfarchnad yn ein pentref ni, ond mae ‘na orsaf betrol.
There’s no supermarket in our village, but there is a petrol station.
An archfarchnad is a kind of siop (shop) that includes a very large variety of cynhyrchion (products), especially bwyd (food) and other nwyddau tŷ (household goods).
The format has been very popular, especially in wealthier countries, since the mid-twentieth century. This contrasts with what would previously have been done and still is done in many places – buying one’s bara (bread) at the siop fara (bakery), ffrwythau (fruit) and llysiau (vegetables) at the siop lysiau (greengrocer’s), cig (meat) at the siop gig (butcher’s), and so on.
Although archfarchnadoedd are certainly convenient – who doesn’t like popping out to get the cynhwysion (ingredients) for tonight’s cinio (dinner) and being able to pick up pods golchi dillad (laundry pods) at the same time? – it is a shame that their ubiquity has made things much harder for the small busnesau (businesses) that would have once been people’s go-to for siopa (shopping).
What’s becoming more and more common nowadays is an even more comprehensive siop, the megastore or hypermarket, which combines features of an archfarchnad with that of a siop adrannol (department store), where you’d normally go to buy dillad (clothes), dodrefn (furniture), and perhaps teganau (toys).
Since this is a relatively new phenomenon, there isn’t one agreed-upon word for it in Welsh that everyone uses, but options include uwchfarchnad and goruwchfarchnad.
These kinds of siopau (shops) are very wide-ranging. But in the kind of smaller archfarchnad where most of us do our ordinary shop, the eiliau (aisles) generally include cig, llysiau, ffrwythau, diodydd (drinks), rhewfwydydd (frozen food), cynhyrchion glanhau (cleaning products), cynnyrch llaeth (dairy), prydau parod (ready meals), and nwyddau pobi (baked goods). If you’re lucky, there might also be a disgownt (discount) section!
Mae angen i mi fynd i’r archfarchnad i brynu hylif golchi a sebon.
I need to go to the supermarket to buy washing up liquid and soap.
If you live in an area where people speak Welsh, why not try out some phrases next time you visit the archfarchnad? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting a conversation with a friendly shwmae (hello / how are you) or su’mae (hello / how are you), and then switching to English if it turns out the derbynnydd (cashier) doesn’t speak Welsh.
But you never know – they might! Or they might also be a learner, and eager to practice. If so, you can use some of these phrases:
- Ble mae’r afalau / teisennau / wyau? = Where are the apples / cakes / eggs?
- Faint ydy’r rhain? = How much are these?
- Ga i fag, os gwelwch yn dda? = Can I have a bag, please?
- Ga i dalu efo cerdyn, os gwelwch yn dda? = Can I pay by card, please?
- Hoffwn i’r dderbynneb. = I would like the receipt.
- Diolch yn fawr iawn = Thanks very much.
- Mwynhewch eich diwrnod! = Enjoy your day!
Let us know how you get on!
