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 chatting better captures the casual and friendly way the word is used in Welsh. Its meaning sits somewhere between to chat, to converse, and simply to talk. I’m sure you’ll soon find yourself using it all the time!
There is quite a bit of variation in both the spelling and pronunciation of this word. Alternative forms include sgwrso, ysgwrsio, and sgyrsio. Additionally, its pronunciation can vary along a spectrum, ranging from the way I’ve said it above to a different, more distinct version, like the one below:
This is more common in the South of Wales.
Some people may use more of a sc than a sg sound at the beginning of the word. This is especially common with second-language siaradwyr (speakers) since sg is not a common sound in English. Either way, it’s a very subtle difference.
As I mentioned, this word originates from sgwrs (a conversation), which in turn is a shortening of disgwrs, which was borrowed from Middle English. You’d probably never have guessed that sgwrsio was a cousin of the English word discourse, but there you go!
Sgwrs is a feminine noun, and the plural is sgyrsiau or sometimes sgwrsus. It’s also the ancestor of the words sgyrsiol (conversational) and sgwrsiwr (chatter).
You can also use sgwrs as the basis for cael sgwrs (to have a chat), which is a synonym for sgwrsio. And it’s not the only one – there are plenty of colloquial Welsh words for chatting, though none are as widely used as sgwrsio. Why not add a bit of variety to your sgwrs by using words like clepian, cloncian, janglo, and loia?
There are also some slightly more formal synonyms, like ymddiddan or ymgomio. By virtue of seeming more literary, they’d be more often used as a translation of converse. Trafod, to discuss, can also sometimes be used in a similar sense.
Sgwrsiais â mam ar y ffôn yn gynharach.
I chatted to mum on the phone earlier.
The most common way to use sgwrsio is with the preposition â (with). In Welsh, we don’t literally translate “chatting to” or “speaking to” – we always say we’re speaking with someone. It’s a bit nicer, if you think about it!
You can also say sgwrsio gyda or sgwrsio efo, which also mean to chat with, but â is the most common choice.
Technically, â should cause an aspirate mutation to words that follow it – so sgwrsio â phlisman (chatting to a policeman), where plisman has taken an aspirate mutation. But this is usually omitted in informal situations. You won’t get in any trouble for sgwrsio â plisman!
Aside from the basic sgwrsio â, this word and its parent word, sgwrs, are also the basis of a lot of other useful phrases:
- sgwrsio am = to chat about
- tynnu sgwrs â rhywun = to chat someone up
- ar ben sgwrs pawb = to be talked about by everyone
- sioe sgwrsio = a chat show
- cynnal sgwrs = to hold a conversation
- sgwrsio yn y Gymraeg = to chat in Welsh
A oes rhywbeth yr hoffech chi sgwrsio amdano?
Is there something you’d like to chat about?
One resource I would wholeheartedly recommend to Welsh learners is Y Podlediad Dysgu Cymraeg (The Welsh Learning Podcast) on Radio Cymru. It’s a series of various different podlediadau (podcasts), almost all in the Welsh language, targeted at Welsh speakers of various abilities.
There’s so much to choose from – there are interviews with Welsh celebrities, short clips from TV and radio edited with learners in mind, and videos sent in by listeners discussing yr iaith (the language) and the learning process.
I always tell my friends who are learning y Gymraeg (Welsh) to listen to Sgwrsio, which is one of the podcasts published by Y Podlediad Dysgu Cymraeg. It’s produced by learners speaking together, so the language used is fairly simple. You’ll sometimes hear the speakers make mistakes, but you’ll also hear them discussing those mistakes and supporting each other to learn!
Whether you’re confident enough to start sgwrsio yourself, or if gwrando (listening) to others through resources like Sgwrsio is the best option for you right now, genuine sgwrsys are, without a doubt, the best way to experience a language. Why not start one today?
