Useful phrases
| Greetings | |
|---|---|
| Cymraeg | English |
| Croeso (i Gymru) | Welcome (to Wales) |
| Helo/Shwmae | Hello |
| Bore da | Good morning |
| Prynhawn da; P'nawn da | Good afternoon |
| Noswaith dda | Good evening |
| Sut dych chi | How are you |
| Iawn | Right/Fine |
| Da iawn | Very good/Well done |
| Go lew | Fine |
| Ddim yn ddrwg | Not bad |
| Gwael! | Awful! |
| Diolch | Thanks |
| Beth amdanoch chi? | What about you? |
| Hwyl fawr! | Goodbye! |
| Hwyl fawr am nawr! | Goodbye for now! |
| Wela i chi! | See you later! |
| Please and thanks | |
|---|---|
| Cymraeg | English |
| Da | Good |
| Drwg | Bad |
| Mae'n ddrwg gyda fi | I'm sorry |
| Esgusodwch fi | Excuse me |
| Iechyd da! | Cheers! (good health) |
| Dw i ddim yn deall | I don't understand |
| Dw i ddim yn gwybod | I don't know |
| Beth yw ... yn Saesneg? | What is ... in English? |
| Beth yw ... yn Gymraeg? | What is ... in Welsh? |
| Ydych chi'n siarad ...? | Do you speak? |
| Saesneg | English |
| Ffrangeg | French |
| Almaeneg | German |
| Sbaeneg | Spanish |
| Eidaleg | Italian |
| Beth yw hwn? | What is this? |
| Beth yw hwnnw? | What is that? |
| Beth yw hwn (hwnnw) yn Gymraeg? | What is this (that) in Welsh? |
| Sut ydych chi'n dweud ... yn Gymraeg? | How do you say ... in Welsh? |
| Os gwelwch yn dda | Please |
| Diolch yn fawr | Thanks very much |
| Dim problem | No problem |
| Croeso | (You're) welcome |
| Ydych chi'n iawn? | Are you OK? |
| Beth sy'n bod? | What's the matter? |
| Does dim ots | It doesn't matter |
| Dim byd | Nothing |
| Dim byd o gwbl | Nothing at all |
| Ble mae ...? | Where is ...? |
| Ble mae'r ty bach? | Where is the toilet? |
Yes and No
Welsh doesn't have a single word to use every time for yes and no questions. The word used depends on the form of the question. You must generally answer using the relevant form of the verb used in the question, or in questions where the verb is not the first element you use either 'ie' / 'nage'. "Ie" is often pronounced "ia" in northern dialects of Welsh.
| Cymraeg | English |
|---|---|
| Ie / Ia | Yes |
| Na | No |
| Oes | There is/are |
| Nag oes | There is/are not |
| Ydy | It is |
| Nag ydy | It isn't |
| Ydw | I am |
| Nag ydw | I'm not |
- Oes and Nag oes are used to answer questions regarding a quantity or existance of an object (i.e. the 3 sg. present indicative of the existential verb).
- Ydy and Nag ydy are the 3 sg. present indicative of the substantive verb 'to be' used, e.g., where the sentence involves a predicate.
- Ydw and Nag ydw are the 1 sg. present indicative of the substantive verb, used either existentially or in the case of predicates.
Examples
| Cwestiwn ac Ateb | Question and Answer | Literal Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Oes ci gyda chi? Oes. (southern Welsh) Oes gennych chi gi? Oes. (northern Welsh) |
Do you have a dog? Yes. | Is there a dog with you? There is. (southern Welsh) Do you have a dog? Yes. (northern Welsh) |
| Oes ci gyda chi? Nac oes. (southern Welsh) Oes gennych chi gi? Nag oes. (northern Welsh) |
Do you have a dog? No. | Is there a dog with you? There is not. |
| Ydy hi'n oer? Ydy. | Is it cold? Yes. | Is it (fem.) cold? It is. |
| Ydy hi'n oer? Nag ydy. | Is it cold? No. | Is it (fem.) cold? It isn't. |
| Ydych chi'n hoffi siocled? Ydw. | Do you like chocolate? Yes. | Are you liking chocolate? I am. |
| Ydych chi'n hoffi siocled? Nag ydw. | Do you like chocolate? No. | Are you liking chocolate? I'm not. |
Numbers
| Numeral | Vigesimal System |
|---|---|
| 1 | un |
| 2 | dau (m.) dwy (f.) |
| 3 | tri (m.) tair (f.) |
| 4 | pedwar (m.) pedair (f.) |
| 5 | pum(p) |
| 6 | chwe(ch) |
| 7 | saith |
| 8 | wyth |
| 9 | naw |
| 10 | deg |
| 11 | un ar ddeg/Un deg un |
| 12 | deuddeg/Un deg dau |
| 13 | Un deg tri |
| 14 | Un deg pedwar |
| 15 | Un deg pump |
| 16 | un deg chwech |
| 17 | un deg saith |
| 18 | un deg wyth |
| 19 | un deg naw |
| 20 | ugain. Dau deg |
Days of the week
When referring to the evening or night of a particular day, Nos precedes the name of the day (and a soft mutation takes place), otherwise the name of the day is preceded by Dydd.
| English | Cymraeg (Dydd) | Cymraeg (Nos) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Dydd Llun | Nos Lun |
| Tuesday | Dydd Mawrth | Nos Fawrth |
| Wednesday | Dydd Mercher | Nos Fercher |
| Thursday | Dydd Iau | Nos Iau |
| Friday | Dydd Gwener | Nos Wener |
| Saturday | Dydd Sadwrn | Nos Sadwrn |
| Sunday | Dydd Sul | Nos Sul |
Months of the year
| Cymraeg | English |
|---|---|
| Ionawr | January |
| Chwefror | February |
| Mawrth | March |
| Ebrill | April |
| Mai | May |
| Mehefin | June |
| Gorffennaf | July |
| Awst | August |
| Medi | September |
| Hydref | October |
| Tachwedd | November |
| Rhagfyr | December |
Seasons of the year
| Cymraeg | English |
|---|---|
| Gwanwyn | Spring |
| Haf | Summer |
| Hydref | Autumn |
| Gaeaf | Winter |
Common phrases
- Welsh (language): Cymraeg (kum-RAig / kum-ra:g)
- English (language): Saesneg (SAY-sneg / SIS-neg)
- Good morning!: Bore da! (bo-re da)
- Good afternoon!: P'nawn da! (p'nown da)
- Welcome!: Croeso! (KROY-so)
- Goodbye!: Da boch chi! (da BO-khi)
- Cheerio!: Hwyl fawr! (hooil vowR)
- Good night!: Nos da! (no:s da)
- Please: Os gwelwch chi'n dda (oss GWEL-oo-khin dha)
- Thank you: Diolch (DEE-olkh)
- Thank you very much: Diolch yn fawr (DEE-olkh'n vowR)
- You're welcome: Croeso (krojso)
- No thank you: Dim diolch (dim dee-olkh)
- Yes: Ie (EE-eh), Do (do:), Oes (oyss / o:s), Ydy (UD-ee) etc.
There are many different ways of saying “yes” or no, depending on the context
To answer “yes” you must use a response which is in grammatical agreement with the question.
“Oes...?” (Is there...?) is answered with “Oes” (Yes there is).
“Ydy...?” (Is he/she...?) is answered with “Ydy” (Yes he/she is).
“Ydw...?” (Am I...?) would however be answered appropriately with “Ydych” (Yes you are) and vice versa.
“Ie” (Yes) is used when the verb is not the initial element of the question.
“Do” (Yes I did, Yes you did, etc.) is used in reply to questions in the past tense, although in several dialects it is also used in the present tense.
- No: Na (nah)
To contradict someone or to give a more definite “no” you can however precede the words for “yes” with “na” or “nag”, e.g. “Nag oes!” (No there isn’t!) (The opposite of Do is Naddo.)
- (I’m) sorry!: Mae'n flin gen i! (mai'n vleen Gen ee)
- Isn’t it? Wouldn’t it? Aren’t they? Won’t we? etc.: Ynte? (un-teh)
- Cheers! Good health!: Iechyd da! (YEKH-id dah)