Welsh

Lynne ydw i – Am I Lynne?

Lynne dw i – I am Lynne

THE WELSH ALPHABET: (28 letters)

A, B ,C ,Ch, D, Dd, E, F, Ff, G, Ng, H, I, L
Ll, M, N, O, P, Ph, R, Rh, S, T, Th, U, W, Y

(Note that Welsh does not possess the letters J, K, Q, V, X or Z, though you will often come across “borrowings” from English, such as John, Jones, Jam and Jiwbil (Jubilee); Wrexham (Wrecsam); Zw (Zoo).

THE VOWELS: (A, E, I, U, O, W, Y)

A as in man. Welsh words: am, ac Pronounced the same as in English)

E as in bet or echo. Welsh words: gest (guest); enaid (enide)

I as in pin or queen. Welsh words: ni (nee); mi (me); lili (lily); min (meen)

U as in pita: Welsh words: ganu (ganee); cu (key); Cymru (Kumree); tu (tee); un (een)

O as in lot or moe. Welsh words: o’r (0re); don (don); dod (dode); bob (bobe)

W as in Zoo or bus. Welsh words: cwm (koom), bws (bus); yw (you); galw (galoo)

Y has two distinct sounds: the final sound in happy or the vowel sound in myrrh Welsh words: Y (uh); Yr (ur); yn (un); fry (vree); byd (beed)

All the vowels can be lengthened by the addition of a circumflex (ä), known in Welsh as “to bach” (little roof). Welsh words: Tän (taan), län (laan)

THE DIPHTHONGS:

Ae, Ai and Au are pronounced as English “eye”: ninnau (nineye); mae (my); henaid (henide); main (mine); craig (crige)

Eu and Ei are pronounced the same way as the English ay in pray. Welsh words: deisiau (dayshy), or in some dialects (deeshuh); deil (dale or dile); teulu (taylee or tyelee)

Ew is more difficult to describe. It can be approximated as eh-oo or perhaps as in the word mount. The nearest English sound is found in English midland dialect words such as the Birmingham pronunciation of “you” (yew). Welsh words: mewn (meh-oon or moun); tew (teh-oo)

I’w and Y’w sound almost identical to the English “Ee-you.” or “Yew” or “You”: Welsh words: clyw (clee-oo); byw (bee-you or b’you); menyw (menee-you or menyou)

Oe is similar to the English Oy or Oi. Welsh words: croeso (croyso); troed (troid); oen (oin)

Ow is pronounced as in the English tow, or low: Welsh word: Rhown (rhone); rho (hrow)

Wy as in English wi in win or oo-ee: Welsh words: Wy (oo-ee); wyn (win); mwyn (mooin)

Ywy is pronounced as in English Howie. Welsh words: bywyd (bowid); tywyll (towith)

Aw as in the English cow. Welsh words: mawr (mour); prynhawn (prinhown); lawr (lour)

THE CONSONANTS:
For the most part b, d, h, l, m, n, p, r, s, and t are pronounced the same as their English equivalents (h is always pronounced, never silent). Those that differ are as follows:

C always as in cat; never as in since. Welsh words: canu (Kanee); cwm (come); cael (kile); and of course, Cymru (Kumree)

Ch as in the Scottish loch or the German ach or noch. The sound is never as in church, but as in loch or Docherty. Welsh words: edrychwn (edrych oon); uwch (youch ), chwi (Chee)

Dd is pronounced like the English th in the words seethe or them. Welsh words: bydd (beethe); sydd (seethe); ddofon (thovon); ffyddlon (futh lon)

Th is like the English th in words such as think, forth, thank. Welsh words: gwaith (gwithe); byth (beeth)

F as in the English V. Welsh words: afon (avon); fi (vee); fydd (veethe); hyfryd (huvrid); fawr (vowr), fach (vach)

Ff as in the English f. Welsh words: ffynnon (funon); ffyrdd (furth); ffaith (fithe)

G always as in English goat, gore. Welsh words: ganu (ganee); ganaf (ganav); angau (angeye); gem (game)

Ng as in English finger or Long Island. Ng usually occurs with an h following as a mutation of c. Welsh words Yng Nghaerdydd (in Cardiff: pronounced ung hire deethe) or Yng Nghymru (in Wales: pronounced ung Humree)

Ll is an aspirated L. That means you form your lips and tongue to pronounce L, but then you blow air gently around the sides of the tongue instead of saying anything. Got it? The nearest you can get to this sound in English is to pronounce it as an l with a th in front of it. Welsh words: llan (thlan); llawr (thlour); llwyd (thlooid)

Rh sounds as if the h come before the r. There is a slight blowing out of air before the r is pronounces. Welsh words: rhengau (hrengye); rhag (hrag); rhy (hree)

Greetings and Introductions

  • Hello – Helo hel-o
  • Good morning – Bore da bore-rare-daa
  • Good afternoon – Pnawn da p-now-n-daa
  • Good evening – Noswaith dda nos-why-th-dda
  • Who are you? – Pwy dych chi? poo-ee-dich-ee
  • Good night – Nos da nos-daa
  • Goodbye – Hwyl who-il
  • ch as in the scotish loch

Polite Pleasantries

  • How are you? – Sut dych chi? (South) should-ich-ee?
  • How are you? – Sut dach chi? (North) sid-ach-ee?
  • Not bad – Dim yn ddrwg dim-un-ddroog
  • Fair – Gweddol g’where dd’oll (rhymes with ‘doll’)
  • Fine/OK – Iawn yown (rhymes with ‘town’)
  • Very well – Da iawn dar-yown
  • Thank you – Diolch dee-all’ch
  • And you? – A chi? ah-chee

Good Manners

  • Please – Os gwelwch yn dda os-g’well-ooch-un-ddah
  • Thank you – Diolch dee-all’ch
  • Thank you very much – Diolch yn fawr dee-all’ch-un-vow’r
  • Excuse me – Esgusodwch fi es-gis-od-ooch-vee
  • May I help you – Ga i helpu ga-ee-help-ee
  • I’m sorry – Mae’n flin ‘da fi (South) mine-vleen-dah-vee
  • sorry – Mae’n ddrwg gen i (North) mine-ddroog-gen-ee (‘g’ as in ‘go’)
  • You’re welcome – Croeso crois-or
  • Don’t mention it – Peidiwch � s�n pay-dee’ooch-ah-sawn
  • That’s ok – Popeth yn iawn pop-eth-un-yown (rhymes with town)

Counting

  • 1 – Un een
  • 2 – Dau die
  • 3 – Tri tree
  • 4 – Pedwar ped-ooar
  • 5 – Pump pimp
  • 6 – Chwech ch’ware’ch
  • 7 – Saith sigh’th
  • 8- Wyth oo-ith
  • 9 – Naw naaw
  • 10 – Deg dairg

Days Of The Week

  • Sunday – Dydd Sul deedd-seal
  • Monday – Dydd Llun deedd-llean
  • Tuesday – Dydd Mawrth deedd-ma’oo’rth
  • Wednesday – Dydd Mercher deedd-m’air’ch-air
  • Thursday – Dydd Iau deedd-ee’eye
  • Friday – Dydd Gwener deedd-gwen-air
  • Saturday – Dydd Sadwrn deedd-sad-oorn