Some common greetings in Welsh.

@sharonelton (30242)
Lichfield, England
April 1, 2025 7:05am CST
Last time I did a Welsh lesson somebody said it would be easier to understand if they were simpler, so today I've decided to do a simple Welsh lesson on common greetings, and how to hold a simple conversation with someone. To start, here are some common greetings in Welsh:- Bore da = Good morning (bo-reh dah) Prynhawn da = Good afternoon (prin-hown dah) Noswaith dda = Good evening (nos-waith tha) Nos da = Good night (nohs dah) Sut wyt ti? = How are you? (informal) (sit woyt tee) Sut mae? = How are you? (sit my) Helo = Hello (HEH-lo) Diolch = Thank you (dee-olch) (Remember the ch is pronounced as in the ch in the Scottish loch) Croeso = You're welcome (croy-soh) Hwyl fawr = Goodbye (hoil vowr) Shwmae = Hi/Hello (shoo-my) (commonly used in S.Wales) S'mae = Hi/Hello (smai) (A shorter form, also commonly used in S.Wales) Os gwelwch yn dda = Please (oss gweh-looch un tha) Ie/Nac ydw = Yes/No (Yeah/Nack uh-do) (There are several ways of saying yes/no according to context). And here are some sentences:- Croeso i Gymru = Welcome to Wales (croy-soh ee gum-ree) The G in Gymru has mutated from C due to the soft mutation. Dw i'n hoffi..... = I like.... (doo een hoff-ee) Sut mae'r tywydd? = How's the weather? (sit mair tuh-with) Sut mae'r teulu? = How's the family? (sit mair tay-lee) Beth sy'n newydd? = What's new? (beth seen new-ith) Mae'n ddrwg gen i = I'm sorry (mine throog gen ee) Beth wyt ti'n wneud = What are you doing? (beth woyt teen why-nade) Dw i'n mynd allan = I'm going out (doo een mind ah-lan) Wyt ti'n mwynhau? = Are you enjoying it? (oyt teen moyn-hai) Dw i'n hoffi coffi = I like coffee (doo een hoff-ee coff-ee) (My favourite phrase!) Dw i ddim yn gwybod = I don't know (doo een thim un gwee-bod) Beth yw'r amser? = What time is it? (beth you-r ahm-ser) Alli di helpu fi? = Can you help me? (ah-lee dee help-ee vee) Mae'n braf heddiw = It's nice today (mine brav HEH-thee-oo) Sut mae? Mae'n braf cwrdd a chi = How are you? It's nice to meet you. (sit my. mine brawv kurth ah chee) (The a has an upside down v over it). Bore da! Mae'r tywydd yn braf heddiw, on'd yw hi? = Good morning! The weather is nice today, isn't it? (bo-reh dah! Mair TUH-with un brawv HEH-thee-oo ond you hee) Prynhawn da! Beth sy'n newydd? = Good afternoon! What's new? (prin-hown dah. beth seen new-weeth) Let's break some of that down:- Sut = How. Mae = is. (Together, "How are (things?)" It's a common informal greeting). Mae'n = It is. (Mae = is/'n = it) braf = lovely/fine/nice cwrdd = meet. a chi = with you a with an upside down v on top = with chi = you (formal or plural form). Literal translation = How is (it)? It is nice to meet with you. This phrase is formal and polite, and the use of chi reflects respect. (It's a formal "you"). For casual settings, ti would replace chi to sound more familiar. Bore da = Good morning. (Bore = morning. da = good.) Mae'r = The (is) (Mae = is 'r = The) Tywydd = Weather. yn braf = Fine/lovely (Yn links the adjective to the sentence (a feature of Welsh grammar). Heddiw = Today. On'd yw hi? = Isn't it? (on'd = isn't (a contraction) yw = is. hi = it/she in this context, it). Beth sy'n newydd? Beth = what sy'n = Is (there) or (that) is newydd = new Sample conversation:- (A) Helo! Sut mae? Hello! How are you? (B) Helo! Dw i'n iawn, diolch. Sut mae gyda ti? Hello! I'm fine, thank you. How are you? (A) Da iawn, diolch. Mae'r dydd heddiw yn hyfryd. Very good, thank you. Today is lovely. (B) Ydw, mae'n wych! Yes, it's wonderful. I hope you enjoyed today's Welsh lesson, and I hope I made it easier for you. Have a nice day.
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