Useful Welsh phrases

Mid-Wales is a Welsh language heartland and when you’re out and about, you’re bound to hear people chatting away in Welsh. Although the majority of locals are also fluent in English, many of our guests like to try out a little Welsh so we’ve put some useful phrases together, along with a guide to pronouncing local place names!

The Welsh Alphabet

• C - pronounced as a K, as in English 'king' 
• CH - pronounced as in the Scottish 'loch' 
• DD - pronounced TH 
• G - pronounced as a hard G, as in English 'go' 
• LL - pronounced THL. Start to make an L sound then blow!
• F - pronounced as a V, as in English 'of' 
• FF - pronounced as an F, as in English 'off' 
• W - pronounced as an OO, as in English 'swoop' 
• Y - has two different pronunciations, depending where is appears in the word. In the penultimate syllable it's pronounce as 'U' like the English for 'bun'. In single syllable words, the Y sound varies but don't worry, your efforts to pronounce will be appreciated! 
  

Greetings

• ​Good morning  Bore da  (Bor-eh Dah)
• Good day Dydd da (Dith Dah)
• Good afternoon Prynhawn da (Prihnown Dah)
• Good night Nos da (Nohs Dah)
• How are you? Sut mae (Sit Mae)
• Thank you very much Diolch yn fawr (Dee-ol[ch] Uhn Vaoor)
• Thanks Diolch (Dee-ol[ch])
• Good Health! Iechyd da! (Ye[ch]id dah)
• Welcome Croeso (Kroy-so)

Outside 

• Mountain Mynydd (Muhneth)
• River Afon (Ah-von)
• Sea Môr (More)
• Woodland Coedwig (Koyd-wig)
• House Tŷ (Tih)

Food and Drink

• Bread Bara (Barra)
• Tea Te  (Tee)
  
• Cuppa Paned (Pan-ed)
• Sugar Siwgwr (Shoog-oor)
• Milk Llefrith ([Ll]ev-rith)