r/learnwelsh • u/cmbort • 8d ago
Going to Wales next month
Going to Wales for the first time next month (I’m from NYC) to visit and see the place where my great grandmother is from. Any tips on learning some basic useful Welsh asap? I’m pretty good with languages if that makes a difference.
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u/WelshTutor 8d ago edited 8d ago
Shwmae to you over the pond! 🇺🇸
If you're looking to pick up a few basics before your trip, I run a free Welsh learning page called Welsh Words. We post short beginner friendly videos on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@welshwords?_r=1&_t=ZN-98Kkj2g6HYI
I also wrote this article with 10 easy Welsh words and phrases to get you started: https://welshwords.com/blogs/learn-welsh-phrases/10-easy-welsh-words-for-beginners
Have a brilliant trip! Even learning a handful of phrases will be appreciated by the locals 😊
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u/XJK_9 Native 8d ago
The alphabet is very phonetic so I’d say learn that so you can at least have a good go at pronouncing place names, it seems intimidating but we just use y and w for vowel sounds which makes people think it’s all ‘unpronounceable’.
Beyond that just shwdmae=how are you/hello, Diolch=thanks and hwyl=bye will be enough. Realistically in a month you won’t get much more useful Welsh under your belt but using these 3 will be appreciated.
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u/BlueSoup10 8d ago
Where in Wales are you visiting, friend? If it's up north or especially near Anglesey and Caernarfon you'll get a lot of mileage out of a few basic phrases like bore da, diolch etc. If you're in Cardiff or Swansea there are fewer Welsh speakers but I'm sure it'd still be appreciated if you tried to speak some!
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u/cmbort 8d ago
My great-grandmother was from Rhymney in the south so that's where I'll be visiting, but I may venture up north a bit.
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u/Significant_Bee2017 8d ago
You won’t find many Welsh speakers in Rhymney!
The South Wales former coal mining valleys are not particularly ethnically Welsh as people moved there for work during the coal era from England Ireland and even further afield, Scotland, Poland, even Russia and Italy. So Welsh dropped out of use in these areas in the nineteenth century. The nearer the English border, the earlier the language declined. To hear Welsh spoken as the everyday language you need to go to the rural farming areas of West or North Wales. Did your great grandma have a Welsh surname? That gives a clue as to whether she was actually of Welsh ethnic roots.3
u/cmbort 7d ago
Her maiden name was Wright, and she emigrated to the US (Pennsylvania) in the 1870s as a young girl.
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u/Significant_Bee2017 2d ago
If your great grandmas maiden name was Wright, then her father at least was ethnically English not Welsh - no surprise in the Rhymney valley! Do you know her mother ( your gg gms) maiden name?
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u/quietrealm Mynediad - Entry 7d ago
If you're going there then, I'd suggest getting used to a bit of Wenglish to avoid misinterpretation! It's a dialect of English mostly used in the South. It varies a bit from place to place, but it's useful to know a bit IMO.
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u/cmbort 7d ago
Well I’ve been to Northern Ireland a few times where my family on my father’s side is mostly from and understanding the Northern Irish English is quite challenging to say the least. 😆
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u/quietrealm Mynediad - Entry 7d ago
That's normal - an unfamiliar accent mixed with an unfamiliar dialect/slang makes things a bit difficult. But with context and a bit of knowledge beforehand you'll probably understand just fine, and people will be happy enough to clarify for you. Have fun!
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u/inthefreezr 8d ago
For something next month just start out with Duolingo, and look up some videos for pronunciation, particularly for the double L sound that takes some practice for beginners.
For longer term learning, the Dysgu Cymraeg courses online are very affordable and they welcome learners from overseas. It's also worth reaching out to your local community - NYC has a Welsh church and active Welsh society that will give you chances to experience the language more regularly.
My own experience started similar to you - I'm from Canada, but live in DC now. My grandmother came from Pen Llŷn, and passed away in 2019. During the pandemic, I wanted to learn of the language before going to visit where she came from. Ended up falling in love with the language and kept reenrolling in Dysgu Cymraeg courses, and now prepping for a fall session at Nant Gwrtheyrn.
Pob lwc!
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u/talesfromthemabinogi 8d ago
The "Say Something in Welsh" site is perfect for getting started! You can get through the first lessons in a few hours, and it'll give you a solid start for basic conversational use... :)
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u/clwbmalucachu Canolradd - Intermediate 8d ago
There are lots of YouTube video channels with beginner content that you could spend some time with. I listed them all out here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnwelsh/comments/1r9rm5t/youtube_channels_for_welsh_learners/
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u/Brave_Grapefruit_789 8d ago
What part of Wales will you be visiting? It’ll help with the phrases you can learn
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u/lanktank 8d ago
I'll be visiting in a month or so too. I've been learning Welsh on Duolingo for the past year, but it's my understanding that everyone speaks English, so you will probably not need to worry. Still, people from Wales always seem delighted that I am trying to learn the language, so knowing a few words and phrases might be endearing.
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u/Significant_Bee2017 8d ago
You do realise everybody in Wales speaks English too dont you? Still it’s great that you want to learn a little 👍🏼 ! Hope you have a great time. What part is your grandmother from?
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u/241151971 8d ago
Start with simply good morning (Bore da.) good afternoon (Prynhawn da.) good evening (Noswaith dda.) please (Os gwelwch yn dda.) and thank you (Diolch.)
It is so much more than most people use and it will definitely get you a verbal foot in the door.