North and South Welsh
Welsh in North Wales and South Wales differs in a handful of everyday words and phrases, but far more is the same, and speakers from both understand each other easily. Here are the differences you're most likely to meet.
It isn't a hard line on a map. Mid Wales mixes the two, every area has its own words, and plenty of people use forms from both. Courses and textbooks usually teach one or the other, "North" or "South", and that's the split used here.
Everyday phrases
Like the words below, the phrases come in two kinds.
Different in North and South
| English | North | South |
|---|---|---|
| I've got a car | Mae gen i gar (car) | Mae car gyda fi |
| he's happy | Mae o'n hapus | Mae e'n hapus |
| I have to go | Rhaid i mi fynd (mynd) | Rhaid i fi fynd (mynd) |
| I went | Mi es i | Fe es i |
| Go! Come here! | Dos! Tyrd yma! | Cer! Dere 'ma! |
In Mae gen i gar the thing you have mutates; in Mae car gyda fi it comes first and stays as it is. Fo and o (North), fe and e (South) mean both "he" and "him". Dos, Tyrd, Cer and Dere are said to one person you know well.
One form everywhere, plus a local one
| English | Used everywhere | Local |
|---|---|---|
| with me | gyda fi | efo fiNorth |
| I can swim | Dw i'n gallu nofio | Dw i'n medru nofioNorth |
| I'd like… | Byddwn i'n hoffi… | Baswn i'n hoffi…North |
| I want to go | Dw i eisiau mynd | Dw i isio myndNorthDw i'n moyn myndSouth |
| How are things? | Sut mae? | Shwmae?South |
Isio, like eisiau, takes no 'n (Dw i isio). Moyn takes one, like gallu (Dw i'n moyn).
Words
Word differences come in two kinds.
Different words in North and South
Each side has its own everyday word:
| English | North | South |
|---|---|---|
| now | rŵan | nawr |
| grandmother | nain | mam-gu |
| grandfather | taid | tad-cu |
| sweets | fferins | losin |
One word everywhere, plus a local one
The first word is standard Welsh, used all over Wales: in writing, on signs, on the news. The second is the everyday word in one part of Wales.
| English | Used everywhere | Local |
|---|---|---|
| up | i fyny | lanSouth |
| out | allan | masSouth |
| milk | llaeth | llefrithNorth |
| girl | merch | hoganNorth |
| boy | bachgen | hogynNorth |
You'll find plenty more, especially words for family, food and the weather, and many are well known on both sides, from television, radio and family.
Sounds
- U and y (as in Llun or tŷ): in the North, a sound made further back in the mouth that English doesn't have; in the South, like the "ee" in "see".
- The ending -au is usually said "a" in the North and "e" in the South: pethau (things) sounds like "petha" or "pethe".
The same everywhere
Most of the language doesn't change. These are used all over Wales, so you can learn them once and use them anywhere:
- Dw i, Mae, Roedd, sy'n: the forms of "to be" you use every day. Dw i and Rydw i aren't North and South, by the way: they're the spoken and written forms (see Long and short forms).
- 'ma and 'na (here, there), as in y llyfr 'ma (this book)
- mohono i, mohonon ni: "not … me", "not … us" in negative sentences
- The mutations and the numbers (see Welsh mutations and Welsh numbers)
Common questions
Should I learn North or South Welsh?
Learn the one your course teaches, or the one spoken where you live or where your family is from. The differences are mostly a handful of words and phrases, and speakers from North and South understand each other without difficulty.
Will people in the South understand North Wales Welsh?
Yes. Most of the language is the same everywhere, and Welsh speakers are used to hearing both. Many people know the other area's words too, from television, radio and family.
What's the difference between gen i and gyda fi?
Both mean "I have". Mae gen i gar is the North Wales way of saying "I've got a car"; Mae car gyda fi is the South Wales way.
Practise in the Welsh you're learning
In Flashcards Cymraeg, you choose North or South Wales Welsh for each course you add, and the example sentences are written to match.