Old Welsh Proverbs, Sayings and Phrases
We are a wise bunch! Here are a few old Welsh expressions. Feel free to add your own favourites in the comment section below!
"A fo ben, bid bont" - If you want to be a leader, be a bridge
"Bûm gall unwaith - hynny oedd, llefain pan ym ganed" - I was wise once: when I was born I cried
"Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon" - A nation without a language is a nation without a heart
"Deuparth gwaith yw ei ddechrau." - Starting the work is two thirds of it
"Dyfal donc a dyr y garreg" - Tapping persistently breaks the stone
"Digrif gan bob aderyn ei lais ei hun" - Every bird relishes his own voice
"Dywed yn dda am dy gyfaill, am dy elyn dywed ddim" - Speak well of your friend; of your enemy say nothing
"Eang yw'r byd i bawb." The world is wide to everyone
"Gwna dda dros ddrwg, uffern ni'th ddwg" - Repay evil with good, and hell will not claim you
"Gwell dysg na golud" - Better educated than wealthy
"Gwell fy mwthyn fy hun na phlas arall" - Better my own cottage than the palace of another
"Gorau prinder, prinder geiriau" - The best shortage is a shortage of words
"Gorau Cymro, Cymro oddi Cartref" - Best Welshman, Welshman from Home
"Gorau adnabod, d'adnabod dy hun." - The best knowledge is to know yourself
"Hedyn pob drwg yw diogi" - The seed of all evil is laziness
"Heb ei fai, heb ei eni" - He who has no faults is not born
"Hir yw pob ymaros" - All waiting is long
"Nid aur yw popeth melyn" - Everything that is yellow is not gold
"Nerth gwlad, ei gwybodaeth" - The strength of a nation is its knowledge
"Teg yw edrych tuag adref." - It is good to look homewards
"Tri chysir henaint: tân, te a thybaco" - Three comforts of old age: fire, tea and tobacco
"Tyfid maban, ni thyf ei gadachan" - The child will grow, his clothes will not
"Yr hen a ŵyr a'r ieuanc a dybia" -The old know and the young suspect
"Y mae dafad ddu ym mhob praidd" - Every flock has its black sheep
"Mae tegell yn ferwi and ty'n barod." - The kettles boiling and I'm ready.
"Dod yn ôl at fy nghoed" - To return to my trees - to relax and unwind, to calm your mind
29 comments
I’ve heard two very short ones. “Time enough” and “Still here”
👇 Y sawl â godws a gollws ei le.
“The person who gets off the stool ; loses his place” I think translates to something like “Y sawl sy’n codi o’r stôl; yn colli ei le.”
“Everything owned is borrowed for a time,” I think translates to “Popeth a berchnogir yw benthyg am gyfnod.” I am not sure I spelled it correctly.
The Welsh nursery rhyme translates to English as follows:
Thumb, woman, woman, cousin woman, woman, Dick the hangman, poor little finger man, hold his head under the water.
This rhyme is a playful way to refer to the fingers of the hand, with each one given a humorous or descriptive nickname.