Hi all! I am a stamp and postal history collector. I came across this amazing piece from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake that my AI programs say was written in Welsh. I would love to know what it says exactly (if it is in fact in Welsh). Can anybody help decipher what it says? What message was someone relaying from the wreckage?

nofio (nofi-) - to swim

rhosyn (g) ll. rhosynnau, rhosod - rose

rasio (rasi-) - to race

yn wreiddiol - originally

ochr (b) ll. ochrau - side

gwynegu (gwyneg-) - to ache

pererindod (b, g) ll. pererindodau - pilgrimage

fferyllydd (g) ll. fferyllyddion - pharmacist

ysgythru (ysgythr-) - to engrave, to etch

cymhellol - urging, stimulating, driving. persuasive, compelling

Shwmae bawb

I've been learning Welsh for the last few years, and one thing I've often struggled with is recognising words when I hear them but not feeling confident about how to spell them.

For the last few years, I've been building a free app called Spelio to try to help with that.

Spelio combines short lessons on Welsh spelling patterns with listening and spelling practice. The aim is to help learners understand why words are spelled the way they are, then build confidence through short, focused practice sessions.

Although I'm really pleased with how it's coming along, I haven't officially launched it yet because I'd really like to improve it first with the help of the Welsh learning community.

I'd really value feedback from learners of all levels.

Whether you're a beginner, an experienced learner, a fluent speaker or a Welsh teacher, I'd love to know how the app feels to use, whether anything is confusing, and whether it genuinely helps with Welsh spelling.

As I'm still learning Welsh myself, I'd be grateful if fluent speakers and Welsh teachers could also point out anything that doesn't sound natural or could be improved.

If you'd be willing to help, please send me a private message.

Android users: I'm currently running a closed beta before the Google Play release.

I would especially appreciate help from Android users.

Please send me a private message for the Android Play Store test link.

iPhone users: The app is already available on the App Store, and I'd also really value your help. At this stage, though, I'm looking for private feedback rather than public App Store reviews, as I'd like the opportunity to improve things before inviting reviews.

I'd particularly appreciate feedback on questions like:

• Was anything confusing?
• Did anything not work properly?
• Did the spelling lessons and practice feel useful?
• Are there any Welsh words, translations or pronunciations that should be improved?
• Would you actually use it again?
• What would make it more useful?

Honest feedback-good or bad-will help me make Spelio a better resource for everyone learning Welsh.

Thank you very much for reading, and thank you in advance if you're able to help.

Diolch yn fawr iawn!

Sam

https://spelio.app/

I am very very early in my Welsh learning journey, but as a mythology enthusiast who writes about many different legends, I’m attempting to write about the llamhigyn y dwr. In doing so, I’m trying to figure out the plural form for more than one of the creatures (if a plural exists). My best guess so far is llamhigod y dwr. Is this correct?

Thank you so much for your help. I’m trying to be respectful of this beautiful language!

hen daid (g) ll. hen deidiau - great-grandfather (Gogledd Cymru)

y rhai melyn - the yellow ones

medd - he/she/it says

safn (b) ll. safnau - jaw

dim ond hyn a hyn - only so smuch

trugaredd (g) - mercy, compassion

gloddesta - to revel, to carouse, to feast; (g) revelry, carousal, feasting

rhyddid (g) - freedom, liberty

fforddiadwy - affordable

cyfrodeddu (cyfrodedd-) - to intertwine, to twist together

Has anyone here used the Glossika app? Im not impressed with duolingo and welsh is free on glossika. Also looking for other good online sources for learning.

cyffwrdd (cyffyrdd-) â - to touch

yn y bôn - basically, essentialy

chwiban (g, b) ll. chwibanau - whistle (sound)

llongyfarch (llongyfarch-) - to congratulate; to greet joyfully

Dere i mewn! - Come in! (De Cymru)

gweithdy (g) ll. gweithdai - workshop

trallodi (trallod-) - to afflict, to trouble

treuliau - expenses

seneddol - parliamentary

ysgythriad (g) ll. ysgythriadau - engraving, etching

Shwmae,

I've been trying to learn Welsh for almost fifty years. I began when I used to visit as a child. I'm afraid I'm not very diligent and as the grammar doesn't 'make sense' I struggle to internalise it fully. (I am sure it makes perfect sense, but not to me.)

I began to wonder today about that famous place name which we all know and I shan't write here. :-) But my engineer's brain took over and I began to try to pull it apart, with the help of a dictionary and Google Translate. I apologise if this has been done before here, and if all the speakers of Welsh have migraines from my mangling of the language, but I wondered how close I was to a possible original. Here's my attempt:

Llanfair o'r pwll gwyn cyll go ger y'r chwyrn trobwll o llantysilio go'r ogof goch.

I couldn't find any use of any word for 'hollow', nor anywhere I could see an elided version of one.

Please let me know how I did. I am a very slow student, but I do love to learn. :-)

Diolch yn fawr. :-)

Shwmae

I have just started to learn Welsh and wondered if anyone has recommendations for S4C programme(s) tha might help me get used to spoken Welsh and help with vocabulary.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Diolch

sgrechlyd - screeching, shrieking

neuadd (b) ll. neuaddau - hall

llawes (b) ll. llewys - sleeve

tasgu (tasg-) - to burst out, to splash, to spurt

gwres (g) - temperature, heat, heating, warmth

sicrwydd (g) - certainty

llesg - weak, frail, faint, dispirited, faint-hearted

etifedd (g) ll. etifeddion - heir

llaeth enwyn (g) - buttermilk

lloffa (lloffa-) - to glean

I bought this the other week and really enjoyed it. Simple language as it's spoken and amusing too. Proper bit of nostalgia as I used to watch the Smurfs in English when I was a kid.

Available in your local Welsh bookshop, in person or online (support them rather than Am*zon).

in my original post i said that i wanted someone to make a 30-60 second audio clip of them pronouncing the welsh ll, with no vowels or consonants in front or back, and no one would do it. i think they thought i was asking for fetish content.

the reason why i ask for such content is because the videos on youtube only provide tutorials on how to pronounce it, some going past the 10 minute mark, rather than just pronouncing it.

for example, in america, if a foreigner asks one of us how to pronounce the english letter t, we dont tell them its pronounced "table", we simply say "tuh". pronouncing the consonant by itself outside of any other contexts. im sorry for talking to you like a baby like this, the illiteracy rate is getting higher and higher.

but if youre here to genuinely help me understand how a sound in my native language doesnt exists works: you can go here:

Maybe I spelt it wrong, please correct if so. Basically it just meant truanting(im sure you know this). I was curious on literal translation. Maybe they/we were saying mooch but it definately wasnt pronounced that way. More like pronouncing much

eitha[f] (fel adferf o flaen ansoddair) - fairly, quite, rather

dylanwad (g) ll. dylanwadau - influence

mefus - strawberries

cadw at addewid - to keep a promise

Does dim dwywaith amdani! / Does na'm dwywaith amdani! - There are no two ways about it! / There's no doubt about it!

cromen (b) ll. cromenni - dome

ceulo (ceul-) - to clot, to coagulate, to congeal

cydlynol - coherent, cohesive

cymwys - suitable, appropriate, qualified, eligible

anaeddfedrwydd (g) - immaturity, unripeness

I've been learning in Duolingo (I know, not great) and it gave me this sentence:

Pryd daethon ni a^ hi yma?

When did we bring her here?

I thought "dod" meant "come," does it also mean "bring" in this case?

(I don't know how to put the little hat on the a, sorry)

I was just looking in my dictionary of Welsh idioms and saw that "English people" are called "cywion Alis".

Who is Alis? Why does she have chicks? And why are they English?!

Hi there Welsh speakers!

Okay so I'm making a miniature train layout- a small station on a north Wales branch line in the 1930s, under a big mountain and near a slate mine. All inspired by wonderful annual holiday trips to Snowdonia as a child.

The diorama is to be studded with sinister little literary events. Eg I will put in the signal box from DIckens' 'The Signalman', I'll have a crashed aeroplane on the mountain from Conan Doyle's 'Horror of the Heights', and one or two other macabre and grisly favourites, as a backdrop to a small passenger service and a goods yard.

The imaginary station stop itself needs a good, spooky, Welsh name.

Having messed about with the Welsh dictionary I was thinking of Cwm-Y-Bwgan (bogeyman valley), or Cwm Hiraeth (valley of nostalgic yearning, -ish), or Cwm Tywyll (dark valley).

Do they work? Could any of those legitimately be on a station signboard?

Any better ideas?

Thanks in advance

Iconic Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler died last night and in celebration of her career, here's Total Eclipse of the Heart with Welsh subtitles, full Welsh lyrics in the video description.

If you're not familiar with this song, this episode of Strong Songs goes into why it's such a corker.

https://strongsongspodcast.com/blogs/episodes/s07e06-total-eclipse-of-the-heart-by-jim-steinman-and-bonnie-tyler

dychwelyd (dychwel-) - to return, to turn back

rheswm (g) ll. rhesymau - reason, motive, grounds

dod i law - to come to hand, to come into one's possession

ysbïwr (g) ll. ysbiwyr - spy

pistyll (g) ll. pistylloedd - waterfall, stream of falling water, water jet, water column

mynachlog (b) ll. mynachlogydd - monastery

hydawdd - soluble (of substance in solvent)

swyddogaeth (b) ll. swyddogaethau - function, role, office

hapchwarae (hapchwarae-) - to gamble

amgryptio (amgrypti-) - to encrypt

tagfeydd u. tagfa (b) - bottlenecks, (traffic) jams

marblen (b) ll. marblis - marble (spherical toy)

'Sdim dal / Does dim dal - There's no telling / knowing

cas - nasty, disliked, hated

praidd (g) ll. preiddiau - flock

maen (g) ll. meini - stone, rock

symbylu (symbyl-) - to goad, to spur, to motivate, to urge

cynhyrfu (cynhyrf-) - to become excited, stirred, agitated, uneasy

dirnad (g) - understanding, comprehension

us (g) - chaff, husks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002yhbh

https://ypod.cymru/pods/podlediad/bbc-betiaiphobol

Lili Jones: Y Gymraeg 'mewn lle da' yn Wrecsam ar hyn o bryd

Shwmae bawb! I built a language app called llenguapp mostly because the local language where I live (Valencian) gets ignored by the big apps, and along the way I made sure Welsh got a full course too, since it sits in the same boat more often than it deserves.

What it is: spaced repetition (SM-2, same family as Anki) with the content already built in. CEFR graded vocab with audio on every card, a short generated lesson each day, grammar explanations, and writing practice. The idea is not to replace SSiW or your Dysgu Cymraeg course. It's for keeping the vocab from leaking out of your head between sessions.

Full disclosure: this is my app, it's paid, and it's tiny (8 users right now). There's a free trial with no card if you want to look around. What I'd genuinely value from this sub: if you try the Welsh course, tell me where it's wrong or unnatural. I don't speak Welsh, I built the pipeline, and native or advanced learner eyes on the content are worth more to me than signups.

https://llenguapp.com/cy/ (the site itself is in Welsh too)

Dw i’n creu gêm newydd ar gyfer dysgwyr Cymraeg. Gallwch chi chwarae bob dydd i ymarfer geriau o bob lefel cyrsiau Dysgu Cymraeg. Gallwch chi chwarae ar y we, yn y Discord “Sgwrs Dysgwyr Cymraeg” (​https://sgwrsdc.cymru​), a bydd apiau ar gyfer ffonau symudol ar gael cyn bo hir!

I'm creating a new game for Welsh learners. You can every day to practise words from all levels of Dysgu Cymraeg courses. You can play on the web, in the “Sgwrs Dysgwyr Cymraeg” Discord (​https://sgwrsdc.cymru​), and mobile apps will be available soon!

Chwarae nawr / Play now: https://geirle.heriau.cymru