Or... Happy St Dwynwen's Day...
...And... some must-know phrases in Welsh for the most romantic of days!
Are you feeling romantic?
Did you know that back in 1980 there was a report that said that more people in Wales got kissed than anywhere else in the UK? Some believed it and were adamant the Welsh were the best kissers. One man said kissing took up so much time he could “hardly find time to work”. (You can find the news report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-64394065
Well, today (the 25th of January) is St Dwynwen’s Day and so the perfect time to feel romantic!
St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.... But who was St Dwynwen? And what does she have to do with romance?
What's her story?
Dwynwen was the prettiest of King Brychan Brycheiniog's 24 daughters. She fell in love with a local lad called Maelon Dafodrill, but King Brychan had already arranged for her to marry another prince. Maelon took the news badly, so the distraught Dwynwen fled to the woods to weep, and begged God to help her. She was visited by an angel who gave her a sweet potion to help her forget Maelon, which happened to turn him into a block of ice.
God then granted Dwynwen three wishes. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second wish was for God to help all true lovers; her third wish was that she would never marry. In gratitude, Dwynwen became a nun and set up a convent on Llanddwyn Island, a beautiful little spot on Anglesey. Her name means, 'she who leads a blessed life'. To this day the remains of the church can still be seen on the island, along with Dwynwen's Well.
In this well is said to live a sacred fish who can predict whether couples will have a successful relationship. When visiting and looking into the well, if the fish is seen swimming around and lively, then it is a sign of a faithful and devoted husband.
This ancient legend has ensured that the well has become a place of pilgrimage for young Welsh lovers ever since the death of Dwynwen in 465 AD.
Romantic Welsh Phrases:
Welsh is a beautiful language, unfortunately, I'm not a Welsh speaker (though I'm learning), but I thought as it is St. Dynwens Day, I thought it might be a good idea to put together some key Romantic Welsh phrases borrowed from welearnwelsh.com.
1. DW I’N DY GARU DI.
English translation: I love you.
Let’s begin with the most important romantic phrase of them all: I love you!
In Welsh, the standard way to say I love you is Dw i’n dy garu di. It breaks down as follows: dw i’n (I am), caru (to love), dy…di (you).
However most people tend to shorten this to caru ti in conversation as its shorter, sweeter and not quite as overwhelming.
2. DW I WEDI SYRTHIO MEWN CARIAD EFO TI.
English translation: I’ve fallen in love with you.
If you’re planning to reveal your feelings to someone for the first time, you might want to say that you’ve fallen in love with them.
In Welsh, you can choose between three different verbs for to fall: syrthio, disgyn and cwympo. Syrthio and disgyn are heard more in the north whereas cwympo is used a lot in the south.
Likewise there are different ways to say with in Welsh: gyda, efo and â. The first is heard predominantly in the south, the second is northern, and the third is more formal and can be heard across the country.
Dw i wedi disgyn mewn cariad â ti.
Dw i wedi cwympo mewn cariad gyda ti.
3. DW I’N DWLI ARNAT TI.
English meaning: I am crazy about you.
A more emphatic way of saying that you love someone is to say that you are crazy about them.
Once again, there are variations on this phrase. The one in the title is very southern whereas the two below are used a lot in the north.
Dw i wedi gwirioni efo ti / arnat ti.
Dw i wedi mopio efo ti / arnat ti.
4. DW I AR GOLL YN DY LYGAID.
English meaning: I’m lost in your eyes.
Now we’re getting into really soppy territory! The expression ar goll means to be lost whereas the verb colli on its own means to lose or to miss.
5. TI YDY’R PETH GORAU A DDIGWYDDODD I MI.
English meaning: You are the best thing that has happened to me.
You can be sure that this romantic expression will make your beloved blush from head to toe!
Note that in the south, you are more likely to hear yw instead of ydy.
Ti yw’r peth gorau a ddigwyddodd i mi.
6. AROS ‘DA FI AM BYTH.
English translation: Stay with me forever.
Here we have an expression that is very appropriate for a marriage proposal.
Increasingly Welsh speakers are using the verb aros on its own to express the imperative, whereas traditionally it is conjugated to arhosa. Both are acceptable imperative forms in spoken Welsh.
In the north, it is more common to hear efo (with) instead of ‘da or gyda.
Aros efo fi am byth.
7. CUSANA FI.
English meaning: Kiss me!
Could you be any more direct?
8. DW I EISIAU TREULIO GWEDDILL FY OES EFO TI.
English meaning: I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Here is a second romantic phrase that would fit nicely into a marriage proposal.
The example in the title is what people would tend to say in the north. The southern alternative would replace eisiau (to want) with moyn and efo with gyda or just ‘da.
Dw i’n moyn treulio gweddill fy oes ‘da ti.
9. DW I’N METHU BYW HEBDDOT TI.
English meaning: I can’t live without you.
Here we have the one phrase on this list that can either sound very romantic or extremely desperate – it all comes down to how you say it!
In the north, the word methu is used a lot to mean to be unable or to fail. In the south, the equivalent word is ffaelu, which sounds a lot like the word fail in English.
Dw i’n ffaelu byw hebddot ti.
10. BYDDWN I’N GWNEUD UNRHYW BETH DROSTAT TI.
English meaning: I would do anything for you.
Our final phrase will certainly make your beloved’s heart flutter but be careful – he or she might just take you up on your offer!
In the north, you may hear byddwn replaced by baswn or simply ‘swn.
‘Swn i’n gwneud unrhyw beth drostat ti.
Want to find out how to have your perfect wedding?
Send me a message - james@southwalescelebrant.co.uk
or give me a call / text - 07960 800767
Sources
https://www.transceltic.com/welsh/dydd-santes-dwynwen-hapus-happy-st-dwynwen-s-day
(accessed 25th January 2023)
https://welearnwelsh.com/blog/romantic-welsh-phrases/
(accessed 25th January 2023)
https://www.visitwales.com/info/history-heritage-and-traditions/st-dwynwens-day (accessed 25th January 2023) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-64394065
(accessed 25th January 2023)