31 Phrases You Hear In Wales | Sayings From South Wales

I’m Welsh born and bred and I have the best list of phrases you hear in Wales (specifically sayings from South Wales). You’ll love and laugh at them and maybe learn something, I’m sure. I’ve added a few bonus words at the end too.

So many times I’ve said these 31 words or sayings from South Wales and been met with confusion when not at home because I’m neither speaking Welsh or English to English-speakers.

I’ve gone all of my life assuming these phrases are said around the whole UK but certain ones I’ve had pointed out to me by English friends or asked what something means and I’ve realised it’s so specific to Wales, South Wales or sometimes the Welsh basic phrases are only heard in Cardiff and Barry!

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Let’s see how many famous Welsh phrases you’ve heard if you’re not from Wales and how many things you never realised was specific to our humble nation as they’re mostly Welsh sayings in English.

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Well-Known Phrases You Hear in Wales

There are lots of sayings from South Wales that you’ve probably heard from TV shows like Gavin & Stacey or from celebrities and these are those simple Welsh phrases explained and most of them are Welsh phrases in English.

Lush

Lush is the most famous saying in Wales and I’ve even heard it thrown around by English folk because it’s a word that describes itself. You may think the definition is either of the bath-product shop brand or grass growing in abundance but it don’t mean that in Wales.

Lush is a word you describe for the tastiest Welsh food over your nan’s, when your best mate gets a promotion in work, the person you fancy or when someone does a kind deed. Lush is a Welsh term of endearment. If you ever visit South Wales, I guarantee you’ll hear this phrase from locals.

Take a Cardiff Welcome Tour to Hear This Adjective in Action!

Cwtch

The best saying in Wales has to be cwtch. The meaning of the Welsh word cwtch is to cuddle/hug but has much more affectionate connotations and loving undertones when you cwtch a loved one.

It’s one of the Welsh terms of endearment. Everyone needs a cwtch from their mum, deserve one after a hard-day’s work and everyone can’t wait to cwtch a newborn baby.

You pronounce cwtch like ‘cutch’, rhyming with butch.

The word cwtch isn’t specifically Welsh and it’s not an English word (while writing this it keeps being auto-corrected to catch) but it’s a special word in Wales.

Along with saying ‘love’ they’re like Welsh love phrases. Although actually ‘love’ is ‘caru’ in Welsh.

Alri? Pronounced ‘or-i’

Once at Uni with my (English) friends, I was on the phone to Scott and only when I got off the phone did I realise that not everyone uses ‘alri’ the way we do in South Wales. The phone conversation went like this: ‘Alri babes’, ‘alri’, ‘alri, how’s it going, alri?’, ‘ye, you ori?’.

It may sound normal to you if you’re from Barry Island as it’s one of a popular sayings in the south but my friends were hysterical at how much of our conversation contained the same one word. It’s the ultimate hello for us in Wales rather than a question similar to a ‘how ya going’ in Australia.

Like many Gavin and Stacey phrases, we’d never say ‘how are you?’ to someone, it’s always ‘alri?’ or ‘Sappnin, you ori?’.

Read More: Gavin and Stacey Filming Guide

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Sentences and Sayings from South Wales

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The next few are the ways in which we say sentences in Wales that make total sense to us but are words you only hear in Wales or common Welsh phrases and would confuse anyone else.

Where You To?

This is one of the most confusing things Welsh people say.

All we’re asking is where you are but ‘where you to’ is ingrained in our vocabulary that we wouldn’t ask ‘where are you?’, It’s always ‘where you to?’. The sentence on here is even flagging up as incorrect (hand-on-face-emoji).

You Are

If someone asks me to pass them something, I’ll hand it to them and say ‘you are’. This may sound alien to you if you’re not from South Wales but trust me, everyone says this when they pass an item or offer something to someone else so this is one of those funny Welsh phrases in English.

As I’m writing about words you hear in Wales and explaining them I bet they do sound confusing… like when did ‘you are’ become a thing we say in Barry/Cardiff?! Always makes me laugh that one!

The Word At The Beginning Is The Same At The End

If you’re ever in conversation with someone from Wales, don’t be alarmed when we say ‘I am’ or ‘that is’ or ‘me’ at the end of our sentence and are proper Welsh slang phrases. Some examples:

• That’s lush that is

• I’m starving me

• I’m going down the pub I am

• It’s raining it is

I’ll Be There Now In A Minute

Anytime you hear the Welsh phrase ‘I’ll be there now in a minute’ or ‘I’m leaving now in a minute’ or ‘I’ll do that now in a minute’ it’s like second nature to people in Wales. Everyone where I’m from knows this saying and wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

I’ll be there now in a minute means I’ll be there really soon but not quite that second. Now in a minute Welsh is a completely normal thing to say in Wales.

I’m Not Being Funny

Lots of sayings from South Wales are ways we start our conversations and ‘I’m not being funny’ is a prime example. It’s a sentence we use that introduces an important opinion. It emphasises that what we’re about to say is serious aka great Wales phrases.

What It Is, Is

Another Welsh phrase you’ll definitely hear in Cardiff is starting our speech with ‘what it is, is’. We use this when we’re about to explain something or to introduce a strong opinion and is emphasised as one of the best Welsh accent phrases.

Did you know Doctor Who was filmed in Wales? Find a Doctor Who Tour in South Wales Here.

Thanks, Drive

Of all the phrases you hear in Wales, ‘Thanks, drive’ is in our DNA. Anyone who drives a bus or a taxi is called ‘drive’ and no self-respecting Welsh person would get off the bus without saying ‘thanks, drive.’

I remember the first time I was told this was a specifically South Welsh thing to say and thinking what the hell do people in England call bus drivers?!

‘Busy night, drive?’ can also be heard in South Wales at 2am to taxi drivers dropping people home. Any Welsh greeting phrases in taxis or buses are followed by ‘drive’.

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Words and Things Welsh People Say / Welsh Sayings and Phrases

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Not many of these are Welsh words and we don’t say it in Welsh but I suppose to the English it probably sounds like another language. It is what it is, sayings and phrases like these are normal to us and I’m sure there’s England sayings normal to the English.

Hanging – In South Wales, hanging to us means really drunk. ‘I was hanging last night’.

Tip Top – A tip top is a frozen, sweet liquid you get from the shop. I asked on Instagram and got the responses below.

Jip – Jip means giving grief or causing pain so if you hurt your ankle you’d say ‘my ankle’s giving me jip.’

Crackin‘ – Crackin’ is an adjective meaning top notch / brilliant.

Half and Half – When you’re going for a curry or Chinese, you can get chips, rice or half and half which is half chips, half rice. Crackin’

Fair Do’s – It’s the same as ‘fair enough’ which means you’re impressed or understand what’s said or someone’s done a crackin’ job, like climbing Pen-Y-Fan, and you say fair do’s.

Pop – Any fizzy soft drink like Fanta, Lilt, Coke is classed as pop. ‘Grab me a bottle of pop please’.

Scram – A scram is what you get after something/someone has scrammed you. So if a cat came up to you with its claw and scratched your arm, you’d tell someone ‘look at my scram from when the cat scrammed me’. Welsh language phrases are funny ini!

Arka you/them/him/her – Saying ‘arka you’ basically translates to ‘says you’. Someone commented on this post that it’s actually ‘hark at you’ but you’re in Wales, so we don’t pronounce the ‘h’.

If You Like This Phrases in Welsh Post, You’ll Love This Phrases Heard in Melbourne Post from Down Under!

Bonus Phrases Heard in South Wales / Welsh English Phrases

Actual Welsh Phrase Heard in Wales… In the Welsh Language

Ye, so we have our own language in Wales and it’s like 1400 years old. Without going in to the history, not many people speak Welsh in Wales but there are a few popular Welsh phrases.

There’s a Welsh saying you only hear in Wales because it’s in Welsh but is said by everyone and it’s said to babies.

Ach-Y-Fi

Ach-y-fi is pronounced as ak-uh-vee which is dirty Welsh phrases and you always say it to kids when they go to touch something dirty or put something in their mouth and you say ‘ach-y-fi’.

This is also sometimes just shortened to ‘achi’. I don’t really know what the Welsh to English is, I suppose this is just a Welsh idiom.

P.S. You’re probably wondering how to say Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. I can pronounce it and an Aussie once gave me a fiver to hear a Welsh person say it. Learn how to say it here.

Ish

I know ‘ish’ is used across the English-speaking word but I had to include it because it’s such a great word. Or add-on because is it even a word? Well it’s a word-ish ;). Have you noticed how we can add the word ‘ish’ on the end on anything and it changes the meaning. ‘It’s warm-ish’ or ‘It’s 5ish’.

funny welsh phrases

Here are some more Welsh common phrases that are mainly in English but might not make sense:

• Whose coat is that jacket?

• Whose trainers are those shoes hanging on the floor?

• Da Iawn – Pronounced da-yown and means well done, useful Welsh phrases in Welsh language

• Yur – This is how we pronounce ‘year’, ‘here’ and ‘ear’

• Tamping Fuming Raging – Not happy

• Tidy – It means great and also famous Gavin and Stacey catchphrases

• Mitching – This means to bunk off school / truancy

• A Backy – Welsh phrases funny but this means to go on the back of someone’s bike

• By There / By Yur – Easy Welsh phrases for informing someone where something is

• Ini / Isi – Basic Welsh phrases just used at the end of every sentence to emphasis something

I love languages and loved writing this post which helped me explore our phrases and sayings that feed into the Welsh culture. Hope you liked it too.

Vist the village of Beddgelert in Snowdonia, learn Welsh folklore and use these Welsh words and phrases!

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• Visit Dobby’s Grave in Freshwater West Beach
• Street Food £30 Challenge at Cardiff’s Depot

Click below to Visit Wales and practice common phrases in Welsh:

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