The Welsh language, or “Cymraeg” as it’s known in Welsh, is a beautiful and ancient Celtic language with a rich history. While it might not be the first language that comes to mind when considering languages to learn, it offers a unique and rewarding experience for those who embark on the journey. One of the essential aspects of mastering any language is learning how to describe people, and in Welsh, this involves a variety of adjectives. In this article, we will explore some common Welsh adjectives used to describe people, along with their usage and nuances.
Understanding Welsh Adjectives
Before diving into specific adjectives, it’s important to understand a bit about how adjectives work in Welsh. Unlike English, Welsh adjectives often come after the noun they describe. For example, in English, we say “a tall man,” whereas in Welsh, it would be “dyn tal” (man tall).
Another interesting feature of Welsh is the concept of mutation. Mutation is a change that affects the initial consonant of a word. For instance, the word for “woman” is “merch,” but if you want to say “a young woman,” it becomes “merch ifanc” (young woman), where “ifanc” is the mutated form of “ieuenctid” (youth).
Common Welsh Adjectives for Describing People
Physical Descriptions
1. **Tall** – Tal
– “Dyn tal” (a tall man)
– “Merch dal” (a tall woman)
2. **Short** – Byr
– “Bachgen byr” (a short boy)
– “Geneth fer” (a short girl) – Note the mutation of “byr” to “fer.”
3. **Young** – Ieuenctid
– “Dyn ifanc” (a young man)
– “Merch ifanc” (a young woman) – Note the mutation of “ieuenctid” to “ifanc.”
4. **Old** – Hen
– “Dyn hen” (an old man)
– “Merch hen” (an old woman)
5. **Beautiful** – Hardd
– “Merch hardd” (a beautiful woman)
– “Dyn hardd” (a handsome man)
6. **Ugly** – Hyll
– “Merch hyll” (an ugly woman)
– “Dyn hyll” (an ugly man)
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