Royal Welsh Show 2026: 25 Useful Welsh Words and Phrases
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The Royal Welsh Show 2026 takes place from Monday 20 July to Thursday 23 July at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells.
Across the four days, visitors can see livestock and horse competitions, forestry, horticulture, crafts, countryside sports, food and drink, shopping and displays in the Main Ring. Welsh is used alongside English throughout the event, so the Show is a good place to recognise familiar words and try a few simple phrases. You can find current visitor information on the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society website.
You do not need to speak fluent Welsh to use the language while you are there. Starting with a friendly bore da or diolch is enough.
What is the Royal Welsh Show in Welsh?
The official Welsh name is:
Sioe Frenhinol Cymru
The name can be broken down into three parts:
- sioe means show
- brenhinol means royal
- Cymru means Wales
Because sioe is a feminine noun, brenhinol changes to frenhinol. This is an example of the soft mutation, one of the features learners soon become familiar with in Welsh.
An approximate pronunciation is: SHOY vren-HIN-ol KUM-ree
You may also see and hear the shorter name y Sioe, meaning the Show. The official Welsh-language Show website uses this form in its menus and visitor information.
A quick Welsh pronunciation guide
A few Welsh spelling rules will help with the words below.
In Welsh, f sounds like the English letter v, while ff sounds like the English f. This means fferm begins like the English word 'farm', but the first sound in Frenhinol is a 'v' sound.
Dd sounds like the 'th' in 'this'. Ch is pronounced from the back of the throat, as in the Scottish word 'loch'.
The letter c is always hard, as in 'cat'. The letters w and y can also act as vowels.
These English pronunciation comparisons are only approximate, but they are a useful starting point.
Words for finding your way around the Show
1. Sioe Frenhinol Cymru
Meaning: Royal Welsh Show
This is the full official name of the event. You can also use y Sioe, meaning the Show.
2. Maes y sioe
Meaning: the showground
The word maes can mean a field, site or grounds. The full official name of the venue is Maes Sioe Frenhinol Cymru.
3. Y Prif Gylch
Meaning: the Main Ring
The word prif means main or chief, while cylch means a circle or ring. A useful question is Ble mae'r Prif Gylch? meaning 'Where is the Main Ring?'
4. Amserlen
Meaning: timetable or schedule
An amserlen will help you plan which competitions and displays you would like to see. The plural is amserlenni.
5. Tocyn
Meaning: ticket
The plural is tocynnau. You may see Prynwch docynnau, meaning 'Buy tickets'.
6. Stondin
Meaning: stall or stand
The plural is stondinau. A trade stand is a stondin fasnach, while the plural is stondinau masnach.
7. Cystadleuaeth
Meaning: competition
The plural is cystadlaethau. This is a useful word at any agricultural show, where much of the programme is built around competitions.
Welsh farming vocabulary
8. Amaethyddiaeth
Meaning: agriculture
The Royal Welsh is a sioe amaethyddol, an agricultural show.
9. Fferm
Meaning: farm
This word looks reassuringly similar to its English equivalent. Remember that Welsh ff has the same sound as the English f.
10. Ffermwr
Meaning: farmer
The plural is ffermwyr. The ending changes from -wr in the singular to -wyr in the plural.
11. Da byw
Meaning: livestock
Da byw is a collective term for farm animals.
12. Dafad and defaid
Meaning: sheep
dafad means one sheep and defaid is used for more than one. The f in both words sounds like an English v.
13. Oen and ŵyn
Meaning: lamb
oen means one lamb and ŵyn means lambs. The circumflex is also commonly called a to bach, or 'little roof'.
14. Buwch and buchod
Meaning: cow
buwch means one cow and buchod means cows. The final ch in buwch uses the Welsh sound heard in 'loch'.
15. Gwartheg
Meaning: cattle
Gwartheg is used when speaking about cattle collectively.
16. Ceffyl and ceffylau
Meaning: horse
ceffyl means one horse and ceffylau means horses. The initial c is hard, as in 'cat'.
17. Mochyn and moch
Meaning: pig
mochyn means one pig and moch means pigs. You may also see Cylch Moch, meaning the Pig Ring.
18. Gafr and geifr
Meaning: goat
gafr means one goat and geifr means goats. The final f in gafr has a v sound.
19. Ci defaid and cŵn defaid
Meaning: sheepdog
ci defaid means one sheepdog and cŵn defaid means sheepdogs.
20. Gwlân
Meaning: wool
The circumflex above the â lengthens the vowel sound.
21. Cneifio defaid
Meaning: sheep shearing
The verb cneifio means to shear. Unlike the English word 'knife', the initial c is pronounced.
Food, welcomes and simple greetings
22. Bwyd a diod
Meaning: food and drink
You may also see Neuadd Fwyd, meaning Food Hall. To ask where it is, say Ble mae'r Neuadd Fwyd?.
23. Croeso
Meaning: welcome
An approximate pronunciation is CROY-so. You will see croeso on signs across Wales.
24. Bore da
Meaning: good morning
An approximate pronunciation is BOR-eh dah. In the afternoon, say Prynhawn da.
25. Diolch
Meaning: thank you
An approximate pronunciation is DEE-olkh. For 'thank you very much', say Diolch yn fawr.
Useful Welsh phrases for the Royal Welsh Show 2026
Once you know a few individual words, you can start putting them into short sentences.
Os gwelwch yn dda
Meaning: please
Add this to a request to make it polite.
Ble mae'r Prif Gylch?
Meaning: where is the Main Ring?
You can use the same pattern with Ble mae'r Neuadd Fwyd? and Ble mae'r stondinau?.
Faint yw hwn?
Meaning: how much is this?
This is useful when buying food, crafts or other items from a stand.
Ga i hwn, os gwelwch yn dda?
Meaning: can I have this, please?
A simple phrase to use when ordering or buying something.
Ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?
Meaning: do you speak Welsh?
A polite way to ask whether somebody speaks Welsh.
Dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg
Meaning: I'm learning Welsh
This lets the other person know that you would like to use Welsh but may need a little help.
Allwch chi siarad yn arafach, os gwelwch yn dda?
Meaning: can you speak more slowly, please?
Useful when somebody's reply is a little quicker than expected.
Mwynhewch y Sioe!
Meaning: enjoy the Show!
A fitting phrase for the occasion.
There are regional differences in spoken Welsh, so you may hear some of these sentences expressed in slightly different ways. The versions above will be widely understood.
What is Builth Wells called in Welsh?
The Welsh name for Builth Wells is Llanfair-ym-Muallt. The Showground itself is in Llanelwedd.
The official Welsh address is:
Maes Sioe Frenhinol Cymru
Llanelwedd
Llanfair-ym-Muallt
Powys
LD2 3SY
Start with three Welsh phrases
There is no need to remember every word in this article before visiting. Begin with three phrases you can use naturally:
Bore da
Good morning
Os gwelwch yn dda
Please
Diolch
Thank you
Using even a small amount of Welsh is a positive way to take part in an event that celebrates Welsh farming, food and rural life.
Mwynhewch Sioe Frenhinol Cymru!
Enjoy the Royal Welsh Show.
Royal Welsh Show Welsh Quiz 🐑
How many of these Welsh words and phrases can you remember? Choose an answer before opening the green answer box.
1. What does Sioe Frenhinol Cymru mean?
- a) National Eisteddfod of Wales
- b) Royal Welsh Show
- c) Welsh Farming Festival
- d) Royal Showground
Show the answer
b) Royal Welsh Show. Sioe means show, brenhinol means royal and Cymru means Wales.
2. Which Welsh word means 'farmer'?
- a) fferm
- b) ffermwr
- c) ffermwyr
- d) amaethyddiaeth
Show the answer
b) ffermwr. Fferm means farm, while ffermwyr is the plural, farmers.
3. Which pair means 'one sheep' and 'more than one sheep'?
- a) oen and ŵyn
- b) buwch and buchod
- c) dafad and defaid
- d) gafr and geifr
Show the answer
c) dafad and defaid. The first is singular and the second is plural.
4. How would you ask, 'Where is the Main Ring?'
- a) Ble mae'r Neuadd Fwyd?
- b) Faint yw hwn?
- c) Ble mae'r Prif Gylch?
- d) Ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?
Show the answer
c) Ble mae'r Prif Gylch? Ble mae...? means 'Where is...?'
5. What is the Welsh name for Builth Wells?
- a) Llanelwedd
- b) Llanfair-ym-Muallt
- c) Maes y Sioe
- d) Bannau Brycheiniog
Show the answer
b) Llanfair-ym-Muallt. The Showground itself is in nearby Llanelwedd.
How did you do?
5 correct: Da iawn! You are ready for the Show.
3-4 correct: A strong result. Review the animal words once more.
0-2 correct: Have another look through the list and try again.
