Welsh Phrases for Visiting Wales: A Travel Survival Guide

If you are visiting Wales on holiday, or on vacation in American English, you do not need fluent Welsh. Start with a greeting, one request pattern and one directions pattern. Ga i...? means "May I have...?" and Ble mae'r...? means "Where is the...?" Those two openings can help in cafes, pubs, shops and stations.

The pronunciation column is a rough guide, and capital letters show the stressed syllable. Before using the cues, read how the Welsh sounds ch, dd and ll are represented.

Welsh phrases for visiting Wales

If you learn only ten lines, make them useful in more than one place. This first table covers greetings, politeness, a drink order, a price question, directions and a graceful way to slow a conversation down.

Shwmae? is especially associated with southern speech, and you may also hear Sut mae? Both are friendly. Visitors do not need to choose a permanent dialect before saying hello.

Six Welsh sounds visitors should practise

Welsh spelling is more regular than English spelling once you know a few letters. These six points make the pronunciation column much more useful:

• c is always a hard sound, like the c in "cat".
• f sounds like English v, while ff sounds like English f.
• When a cue uses dh, it represents Welsh dd. This sounds like the th in "this" or "them", not the th in "thin".
• When a cue uses kh, it represents Welsh ch. This is the rough, breathy sound at the end of the Scottish word "loch", not the ch in English "church".
• When a cue uses lh, it represents Welsh ll, which has no direct English equivalent. Put your tongue in position for l, keep it there and blow air along the sides without voicing an l.
• w and y can be vowels. Their sound changes with the word and region, so listen to the whole phrase rather than forcing an English letter name onto them.

For example, the end of Diolch uses ch, while the start of Faint sounds like a v. Say Faint to rhyme approximately with "pint", but begin with v.

Two patterns that unlock dozens of requests

1. Use Ga i...? when asking for something

Ga i...? is a common spoken way to ask "May I have...?" Put the thing you want after it, then add os gwelwch chi'n dda. You may also see Gaf i...?, especially in southern course materials. For a short visitor phrasebook, choose one form and use it confidently.

For staff and strangers, this guide uses the polite form os gwelwch chi'n dda. You may also see the shorter os gwelwch yn dda in official teaching materials. Both mean "please" and both are valid.

2. Use Ble mae'r...? to find a place

Ble mae...? means "Where is...?" Add 'r when you mean "the" place: Ble mae'r orsaf? means "Where is the station?" The same pattern works for a toilet, beach, castle, car park or platform.

Ordering coffee, beer and food in Welsh

Begin with the greeting that fits the time of day, make one clear request, then finish with diolch. A complete cafe exchange can be only three lines:

If the menu already gives the Welsh name, point to it and use Ga i...?. If the item name is unfamiliar, saying the English noun after a Welsh opening is still a practical attempt. Communication matters more than building a flawless sentence in a queue.

Shopping and asking how much something costs

When pointing to an item, ask Faint yw hwn? The word hwn refers to a masculine item, and its vowel is closer to the vowel in "book" than in "moon". Faint yw hon? is the feminine version. A new visitor will not always know the noun's gender, so the useful rescue is simply Faint? while pointing. That means "How much?" and avoids guessing.

For card payment, Ga i dalu gyda cherdyn? means "May I pay by card?" Say it approximately as gah ee TAL-ee GUH-dha KER-din.

Asking directions and finding the toilet

Keep the place name written on your phone. You can show it while asking Ble mae...?, which helps if the local pronunciation is new to you.

Useful Welsh for buses and trains

• Ga i docyn i..., os gwelwch chi'n dda? - May I have a ticket to..., please? Approximate pronunciation: gah ee DOK-in ee..., oss GWELL-ukh khin dhaa.
• Ydy'r bws yma'n mynd i...? - Does this bus go to...? Approximate pronunciation: UH-deer boos UH-man mind ee...?
• Pa blatfform? - Which platform? Approximate pronunciation: pah BLAT-form?

At your accommodation

• Mae gen i archeb - I have a booking. Approximate pronunciation: my gen ee AR-kheb.
• Ble mae fy ystafell? - Where is my room? Approximate pronunciation: bleh my vuh uh-STAV-elh, with the final ll sound described above.

What to say when you do not understand

The best survival phrases are not nouns. They are the lines that help you recover when someone replies naturally and you catch almost nothing.

Welsh travel survival tips that work in real conversations

1. Learn complete chunks. Memorise Ga i goffi, os gwelwch chi'n dda? as one line. Later, swap only the item.
2. Start short. A greeting and diolch are successful Welsh. You do not have to keep the whole conversation in Welsh.
3. Show the place name. Keep your destination written on your phone. This removes guesswork when a local name is unfamiliar.
4. Listen for the first useful word. In a cafe, you may only need to catch a number, a choice or a yes. Ask for English if the rest matters.
5. Look for a Welsh-speaking badge. Visit Wales advises visitors to watch for orange Cymraeg speech-bubble badges, which show that a member of staff speaks Welsh and welcomes its use.
6. Expect regional variety. You may hear different greetings, accents and forms in different parts of Wales. Variation is normal, not evidence that your phrasebook is useless.
7. Save the card below. A phone screenshot is more helpful at a counter than trying to remember a long article.

If you want a small foundation before travelling, read our 10 easy Welsh words for beginners. For the trip itself, our guide to places to visit in Wales can help you choose where to use them.

Practise three moments before you arrive

Pause before opening the answer. First, imagine you are ordering coffee. Next, imagine that you need the toilets. Finally, imagine the reply is too fast.

Reveal three useful responses

1. Ga i goffi, os gwelwch chi'n dda?
2. Ble mae'r toiledau?
3. Yn arafach, os gwelwch chi'n dda.

Save this one-screen Welsh travel phrase card

Take a screenshot of this card before your journey. Read the Welsh first, then use the English only if you need a prompt.

Bore da
Good morning

Diolch
Thank you

Ga i goffi, os gwelwch chi'n dda?
May I have a coffee, please?

Ga i gwrw, os gwelwch chi'n dda?
May I have a beer, please?

Faint yw hwn?
How much is this?

Ble mae'r toiledau?
Where are the toilets?

Dw i ddim yn deall
I do not understand

Yn arafach, os gwelwch chi'n dda
More slowly, please

Hwyl!
Bye!

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak Welsh when visiting Wales?

No. You can travel through Wales using English. A few Welsh words can still help you read signs, greet people and connect with the living language of the places you visit.

Is it polite for tourists to use Welsh?

Yes. Begin with a greeting, a simple request or diolch. Do not assume that every person speaks Welsh, and do not worry if someone answers in English.

How do I say "Can I have a beer, please?" in Welsh?

Say Ga i gwrw, os gwelwch chi'n dda? An approximate guide is gah ee GU-ru, oss GWELL-ukh khin dhaa.

How do I say "Where is the toilet?" in Welsh?

Ask Ble mae'r toiled? For the more common plural "Where are the toilets?", use Ble mae'r toiledau?

How do I ask "How much is this?" in Welsh?

Ask Faint yw hwn? for a masculine item or Faint yw hon? for a feminine item. If you do not know the noun's gender, point and ask Faint?

What should I say if someone replies too quickly?

Say Yn arafach, os gwelwch chi'n dda, meaning "More slowly, please", or Eto, os gwelwch chi'n dda, meaning "Again, please".

Sources, further reading and image credits

Language sources and further learning

• National Centre for Learning Welsh: Entry course, south Wales
• National Centre for Learning Welsh: Entry course, north Wales
• National Centre for Learning Welsh: Foundation course, south Wales
• National Centre for Learning Welsh: National Curriculum for Welsh for Adults
• Welsh Government: Welsh consonant pronunciation guide
• Visit Wales: Welsh language and easy phrases
• Mentrau Iaith Cymru: New to Wales, new to Welsh
• British Red Cross: Calling 999 in an emergency

Image credits

• Feature image: Bilingual welcome sign in Llandrindod Wells. Photo by P.khiao, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
• Conwy Falls Cafe. Photo by Backflipping duck, via Wikimedia Commons, dedicated under CC0 1.0.
• Bilingual menu at Sglods in Llanon. Photo by Stefanik, via Wikimedia Commons, dedicated under CC0 1.0.
• Aberdyfi railway station sign. Photo by Tk420, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.