5.1 North Wales

When you speak to someone for the first time, one of the questions they’ll probably ask you in the first five minutes of the conversation is, Where do you live? This question includes the word 'you', so when we ask it in Welsh we have two forms of the question available to us; A formal version and an informal version.

If you are meeting someone for the first time then ask the formal form of the question.

Lle dach chi’n byw?
​(Llay dach cheen bew?) where do you live?

If the person is a child or someone you know then you could ask the informal form of the question.

Lle wyt ti’n byw
(Llay oyt teen bew) Where do you live?

Grammar Tips
 
"Lle (Where) - The word 'where' in Welsh comes from the phrase Peth Lle which literally means 'what area'. It’s a phrase that’s not used in full any more as Peth is dropped all together in North Wales". In South Wales Peth is mutated to Beth, then Beth and Lle get squashed together to form the word Ble.

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Pronunciation Tips

"Ti'n - The word ti, which is the informal word for 'you', is usually followed by 'n, as in Ble wyt ti'n.../Lle wyt ti’n… One way to remember this word combination is to think of it as a grumpy 'Teen' (Ti'n)".

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