Describing People and Appearance in Welsh

Overview

Being able to describe people's physical appearance and personality is an important A2 communication skill. Welsh uses specific vocabulary for hair, eyes, height, and build, combined with constructions you already know: "bod + yn + adjective" for qualities and "mae...ganddo/ganddi" (he/she has) for physical features.

This topic brings together several grammatical concepts: adjectives with gender agreement, possession constructions, and descriptive vocabulary that is useful in everyday conversation.

How It Works

Physical Description Vocabulary

Welsh	English
gwallt	hair
llygaid	eyes
tal	tall
byr	short (height)
tew	fat
tenau	thin
golau	fair/light
tywyll	dark
cyrliog	curly
syth	straight

Describing Hair and Eyes

Welsh	English
gwallt golau	fair hair
gwallt tywyll	dark hair
gwallt coch	red hair
gwallt cyrliog	curly hair
llygaid glas	blue eyes
llygaid brown	brown eyes

Pattern: Mae... ganddo/ganddi (He/She has)

Welsh	English
Mae gwallt golau ganddi.	She has fair hair.
Mae llygaid glas gyda fe.	He has blue eyes. (South)
Mae gwallt hir ganddo fo.	He has long hair. (North)

Examples in Context

Welsh	English	Note
Mae gwallt golau ganddi.	She has fair hair.	Possession + description
Mae e'n dal ac yn denau.	He is tall and thin.	Bod + adjectives
Mae llygaid glas gyda hi.	She has blue eyes.	Southern pattern
Mae e'n gwisgo sbectol.	He wears glasses.	Clothing/accessories
Mae hi'n ifanc.	She is young.	Simple description
Mae ganddo fo farf.	He has a beard.	Northern pattern
Mae hi'n brydferth.	She is beautiful.	Adjective
Mae gwallt byr, tywyll ganddi.	She has short, dark hair.	Multiple adjectives
Dyn tal ydy e.	He is a tall man.	Identification
Mae hi'n gwisgo cot goch.	She is wearing a red coat.	Clothing

Common Mistakes

Wrong word order for descriptions

• Wrong: Mae ganddi golau gwallt.
• Right: Mae gwallt golau ganddi.
• Why: In the "mae...ganddo/ganddi" pattern, the described noun phrase comes before the conjugated preposition.

Forgetting adjective mutation for feminine descriptions

• Wrong: merch tal
• Right: merch dal
• Why: "Merch" is feminine, so "tal" undergoes soft mutation to "dal."

Using "ydy" instead of "mae" for descriptions

• Wrong: Ydy e'n dal.
• Right: Mae e'n dal.
• Why: "Ydy" is for questions. Statements use "mae."

Usage Notes

When describing people in Welsh, you can combine multiple adjectives using "ac" (and): "Mae e'n dal ac yn denau" (He is tall and thin). Each adjective needs its own "yn."

Physical descriptions are a common topic in Welsh conversation classes and are useful in everyday situations, from describing someone to meeting them, to talking about characters in a book or film.

Practice Tips

1. Describe people you know: Practice describing family members and friends using Welsh vocabulary.

2. Watch and describe: Watch a Welsh TV programme on S4C and describe the characters as they appear.

3. Self-description: Write a paragraph describing yourself using the vocabulary and structures covered here.

Related Concepts

• Basic Adjectives