| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la brute; le tyran | bully | bwli | tirant |
| tyraniser; rudoyer; intimider | to bully | gormesu; bwlio | gaiet gante; abafiñ |
| la laisse | lead | tennyn | roll |
| le pont | deck (of ship) | bwrdd | pont |
| la passerelle (de commandement) | bridge (of ship) | pont (lywio) | pontenn |
| l’arête (f) / le dos | bridge (of nose) | cefn | ker |
| le chevalet | bridge (of violin) | pont | pontig |
| quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent | when the cat’s away the mice will play | llon llygod lle ni bo cath |
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| se vendre | to sell out | gwerthu rhth i gyd; gwerthu’r cwbl | gwerzhañ holl (?) |
| la sueur | sweat | chwys | c’hwezenn |
| suer; transpirer | to sweat | chwysu | c’hweziñ |
| suer/transpirer comme un boeuf | to sweat like a pig | chwysu fel mochyn/ceffyl | |
| la scène musicale | the music scene | man cerddoriaeth (?) | |
| ouvert aux éléments | open to the elements | agor i’r gwynt a glaw; agor i’r tywydd mawr | |
| le pavé | paving stone | carreg balmant; fflacsen | pavez |
| la gare routière/d’autobus | bus station | gorsaf fysus | gar ar c’hirri-boutin |
This is a nonsense song that I wrote in March and finally got round to recording today. It began with the sentence ‘There’s a panda in poncho playing ping-pong in the park’ and developed from there. I made up a tune, and found that it also fits to the tune of ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’. If anyone feels like doing some illustrations for it, please do.
A Panda in a Poncho
There’s a panda in a poncho in the park
Playing ping-poing with a purple ardvaark
While a pig in a wig sings a song about a fig
And an fox washes rocks in a box.
There’s an fox washing rocks in a box
And giving a lecture about grandfather clocks
While a giraffe in a scarf has a laugh with a calf
And poodles eat noodles with a fork.
There are poodles eating noodles with a fork
While a chimp plays chess with a stork
And baboons in bonnets recite silly sonnets
And a gorilla makes faces in a mirror.
There’s a gorilla making faces in a mirror
And chatting with a cheeky chinchilla
While a goat in a boat plays bagpipes to a stoat
And a weasel weaves teasels on an easel.
Here’s a recording:
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir une idée en tête; être obnublié par qch | to have a bee in one’s bonnet | chwilen yn dy ben | |
| être imbu(e) de soi-même | to be full of oneself | bod yn llawn ohonat ti dy hunan | |
| imbiber qch de | to soak sth in | gwylchu/mwydo rhwybeth mewn | intrañ; spluiañ; gouzourañ |
| s’imbiber de | to become saturated with | dirlenwi efo/gyda | gouzourañ |
| le noisetier | hazel (tree) | cyll | kelver |
| la dépression; la cuvette | hollow | pant; cafn; ceudod | izelder |
| le tourbillon | whirlpool | trobwll; pwll tro | mordro(l)enn(ad); korvent; troenn-vor |
| le mode de comportement | pattern of behaviour | patrwm ymddygiad | patrom emzalc’h |
| l’élastique (m) | rubber band | band rwber/lastig | stirenn; lastikenn |
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le poney (des îles Shetland) | (Shetland) pony | merlen; merlyn; poni (Shetland) | pone (Shetland) |
| la mouette tridactyle | kittiwake | gwylan goesddu | karaveg |
| l’ornithologue | ornithologist | adaregwr, adaregydd | evnoniour |
| l’orinthologue amateur | bird-watcher; twitcher | gwyliwr adar; sbeciwr ar adar | evnoniour amatour |
| la menuiserie | woodwork (joinery) | gwaith coed | munuzerezh |
| sortir d’un peu partout | to crawl out of the woodwork | ||
| la charpenterie | carpentry | gwaith coed/saer; saernïaeth | frammerezh; kilvizerezh |
| l’ébénisterie (f) | cabinetmaking | gwaith saer | ebenouriezh |
| le cil | eyelash | blewyn amrant; blewyn llygad | (blev) malvenn |
| le sourcil | eye brow | ael | abrant |
| pire | worse | gwaeth | gwashoc’h |
| empirer | to worsen | gwaethygu; mynd yn waeth | gwashañ |
| ne faire que empirer | to get worse and worse | mynd o ddrwg i waeth | gwashoc’h-gwashañ |
| au pire | if the worst comes to the worst | os daw hi i’r pen; ar y gwaethaf | ar gwashañ |
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le mine (de charbon) | (coal) mine | mwynfa (glofa; pwll glo) | poull-glaou |
| le mine | (explosive) mine | ffrwydryn | min |
| se venger (de qn) | to take one’s revenge (on sb) | dial (ar rywun) | venjiñ |
| ingénieux; astucieux | clever (device, system) | dyfeisgar; medrus | ijinek; barrek |
| à double vitrage | double-glazed | dwbl-wydrog | gweradur doubl |
| le double vitrage | double glazing | ffenestri dwbl; gwydro dwbl | |
| le store | (window) blind | cysgodlen; bleind | rideoz |
| le volet | (window) shutter | caead | stalaf |
| le rideau | curtain | llen; cyrten | rideoz |
| le valeurs mobilières; les titres | stocks and shares | stociau a chyfrannau | teulioù |
| toxicomane; accro | addict | adict | drammgaezhiad |
| l’ardoisière (f) | slate quarry | chwarela llechi | meinglazeg |
| la déesse | goddess | duwies | doueez |
| la lance | spear | gwaywffon | goaf |
| la hanche | hip | clun | lez |
| nier; refuser | to deny | gwadu | nac’hañ |
| creuser; bêcher | to dig | cloddio; palu | kleuzañ; palarat |
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la surabondance | superfluity | gormodedd | gourfaoter |
| superflu | superfluous | gormodol | didal; diouverus |
| le pari | a bet | bet; mentro arian | pariadenn |
| parier | to bet | betio; mentro; chwarae hap | pariañ |
| les futilités; les bagatelles | trivia | pethau dibwys/diwerth | raneoù |
| la dune de sable | sand dune | twyn tywod | tevenn (traezh) |
| le gage | pawn (in chess) | gwerinwr | gouestl |
| le paon [pɑ̃] | peacock | paun | paun |
| la paonne [pan] | peahen | peunes | paunez |
| la pantoufle | slipper | sliper; llopan; esgid nos | pañtoufl |
| pantoufler | to switch from civil servant to the private sector | luduenniñ | |
| pantouflard | stay-at-home | cartrefol; diantur; difenter | ludu |
| se relaxer | to chill out | ymlacio | dibrezañ; dizalc’hen |
| le soap; le feuilleton | soap opera | sioe sebon; opera sebon | heuliadenn |
| tour à tour | alternately | bob yn ail | a bep eil |
| l’échange | exchange | cyfnewid | eskemm |
| intermédiaire | go-between | canolwr | hanterour |
| le relais; l’auberge | hotel, inn | llety, gwesti | leti; ostaleri |
| le relais | (electronic) relay | relái | relae |
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le gratte-papier | pen(cil)-pusher | clercyn | louf-torchenn |
| l’écurie (f) | stable (for horses) | ystabl | kraou (-kezeg) |
| la fausse couche | miscarriage | erthyliad (naturiol) | kolladenn |
| l’erreur judiciaire | miscarriage of justice | aflwyddiant cyfiawnder | fazi barnerezh |
| le mal d’altitude | altitude sickness | salwch pen mynydd | |
| le vertige | vertigo | pendro; pensyfrdandod | pennfoll |
As today is St Piran’s Day, here are a few Cornish words and phrases (provided by Sam Brown at the Polyglot conversation group), with equivalents in Welsh, Breton and French:
| Kernewek | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg | français |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goel Peran Lowen | Happy St Piran’s Day | Gwyl Peran Hapus | Gouel Peran laouenn | Joyeuse fête de Saint Péran |
| kerdhva | parade | parêd; rhodfa | prosesion | défilé |
| kebywi | party | parti | fest | fête |
| solempnyans | celebration | dathliad | fest | fête |
| solempnya | to celebrate | dathlu | goueliañ | célébrer; fêter |
| pasti (kernowek) | (Cornish) pasty | pastai/pasten (Gernyweg) | pastez (keneveg ?) | petit pâté (en croûte) (cornouaillais) / chausson à la viande et aux légumes |
| keus hag onyonenn | cheese and onion | caws a nionyn | keuz hag ognon | fromage et oignons |
- impressionnable; dégoûté = squeamish = dicra = santidig
- facilement dégoûté par = to be squeamish = bod yn ddicra = dic’hoantaat
- l’enterrement (m); les obsèques (fpl) = funeral = angladd = interamant; obidoù
- le piano droit = upright piano = piano unionsyth = piano eeun
- le piano à queue = grand piano = piano grand = piano lostek
- la gamme = (musical) scale = graddfa = skeulenn
- l’école maternelle (f); le jardin d’enfants = nursery school; kindergarten = meithrinfa = skol-vamm
- qui se ressemble s’assemble = it takes one to know one; birds of a feather flock together = tebyg at ei debyg
- le larron = thief (obsolete) = lleidr = laer
- l’occasion fait le larron = opportunity makes the thief
- (s’entendre) comme larrons en foire = (to be) thick as thieves = (bod yn) gryn lawiau = en em glevet d’ober droug