Shwmae
Shwmae is the Welsh way to say "hi, how are you?"
Shwmae is used as a friendly greeting to say hello and ask how someone is doing.
What does it mean word for word?
Shwmae is a contraction of Sut mae?, which literally means "How is it?"
Which one should you use?
While Shwmae is used in the south, the northern equivalent is Sut mae. To specifically ask "how are you?" you can also use Sut wyt ti.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Shwmae is an informal, colloquial greeting.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Shwmae is primarily used in South Wales, whereas Sut mae is the form used in North Wales.
When do people say it?
A common response to the greeting Shwmae is Iawn, diolch (Fine, thanks).
Did you know?
- In Wales, it is common to respond to Shwmae with another Shwmae instead of answering the question, effectively using it as a simple 'hello'.
- The shift from Sut mae to Shwmae is a linguistic process called coalescence, where two sounds merge into one to make the greeting faster to say.
- The response Iawn is incredibly versatile in Wales, often used to mean 'okay', 'fine', 'yes', or even 'alright' depending on the tone.
Examples in context
- Shwmae, sut wyt ti?Hello, how are you?
- Shwmae, mae popeth yn iawn?Hi, how are you, is everything okay?
- Shwmae, sut mae ti?Hi, how are you?
Example conversation
Elowen meets Rhys on a street in a small village.
- ElowenShwmae, Rhys!Hi, Rhys!
- RhysHelo Elowen, sut mae ti?Hello Elowen, how are you?
- ElowenDa iawn, diolch.Very well, thanks.
- RhysDa iawn, mae popeth yn braf.Very well, everything is fine.
