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Breton (Brezhoneg) is a regional language of Brittany, France, spoken mainly in western, or "Lower" Brittany (Breizh-Izel in Breton, Basse-Bretagne in French). The number of people speaking Breton is diminishing, though still estimated to be around 200,000, including almost 15,000 schoolchildren. Breton is not closely related to French or any other Romance language; rather it is a Celtic language in the same family as Welsh, Cornish and, more distantly, Irish.
Everyone in Brittany also speaks French, and this is a much more useful language to have as a visitor, but if Celtic culture is your thing and you want to impress the locals, this phrasebook should be a handy source.
Pronunciation guide
[edit]Phrase list
[edit]Basics
[edit]- Hello.
- Demat dit.
- Hello. (informal)
- Brav eo an amzer.
- How are you?
- Penaos eo ar bed ganit ?
- Fine, thank you.
- Dreist, trugarez dit.
- What is your name?
- Pe anv ho peus ?
- My name is ______ .
- Va anv 'zo _____ .
- Nice to meet you.
- Plijus eo daremprediñ.
- Please.
- Mar plij.
- Thank you.
- Trugarez.
- You're welcome.
- Da netra.
- Yes.
- Ya
- No.
- Nann
- Excuse me. (getting attention)
- Digarezit ac'hanon.
- Excuse me. (begging pardon)
- Digarezit ac'hanon.
- I'm sorry.
- .
- Goodbye
- Kenavo ar wech all.
- Goodbye (informal)
- Kenavo
- I can't speak Breton [well].
- Brezhoneg ne gomzan ket [, nemet un tammig]
- Do you speak English?
- Komz a rit saozneg ?
- Is there someone here who speaks English?
- Tud 'zo amañ evit komz saozneg ?
- Help!
- D'am sikour !
- Look out!
- Sell 'ta !
- Good morning.
- Mintin vat.
- Good evening.
- Nozvezh vat.
- Good night.
- Noz vat.
- Good night (to sleep)
- Kouskit vat.
- I don't understand.
- Ne gomprenan ket.
- Where is the toilet?
- Pelec'h emaint ar privezioù ?
Problems
[edit]Numbers
[edit]- one
- unan
- two
- daou (male)/ div (female)
- three
- tri (male)/ teir (female)
- four
- pevar (male)/ peder (female)
- five
- pemp
- six
- c'hwec'h
- seven
- seizh
- eight
- eizh
- nine
- nav
- ten
- dek
- eleven
- unnek
- twelve
- daouzek
- thirteen
- trizek
- fourteen
- pevarzek
- fifteen
- pempzek
- sixteen
- c'hwezek
- seventeen
- seitek
- eighteen
- eitek/triwec'h
- nineteen
- naontek
- twenty
- ugent
- twenty-one
- unan warn-ugent
- twenty-two
- daou warn-ugent
- thirty
- tregont
... Daou ugent ... Hanter kant ... Tri ugent ... pevar ugent ...
- hundred
- kant
... Mil ...
Time
[edit]Clock time
[edit]Duration
[edit]Days
[edit]- Monday
- dilun/Lun
- Tuesday
- dimeurzh/Meurzh
- Wednesday
- dimerc'her/Merc'her
- Thursday
- diriaou/Yaou
- Friday
- digwener/Gwener
- Saturday
- disadorn/Sadorn
- Sunday
- disul/Sul
Months
[edit]- January
- Genver
- February
- C'hwevrer
- March
- Meurzh
- April
- Ebrel
- May
- Mae
- June
- Mezheven
- July
- Gouere
- August
- Eost
- September
- Gwengolo
- October
- Here
- November
- Du
- December
- Kerzu
Writing time and date
[edit]Colours
[edit]- white
- gwenn
- black
- du
- yellow
- melen
- red/pink
- ruz
- green (artificial)
- gwer
- green/blue (natural)
- glas
- silver
- arc'hant