Essential English phrases

Swansea in Welsh — 'mouth of the Tawe'. It is on every road sign, every council letter and the side of every bus, because bilingual signage is a legal requirement across Wales, not a courtesy.

The Victorian seaside village at the western end of the bay, five miles round the shore. It takes the definite article and it is where Swansea goes on a Sunday. The 'Mumbles Mile' was the legendary pub crawl along the front — much reduced now, and still invoked.

Slow — painted on the road surface all over Wales. Worth knowing on day one alongside the fact that the default limit on restricted roads here has been 20mph since 17 September 2023.

What Wales calls a tenancy. Since 1 December 2022 the Renting Homes (Wales) Act replaced tenancies with occupation contracts and tenants with contract-holders. England's 2026 Renters' Rights Act does not apply in Wales — different law, different rights, different notice periods.

The local property tax, paid by the occupier and billed separately from rent. Wales has nine bands, A to I, based on 2003 property values — England has eight, based on 1991 values. A Band D in Swansea is not the same thing as a Band D in Bristol.

The bar street in the city centre. Saying it the other way is the single fastest way to be identified as new, and you will be corrected within the hour. Locals frequently just say 'Wind Street' to mean a night out.

A person from Swansea. Named after a black retriever who pulled people out of the docks in the 1930s and was given a medal for it. Worn with pride, and the football crowd sings it.

A hug — but a specific one, closer to a safe enclosing than a greeting. Also the cupboard under the stairs. There is no English equivalent, which is why nobody translates it.

Good, decent, satisfactory. 'A tidy job', 'tidy, butt'. Nothing to do with cleanliness. The most-used word in Welsh English and the one newcomers misread most often.

Thank you; 'diolch yn fawr' is thank you very much. You will hear it in shops and on buses from people who otherwise speak English, and using it is read as courtesy rather than pretension.

Mate, and a sentence-final tag roughly like 'man'. Universal across south-west Wales and used to strangers as readily as to friends.

Police / hospital / school. This is what is written on the police car, the hospital sign and the school gate, usually above the English. Three words that save a bad moment.

999 for a genuine emergency — and on the bay or the Gower cliffs, 999 and ask for the Coastguard. NHS 111 Wales for urgent medical help that is not life-threatening: the Welsh service, run separately from England's. All free from any phone, including a locked one.