In the valleys, we have some very peculiar sayings that are used every day and we dont think twice about it. Another would be “now, in a minute” another of these is the above. Does it make sense to the wider UK community?

35 comments

  1. I’d assume that phrase means “Where are you going now?”

    I guess they would make sense but I’d have to think about them for a second, all my knowledge of Welsh phrases comes from Gavin and Stacey lol

  2. From South England I’m thinking I know all those words but wouldn’t use them in that order, is it a where are you going type thing?

  3. Pretty sure that thanks to Gavin and Stacey it’s pretty widely known, although lesser used I’d imagine

  6. I completely understand Now in a minute, but where too you now, not a clue and I was born in South Wales and lived in RCT until the last decade, I moved to south west wales (Swansea way).

  8. I miss Wales. “How be!” was a regular shout on the way to school 2 decades ago, Gwent.

  10. Also from Wales and I’ve been told that saying: “I’m guna go sick” makes no sense too, but it’s just how we grew up saying it, elsewhere in the UK people tend to say “be sick”

    And another one is finishing a sentence with: “is it” instead of isn’t it

  11. I live in SE England now, any time I say i’ll be there “now, in a minute” in a group chat or on the phone it’s like i’ve confessed to robbing a bank based off their reaction.

  12. *Gavin and Stacey* used both, so I’d guess the phrases are more widely known than 20 years ago even if other areas don’t use them

  14. I used to have a workmate who’s first language was Welsh. The funniest thing he ever said was when someone did a loud, really smelly fart

    He turned around and said “Ahh, shit myself, have you?”

    Imagine that in a valleys accent. We were crying!

  15. Where you to? Meaning “where are you” or “where are you now” is common in Bristol and the immediate surrounding area. Not Bath though, Bath is posh.

  17. I miss Wales. We used to call everything “tidy” or “lush” when it was good, or “minging” when it was bad – do those count? I’ve not heard them outside wales.
    Also like, we used to call being left alone/left out “left on my dug”.
    My fave is still “what’s occurin’?”

  19. I’m in Somerset. It’s not far off the “where you to?” that I hear all the time round these parts.

  20. The sentence structure in Welsh is different. These everyday phrases are very old and made by a native Welsh speakers literally translating the Welsh into pidgin English.

  21. From South Wales myself but life in England. This made me chuckle, so many phrases I remember when growing up but where to are you is one of the ones that used to do my head in, unsure why. Some of the other things I recall (not sure if anyone else will recognise)

    Tamping – seriously angry, raging

    Dew dew (unsure of spelling) – my grandparents used in a similar tone of well well.

    Iesu Bach – used as a swear/exclamation meaning small jesus

    Iesu fawr – same as above, but means big jesus.

    Miss the place and the valleys. Not quite the same elsewhere

  22. From Bristol, I’d say “where to” rather than where to you now, as a general query on location

    I’d use “Where you at” for asking someone’s current location

    I never felt too out of my zone when I lived in Cardiff, I did enjoy “now in a minute” and “I’m by here” a lot and picked it up easily – not so much now I live away from the west!
    The whole set of Welsh phrases in this thread makes me miss living in the south west

  24. Initially it didn’t make any sense and seems grammatically wrong. Does it mean, ‘where are you going?’

  28. Where too you now? Living in South Wales for my entire life I’ve never heard that one.

  32. I only this phrase because my family are Welsh I live in the South East of England

  35. A friend of mine actually called me once and asked “where to are you to?”

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