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AIBU?

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Original poster

Brother texts greetings in Welsh

236 replies

MoHub · 22/04/2025 02:20

My brother lives in Wales but he is English. He doesn't want to be Welsh, but every time he texts me at Christmas, New Year, birthday, etc he will do it in Welsh. So this weekend it was
Me: Happy Easter DB
DB: Pasg Hapus to you too

Don't get me wrong I like Wales, it's a lovely country, I like the Welsh and if a Welsh person wished me Happy Easter in Welsh that'd be fine but my brother is English and so am I. Every bloody time he does it.
A greeting in Welsh means nothing to me and yes I can work it out, but it doesn't half irk me and I know it's annoying me far more than it should.
AIBU to just want greetings in the language we both speak?

OP posts:
thehorsesareallidiots · 22/04/2025 12:41

I'd be taking the opportunity to fuck with my sibling by sending greetings in a different language every time. It'd be fun.

Gwenhwyfar · 22/04/2025 12:39

I put Happy Easter in Welsh on my Facebook. Anyone who can't work out what it means or is offended by it shouldn't be my friend anyway.

ButtermilkYellow · 22/04/2025 12:39

It’s really not that deep - it’s nice he’s trying to learn the language but if you’re that bothered just ask him to say it in English.

Kellybonita · 22/04/2025 12:39

nomas · 22/04/2025 11:59

Because she’s not Welsh, she does not speak Welsh and she doesn’t live in Wales.

It’s as random as someone wishing you happy Birthday in Mandarin.

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It's definitely not as random as someone wishing you happy birthday in mandarin.

He lives in Wales! Welsh is everywhere in Wales. On shop signs, place signs.

When I lived in Spain, I spoke spanish.

He lives there!

Createausername1970 · 22/04/2025 12:36

It is a bit annoying if he does it every time, but if he is in all other respects a decent brother, then I wouldn't get overly bothered by it.

Outrageistheopiateofthemasses · 22/04/2025 12:32

It sounds like a brother just being a brother to me. If you tell him it irks you, he might do it more.

nomas · 22/04/2025 12:30

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 12:07

Oh come on, no it's not. He lives there. If he lived in China he might say it in mandarin. It's not random at all and you know it.

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Why would he say it in Mandarin if he lived in China?

OP won’t automatically understand just because HE’S in China!

It’s making people translate what you’re telling them unnecessarily, so it is rude.

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 12:07

nomas · 22/04/2025 11:59

Because she’s not Welsh, she does not speak Welsh and she doesn’t live in Wales.

It’s as random as someone wishing you happy Birthday in Mandarin.

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Oh come on, no it's not. He lives there. If he lived in China he might say it in mandarin. It's not random at all and you know it.

nomas · 22/04/2025 11:59

Clafoutie · 22/04/2025 07:49

But how on earth is it rude?

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Because she’s not Welsh, she does not speak Welsh and she doesn’t live in Wales.

It’s as random as someone wishing you happy Birthday in Mandarin.

frontwoman001 · 22/04/2025 11:50

DrPrunesqualer · 22/04/2025 03:00

It is very odd as he knows you don’t speak Welsh

Why not reply in other languages. Perhaps you could help him learn how to say happy Easter In loads of languages

Frohe Ostern - German
Pasaka njema - Swahili
Caisc Shona duit - Irish
Felices Pascuas - Spanish

Id love to do Chinese and Russian etc but I don’t know how to change my script

apologies to all German, Spanish, Swahili and Irish speakers if I spelt anything wrong 😁

부활절 축복 받으세요
(Korean!)

CiaoMeow · 22/04/2025 11:30

I love other languages and I do this very same thing myself sometimes in cards to a particular uncle. Probably not quite the same as this uncle actually IS Welsh.

But I've also written a word or a phrase in another language if someone is going on holiday to that particular country. I wouldn't give it a second thought not to. It's just a bit of fun.

Have you never wished someone Bon Voyage, used the term cul-de-sac or talked about deja vu?

Kellybonita · 22/04/2025 11:00

You're lucky to get a text back. If I texted my brother he wouldn't reply.

If I called him and he missed the call, he would return a call.

But he definitely wouldn't reply to a text.

LazyArsedMagician · 22/04/2025 10:58

He's your brother. Just roll your eyes and call him a dickhead or something.

AutumnLeaves24 · 22/04/2025 09:54

ExpatMum41 · 22/04/2025 07:17

A very "vesele velku noc" to you all 💐😉

ďakujem dúfam že ste mali krásnu Veľkú noc

KimberleyClark · 22/04/2025 09:51

Agapornis · 22/04/2025 08:56

Arguably Welsh is not foreign - it is one of our native languages, long before English.

You sound jealous of his ability to use another language. I'm guessing you don't speak anything beyond English?

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No arguably about it. It’s an indigenous British language. English is arguably more “foreign”.

SallyWD · 22/04/2025 09:47

I think it's fine. I think he's embracing the fact he's in Wales. I can relate to this. I'm a southerner living in Yorkshire and I love using Yorkshire-isms to my southern friends. I do it out of affection for Yorkshire.

ThisIsItNowOrNever · 22/04/2025 09:42

It sounds like an utterly traumatising experience.

ItGhoul · 22/04/2025 09:41

I really don’t understand why this would bother anyone.

ForZanyAquaViewer · 22/04/2025 09:30

I genuinely can’t understand why this would annoy anyone. And neither the OP, nor the people who think she’s NBU seem able to explain. Which is interesting.

BobbyBiscuits · 22/04/2025 09:23

I love Welsh, I wish I could speak it.

I've worked for the Welsh Government before and you have to say 'Bora da/ good morning...' but I didn't know any other Welsh. We'd have to ask if they wish for the call to be in Welsh and if they said yes I'd have to get the only Welsh speaker in our office to do those calls.

I don't see what's wrong with a greeting in the language of the country you live. It's cool he wants to learn/speak it. I would want to learn it if I lived there too. And maybe I would show off or practice a bit on some non Welsh speakers.

BertieBotts · 22/04/2025 09:19

Breaks up the tedium a bit doesn't it?

I think if you get a random text at Easter which says nothing more than a phrase you can't understand, it's quite clear that it means Happy Easter, especially if it comes from someone who has form for doing that 🤷‍♀️

Original poster
MoHub · 22/04/2025 09:15

Oftenaddled · 22/04/2025 08:31

He knows you know he's not Welsh or Welsh speaking, so he's not showing off.

Surely he's just making it a bit more personal than sending the same greeting as everyone else?

There is a phenomenon where we all get a little tense about family members changing in small ways - not things that matter objectively but things upset our expected order of things. That might be why this seems important to you but trivial to everyone else.

Why not go with it - brother is embracing being in Wales and likes to take about it. So ask him how things are going in Cymru or whether he's enjoying the rygbi once in a while. Don't try to control him

Probably the best answer. Good way to look at it.
Thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
MoHub · 22/04/2025 09:11

IneedAniffler · 22/04/2025 08:23

At best you're being a killjoy - it's fun to use different languages especially if you live there, it's not like he's sending you a whole message to decipher. Happy Birthday/Easter/Xmas shouldn't be confusing to you in a language spoken in a country you're joined to.

At worst you come across a bit bigoted by saying he's English so should speak English. Are you saying its an affront for my to wish my husband happy birthday in Spanish because neither of us are Spanish or live in Spain, we just enjoy the language and everything else about the place? I'd say it's far from "rude" as PP have suggested.

Or, instead of moaning about it on here why don't you just message him and say "DB I don't know why but it really annoys me when you say things in Welsh, I want you to wish me Happy Birthday in English because we are English"

Make him feel silly, kill the buzz, but get your wish!

Let us know what he says

Or...
Ymdawelu...

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I "moaned about it on here" because strangely I wanted to know AIBU which i clearly am. I didn't want to tell him I'd like an English greeting every now and then if that was unreasonable.
I have nothing against the welsh or their language. I wouldn't even mind it from him occasionally, just not every single time he texts me.

OP posts:
Agapornis · 22/04/2025 09:00

Oh and zalig pasen!

Agapornis · 22/04/2025 08:56

MoHub · 22/04/2025 04:33

If it was every time, yes. And the foreign greeting is the whole message.

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Arguably Welsh is not foreign - it is one of our native languages, long before English.

You sound jealous of his ability to use another language. I'm guessing you don't speak anything beyond English?