hen, hoff, prif + Soft Mutation

Adjectives Before the Noun

Level 3

Most adjectives follow the noun, but hen (old), hoff (favourite) and prif (main) go first and soften it: fy hoff fwyd (my favourite food).

How It Works

The common ones.

  • hen — old: hen ddyn (an old man), hen dŷ (an old house), hen ffrind (an old friend)
  • hoff — favourite: hoff lyfr, fy hoff fwyd
  • prif — main, chief: prif weinidog (first minister), y prif reswm (the main reason)
  • unig — only: unig blentyn (an only child), yr unig ffordd (the only way)

Mutation. The noun after these adjectives softens: dyn → ddyn, llyfr → lyfr, gweinidog → weinidog, plentyn → blentyn. Unlike yn and mor, they soften ll and rh too: hoff liw (favourite colour), prif reswm.

Position changes meaning.

  • Roedd hi'n unig blentyn. — She was an only child.
  • Roedd hi'n blentyn unig. — She was a lonely child.

Hen before or after. Before the noun, hen can mean old in years or long-standing: hen ffrind is an old friend. After bod + yn, it simply describes age: Mae'r tŷ'n hen (The house is old).

Most other adjectives follow the noun: see adjectives after nouns. In close compounds such as prifddinas (capital city) the adjective and noun join into one word: see compound words.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae e'n hen ddyn caredig.

    He's a kind old man.

    Hen softens dyn to ddyn. South: e. In the North: Mae o'n hen ddyn caredig.

  2. Beth ydy dy hoff fwyd di?

    What's your favourite food?

    Hoff softens bwyd to fwyd.

  3. Fy hoff liw i ydy glas.

    My favourite colour is blue.

    Hoff softens even ll: lliw becomes liw.

  4. Mae'r Prif Weinidog yn siarad heddiw.

    The First Minister is speaking today.

    Prif softens gweinidog to weinidog.

  5. Dyna'r prif reswm.

    That's the main reason.

    Prif softens rheswm to reswm.

  6. Unig blentyn ydy Siân.

    Siân is an only child.

    Before the noun, unig means only; plentyn softens to blentyn.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft mutation after hoff.

    fy hoff bwyd
    fy hoff fwyd

    Hoff causes soft mutation of the noun after it.

  • Putting hoff after the noun.

    llyfr hoff
    hoff lyfr

    Hoff always comes before the noun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

hen, hoff, prif + Soft MutationLevel 3Adjectives Before the Noun

Learn This First

A few adjectives come before the noun and soften it.

Words in This Pattern

henprifunig